
Alec Wignall
52 articles
Columnist
Alec’s passion for aviation stems from a childhood memory on board the legendary Boeing 747 during a trip to New Zealand. He vividly remembers being captivated by the sheer size of the aircraft and after a tour of the flight deck he decided that flying was his future. On his 16th birthday, Alec had his first flying lesson. In 2018 he started an Integrated ATPL course, relocating to New Zealand for the majority of the training – he describes this as “a truly incredible experience.” After successfully completing training in April 2021, Alec is now waiting to start his commercial flying career. An aviation geek through and through, Alec lives near RAF Valley in Wales, UK and identifies the Mach Loop as firm military plane spotting favourites. Outside of aviation, he is a keen runner and photographer with a zest for travel and has a goal to travel around all 7 continents of the world.
Alec’s passion for aviation stems from a childhood memory on board the legendary Boeing 747 during a trip to New Zealand. He vividly remembers being captivated by the sheer size of the aircraft and after a tour of the flight deck he decided that flying was his future. On his 16th birthday, Alec had his first flying lesson. In 2018 he started an Integrated ATPL course, relocating to New Zealand for the majority of the training – he describes this as “a truly incredible experience.” After successfully completing training in April 2021, Alec is now waiting to start his commercial flying career. An aviation geek through and through, Alec lives near RAF Valley in Wales, UK and identifies the Mach Loop as firm military plane spotting favourites. Outside of aviation, he is a keen runner and photographer with a zest for travel and has a goal to travel around all 7 continents of the world.
JAL Flight 123 – aviation’s deadliest single-aircraft disaster
On the evening of August 12, 1985, Japan Airlines Flight 123 departed from Tokyo Haneda Airport, bound for…
2023-11-30
In history: the 1976 Zagreb mid-air collision
47 years ago, on September 10, 1976, two aircraft collided over Croatia (formerly Yugoslavia) killing all 176 people.…
2023-09-10
How one of Britain’s deadliest disasters shaped the future of aviation safety
During the morning of August 22, 1985, British Airtours Flight 28M, a Boeing 737-200, was scheduled to depart…
2023-08-22
On this day: Tenerife, aviation’s deadliest disaster
On this day 46 years ago, on the afternoon of March 27, 1977, a terrorist group detonated a…
2023-03-27
The safety demonstration: two minutes which might just save your life
Whether the flight you have boarded is 30 minutes or 16 hours, there’s one element as passengers we…
2023-02-26
How does it work? Aviation winter operations
In operation 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, aviation must adapt to all climates and conditions.…
2023-01-15
Today in history: Pan Am Flight 103, Lockerbie
On the evening of December 21, 1988, Pan Am Flight 103 was cruising at 31,000 feet over the…
2022-12-21
Today in history: the Lufthansa heist
On this day, in the early hours of December 11, 1978, six armed men in a stolen Ford…
2022-12-11
How it works: the aircraft turnaround
With the aviation industry as competitive as ever, on-time performance (OTP) has never been more important. The turnaround…
2022-11-27
The story of Qantas: from Queensland to the world
On November 16, 1920, Paul McGinness, Hudson Fysh and Fergus McMaster, three World War One veterans, founded ‘Queensland…
2022-11-15
How does it work? Navigating airports
Have you ever wondered how pilots manage to navigate aircraft on the ground at vast international airports? As…
2022-11-11
ATR: the Franco-Italian success story
On October 27, 1988, the ATR 72-300 conducted its first flight. The type, a stretch of the smaller…
2022-11-07
What happened to Braniff Airways?
In 1970, Braniff International Airways accepted delivery of the 100th Boeing 747, the first of 12 in its…
2022-11-04
Air India: the crashes on Mont Blanc
Seventy-two years ago, on November 3, 1950, Air India Flight 245 was cruising over the Alps with 40…
2022-11-01
Airbus A380: 15 facts for 15 years of the superjumbo
On this day, 15 years ago, Singapore Airlines (SIA1) (SINGY) introduced the world’s first Airbus A380 on its…
2022-10-25
5,500 miles: the first non-stop trans-pacific flight
Today, flying across the Pacific takes around nine hours, with multiple airlines to choose from and has become…
2022-10-04
Top 10 innovations in passenger experience
The passenger experience through air travel has changed a lot over the course of a century. While the…
2022-09-23
The Montgolfier Brothers: Pioneers of Ballooning
On September 19, 1783, the Montgolfier brothers launched their Aérostat Réveillon hot air balloon. The flight was the…
2022-09-16