FIRST: Communicate
Ian Sheppard lives in Guildford, Surrey (UK) and works for Aviation Week (Informa) focusing on world-wide airport information for aircraft operators and flight departments. He also reports on events such as Aero Friedrichshafen, the BBGA annual conference, and EBACE for the FBO Connection newsletter, part of the Aviation Week Information Network (AWIN). Ian is also a part-time flying instructor at the London Transport Flying Club at Fairoaks Airport, around 10 miles northeast of Farnborough, and helps a friend who is an aviation insurance broker (Chris Varley) to find new clients who need airfield or aircraft cover.
Ian graduated with a first class honours degree in aeronautical engineering from the University of Bath and spent a year at Cranfield University undertaking postgraduate studies in navigation systems before joining the the team at Aerospace International magazine (at the Royal Aeronautical Society). He then moved on to Flight International (FlightGlobal) as a reporter. After a stint back at the RAeS editing Aerospace magazine, Ian joined Airclaims at Heathrow as data team manager for the CASE Aircraft Database (now Ascend by Cirium).
After starting First Aerospace he edited various magazines including African Aerospace, AIN (as International Show Dailies Editor), AOPA UK (Aircraft Owner & Pilot), and Regional International, the journal of the European Regions Airline Association.
While at Airclaims Ian started to study law, ultimately gaining a Graduate Diploma in Law and passing the Legal Practice Course at the University of Law (Guildford) with a Commendation.
Ian has three sons in their 20s, Tristan (works in insurance at Marsh), Freddie (off travelling the world before finding a new job), and Sebastian (just finished an economics degree at the University of Bath, and starting work at Evelyn Partners in Guildford in September 2024).
Ian lives with his partner Rowan, a consultant paediatrician who has three children who are still at school. Rowan grew up in Scotland and Canada and spent some of her training in Madagascar and The Gambia, and has Masters degrees in tropical medicine and allergies.
Ian’s brother Richard lives in Zambia where he runs three businesses: Best of Bikes Zambia, Sporting Guns, and African Horizons, a lodge at Livingstone (near the Victoria Falls). Richard has a PPL (from Naples, Florida) and is an Honorary Prince having been recognised for his anti-poaching work, environmental work and for promoting Zambian tourism.
Ian and Richard spent two years in Zambia and Malawi as children, when their father flew Islanders for the Zambian Flying Doctor Service. It was during this time that they found a 13ft by 8ft panel from from a 1966 Apollo test launch (Saturn IB) that failed in orbit after a pressure test. With the help of NASA they identified the panel as coming from the pressure bulkhead of an SIVB upper stage (the part that released the Service Module and Lunar Lander). With the help of a UK-based Swiss watch manufacturer, they used some of the metal to produce prototype Apollo watches to mark the 50th anniversary of the first human to set foot on Earth’s moon.