Hi, my name is Gil Sinclair, Gil being short for Gilbert which is a name I never hear unless I am in trouble! I am originally from England and I moved over to the USA with most of my family in 1998. Currently I am a Faculty Specialist in the College of Aviation and I teach classroom courses for AVS 206 (Flight Physiology), AVS 205 (Aviation Safety) and AVS 207 (Crew Resource Management). In addition I run this on-line course for AVS 206 during the Summer Session.

Educationally, I hold a BSC in Electrical & Electronic Engineering from the University of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne (UK). I also have a MA in Career & Technical Education earned right here at WMU.

After training, I went on to fly the Vulcan Bomber operationally as a Radar Navigator (Bombardier). From there I moved to be an instructor in the F4 Phantom Simulator at a front line base, before taking up a post as a navigator (the name is misleading as the job is more that of 2nd crewman and weapons system coordinator) on a front line F4 Squadron. After a tour of duty (3 years), I was posted to be an instructor on the F4 Operational Conversion unit. As the Gulf War loomed in 1990/91 I was picked up to do a fast conversion from the F4 onto the Tornado F3 fighter. Fortunately for me, the fast conversion was not fast enough for me to make the war itself, which as you know was over very quickly! I flew the F3 from 1991 until I left the RAF in 1998, including an operational tour flying in the Bosnian theater, and a stint as Commanding Officer for the Tornado F3 unit based in the Falkland Islands.
I have been involved in aviation from an early age when I joined a local Air Training Corps, which is a cadet core affiliated with the Royal Air Force, at 13 years old. I then went on to University and joined a University Air Squadron as a pilot, flying De Havilland Chipmunks and Scottish Aviation Bulldogs – both single piston engine trainers. I applied to join the Royal Air Force (RAF) where I discovered a deficiency with my eyesight, but was accepted for training as a Navigator.
This was the last office I occupied in the RAF

After leaving the RAF, I moved to Florida where I joined the Academy of Flight Safety International at Vero Beach, teaching in their new European training program. Unfortunately, this program was cancelled soon after I arrived there but the College of Aviation here at WMU was looking for experienced aviation instructors for their expanding program. I have been here since September 1999, teaching both JAA (European) airline cadets and WMU undergraduates. My experience flying both multi-crew and two-man crew aircraft in the RAF has been of tremendous use in teaching in the areas of Crew Cooperation, Safety and Flight Physiology, alongside teaching Meteorology and Radio Navigation to European students.

Today I live in Kalamazoo in the Comstock area, with my wife Barbara and Edi (short for Edinburgh), our German Shepherd who we adopted from the Kalamazoo Animal Rescue Center. Barbara works in Fifth Third Bank Downtown Kalamazoo Office as an Office Manager in administration. We have two offspring: Emily, 25 years old and currently pursuing a career in Accountancy in Edinburgh, Scotland having graduated with honors from the University of Dundee, Scotland; Michael, 23 years old and, since graduating with honors in Electrical and Electronic Engineering at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, now lives temporarily in Billings, Montana doing some training befeore moving to Madison, Wisconsin working for an engineering consultancy company called ECI. Mike is married to Abby, from Carsonville in Michigan, and they have blessed us with a beautiful granddaughter, Elana, born 12 April 2003