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.
Qantas, 1989: The first non-stop flight from Britain to Australia
Thirty-three years ago today, in August 1989, Qantas’s new flagship Boeing 747-400 achieved a new milestone in aviation…
2022-08-12
Airbus Atlas A400M – 10 essential facts
On this day, nine years on from the first delivery to the French Air Force back in 2013,…
2022-08-01
On this day: The maiden flight of the de Havilland Comet
On July 27, 1949, the de Havilland Comet prototype flew for the first time, taking to the sky…
2022-07-26
History Hour: Flying the Channel: Louis Blériot
On the morning of July 25, 1909, Louis Blériot landed at Northfall Meadow near Dover Castle, England. A…
2022-07-25
Top 10: Europe’s best plane spotting locations
Are you an avid plane spotter? In his latest column for AeroTime, Alec Wignall shares his picks for…
2022-07-22
A brief history of long-haul flights
Flying has come a long way since the first scheduled passenger flight. On New Year’s Day in 1914,…
2022-07-05
38 years of Virgin Atlantic
Thirty-eight years ago, on June 22, 1984, Virgin Atlantic’s maiden flight, VS1, departed from London Gatwick for Newark,…
2022-06-21
The last Concorde: Alpha Foxtrot
The last Concorde to be built and the last to fly On June 13, 1980, British Airways took…
2022-06-10
Defining moments in aviation: the story of Trans Australia Flight 538
In 1960, one of Australia’s deadliest air crash accidents occurred in Queensland, killing 29 people. The mysterious crash…
2022-06-09
The story of Air France Flight 447
On this day, 13 years ago, during the early morning of June 1, 2009, Air France Flight 447…
2022-06-01
Landing in Red Square: the daring flight of Mathias Rust
On this day 35 years ago, a teenage West German aviator called Mathias Rust flew a rented Cessna…
2022-05-27
Lindbergh and the first non-stop solo transatlantic flight
It was on this day, 95 years ago, that Charles Lindberg landed at Paris Le Bourget Aerodrome at…
2022-05-18
25 Years of Star Alliance
A quarter of a century ago, on May 14, 1997, United Airlines, Scandinavian Airlines, Thai Airways, Air Canada…
2022-05-13
18 years on from the merger of Air France and KLM
On May 5, 2004, Air France and KLM airlines merged to create the AirFrance-KLM Group in an €800m…
2022-05-04
American Airlines: 96 years in the making
On April 15, 1926, Charles Lindbergh departed St. Louis, Missouri flying a Robertson DH-4 aircraft, carrying U.S. mail…
2022-04-14
Planespotting: RAF Mildenhall and RAF Lakenheath, home of the USAF
After years spent years following and spotting United States Air Force aircraft on training sorties across North Wales,…
2022-04-08
Today in history: FedEx Flight 705 attempted hijacking
On this day 28 years ago, Federal Express Flight 705 departed Memphis, Tennessee for San Jose, California. The…
2022-04-06
On this day: 104 years of the Royal Air Force
On April 1, 1918, 104 years ago, the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and the Royal Naval Air Service…
2022-04-01