Gerard Ivey – Flying high, captaining a Boeing 737
After a 16 year consulting career, 12 of them with PA in London (latterly as a partner) Gerard decided he was ready for a change. He moved to Germany, got married to a local girl and retrained as an airline pilot. Gerard tells us about his new career as captain of a Boeing 737 for a German airline:
"I have always loved flying and was lucky enough to learn to fly whilst still at university. Over the years in consulting I was able to continue flying. While airline pilot training was pretty intensive after such a long gap in my studies, I also found the challenge very stimulating. As I already had a fair amount of flying experience, that also helped.
"It was a great moment when I first took off from Frankfurt at the controls of a large jet with a load of passengers bound for Berlin. I get to see the sun nearly every time I go to work and the view from my office takes some beating. I particularly enjoy looking down at the Alps, which some days I can get to see four times. In 2007, I captained the first flights at a brand new airport in southern Germany, which was a tremendous experience.
"I live in Bavaria where I have built a house and have three children – two boys and a girl. I remember my time at PA fondly and when I am flying over London I look down and see if I can make out 123 Buckingham Palace Road."
