Meet the Team
You're in safe hands
Our dedicated Fear of Flying team consists of Course Director, Susie Stevenson, and a small team of airline pilots, hand-picked for their experience and understanding of nervous flyers' concerns.
Susie Stevenson - Course Director
Susie helped develop the Fear of Flying Course and has been Course Director since the course started in 2002. As the first and main point of contact, Susie speaks to everyone before they come on the course, firstly to develop a background to your fear so the course can be tailored to your individual needs, and secondly to assess whether the course is right for you. As the non-technical face of the team she attends most of the courses, offering a sympathetic, listening ear for people to talk to, and can empathise with many as she overcame a fear of flying herself. Susie speaks to everyone after their courses as well, to provide ongoing support should it be needed, and she has found that many people stay in touch for years after their course.
Peter Burkill
Peter was accepted to train as a commercial pilot at Prestwick under the British Airways sponsorship scheme in 1987, and he graduated in 1989. He has since flown for British Airways for 20 years, flying Lockhead TriStars, DC-10s and Boeing 777s. Peter achieved his command on Boeing 777s in 2004 and has accumulated over 13,000 flight hours during his career. Peter captured the world's attention when the aircraft he was Captain of crashed-landed at London Heathrow in January 2008. With 35 seconds to go before touchdown, his Boeing 777 suddenly and inexplicably lost all power to both engines; something which has never happened on a commercial flight before or since. Peter took command of the situation and moved the flaps on the wings, in order to give the aircraft enough lift to make it over the airport's boundary fence and onto the grass. All 152 people aboard survived the incident, and Peter was hailed as a hero. Peter returned to flying shortly after the crash, but later left British Airways in late 2009. He has since written a book entitled 'Thirty Seconds to Impact' and joined the Virtual Aviation Fear of Flying team.
Nick Oak
Following his flying training, Nick flew various aircraft for Air UK, Virgin Sun and easyJet before joining Virgin Atlantic in 2002. He flies the Boeing 747-400 'Jumbo' on long-haul flights around the world. Nick’s interest in working with people who were anxious about flying resulted in him taking part on some of the Virgin Flying without Fear courses. In 2002, Nick joined Virtual Aviation, working in his free time, operating the simulators with commercial pilots and members of the public. Nick’s energy, enthusiasm, intelligence and obvious interest marked him out as a suitable pilot to join the small Fear of Flying team. Recently Nick and his family moved to France, but he still flies long-haul for Virgin Atlantic and still finds the time to continue working with us. Like Martyn, Nick finds working with people who are anxious about flying both interesting and rewarding.
Simon Taylor
Simon was formerly a military pilot and conducted 43 sorties during the Gulf War. In 1993 he left the military and moved to flying Gulfstream executive jets out of Heathrow, before becoming a Captain on a Boeing 737 BBJ for a private owner. Recently he joined another private company, but still flies the B737 BBJ as a Captain. Simon is a very experienced pilot who, like the others, has flown all over the world. This experience, plus his very sympathetic and careful nature, drew him towards working with anxious passengers and makes him a very suitable member of the Fear of Flying team.
Steve Freeman
Steve started his flying career in the Royal Air Force, flying Tornado fast jets before becoming an instructor. After leaving the RAF, he became a commercial pilot and joined GB Airways (then a division of British Airways) flying the Airbus A320 and A321. When GB Airways opened a base at Manchester, Steve transferred there and was also promoted to Captain. GB Airways has subsequently been taken over by easyJet. Steve recently became a Type-Rating Instructor on the Airbus A320, allowing him to instruct commercial pilots. His professionalism and conscientious approach are well suited to working with people who are anxious about flying, as he applies himself with great care in thinking how best to help people change their perception of flying. Whilst he was based at Gatwick, Steve worked with us on courses there, but now he is based at Manchester, we have recently started offering courses there, run by him. The courses will be of limited availability, as he is currently the only Fear of Flying Captain based there.
