Simon was born in Hertfordshire and was brought up in Bahrain, Malaya and Tanganyika, East Africa. He was sent to King’s School Rochester in England, as a boarder, in 1960. At school he was a leading member of the CCF’s RAF section and won a RAF scholarship. He learnt to fly at the age of 17 at Biggin Hill, going Solo after 6 1/2 hours.

RAF Career.

Simon entered the RAF in February 1970 and was commissioned on the 9th October. Posted to RAF Linton-on-Ouse for basic Jet training and RAF Valley for advanced Jet training then RAF Chivenor on the Hunter. Posted to Lightning OCU at RAF Colitishall May 1973. Posted to 92 Squadron RAF Gutersloh August 1973 aged 23. Left Gutershoh when 92 Lighnings were disbanded in April 1977after handing over the squadron standard to  92 Phantoms. Posted to CFS at RAF Cranwell then to the Hawk at 4 FTS RAF Valley. 

Simon left the RAF in May 1981 to fly as a company pilot for Ferranti. He joined the RSAF (Singapore) in October 1983 as a PAI until August 1985 then worked for the British Aircraft Corporation as a QFI on Strikemasters in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia until February 1987. He then flew the BAe 146 for Air Foyle for  a year before joining British Caledonian Airways in Feb 1988. He flew BAC 1-11 until BCal merged with British Airways, then flew the Lockheed TriStar. He was posted to the first course on the new Boeing 747-400 in October 1989 and based in Sydney 1990 & 1991. Simon was promoted to captain on the Boeing 737-200 in May 1993 based at Birmingham, then posted back to Heathrow on the 747-400 in 1995 and to the Boeing 777-200 in 1999 until he retired in 2005, aged 55.

Simon now divides his time between homes in Chiang Rai in Northern Thailand, the Sunshine Coast, Queensland and Calgary, Alberta visiting each location a couple of times a year. The rest of the time  he sails a classic sailing schooner SIRIUS which was launched in 1935. Simon married Georgina in the Station Church at RAF Gutersloh in 1974 the marriage was dissolved in 1992. He has two children and five grandchildren living in Queensland and a daughter and another two grand daughters in Canada.