Damon Hart
Website Development
Well finally I get chance to write my bio for the website I’ve worked on for so long.
Born 1961 raised in London I attended the London Nautical School and
from there went to sea with shell tankers in 1979 as a Navigating Cadet.
That’s it career sorted; until the oil recession in 1982. I returned
to Plymouth, where I had studied ONC nautical science and DoT second
mates. Taking a number of jobs; a night watchman in the Plymouth air
domes, bartending in the ship inn at Nossmayo and eventually settling
down labouring for my then girlfriends father.
In 1984 I returned to the family home in Sussex. I needed a job and
having done barwork I started immediately as a barman at the local night
club in Chichester, eventually reaching the dizzy heights as bar manager!
After a while my parents suggested that it might be a good idea to follow
in my sister’s footsteps and find work at Gatwick airport.
So off I trot to the Gatwick job centre and look for a loaders job with
Gatwick handling. Whilst there I find out about the position of Traffic
Officer. Flight plans (I know navigation).weight and balance (I know
ship stability) dealing with passengers (people skills form dealing
with bar staff and drunks) perfect! So off I trot back up to the 7th
floor and ask them to give me "one of them Traffic Officers jobs".
In the spring of 1986 a new disaster hit the ramp at Gatwick. On my
first day I was taken out to the west park and told “that’s
a 1-11 500, that’s a 1-11 200” to which my reply was “where’s
the 1-11”! An airplane to me up to that time was something that
had taken me home drunk from Singapore. For some reason Gatwick Handling
decided to keep me on after the summer I then progressed in to load
control and then on to despatch (wide bodied weight and balance and
flight planning).
During this time I found that you didn’t have to be ex military
or have loads of A levels to become a pilot so in December 1990 with
the support of my now wife Tracy, off I go to the states and sign up
for my PPL. Working as much overtime as I could with GH I continued
to build time and get my exams out of the way eventually getting all
the ticks in the boxes in 1995.
Whenever there was a management pilot flying out of Gatwick, funny enough
I was always the ramp agent (much to their dismay I’m sure). At
this point I met George Baczkowski who told me about the IPA and its
job finding service. I became a member and then started to help out
packing envelopes for the Skypointer. I got talking to the office staff
about its home pages and was suddenly given the job of designing the
IPA website. This was all very good, but I had never done a website
before! I soon learnt and that’s where the website stands today.
Gradually I am converting all the pages to be database driven (hence
asp) so the office staff can update pages “on the fly” thus
giving up to the minute information out to our members as it becomes
available.
One of my strongest memories of GH was doing a quick turnaround on
a Dan Air 1-11 BFS. The pilots were all working the roster to the last
day. We closed up on time, then there was some delay to push back. The
captain was in tears. It was his last flight. Dan Air was to go down
shortly. The IPA was started by those Air Europe and Dan Air Pilots
whose self help group later evolved into the IPA as we know it today,
supported with input by the members for the members. Some times I think
this is forgotten
After failing the sim with City flyer in 1986, I was later given a chance
with Virgin Express and left GH after 12 years on the ramp in September
1988. That went well until spring 2000 when the powers that be decided
to close down the Irish side of the operation. I then started with Air
2000 on the 757. Great I thought, this is it, until September 11th.
So Christmas and New Year off plus another 4 months! I started with
GO February 2002 based at STN. 3 airlines in 12 months! I knew the airline
industry was a little volatile, but this! 3 months into my contract
with GO and the easyjet buyout comes over the horizon.
Well that’s it to date 4 sets of SOP’s in 18 months (how
many ways can you fly Boeing).
My thanks go to all the pilots who put up with my questions and gave me continued support and encouragement whilst working the ramp and of course my wife Tracy and my Father, the only people that truly believed I could do it.
The future, well I hope to get back to LGW. And have a little stability
in my career. Spend less time on the M25 and more time sailing.
I of course always wish to improve playing blues guitar (much to Tracy’s
dismay!)
Damon Hart