About CK Aviation

We are pilots with backgrounds in commercial, military & general aviation

CK Aviation

CK Aviation is a high-end aircraft sales and flight training organisation. We look after a small number of clients providing a full service from aircraft procurement and sales to after sales support, offering high quality flight training across the spectrum from ab-initio PPL right through to the Instrument Rating. This means we can provide our clients with every licence and rating they require to fly their own high performance aircraft.

We are an official Cirrus Training Centre with two Cirrus Standardised Instructor Pilots (CSIPs) and two training centre instructors (TCIs). We operate two cutting edge aircraft a 2019 G6 turbo and a 2022 naturally aspirated SR22. Our CAA Approved Training Organisation can provide courses for PPL(A), Night, IR(R), CB-IR.

We operate a baseless ATO approved by the UK CAA (ATO 0527) which means we can travel to the clients’ home airfield anywhere in the country to conduct your training on your schedule.

CK Aviation is a renowned aircraft broker specialising in Cirrus Aircraft sales. We are very happy to offer advice to customers looking to purchase their first aircraft, sell or upgrade. Please feel free to visit our aircraft sales office based at ATS Aero, Wycombe Air Park.

Official Cirrus Training Centre

CK Aviation is an Authorised Cirrus Training Centre with four instructors and two G6 Aircraft

Experienced Aircraft Sales Broker

Experts in pre-owned Cirrus aircraft procurement and sales with industry beating commission rates

ATS Aero

 Aircraft sales and Cirrus Aircraft maintenance office located at ATS Aero at Wycombe Air Park

Meet The Team

Charlie Kimbell

Charlie has over 25 years’ experience in aviation. He has clocked up in excess of 13,000 hours as a commercial pilot, which has included flying the Airbus A320/A321/A330 family at Monarch Airlines, the four engine A340-600 at Virgin Atlantic and more recently as the Captain of a privately-owned Gulfstream business jet.

Charlie has a longstanding interest in General Aviation, having been a flight instructor since his early twenties. Following a Royal Air Force flying scholarship he became an instructor at Northants School of Flying—his family business. Here, Charlie helped to develop the business taking it from an ailing company with 3 aircraft to a busy flying school with 11 aircraft and 400 members. During this time Charlie specialised in vintage tailwheel and aerobatic instruction.

A passion for aerobatics led to the establishment of his own training business, using a Pitts Special S2A & S2C, where he taught AOPA aerobatic courses and Basic to Advanced level competition flying. He also offered Upset Recovery Training (UPRT) and Advanced Handling courses to pilots looking to improve their general handling. An enthusiastic competitor himself, Charlie holds two national aerobatic championship titles.

For five years, Charlie worked closely with Cirrus Aircraft UK as an aircraft sales representative and factory approved CSIP (Cirrus Standardised Instructor Pilot). Charlie is Head of Training for the CK Aviation Services Approved Training Organisation and instructs for the PPL, Night, Aerobatic and Instrument Ratings and is also a Class Rating and Instrument Rating Examiner.

Charlie’s interests include motorcycling, classic cars and vintage aircraft which is a particular interest being current flying the Harvard, Spitfire & P51 Mustang.

Charlie is available to provide subject matter expert consultation for:

Aircraft Sales

Aircraft Procurement

Aircraft Management

Flight Training

Examination and Revalidation

Charlie holds a BSc in Business & Management Consultancy from Southampton University

Isabel Rutland

Isabel is a qualified accountant who used to work in the City in private equity. She started flying in 2016 and is now an ATPL holder and Cirrus CSIP. Our mission at CK Aviation is to take driven individuals with no prior flight experience and take them from PPL to flying their own high performance aircraft.

Isabel is a real advert for what can be achieved and she is keen to show clients how effective progression can be with the right support, equipment and training.

Isabel has amassed over 800 hours on Cirrus aircraft alone. She holds an Airline Transport Pilot’s Licence and ratings on the Piper M600, various TBM models and the Pilatus PC-12. She has flown every variant of Cirrus SR model and is the perfect advisor for prospective clients on learning to fly, as well as the pros and cons of each aircraft.

Isabel competes in UK aerobatic competitions in a Pitts Special, in 2023 she won the coveted Tiger Trophy and the Sports National Aerobatic Championships. Isabel is passionate about warbirds, she is a Spitfire pilot for the Biggin Hill Heritage hangar and displays a 1943 Harvard IIB and 1944 North American P51D Mustang in airshows around the country.

Our Experienced Team

Neil Tayler

Neil gained a PPL at age 19 and then joined the Royal Air Force completing tours on the C130 Hercules at RAF Lyneham and then the BAe146 on The Queens Flight at RAF Benson. Neil then moved to the commercial world flying Boeing 747/757/767/A320 at British Airways and is currently a B777 Training Captain.

Total hours 22,000 with over 5000 hours instructing on B777 and GA aircraft.

Neil owns shares in Perspective SR22 and Avidyne SR20 with 500 hours Cirrus flying experience.

Neil enjoys flying the Cirrus to far flung destinations having ventured as far as Athens up to now.

Neil is keen and enthusiastic to pass on his wealth of knowledge and provide advanced training on more complex and capable types such as the Cirrus. Neil is the UK regional officer for COPA.

Matt Couling

From a young age, Matt was captivated by the skies, a passion that swiftly propelled him to pursue a career in aviation.  Matt earned his Private Pilot License at the tender age of 17, completing an intensive ‘zero to hero’ PPL course in just 20 days. This early achievement was just the beginning of his journey with aircraft.

Upon completing his schooling, Matt embarked on a career with the Royal Navy, joining as a pilot at only 18. In this demanding role, he flew various aircraft types including the Lynx helicopter which honed his skills in challenging environments. Matt’s service took him across the globe, from the icy waters of the South Atlantic to the deserts of the Middle East.

After several years of military service, Matt turned his attention to the entrepreneurial world, demonstrating the same zeal and aptitude that marked his aviation career. His ventures in starting and successfully managing multiple businesses are a testament to his leadership and business acumen.

Today, Matt has sold several businesses and is in the fortunate position to dedicate more time to his first love: flying. As a proud owner of an SR20 and as an Instrument Rated Instructor, Matt brings a wealth of experience and passion to CK Aviation, a high-end flight school specialising in Cirrus aircraft.

Iain Thompson

Iain’s aviation journey began at 10 years old, when he taught himself to build and fly remote-controlled model aircraft. He quickly moved into Gliding at 14 and soloing at 16, the legal minimum age at the time. On leaving school he moved south and completed his PPL and immediately moved onto ATPL ground school.

During this time he applied to Atlantic Airlines at Coventry to join their Cadet scheme. Successful, he started cadet duties and spent the next 9 months driving thousands of miles around the country, working in ops and the maintenance hangar. On completing his flight training he started flying commercially on the Bae ATP flying freight around Europe. 3 years later he was a Captain as he turned 24 and later became a training Captain teaching new pilots to fly the ATP, for most, their first airline job. After 10 years, he moved to TUI Airways and flew the 757, 767 and 787 on short and long haul routes. He now has 7500 hours and is a Captain on the 737 with TUI flying from Birmingham Airport.

A lifelong passion for general aviation and historic aircraft has always been at the heart of Iain’s flying career. This led him to early on getting his tailwheel conversion and on the very same day started flying Pitts Specials, later in Aerobatic Competition and Super Cubs as a glider tug pilot.

Due to his aerobatic experience, he was invited to fly the aerobatic experience flights with Classic Flight at Coventry in their Chipmunk and also sight seeing tours in their P40 Prentice. Since then he’s soloed in the Harvard, became a Flight Instructor and also owned various shares in Pitt’s and an RV4.

His current Pitts, he owns himself and is slowly rebuilding and developing, in the process teaching himself to build with composites, using Carbon fibre and other means to reduce its weight (83lb so far) and as a result increase performance, with the aim of it being the highest performance four cylinder Pitts in the country.

Iain is married with two young children and other interests include Lotus cars and his Border Collie, Zach.

Peter Douet

Pete has over 20 years experience in aviation on over 50 different aircraft types. With a background in maritime patrol work for HM Coastguard, air ambulance flying and flight training, he now enjoys a life of relative comfort flying Gulfstream business jets all over the world. With North of 6000 hours  he’s found it to be a hugely rewarding career.

Pete has held an instructor rating since 2008, and is also a UK CAA approved flight examiner. He really enjoys passing on the skills gained in the professional business aviation world to enhance general aviation training.
Favourite types and aviation experiences include everything from the North American T6, to farm strip and mountain flying in the Cessna 180, teaching aerobatics in the ubiquitous Stampe SV4, and delivering advanced training in the hugely capable Cirrus SR22.