We recently welcomed pilot Antony to the team, following his retirement from the Army as one of the squadron’s longest-serving members.

From tours of Afghanistan to night flying along the River Thames in London and serving as a UK Special Forces pilot for the SAS, Antony has had a varied and demanding career.

We caught up with Antony to find out more about his life before GNAAS, and how he’s finding his new role as an air ambulance pilot.

Could you talk us through your career from the beginning up until now?

I joined the army air corps in 2003 at 16 years old. I was a soldier on the ground before becoming an Air Door Gunner on the Lynx Helicopter, conducting tours of Afghanistan in 2006, 2007 and 2010. I passed the army pilot course in 2014 to become a Lynx pilot, conducting a CASEVAC (casualty evacuation) role in Canada and Kenya.

In 2016, I was selected to fly the Dauphin N3 as a UK Special Forces pilot for the SAS, conducting UK Counter Terrorism Operations. Retired from the army in 2026 as one of the Squadron’s longest serving members, with over 2,000 Dauphin N3 hours to join GNAAS.

What has been your favourite job outside of GNAAS?

The Dauphin is such a nice aircraft to fly, especially solo pilot. I was lucky enough to be able to fly the Dauphin conducting an interesting variety of mission specific profiles that civilians just don’t get the chance to do!

What made you want to become a pilot, and what is the best thing about it?

I joined the Army Air Corps with the intention of becoming a Door Gunner. After flying around in the back of an aircraft, I instantly loved flying, which drove my desire to have a go in the front! Although nothing beats the rush of hanging outside a helicopter with a .50 cal machine gun strapped between your legs, I prefer to be sat in the front and have control of what the helicopter is doing!

I used to love flying around at tree top height but now I much prefer ‘cloud surfing’, which is climbing through the cloud on a bad weather day to skim the top of the cloud layer in the sun.

How did you find the experience of flying by yourself for the first time?

In one word… terrifying! My first ‘solo’ was after eight hours of flight instruction to fly one circuit. The circuit is flown as a square shape, i.e. takeoff, at height turn right 90 degrees for a period of time, turn right 90 degrees to fly the opposite way past the runway whilst conducting landing checks, then two more 90 degree turns to point back at the runway. Easy right?! I turned the first right after takeoff, then started doing my checks. I looked up and couldn’t see the runway… as I forgot to turn right that second time… and got lost! After an embarrassing and panic stricken five minutes I managed to find my way back!

Where in our region is best to fly?

Definitely around the Lake district. It’s not just the scenery, it’s the challenging mix of working through the bad weather associated with high ground to try and pick a path through valleys to a casualty, then try and land on the side of a hill in a potentially tight spot!

Is there anywhere you haven’t flown over yet and where you would love to?

I’ve pretty much flown over the whole of Great Britain, however I will miss flying at night around London following the Thames on the Heli Lanes with the tops of the Shard and London Eye above you or conducting interesting military ‘mission specific profiles’ to various high rise roof tops.

What are the team at GNAAS like to work with?

Initially I was apprehensive with working with civilians in case I didn’t ‘fit in’ to ‘normal life’, especially as I have quite a dark sense of humour from the military. Luckily for me there is a good mix of civilian and ex-military in all job roles which has helped me to adjust. Everyone has been supportive, professional and welcoming! I’m particularly impressed with the doctors and paramedics who work long shifts confronting some pretty intense situations unphased! I’ve definitely made the right choice for my next phase of my career, especially from the job satisfaction when you make a real difference to the outcome of a casualty.

What do you like to do outside of work?

My hobbies include doing physical training at the gym and going for days out with my son Frankie.