From his first foray into aviation at 16, when Rob cycled to Goodwood every morning on his bike, a love for aviation has kept him at Goodwood Aerodrome for over 30 years. From learning to fly to testing aircraft and becoming a chief engineer, Rob has been involved in it all. He tells us a little a bit about his day.
MAR 09th 2017
A Day in The Life Of Rob Wildeboer, Flying School Manager
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My alarm goes off at…
0600 – open curtains and look at the weather! Walk the dog – get to work early 0730ish as need to plan around the weather and see how to adjust the flying programme to suit.
I’m responsible for...
Managing the flying school which comprises of instructors, ops team and our aircraft.
I got my job…
As an engineering apprentice, straight from school at 16. Worked up to chief engineer which I did for 10 years, aviation general manager for 6 and now flying school manager.
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Rob flying in a Piper Super Cub across the Solent
My typical day involves…
Flying any one of our aircraft on trial lessons or PPL training details. Plenty of paperwork too as aviation is very paperwork-heavy!
My most memorable work moment…
To see Ray Hanna fly along the start line at the first ever Revival in 1998, where he piloted the Spitfire lower than the grandstands, is up there with the best moments of my time here. Flying-wise my first go in a Spitfire or Mustang… flying in one of these iconic fighters is hard to describe. It is a very emotional experience and you are literally overwhelmed by everything that is going on. It's sensory overload, especially if you have dreamed about it since you were a small child. Anyone who has ever done it will understand what I mean and anyone who is wondering what I mean should try it!
The worst part of my job…
Sustained bad weather!
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Rob flying in a Piper Super Cub across the South Downs
The best part of my job…
Seeing Goodwood Flying School reach its potential and being part of a great team. Every day is like a new day.
After work…
My family keeps me busy – both my sons love to fly and are desperate to learn but not quite tall enough yet to reach the rudder pedals! Normally I can be found outdoors…not great at indoor things and certainly when I can I prefer to be in the air.
The best thing about working at Goodwood…
Flying from a beautiful aerodrome in some incredible aircraft with fantastic people and being able to share my passion with our customers. It’s great to see the joy that flying brings.
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One of Rob’s most memorable work moments was seeing Ray Hanna fly along the start line at Revival 1998
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