Joining British Airways in 1987, Nick Eades went on to fly the jumbo continuously for the next 34 years, becoming the world’s most experienced pilot in terms of time-served and hours flown on the type. Thomas Haynes sits down with him to learn more about his record-breaking career
Many pilots dream of flying the Boeing 747. For those who achieve it, the journey to the top deck is usually long and involves thousands of hours on different aircraft types.
For Nick Eades, it was somewhat different. Joining British Airways in 1987, he went straight onto the airline’s 747 fleet as a direct entrant – a rare feat in those days, which he admits took some persuading. Eight years later, he found himself in the captain’s seat, a position that others around him had spent more than 20 years achieving.
