It was perhaps written into his script that Chris Carder would pursue a career as a pilot.
Growing up only a few miles south of Imperial War Museum Duxford, home to one of the most iconic airshows in the country, his obsession with aviation began from an early age.
His father, who worked on an RAF base during the Second World War, would often tell him stories about the planes and pilots he had seen there.
Then when Chris was five, his dad took him to see the filming of the Battle Of Britain movie at Duxford. It was his first glimpse at the world of display flying, and it was a day that changed the course of his life forever.
‘I came from a pretty humble background, we lived in a council house, but for some reason I was very attached to the idea of flying,’ says Chris, now 56.
As an eager teen, he joined the Air Cadets, where he got his first taste of flying – and a love of aerobatics.
‘The first time I flew upside down was when I was 14. After a few months in the Air Cadets they let us do a loop and barrel roll.
'I felt queasy initially, and I remember being worried that I wasn’t going to like the very thing I’d been wanting to do my whole life – but seeing the world above me for the first time was spectacular,’ admits Chris.
From there, he joined the RAF. Over his 20-year career with the military, he worked at a variety of postings, serving as a flight instructor while also flying combat aircrafts transporting essential military resources across the world. But the thing he was truly passionate about was display flying.
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‘When I first joined the air force I flew a Hawk, which I loved, and I managed to do a season doing aerobatics as a display pilot. That was when I realised it was the kind of flying I enjoyed the most.
'It’s nice to be on the other side, and be the pilot rather than the spectator, especially after going to watch so many shows growing up.’
Chris says it’s the challenge of this type of flying that he loves the most.
‘Being a display pilot tests your pure flying skills, but that’s why I fell in love with it. You get satisfaction from overcoming the difficulties that come with it.
'We fly airplanes lower than most other pilots are allowed to, and keeping it in the same place across different wind speeds while performing aerobatics makes it very difficult.’
Performing these technical manoeuvres in the sky can come with big risks – but Chris is quite philosophical about any potential danger.
‘One of the key aspects of being a pilot is being able to think through the what-ifs. If there are little setbacks, you take them in your stride and it doesn’t really affect the overall success of what you’re trying to do.
‘Sometimes you can’t account for a random light aircraft flying through the middle of your display, or a sudden weather change that makes things a bit more complicated, but as a pilot it’s important to be prepared for the occasional hiccups.
‘Thankfully I've not had any near misses, just a few bird strikes on the fast jet planes because we fly at low levels. They can be a bit of a nuisance!’
After his time flying the Hawk, Chris moved on to the faster Jaguar, instructing in Scotland before another season as a display pilot.
Then Chris set his sights on the ultimate goal of aerobatics – to become a Red Arrow pilot.
‘I got to see a lot of the Red Arrows at the display shows we flew at. I realised that they were pilots just like me, so I started applying.
'It took years of experience, and at the time there were around 50 applicants for three spaces on the team.
‘It’s not just about being a good pilot. You have to get on well with the rest of the team because you spend months on end living in each other’s pockets.’
Chris’s ability as a pilot and his personality made him a great fit for the job, and he was eventually chosen.
In three years he flew in nearly 300 shows, all of which he remembers fondly, but some carry more significance than others.
‘We displayed at the British Grand Prix one year which was great, and did some overseas shows in Toronto and Dubai. They were amazing, but the most memorable trip for me wasn’t even an air display.
‘I was lucky enough to be involved in the formation fly-pass alongside the Concorde for the Queen’s Golden Jubilee in 2002.
'It didn’t even involve any aerobatics at all, it was just flying straight for 10 minutes!
‘To see the crowds and the camera flashes on the ground, and to be alongside such an iconic plane was something truly special.’
It would take a lot to top that day, but it was a show a bit closer to home that Chris remembers just as fondly – flying with the Red Arrows at Duxford.
‘Being able to go back to Duxford as a Hawk pilot, a Jaguar pilot and then as a Red Arrow was really memorable for me.
'Those shows were a chance for my dad, who’s now no longer with us, to come and watch me fly.
‘It was really great to be able to share that experience with him in the crowd and have my name read on the PA system as I flew past.’
After leaving the Red Arrows, Chris switched the small planes for a much bigger one – a Boeing 787 – and says there are similarities in flying commercially.
‘An awful lot of airline pilots are ex-military, and we always find the transition interesting.
'In some ways it’s like becoming a bus driver after driving a race car, but the passengers on the bus need to get to where they’re going safely. It’s also still a flying machine.
'It’s up there in the elements, at the mercy of the weather, and you’re in charge of it.
‘There is an added pressure when you’re carrying passengers, but you always set out to do the same job, and make people feel as comfortable as possible.
‘It may not seem like it, but flying commercially can be just as challenging. We have to pick the best route to avoid turbulence, and navigate through all sorts of weather that we usually wouldn’t have to negotiate in as display pilots.’
Now, things have come full circle for Chris, as he shares his passion for flying with his wife Louise, and their sons, Archie, 12, and Jake, 21.
‘They always come to the airshows and they will sometimes come to Duxford on a day when I’m doing some passenger flying or practising.
'The kids still enjoy watching me fly. Sometimes we head out in a light plane around our local area, which is a really nice way to spend time together.’
Chris is also the Chief Pilot of the Aircraft Restoration Company at Duxford.
As well as flying himself, he helps to decide who flies in which plane at the Duxford air shows.
This year, there will be an historic weekend in September to mark the 80th anniversary of the Battle Of Britain, an occasion that brings back so many memories for Chris.
‘The best part of the job is that you don’t just fly one plane, you get a variety of really fantastic, historic aircraft, some of which were combat types that saw action in World War II. It’s really special to fly all of them, and there’s always something to be excited about.’
Tickets for Duxford Air Festival and the 80 th anniversary Battle of Britain Air Show are on sale now iwm.org.uk/airshows
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