It’s Plane Magic
“Congratulations on the book It’s Plane Magic, and keep up the good work,” signed, Jock Reid, Chief Test Pilot, CAA.
This and many similar messages have arrived at Alan’s home, so let us find out how an obsession with aircraft turned an enthusiastic amateur photographer into a top professional...
In The Beginning
Alan was born in Portsmouth in 1938 and watched the men and machines of Operation Overlord assemble within the South Hampshire countryside towards the end of the war.
He found great interest in aircraft as a result of reading magazines at school and attending nearby air-shows. He joined British European Airways as an engineering apprentice in September 1954.
The Story Of A Lifetime
His school art lessons had taught him to see in life, but as an engineer Alan also learned how to read engineering situations with great discipline.
At the same time, he was developing his own way of seeing and quickly excelled at photography within a very few years of taking up the hobby.
Enthusiasm & Success
Within eight years he was winning national photographic competitions and achieved many hundreds of published photographs and had several scoops.
Preferring the security of the airline, Alan declined an invitation to become a Fleet Street photographer. Instead he pursued a career in aircraft maintenance whilst his photography became a profitable hobby.
However, with the change in BA management style, he was invited to help produce the British Airways Engineering Magazine in 1984 and he became its joint editor and photographic editor.
Alan worked on every edition of this monthly magazine, which ran for ten years, and during this period he was the only full-time professional photographer in the airline. After forty years airline service he retired in 1994.
The Book
In retirement, Alan has written the book It’s Plane Magic, (ISBN 0-9535794-0-9) which contains 24,000 words and 250 of his black and white photographs, (some shown here) mostly on civil aviation.
The book contains many of the highs and the lows of aviation history as seen from his unique vantage point but it is also the story of how an obsession with aircraft turned an enthusiastic amateur photographer into a top professional.
Where To Buy
To obtain your copy, please visit Amazon.co.uk. It’s Plane Magic is also available from the author.
