Meet the GAC Member - Alisdair Pegg

10th January 2025

Meet Alisdair Pegg, a Goodwood Aero Club member, who recently passed his Private Pilot License (PPL) at Goodwood Flying School. Alistair was recently named Student of the Year award from Goodwood Flying School for always being prepared throughout 2024 resulting in successful completion of his PPL.

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Tell us a bit more about you – what do you like to do outside of flying?

I was born in Derby and moved back to England from Munich in 2022, after 16 years of living in various cities in Tyrol and Bavaria. I now work for Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, as Head of Strategy and enjoy being so close to Goodwood which is packed full of things I enjoy including Aviation, Motorsport and Golf.

Have you always been interested in aviation?

Ever since I first tried Microsoft Flight Simulator 3.0 back in the late 1980’s I have wanted to fly. I finally got the opportunity at Venice Municipal Airport in Florida in 1996 and loved every minute, especially seeing the runway line up on approach. Following that I would ask to sit in the cockpit on every single commercial flight I went on, seeing dozens of landings and even a few take offs, mainly in the cockpit of Sabena flights departing from Zaventem in Belgium where we lived at the time.

Unfortunately, I was too tall to follow my dream of becoming a fast jet pilot in the Royal Airforce, so I put my dream of flying on hold for far too long. It wasn’t until I took up my new job next door at Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, where my desk shakes when the Spitfires take off overhead, that I decided there would never be a better opportunity to do my PPL.

How has your flying journey at Goodwood been? What has been the highlight?

My flying journey at Goodwood has been unforgettable. The combination of the amazing team of people and the history of the location make it very unique and a privilege to learn to fly from. The highlight for me was my practice Cross-Country to Rochester and Lydd with Neil. It was such an adventure and I was excited to be landing away from Goodwood for the first time. As a wide-eyed PPL student, Rochester feels like something akin to landing on top of Table Mountain, the picture is just so different from what you are used to at Goodwood.

What was the best piece of advice you were given?

Charlotte and the team’s strong focus on safety at Goodwood offered countless pieces of advice on how to stay safe, but more importantly, they instil the importance of acting on something if in doubt. Despite only flying for 5 months, I have already had to cancel a flight during the power checks and disappoint two passengers sat next to me, but to my surprise, I felt good about it a few hours later, rather than just disappointed.

Other than that it was “pitch for speed, power for altitude” which seemed like it was the wrong way around to me at first.

What was the hardest part?

The two hardest parts for me were Meteorology and judging when to pull the power on a glide approach. I would often end up far too high and once got a chuckle from Goodwood Information when I called Final, whilst still at about 600ft over the lake on 32. Learning how to forward slip safely was not only extremely fun, but also came in very handy on my Skills Test.

Where are you going to fly first, or have you already flown somewhere?

My first trip to another airfield was Sandown, the day after my license arrived through the post. Since then, I have visited or flown from Santa Monica (Los Angeles), McClellan-Palomar (San Diego), Lee on Solent, Compton Abbas, Brighton and Thruxton all of which I can recommend. Flying through the Boscombe Down overhead was an absolute highlight, as well as seeing the Apache helicopters in the distance at nearby Middle Wallop.

Now that you have passed, what’s next?

Next up is finishing my tailwheel differences training in the Cub, providing the weather plays along. Following that I would like to continue exploring new destinations by air. I have my sights set on flying to Newquay as well as East Midlands airport near my home town of Derby and then eventually across the Channel to Le Touquet. Aviation opens up so many adventures, I can’t wait to get started.

Having built some experience, I want to look at doing my full instrument rating, as it feels like VFR flying in the UK is a bit limited during the winter months.  

I think the most important thing once you pass is to avoid settling into your comfort zone and instead keep trying new things in aviation and exploring new places. That way we keep ourselves sharp and the learning never stops.

If you are interested in learning to fly at Goodwood, learn about all of Our Courses here. 

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