MEET OUR PILOTS AND LEARN MORE ABOUT THEIR VAST MILITARY AND COMMERCIAL EXPERIENCE

The majority of our instructors are current or former military fast jet pilots, many of whom have fought and flown operationally in The Gulf War or Bosnia.

They include former Red Arrows pilots, test pilots, Jaguar, Typhoon, Hawk and Harrier pilots, as well as Spitfire display pilots.

They all work for us part-time as they have full time jobs, mostly flying as Captains for commercial airlines.

They come and fly for us because flying is their passion and they want to share their love of flying with you!

Mark ‘GREENERs’ Greenfield

CEO of Ultimate High, Mark is a former RAF pilot, and ran the world famous Empire Test Pilot School at Boscombe Down for QinetiQ. He has been coaching aerobatics for 30 years, and established the Ultimate High Flight Safety Academy in 2001 to specifically deliver advanced flying training to private and commercial pilots.

He is an experienced manager of air-to-air photo, video and TV shoots, and is an aviation and motoring journalist. He is one of a handful of UK pilots to hold an Unlimited Display Authorisation and has flown an Extra 300L in singleton and formation displays at airshows around Europe.

Mark has represented the UK on European Flight Safety Committees and presents widely on Flight Safety and Upset Prevention and Recovery Training.

ROB CURRY

Rob went through RAF Valley and RAF Chivenor and was then posted to the Tornado GR1 in the Strike/Attack role at RAF Laarbruch in Germany. This was followed by tours at RAF Cottesmore and RAF Brüggen, on the updated Tornado GR4, flying on Operations in the Middle East and Eastern Europe.

Next he was posted to the Tornado F3 in the Air Defence role, operating from the RAF’s finest fighter base, RAF Leuchars, followed by a move down south to RAF Leeming to teach Navigators on the Hawk.

After leaving the RAF, Rob took a change of direction and worked as an Operations Analyst for a major defence contractor.  However, the call of aviation was too strong so he returned to the fold and is now a freelance flying instructor, and also works for the CAA in a safety analysis role.

STEVE ‘JOS’ JOHNSON

Jos is Ultimate High’s Chief Flying Instructor.  He flew Harrier GR3s operationally in West Germany, the Falkland Islands & Belize and then flew for the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, the Red Arrows.  Jos flew with the Reds from 1988-1990 and in his third year flew in the prestigious position of Synchro Pair Lead.

He joined Team Toyota after leaving the RAF and displayed a Pitts Special around the world as part of a 4-ship aerobatic team led by Nigel Lamb. He has also displayed a variety of warbirds including the Spitfire, P-40, P-47, P-63, Hurricane, Wildcat, Hellcat & the F-4U Corsair. Jos recently retired from Virgin Atlantic, where he was a Training Captain, flying the A340, 330 and 320.

Jos has been instrumental in helping to develop and deliver our Industry Leading UPRT Upset Prevention and Recovery Training programme. In his spare time he plays classical piano and tinkers with old cars.

Chris ‘CJ’ Kingswood

CJ started his RAF career in the C130H Hercules and then spent a substantial amount of time instructing around the world.  He flew an exchange tour with the Canadian CT114 Jet, was lent to Saudi Arabia to instruct on the Pilatus PC9 and achieved an A1 QFI rating.

He left the military and flew with Virgin and easyJet where he became Chief Training Captain.

Chris has spent much time instructing on a variety of civilian and aerobatic aircraft including the Harvard,  Pitts S2, Tiger Moth, Yak 50 & 52.

CJ is also a highly sought after Flight Examiner and Instructor of Instructors.

Margaret ‘Mags’ cunningham

Mags flew the Falcon 20 with FR Aviation, providing electronic warfare training for RAF pilots and taking part in NATO exercises throughout the European theatre. Mags also worked for Flight Precision in Teesside calibrating navigational aids on the King Air.

Her day job is as a Captain on Airbus 320 and 321, but her first love has always been aerobatic aircraft. Mags has flown and instructed on the Chipmunk, Condor, Cap 10, Tiger Moth, Stampe, Super Cub, Pitts S2 & Christen Eagle, and of course the Bulldog, T67 and Extra 300.

Neil ‘Jonesy’ Jones

Neil started his flying career flying Sea King helicopters with the Fleet Air Arm, which included a tour in the Falklands.  He then moved onto the Sea Harrier, based on the Ark Royal, and also flew the Hunter and instructed on Hawk aircraft whilst with the Navy.

For several years he flew the “Arrows Experience” (formation aerobatics using 2 Pitts aircraft) at Thruxton with Ultimate High’s Head of Training Steve Johnson (Jos). 

Neil was at Virgin for 24 years flying the Airbus A320,  330 & 340 and was also a Training Captain. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he decided to take early retirement to spend more time on his hobbies:  aerobatics and motorbike riding.

JAMES GOSLING

James has over 2000 hours on the RAF Jaguar, flying in attack and reconnaissance roles, and was a flight commander and executive officer on 54(F) Squadron.

He flew on Operation Warden missions over Northern Iraq and Operation Deny Flight over Bosnia.  He had previously taught air combat and tactics at RAF Chivenor where he was a Qualified Weapons Instructor on the Hawk.

Following his flying in the RAF James did a ground tour as part of the RAF presentation team before joining the airlines where he currently flies the Airbus A320/330.

In his spare time he loves exercising his Border Collie Trixie.

John ‘JR’ Rands

JR started his operational RAF career at Binbrook, flying the English Electric Lightning as a Weapons Instructor.

He then joined the Red Arrows, first as “Red 8”, then in the Synchro Pair, and thirdly as the Synchro lead “Red 6” position, with Steve “Jos” Johnson (Ultimate High’s Head of Training) as his wingman.

JR then spent 4 years flying the Harrier GR5/7 in Germany, before returning to the Red Arrows as Team Leader. In his 6 years in the Red Arrows he flew 650 public displays. He was awarded the OBE for his services, and is the only Red Arrow to have featured on “This Is Your Life”.

After leaving the RAF he flew the Boeing 747 as Captain with Cathay Pacific for many years, and now spends his spare time flying light aircraft and ski-ing in the Austrian Alps.

Richard ‘Rich’ Esau

Rich joined the RAF in 1983, whilst at Southampton UAS flying the Bulldog and, after basic training on the Jet Provost, became a first tour ‘creamie’ QFI on the Hawk at RAF Valley.  After this he was posted to the front-line to fly the Jaguar on 41(F) Squadron in the reconnaissance and attack roles.  He then completed a further Hawk tour and 2 more front-line Jaguar tours for RAF Coltishall flying on operations over Bosnia and Northern Iraq.

He has over 4000 hours flying fast jets and was a QFI on the Jaguar as well as the Hawk, leaving the Jaguar force as flight commander on 54(F) Squadron.

Outside the RAF he has enjoyed instructing on many light aircraft, including the Yak 52. He is now a Captain with a major UK airline flying the Airbus A330 & A350 and has also flown the Airbus A340 and Boeing B787. 

Emma Carter

Emma says she was born to fly.  One grandfather was an Air Chief Marshall in the RAF, the other, a Hurricane pilot, was killed in the Battle of France in 1940. Emma trained to fly in the US and with a thousand hours under her belt answered an advert for bush pilots in Uganda.

There she would be flying tourists on safari one day and delivering Ebola samples from overgrown bush strips deep in rebel-controlled Congo the next. She flew munitions into Somalia in support of the American-backed African Union military expedition in 2008, when one half of Mogadishu’s runway was under control of extremist forces, having to fly ultra low-level approaches over the sea to avoid anti-aircraft fire; her aircraft was mortared on the ground but she lived to tell the tale.

She founded her own bush airline in 2008 which she then sold in 2014, moving to Sussex with 8,000 hours in her log book. These days she races a 1930 Riley Special, and flies her classic Zlin aerobatic aeroplane.

Andy Bateman

Andy’s first tour for the RAF was as a flying instructor at RAF Cranwell, training new pilots on the Jet Provost. He then converted to the Phantom and served in Germany in the Low Level Air Defence Role during the Cold War.

He was posted to the Operational Conversation Unit where he was responsible for all RAF Phantom Pilots’ Flying skills as OC Standards. He completed his RAF career in Norway where he assessed the Operational Readiness of Air Bases there and in Denmark and the Operational Effectiveness of Pilots on F16s and Drakens.

He then joined Virgin Atlantic, where he was a line training captain, flying Long Haul on the Airbus A340/330 and the Boeing 787. He now mostly lives in the south of France, but enjoys flying for Ultimate High whenever he is in the UK.

Andy Robins

Andy joined the RAF at the age of 17 and flew the Tornado GR1/GR4 on exercises worldwide, including operational sorties in the Middle East, culminating with Gulf War 2. 

He then completed an instructional tour on the Tucano as an A2 QFI before a posting onto the Red Arrows as “Red 10”.  There he particularly enjoyed flying the photo chase filming sorties with a brave photographer in the back seat, and delivered the airshow commentary.

Andy’s next posting was to 32 (The Royal) Squadron where he flew Government and military VIPs in the Hawker Siddeley HS125, finishing as the last QFI on the aircraft when it went out of RAF service in 2015. 

Andy now enjoys flying the Airbus 320 around Europe and light aircraft in his spare time.

Paddy Bolton

Paddy has flown a wide variety of aircraft types and is currently a Training Captain and Type Rating Examiner on the Airbus A320 fleet for a major UK airline, with over 10,000 hours logged.

He started his flying career as an instructor before flying twin engine piston aircraft and the Kingair for an air ambulance company.   For several years he was the CFI of a south coast flying school where he introduced the AOPA aerobatics course and the WWII North American Harvard onto the fleet.

Paddy has displayed the Harvard and 8KCAB Super Decathlon.  His passion for flying has always been Aerobatics and although the day job is very much about the world staying the right way up, he enjoys nothing more than being upside down!

Nick ‘Buck’ Rogers

Nick got his start in aviation thanks to the RAF where he flew Bulldog and Tutor training aircraft.

He was then at British Airways for 15 years, flying the Boeing 747 and A320 as Captain, amassing over 9,000 hours on big jets.

He retired early after founding Sky-Futures (one of the world’s first commercial drone services businesses) and then KinectAir, an on-demand, app-based charter service facilitating private flying for people on the go.

Nowadays his passion is to show people the joy, exhilaration and thrill of flight that still has him hooked; when he has time he also enjoys sailing on his yacht off the south coast. 

STUART ‘STU’ RAWLINSON

Stu started working with Ultimate High in 2002 collaborating on his Sport Science degree, examining aerobatic physiological and psychological performance.

This led to a life of aviation, starting with 15 years as a commercial instructor and examiner, ranging from Tiger Moths to high performance twin engine propeller aircraft which took him throughout Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Most of this time was as Chief Pilot and trainer as an ILS calibrator, flying and certifying en-route and landing navigational equipment on behalf of the CAA and ICAO before moving to the airlines.

He’s flown Airbus 320/21, Boeing 747, 747 Freighters and is currently on the Boeing 787 dreamliner with Virgin Atlantic. In his spare time he has a passion for delivering UPRT and Aerobatics, and enjoys building confidence, competence and great Captaincy in his students.

Tim Granshaw

Having been hooked on Aviation from a very early age, most of Tim’s adult life has been spent in and around aircraft of some description, starting off working in Aerodrome Operations, Air Traffic and in  Aviation Fire and Rescue.

Since getting his Commercial Licence and becoming an Instructor at the age of 26, most of Tim’s flying has been in historic, high performance tailwheel aircraft.

He teaches in Chipmunks, T6 Harvards and flies the Iconic Supermarine Spitfire MKIX and TR9 variants.

Tim splits his time between the role of Chief Flight Instructor for Boultbee (Spitfire) Flight Academy at Goodwood, and as a UPRT Instructor with Ultimate High.

Sam ‘Worthers’ Worthington-Leese

Sam joined the RAF in 2009 where he flew the Grob Tutor, Shorts Tucano and T67. The Strategic Defence and Security Review resulted in many pilots exiting the RAF in 2012, and after leaving he threw himself into civilian flying training where he instructed for 5 years.

Sam now flies the Boeing 737 as a day job, but his real passion lies with Aerobatics and Vintage Aircraft.  Since leaving the RAF he has flown over 2000hrs on many aircraft types including the Tiger Moth, Stampe, Piper Cub, Chipmunk, Extra 300, T67 Firefly, Harvard and Spitfire.

His ultimate goal is to become a Warbird Display pilot and he hopes to replicate his Grandfather’s WWII fighter flying.  He is also very involved in a charity established to rebuild a WWII Hawker Typhoon, which he will fly when it’s completed.

Paul Wharmby

Wam was in the RAF for 40 years, and has more than 5,000 hours of fast jet experience, flying the Hawk, Harrier and Tornado as a Wing Commander, Air Combat Lead and both a Weapons and a Flying Instructor. 

He flew operationally in the Gulf War, Bosnia, Kosovo, Northern Iraq and Afghanistan.  He has flown with the Red Arrows several times as their safety adviser, and has flown off HMS Illustrious.

Wam even brought a Harrier to Goodwood in 1996, landing on the grass runway, prior to displaying at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

For the last few years he was based at RAF Valley in north Wales, commuting weekly from his home which is only 15 miles from Goodwood. He brings huge safety experience to Ultimate High, along with masses of enthusiasm!