Have Your Say

    Mike of Ireland

    February 21, 2014

    Wow it looks as if Mike one of your panel is a very accomplished pilot.
    The statement is made that he has flown 200 aircraft types. Can you please state how many types mike is actually rated on. Can you please outline mikes actual airline experience if any. The reason for this is that I am a professional in the industry for a extensive period and I have heard the expression too many times before I have flown this and that and to my distress on some occasions I have discovered some individuals were claiming credit for experience when they were merely sitting in the co pilots seat of an aircraft certified for one pilot. I have no doubt this is not the case with mike but could you please clarify exactly what ratings and license’s Mike holds?

    Editors' Comment

    Thank for your question. The answer to this question lies in the first line of the Bio "As an aviator, Mike has flown IN more than 200 different types of aircraft, and every type of airliner from Ford Tri-Motor to Concorde." So just to clarify he has flown in 200 aircraft types For the record, his current tally is 225 different aircraft types while traveling on all his airline and military assignments. he has flown in every production Douglas airliner - DC-2, DC-3, DC-4, DC-6, DC-7, every model of DC-8, DC-9, and DC-10, plus the MD-11 and 717. Same with Lockheed, Convair, and Boeing types. Mike holds an FAA Commercial Pilot Certificate with ratings in single-engine land and glider, both aero and ground launch. The bulk of his Pilot-In-Command time is in sailplanes with 2,200 flights to date. Military experience includes flights in the T-33, T-38, T-39, TA-4J Skyhawk, F-104 Starfighter, F-14 Tomcat, F-15 Eagle, F-16 Fighting Falcon, F/A-18 Hornet, B-52H Stratofortress, B-1B Lancer, KC-135, KC-10, C-130, C-141, C-2 Greyhound and C-121 Constellation. Mike has flown with the Blue Angels, USAF Test Pilot School, and trapped and launched from a carrier. Homebuilts, hang gliders, seaplanes, and the Good Year Blimp round out the collection in addition to all the airliners including three flights in the Concorde (one in the cockpit).
    SHARE