Austin James was born in a sleepy town in Wales. He overcame polio at age two with no more than a secondary education and without much prospect of employment in the area. He travelled across the newly built Severn Bridge opened in 1969 to an apprenticeship on Concorde, at Filton, before moving on to a twenty-two-year career with British Airways, London, another difficult move, then becoming Chief Flying Instructor for Cloud Base Aviation, a company he set up, over the past 36 years. He tells of the interesting stories and pitfalls that come with that life of adventure.
This is the story of my life, from childhood struggles with polio to leaving home at seventeen for an apprenticeship with British Aircraft Corporation, working on the iconic Concorde. My career path took me through Westland Helicopters and British Rail, before a 22-year career at British Airways in ...