Darren Palmer's story

Darren Palmer - BA (Hons) Air Transport with Commercial Pilot Training

One of our BA (Hons) Air Transport with Commercial Pilot Training graduates, Darren, recently sat down to talk to us on how BNU helped him land his dream job as an Airbus A350 Senior First Officer for Cathay Pacific Airways.

Darren shared that he was initially drawn to BNU due to how progressive the course was. This along with our reputation and student opportunities sealed the deal for him. “At the time, BNU was one of the few Universities in the UK that offered the opportunity to gain a Frozen ATPL as well as a university degree. Not only did this give me the opportunity to attain my flying licences, but also the opportunity to further my education and gain industry insight to a tertiary level. Combined with location, reputation, student offering and the ‘big family feel’: BNU was my first choice.”

At BNU we ensure you learn the skills and knowledge, and get experience, so when you graduate you are career-ready. Like many of our alumni’s, Darren confirms this was the case for him too. “From day one at BNU; I felt empowered, engaged and treated as an individual with the support to achieve my longer term goal of becoming an airline pilot. My degree not only enabled me to learn to fly, but to also gain an insight into so many factions and interactions within the aviation industry, that I put into practice every time I go flying.”

Like many of our students, past and present, Darren is proud to be part of the BNU family. He mentions “BNU Aviation has a twenty year track record of producing well qualified industry professionals, who are working and flying for the best airlines, globally.” He states that in his industry he is always bumping into other BNU students, which just reinforces the BNU family feel. “The best, or moreover the most surprising and heart-warming result from my course; is nowadays hearing familiar voices on the radio, or even being on layovers with former course mates, who are flying for an array of international airlines, all over the world.”

Darren says that being part of BNU helped shape him into the person he is today, ensuring he was career-ready when he graduated. “BNU developed me as an individual and professional, providing me every opportunity to go into the wide world of work as best equipped as possible.”