From BNU lecturer to British Airways: How Michael Ashworth, 27, followed a childhood dream and navigated the pandemic to fulfil a family ambition

A 27-year-old pilot who graduated right when the world was shutting down due to a global pandemic is now employed in his dream job as a First Officer at British Airways, fulfilling a family ambition that began with his grandfather. 

Michael Ashworth, a 2019 graduate, has been passionate about flying and planes for as long as he can remember. But after a flight experience gift, aged 12, he had his mind set on becoming a professional pilot. 

He said: “There’s a strong transport link in the family from both sides of my parents. My paternal grandfather, Roy Ashworth, was an engineer at a nuclear power plant and always fascinated by railways, transport and engineering in general. My great grandparents also shared this passion – one was a tram driver and the other was a Leyland bus driver.  

“My grandad on my mother’s side Peter Evans had a passion for flying and his father used to drive buses too. When he was in his twenties, he desperately wanted to fly for the RAF. Because of his poor eyesight, he was never able to; he worked for the RAF on the ground instead. For me, all I’ve ever known is being excited by flying. During family holidays, I would look forward to and remember the flight more often than the actual holiday.” 

Michael graduated from Buckinghamshire New University achieving a First Class Honours BSc (Hons) in Air Transport with Commercial Pilot Training, just months before the world locked down and the aviation industry came to a standstill. 

Having spent years and significant tuition to earn his wings, he suddenly found himself grounded. 

 “I had my licence to fly passenger jets, but now there was no industry and no jobs,” he explained.  

“I just went nuts not being able to do anything; that’s when I started to work part-time for Aldi. There were low periods. I’d just done all this training, sacrificed so much and spent thousands of pounds - I felt I shouldn't be working in a supermarket; I’d hoped to be working at 35,000 feet in the air as a pilot.”  

 Aspiring pilots faced an uncertain future in 2020 – but Michael’s BNU degree proved to be his lifeline. Refusing to give up on a “dream come true”, he returned to teach aspiring pilots – a move that kept him sharp and visible within the industry.  

Michael added: “Teaching changed my perspective. I built so many skills. Whether I’m managing the flight deck or speaking on the PA to customers, the confidence I built in the classroom at BNU is now a daily asset.” 

It was during a meet-and-greet careers event Michael organised, while he was teaching at the university that Michael met a recruiter for Wizz Air – which helped him land his first role. As the industry just started opening up from the pandemic, he was one of thousands of applicants for select flying roles they were recruiting for at the time he applied. 

Now Michael has transitioned to British Airways – a lifelong dream for him. 

He said: “Everyone I came across during my childhood knew I wanted to do this. When they asked who I wanted to work for, it was always British Airways. Now, I get to fly across my old hometown. Nearly every day, where I used to look out of my bedroom window and wonder if I could ever get there. It’s amazing to do something I always aspired to do, fulfilling a family legacy started all those years ago.” 

Looking back on the journey from his first solo flight in a small Cessna 152 at Booker Airfield in High Wycombe to flying his family to Mallorca in a 239-seat commercial jet, Michael’s advice to current students is rooted in his own experience of grit: “Keep the faith and keep going. It’s a lot of sacrifice and there will be tough moments, but I can promise you—it’s worth it in the end.”