Gary Elson created the event in 2006 and will bow out after this year’s installment, which takes place next month. He will be succeeded by Jon Le Ray.
An air traffic controller, Mr Elson set up Meet the Pilots after securing permission for the public to get up close to the Royal Navy’s ‘Black Cats’ Lynx helicopter, then based at Guernsey Airport. Until then, Guernsey Air Display aircraft had operated from Jersey.
The event moved to the ASG apron the following year, more than doubling the number of aircraft on show, with more than 500 people attending. By 2017, 10,000 had passed through, and after a pause during Covid it moved to the East Apron in 2022 to make room for larger aircraft.
‘As an air traffic controller, I take getting up close to aircraft for granted. To the wider public, it is something special, especially when there are military or vintage types which they may only have seen in books or on television,’ said Mr Elson.
‘Many pilots left with tired arms from lifting so many children into aircraft. There is nothing quite like standing in the middle of it all and watching families interacting with the pilots.’
He thanked everyone at the airport, ASG, Aiglle Flight Support and his team of volunteer marshals, ‘without whom none of it would have been possible’.
The afternoon remains a key fundraiser for the Guernsey Air Display and a chance for anyone weighing up a career in aviation to speak to the crews. The event is sponsored by Titan Wealth, with Aiglle Flight Support joining this year. Natalie Davidson, of event organiser Black Vanilla, said Mr Elson had been ‘instrumental’ in the foundation’s work, from Meet the Pilots to its Educate and Inspire schools programme.
‘Meet the Pilots has been, and will remain, a key event for islanders to enjoy, giving those considering a career in aviation the chance to speak to the crews before they take to the skies, while also raising vital funds for the display,’ she said.
This year’s event will take place on Tuesday 8 September, from 3-7pm.
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