Mike Grierson qualified and worked as a radio engineer prior to being commissioned into the Royal Air Force (RAF) in 1967.  With an electronics background and a back too long for an ejector seat he qualified as a Navigator Radar on the Handley Page Victor Tankers.  He then moved on to the Lockheed C130 Hercules and after two flying tours obtained a CAA Flight Navigators licence before becoming a basic training instructor teaching Officer Cadets at Henlow. In 1978 after completing a Navigation Instructor Course and returned to the C130 as a Squadron Training Navigator.

He was posted as a specialist navigator on ‘Snoopy’ the Meteorological Office Research aeroplane at Farnborough in 1981.  Whilst at Farnborough he also operated the DC3 Dakota and the De Havilland Devon as safety pilot.

Mike retired for the RAF in 1983 joined RACAL as Chief Avionics Instructor for customer training.  However, he soon rejoined the RAF 1986, and completed his PPL(A), BCPL(A) and Flying Instructor rating whist conducting two tours of duty on the Vickers VC10.   His final appointment was as the Operational Manager on the Lockheed Tristar fleet based at Brize Norton and became Officer-in-Charge of the Brize Norton Flying Club.  In 1994 he finally retired from the RAF.

On entering civilian life, he completed a full Instrument Rating and joined South Warwickshire Flying School to instruct MOD flying scholarships in 1994.  He attained his ATPL(A) and joined the Civil Aviation Authority as a Standards Inspector and the Chief Radio Telephony Examiner.  He retired from the CAA in 2008.

Mike continues to instruct for the NPPL(A) on a Saturday.  He is married to Joan and they have three children.