MATTHEW PATEL

First Officer A320 family type-rated

Personal Profile

A driven, confident, and outgoing pilot seeking to become part of an exceptional and exciting company within aviation. A combination of excellent training, invaluable experience, and strong customer service skills. A well-rounded personality with a gift for getting on with others and a constant desire to learn and progress. Above all, a real passion for flying and a drive to continuously improve.

Licence

Full ATPL licence

A320 type rated

Flight Experience

Total hours                  1500

British Airways            02/2020 – Present

·       Currently roughly 150 hours with BA across the A319, A320 and A321.

easyJet                        02/2018 – 02/2020

·       Roughly 1300 hours with easyJet across the A319 and A320.

Flight Training

CTC Aviation               10/2015 – 06/2017

·       First time passes in all ground school and flying exams.

Skills Profile:
Teamwork and Leadership

Effective teamwork and leadership skills first developed from sports coaching roles and evolved to suit the flight deck environment well, relating excellently with Crew Resource Management techniques. As a first officer, the ability to problem solve, communicate effectively and build a rapport with your captain is vital and something I feel with my experiences, both within flying and before, I have been able to turn into a real strength of mine.

Customer Service

Developed proficient customer service skills working both within coaching and particularly with SA Rugby Travel. I found these skills easily transferrable to the aviation industry and working with customers. Having empathy with the customer was key, putting yourself in their position, as well as communicating with them in a friendly and polite way whilst solving any problems in a timely manner. One of my favourite methods of achieving this, especially when suffering from delays, is inviting the passengers into the flight deck (where safe and appropriate). Giving them my seat to sit in, showing them my view and answering any of their questions always puts a smile of their faces and shows them that we are trying to make the best out of a bad situation. I think they really appreciate that.

Work experience prior to flying:

08/2015 – 10/2015: SA Rugby Travel
Customer liaison for travelling South African fans in London during the Rugby World Cup.

06/2015 – 08/2015: Camp Wingate Kirkland
Camp councillor and head tennis coach at an American summer camp. Responsible for the welfare needs of students attending the camp for the duration of their stay.

10/2014 – 06/2015: Cardiff Ski and Snowboard Centre
Ski instructor. Proud to have improved a huge number of skiers’ ability, receiving the highest number of outstanding reviews within the centre.

10/2012 – 06/2015: Mackintosh Tennis Club
Coaching junior tennis at the club also running sessions within local schools.

Education

·       2011 – 2014     Cardiff Met University

2.1 in Sports Coaching (BSc)

·       2006 – 2011     Ewell Castle School
A levels           Maths, P.E, Biology
GCSEs            9 GCSEs

Additional Qualifications

·       BASI 2 qualified ski instructor.

·       Level 1 qualified tennis coach.

·       Both Standard and Wilderness First Aid qualified.

·       Qualified lifeguard.

Interests

Playing and watching a wide range of sports, especially golf and rugby.
Learning to play the piano from YouTube with varying levels of success.
Travelling and exploring new places.
Skiing. Top of my bucket list is to heliski.
Track day driving. I have been lucky enough to have driven round the Nürburgring on a number of occasions and am hugely proud of my fastest lap time.