Chris Long, European Affairs, CAT Magazine
Chris Long joined the Royal Air Force (RAF)at the age of 19 via the Royal Air Force College, which was then the UK air force academy. After graduation he served for 19 years in the RAF in roles which included Strategic Reconnaissance, Air Refuelling and Training. His last tour on a RAF unit was in charge of the Refresher Flying Squadron. and before leaving the RAF he completed an exchange tour as a basic jet training Standards pilot with the French Air Force at Cognac, France. Over the whole period of time he acquired qualifications as aircraft commander and instructor/examiner variously on single, twin and four jet aircraft. The only ground tour was as an Aide De Camp at the Headquarters of the Allied Air Forces Central Europe at Ramstein, Germany.
After joining British Aerospace (now BAe Systems) Chris worked as a Standards pilot at the King Faisal Air Academy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and then to join the newly – formed British Aerospace Flying College (BAeFC) where he became (surprise!) a Standards pilot. Next was a period in charge of a small BAeFC flight training operation in Kansas, USA, before returning to the UK to take on the role of Director Sales and Marketing at the BAeFC. That role morphed into becoming the link to between the BAeFC and Airbus, which was then 21% owned by BAe Systems – a task which involved moving to Toulouse, France.
After leaving BAe Systems, Chris became a consultant for major aerospace players, including an aircraft manufacturer, airline, entities based in Europe and the Gulf, as well as to a project for the European Commission. He has also been engaged as a Moderator of ICAO Training Conferences, and is a Liveryman of the Honourable Company of Air Pilots, based in London.
Since 2001 Chris has been the European Editor for CAT magazine and has reported on a wide range of global training organisations and airlines. In addition he has embraced the role of Conference Chair at over a dozen Halldale major training conferences in Asia