Philip is a Senior University Teacher in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Sheffield, where he combines academic expertise with extensive practical experience in unmanned aircraft systems. Holding a Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (PGCert), he teaches more than 140 MEng students to design, develop, manufacture, and flight test VTOL-capable quadplanes, equipping the next generation of aerospace engineers with both theoretical knowledge and practical experience.
Philip holds both the General Visual Line of Sight Certificate (GVC) and the A2 Certificate of Competency (A2 CofC), reflecting his commitment to professional standards and safe drone operations. Alongside his academic role, he is an active member of the Edale Mountain Rescue Team, where he advises and supports the Mountain Rescue England and Wales (MREW) Drone Group, helping rescue teams develop and enhance their drone capabilities.
He has been involved in flight trials and testing of newly developed missing person search software for MREW and is an experienced user of image analysis software. His technical expertise also includes photogrammetry, orthomosaic image capture, point cloud generation, 3D modelling, and the use of Ground Control Points (GCPs) to improve mapping accuracy.
Based in South Yorkshire, Philip holds a full UK driving licence and is available to support mentoring and drone-related activities throughout South Yorkshire and North Derbyshire. His combination of academic leadership, operational drone experience, and search and rescue expertise enables him to provide high-quality mentoring to pilots looking to develop both their technical knowledge and practical flying skills.
