Magda is a nurse, a qualified pilot, a businesswoman and a philanthropist, a gifted and sensitive lover, the holder of certificates in computing and English grammar, a semi-professional country singer, and a mother.

NEWYORKER: Magda Mandela

"Major Tim" Peake has a degree in flight dynamics and is a qualified test pilot.

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Mr. Appleton was a qualified stunt pilot whose many planes included a bright red Hawker Hunter fighter jet he bought from the Republic of Singapore Air Force in the 1990s.

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Mr Teso, who is also a qualified commercial pilot, said he had spent the past four years investigating the many different computer and data systems found on aircraft which help them fly and navigate safely.

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Since then, he has qualified as an Apache helicopter pilot, doing some of his training in the United States, and is expected to deploy to Afghanistan again.

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He is admirably qualified to describe it: he is not just a top journalist but also an amateur pilot, and his book is built around a heart-stopping description of a flight across America with his wife and son.

ECONOMIST: Air travel