'It took longer to recover second time round'

Craig admits recovering from this second ejection has been a much longer process.

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"I came back to work after six months, but having been the chief project pilot for Typhoon, I found it very hard watching someone else flying 'my' plane.

"Not only had I lost my job, I had some serious medical issues to deal with and I needed counselling to get over that black period.

"Realising that you can't cope and that it doesn't hurt to talk to someone is the biggest revelation of my life," he admits.

After spending time working in the US, Craig returned to Warton to take on the role of Aircrew Advisor with the Typhoon sales team.