Meet Our Team
Operations
Airfield Manager
Bruce Buglass
Bruce has been running Sleap for 5 years, and may still be the youngest accountable airfield manager at 25! He is very proud of Sleap and how it's grown and developed over the years into a busy and fun aero club, with a keen interest for young people to be involved in the fun side of aviation. Other than organsing SleapKosh or looking stressed, his favourite job is mowing the grass apron.
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In his spare time, Bruce is a display & aerobatic pilot flying and involved around the UK airshow circuit. He is a keen skier and motorcyclist on the rare occionsion he's not at the airfield flying!
Head of Finance
Nick English
Starting out in the cafe 5 years ago, Nick is now fully involved with the running of the aero club, in charge of finance related aspects of Shropshire Aero Club. His chosen work outfits consists always of a shirt, gilet and brown loafers with patterned socks.
Graduating from Oxford (Brooks obvs) uni this year, with a degree in accounting and finance he is learning to fly when not making the numbers add up.​
Airfield Operations
Scott Park
Scott plays a pivital role keeping our airfield servicable. Out on his beloved mower (OPS 3), maintaing grass runways and aprons, as well as fixing and adding improvements to all areas of our aerodrome.
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Alternativley, when not organising the fire trucks and refuelling aeroplanes he is a keen motorbiker and the cafe's biggest customer.
Airfield Ops/Design & Marketing
Ellen Pyrah
The oldest of our team - by far, Ellen does the design and marketing for the club, as well as looking after the website and social platforms and running the office. Her daily lunches consist of an unfathomable amount of crisps and orange lucozade.
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Ellen is also a certified horse girl spending all her time (and money) on her horse, Indie.​
Airfield Operations
Melissa Hills
Melissa is in the office most days, taking aircraft booking, helping students and visiting pilots. She finished her PPL recently and plans a career in the airlines, after her gap year at Sleap.
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Outside of flying, Melissa is a piano player extraordinaire and goes on holiday every 5 minutes.
Airfield Operations
Archie Holland
The most handsome person at Sleap, Archie, is often found cruising around in our fire trucks. He balances his time between the airconditioned office and outdoor operations. Part of the fire crew and office operations team he loves to dip his toe in all tasks.
Archie is currently learning to fly here at Sleap in our 152s and in his spare time trys not to hurt himself mountain biking and climbing.
Airfield Operations
Ted Lawrence
Tractor Ted, is our newest recruit. Part time farmer and full time student, he is wishing to pursue a career in aviation. He is currently building his flying hours after gaining his license on his 17th birthday. He started lessons with us aged 10 and had the course finished by his solo 16th birthday flight! He exclusivly wears shorts, regardless of the weather.
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When he is not driving the tractor, keeping the airfield operational and looking smart he is flying, farming or driving his Jimny at full speed.
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Airfield Operations
Chloe Downes
Chloe is a part time team member and is taking aircraft booking, helping students and visiting pilots. She finished her PPL recently and plans a career in the airlines, after her gap year at Sleap.
Outside of Sleap, Chloe eats Percy Pigs sweets at an alarming rate.
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Instructors
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Head of Training
Owen Rees
Owen started his instructing career in Shoreham in 2008. Becoming a captain on piston twins beforing joining Eastern Airways on the British Aerospace Jetstream 41.
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Later, moving onto Jet 2 on the Boeing 757, he did this for nine years and left under the title of Captian. He now works for DHL flying the Boeing 767. ​ Alongside this he works as the head of training for our flight school and CFI of Contrail Aviation also based here at Sleap.
Chief Flight Instructor
Keith Walker
Keith has been an instructor at Sleap for almost 2 decades and is part of the furniture. 'Kilo Whiskey' is our CFI and a flight examiner - and has flown with countless students on skills test for the PPL, IR(R).
He has been flying for over 30 years both as a flying instructor, examiner and commercially.
He is also a commercial flying instructor for Contrail Aviation and flies multiple GA types based at Sleap, recently completing a flight across the atlantic.
Flight Instructor
Mike Dyson
Mike has been teaching at Sleap for over 5 years, and works every Wednesday/Thursday since retiring from TUI in 2023.
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Mike started Flying in the 80s at Manchester Airport, before moving into commerical airline flying for Britiannia Airways which become Thomas Cook, then TUI, flying B737, B757s, and B767s, gaining command and later rertiring on the B787s with over 20,000 hours. Mike has his own Piper Cub at Sleap that he flies when not teaching the PPL or IR(R).
Flight Instructor
Mike Abbott
Mike has been with Shropshire Aero Club since 2023, and currently has 30,000 hrs across 300 types of glider and aeroplane. He learnt to fly in 1965 on a taildragger light aircraft.
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From the age of 23, he flew as a four-engined Heron captain, prop-jet viscount airliners as co-pilot and then Boeing 737s tranisitioning to captain at 29. As well as other acheievments such as flying twin-engine turboprops, glider instructor rating, glider gold qualification,, type ratings examiner ​​
Flight Instructor
John Mclaughin
John is a retired Monarch airline captain flying the 757. He has been flying with us at Shropshire Aero Club since 2024 and is a flying instructor and examiner.
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John is a keen glider pilot, flying both powered and gliders (including his own) at Seighford and at Sleap.
Flight Instructor
Dave Martin
Dave got his PPL at 17 and after graduating from Oxford Air Training he went on on to fly Cessna Citaions, King Air 200s, Cessna 404s and Cessna 421s at Luton. Then moving onto Britiannia Airways, flying B737, B757s, and B767s, gaining comand at 31 and later rertiring on the B787s.
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He gained his instructor rating 15yrs ago and currently has around 25,000 hours to his name. Dave owns and keeps his A/C at Sleap and taught both his son and daughter to fly.
Flight Instructor
Terry Spandley
Terry flew for the RAF from 1979 flying Chinooks and Gazelles. He then moved on to fly commercial such as the 757, 767 and A321 with Thomas Cook and TUI, until he retired in May 2024.
Terry has been flying at Sleap for over 10years in his Bulldog and loves aerobatics. He teaches students doing PPL and IR(R) here at Sleap.
Flight Instructor
Florin Mosneanu
Florin started flying aged 17, in his hometown of Brasov, Romania getting his PPL in 1991 and his CPL in 2010 following a change of career back to flying.
He has been a member of SAC since 2012, and became an instructor in May 2017. He has flown a variety of aircraft, such as the Zlin 526/726, Zlin142, IAR 46, Cessna 152/172/182, Piper28, Tecnam P2002 and Robin 2160. He's amassed a total of 2000 flying hours and 8000 landings.
Flight Instructor
Jason Davenhill
Jason joined the Royal Marines in 1988 then got a Navy flying scholarship in 1989. Joining the RAF in 1993 he flew a firefly (now based at Sleap) before moving to helicopters and flew Chinooks from 1997 to 2007.
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He became an instructor in 2002, teaching students on a variety of aircraft from Chinooks to Grobs, moving around a wide range of bases. He has been teaching at Sleap since 2023 doing Fixed Wing, IR(R) and Flying Instructor Course training and is also an aircrew performance coach.
Check Flight Instructor
Peter Gaskell
Peter learned to fly at Lancashire Aero Club. He then joined the Shropshire Soaring group as a tug pilot becoming a member of Shropshire Aero Club.
Having had a love for vintage aircraft all his life he purchased a Bucker Jungmann and started the Old Buckers Formation Team with friend and fellow club member Andy Cummings. Today he flies the Jungmann and Husky A1-B.
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He is a CRI (Class Rating Instructor) doing check flights in our club aircrafts and tailwheel training.
Flight Examiner
Bob Pooler
Bob learnt to fly at Shropshire Aero Club back in 1974, before moving to USA. During this time he completed his Commercial License, Instrument, Instructor and Mulit-engine ratings. ​Returning five years later, he flew anything, anywhere, anytime. He also added a Cessna Citation type rating to his license.
​Currently he has Flying Instructor, Flight Examiner, Single Engine and Multi Engine ratings under his belt, as well as a DA (Display Authorisation) for aerobatics with around 10,000 flying hours in his logbook to date. He also offers aerobatics experience flights here at Sleap in his Slingsby Firefly.
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DTO Operations/Flying School Manager
Kate Rees
Kate gained her PPL in 2007 while living in the southeast and working for airlines as cabin crew. She now holds her Commercial Pilots License, Instrument Rating and Ground Examiners License. She is also working towards her instructor rating.
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Kate helps to run the flying school ops alongside assiting with Contrial Aviation based at Sleap.
Operations
Wish to join our instructor team?
Want to be part of a fantastic, friendly team teaching the wonder of flight?
Sleap is a relaxed, fun and exciting place to learn and teach, and we are always on the look-out for passionate, professional & enthustatic instructors. With excellent rates of pay, and fun working enviroment contact us today, regardless of experince.
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Please email Owen.Rees@shropshireaeroclub.co.uk.