PENARTH Aviation Society will welcome Phil Clarke to their next meeting where he will tell visitors about his extensive piloting experience.

Starting his working life as a junior engineer in the Merchant Navy and then finishing his career as a pilot, flying out of Cardiff Airport (Rhoose), involved Penarth Aviation Society’s guest speaker for September in a very eventful life all across the globe.

Phil Clarke’s journey started at his home in Treherbert, Rhondda to Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Zimbabwe (Rhodesia), South Africa, the Caribbean and a multitude of other locations.

Phil Clarke rose from junior engineer to chief engineer in the merchant navy and sailed with a number of shipping lines. It was whilst flying as a passenger on a Boeing 747, bound for Hong Kong, where he was to join a new shipping company that he caught the ‘flying bug’.

In the days when passengers could go into the cockpit with the crew, he experienced a landing into Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Airport from the ‘jump seat’. He knew then that he wanted to fly and so took up flying lessons until he achieved his Private Pilots Licence (PPL).

On leaving the sea, he started his flying career crop spraying across South Africa.

Phil Clarke’s next achievement was qualifying as a helicopter pilot flying a Bell 47, a two-bladed, single engine, light helicopter manufactured by the Bell Helicopter Company.

He also flew geophysics surveys across Mozambique in a DC3 (Dakota) and following that, qualified on the Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander, a 1960s British light utility aircraft, regional airliner and cargo aircraft.

On returning to the UK he flew DC3s out of RAF Kinloss and Prestwick, spraying oil spills in the North Sea. This tour was followed by flying British Airways (BAH) oil rig support operations in a Sikorsky S61helicopter based at Aberdeen.

Phil Clarke then gained his Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Airline Transport Pilot Licence (ATPL) and was offered a Boeing 737 rating by BA. He returned to South Wales flying 737-200s out of Cardiff Airport for Airways Cymru and Inter European Airways.

Graduating to the A320 Airbus, he flew for Airtours which eventually became Thomas Cook where he finished his flying career on the A321 Airbus flying routes out of Cardiff some three years ago.

Visitors are welcome to attend the meeting, at Penarth Conservative Club, on Friday, September 4, 7.45pm for 8pm, but should contact the hon secretary, Mike Duxbury for seating availability, please call (01446) 711 482/07829 124 353.

A donation of £2 per head is requested. The talk is followed by a ‘Business Session’ for society members only.

For further information go to Penarth Aviation Society’s website and facebook page.