THE CREW
If you've ever wanted to put a face to a name in a manual or on the forum - or just wondered who does what at Just Flight - read on...
Andy Payne - Managing Director
Entering the software industry in 1984, Andy was responsible for the launch and production of the Hill-McGibbon range of educational software for William Collins. Other book publishers quickly utilised Andy's experience and style, amongst them Heinmann (The Fourth Protocol), Macmillan (Trap Door), William Collins (Yes Prime Minister) and Penguin (Cover to Cover range) and Andy joined third-party production company Cos in 1986. He then worked on the million seller, The Way of the Exploding Fist, for Melbourne House (later bought by Mastertronic, in turn bought by Virgin), and International Karate from System 3. Andy was a key player in the launch of the biggest selling home computer game ever at that time - Domark's Trivial Pursuit.
He masterminded delivery on Commodore 64, C16, Spectrum 128, Spectrum 64, Atari 800, Apple II, IBM, Amstrad 464/664/6128, Amstrad PCW, BBC Electron, Atari ST, Sony MSX and Amiga. Andy formed specialist production company The Producers in April 1988 and that company still runs successfully today. As you can see below, it provides much of the backbone services for Just Flight's business. He has been personally responsible for bringing many US-based publishers into Europe, among them Electronic Arts (FIFA), Mindscape (Wing Commander), Sierra On-Line (Kings Quest), Lucas Arts (Monkey Island and the Star Wars series), Maxis (Sim City and The Sims), Interplay (Baldur's Gate, Star Trek series), Accolade (Test Drive Series), 3DO (Army Men) and NovaLogic (Comanche series).
Andy is also Chairman of the ELSPA (European Leisure Software Publishers Association) Council. Just Flight is represented alongside Ubi Soft, Sega, Electronic Arts, Sony Computer Publishing Europe, Nintendo, Vivendi Universal and Take 2.
Andy has been involved in over 250 top thirty selling products, of which over 40 have hit Number One in the charts and has produced over 1,000 titles. His vast experience in business administration and management has been key in establishing Just Flight as a number one Flight Simulation specialist.
Alex Ford - Publishing Director
Alex joined Interactive Associates CDC (later Just Flight) in 1997 as a Product Manager and now, as Publishing Director, is responsible for both new and existing products, as well as developer relationships.
Alex’s life-long passion for everything related to aviation started in his school years when he lived near Heathrow airport. As well as achieving one of his ambitions to gain a UK Private Pilot’s Licence, he has served as a civilian instructor in the Air Training Corps (1381 Squadron), worked with avionics for a major UK helicopter company and been a flying school operations manager,
His interest in computer flight simulation began with the release of the very earliest programs, and he would buy a computer system just because it had a flight sim program written for it! Starting off with a Sinclair ZX81, and moving through other systems such as the BBC 'B' and Atari STFM, he eventually entered the world of the PC, Microsoft Flight Simulator and other PC-based flight sims.
Alex’s experience in all things flight simulation has provided him with a unique mix of hands on-ability, and his management skills mean that he is very much the ‘Scotty’ of the Just Flight team.
Alex is married, has two children and lives near Oxford in the UK.
Dermot Stapleton - Operations Director
After leaving Hull University, where he studied geography, Dermot worked for the Royal Geographical Society in various roles, including Researcher and Editorial Assistant on the prestigious Geographical Journal.
He also studied Egyptology while working at the society and became their unofficial expert on the subject. He left the RGS to pursue a career in the courier industry and rose to become general manager of the UK's largest service company.
As well as a busy career, Dermot has also found time to carry on writing and was a regular contributor for BBC Radio, which included performing and writing on the Radio 1 Roadshow.
Having contributed to the very first issues of PC Pilot magazine, Dermot took over as Managing Editor and remained in the left-hand seat until the magazine was sold to Key Publishing in 2006. Never a man to sit back and relax, Dermot is currently working on a book about the RAF in WWII. His unrivalled experience in management, combined with a quill loaded with words of wisdom, ensures that our public face is always at its sharpest, his pen being mightier than any joystick.
Wolfgang Schwarz - Senior Development Manager
A former Captain and Company Commander in the German army, Wolfgang gained a university diploma as an educational scientist where he gained expertise in programmed learning and computer-based training. In fact programming has been a key part of Wolfgang's life since he owned his first Commodore 64 in 1986. Progressing through the 8-bit platforms into 16-bit technology, he programmed for the Atari ST before moving onto the PC format, where his interest in flight simulation really took hold.
As a freelance programmer and consultant, Wolfgang was a lead developer in the Real Airport package which was released by Just Flight in 2001 to critical acclaim. Wolfgang joined Just Flight in July 2001 and he is now in charge of coordinating the products developed in-house, such as the Flying Club aircraft, our Traffic series, Airliner Pilot, Cargo Pilot, Rescue Pilot and many more. He also manages the development of certain products for publication and looks after customer support for German speaking territories, bringing a wealth of knowledge and experience to the Just Flight team, not only from a technical perspective but also from a cultural one.
Wolfgang is a long-standing member of the SimFlyers development team which produces shareware sceneries for Microsoft Flight Simulator.
Scott Phillips - Marketing
Scott is a veteran of the computer and video games industry, having started at Elite Systems where he worked on legendary titles such as Paper Boy, Mighty Bombjack, Ikari Warriors, Ghosts and Goblins, Blue Thunder, Scooby Doo and many more 8-bit classics.
Having spent 10 years at Elite Systems, Scott then moved to fellow Britsoft publisher Rage Software (Striker, EuroFighter Typhoon, David Beckham Soccer, Incoming, Rocky) where he worked until 2002.
He joined Just Flight in August 2002 and handled the Club Manager range of products for sister label Just Football, working closely with Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City and other leading Premier League English football clubs. He switched to the Just Flight brand in January 2005, and brings his range of marketing and communication skills to the flight and train sim ranges which we publish.
Scott is an avid gamer and loves all sports, both as spectator and participant. He always wanted to be a combat pilot as a young lad but, as befalls many a would-be flyer, he suffered from short sightedness. Civil aviation somehow never had the same appeal for Scott, but he hopes to rekindle his aviation passion now he is in the Just Flight marketing jump seat.
Paul 'H' Hyslop - UK Sales
A stalwart of the industry, having successfully sold over 30 number one selling products, Paul joined Just Flight in November 2001. He is amongst a peer group which now sits at the head of leading software publishers throughout Europe.
With a background in FMCG and then the video business with MGM, Paul entered the industry in 1989 and worked for as Senior National Accounts Manager for Microprose, a company which pioneered the development of computer games in the fledgling simulation market.
Paul was involved in the launch of ground-breaking products such as Civilization, F19-Fleet Defender, Transport Tycoon, F-16 Falcon and many other high-quality flight simulators. Microprose was later bought by Hasbro Interactive - exit stage left for Paul, ever the independent.
In1995 Paul joined Eidos Interactive (formerly Domark) as European Sales Manager and was responsible for managing the world class brands Tomb Raider and Championship Manager with a UK sales revenue of £75 million pa.
Ever open to a challenge and with the dawn of the new millennium, Paul joined Digital Bros., an Italian games publisher listed on the Italian stock exchange, and helped establish them as a world publishing player. He set up 25 distribution partners and achieved turnover in excess of £10 million in year one.
Paul belies the theory that successful sales professionals are exclusively heavy hitting, fast talking sales types. Demure and collected, Paul prefers strategic selling where the products are key and customer service his raison d’etre. His record is second to none and he stands tall as a father of sales in the interactive entertainment business.
Martin Wright - Technical Development Manager
Martin joined Just Flight full time in February 2002, having previously contributed on a freelance basis. A graduate from Lancaster University, Martin joined his previous employers 22 years ago and was responsible for running a computer-controlled warehouse and managing a team of 15. Martin has always had a keen interest in all things related to computing and with his obsessive interest in this field dating back to 1981 (the release of the Sinclair ZX81), he has gained an excellent working knowledge of most programming languages.
Martin is highly skilled in C++ as well as Delphi, Visual Basic and even Assembler when appropriate. A further interest in the field of graphics and imaging led Martin to become proficient in numerous graphics-related software packages. He is now amongst the foremost designers working within the Microsoft range of Flight and Train Simulators and in the field of general graphics conversion and manipulation.
Martin has turned his skills to designing scenery for Flight Simulator and since 1999 has made contributions to several Just Trains products. His keen interest in military history and aviation are paramount in his active interest in PC flight simulation. His ambition is to further his flying career (currently with gliders) to gain a PPL.
Marc Siegel - Lead Developer
Marc's interest in aviation came first from his father, who was a pilot. Although Marc went somewhat 'off course' in studying art and graphics, which led him to design comic strips, and later moved onto landscape painting, his main interest remains aviation.
Marc has flown paragliders, hang gliders and even 'real' gliders as well as having trained in microlights. His interest in flight simulation started with FS98 and he started designing sceneries for Combat Flight Simulator 1.
It was during this period that Marc discovered the excellent graphic tools developed by Martin Wright, now his colleague at Just Flight! Continuing his design projects for FS2000 and CFS2, Marc has created the aircraft for Just Flight's Dam Busters and B-17 ‘Memphis Belle’ packages as well as several other titles and now works mainly with FS2004.
Marc is married with two children and lives in Corsica.
Richard Slater - Technical Support
Richard's association with Just Flight first started when he was part of the team at The Producers providing the backbone of Just Flight's fulfilment needs.
After spending time in various areas he found his calling in the technical support department, taking care of a variety of companies.
Already a keen aviation enthusiast, his enjoyment of flight simulation grew into a personal hobby and he has not only built up a detailed knowledge of the Just Flight range but also become a skilled virtual pilot in his own right After a brief period away from the company he was hired full-time by Just Flight and now heads up the Technical Support department.
Simon Martin - Technical Support
Simon joined Just Flight in May 2006, bringing with him experience of Technical Support from his time working at FortuneCity - a major online community webhost. He even stood for election as Mayor of the virtual city in 1999, finishing a close second place in a vote put to around two million members of the city community. Simon has fond memories of the likes of River Raid on the Atari 2600 and Chuck Yeager’s Advanced Flight Simulator on the Atari ST.
While still at school Simon created and edited Smart Computer Magazine, kickstarting his enthusiasm for writing articles about games.
Interest in the Internet later led to him creating a number of websites including GamesPaper, which he still runs today. Simon’s knowledge of flight sims is matched by his interest in rail simulators - he was a member of the beta testing team during the development of Trainz Railway Simulator - which guarantees that his technical knowledge of all our products is right up to date.
Martyn Northall - Technical Support
Martyn's interest in aviation stems from his father's long career in the Royal Air Force. Regular visits to RAF bases, air shows and aviation museums left him with a strong desire to fulfill a career as a pilot.
On getting his first PC at the age of 8, Martyn's passion for aviation extended into the virtual world and he started flight simming with products such as ‘Evasive Action’ and other DOS-based games. Four years later, he had his first encounter with Microsoft Flight Simulator 2000 and since then has progressively followed the series up to its current version.
Becoming firmly hooked on the series, Martyn went in search of add-on software and soon became an avid supporter of Just Flight. After months of regular visits to Just Flight’s forum, he started helping other users get to grips with the complex simulator. Four years on and over 1,000 posts later, Martyn had finished his A-levels and headed off to RAF Cranwell for their world famous officer selection course. Martyn passed the dreaded aptitude tests but unfortunately was just below the requirements on the vision test. Deciding that flying was the only thing he wanted to do, Martyn rejected the other Officer positions and headed home.
Fate soon came calling when Just Flight offered Martyn some temporary work. Six months later, however, he was still sat firmly in the Just Flight office and we were forced to employ him permanently. Martyn is now happily working with Richard and Simon in Technical Support and is soon to start his PPL.
Just as every aircraft relies on its ground crew for safe and efficient operations, so Just Flight relies on a dedicated team at The Producers in Huntingdon to do all the hard work involved in turning software into those boxed products you see on shop shelves and keeping our customers happy. Here's our loyal ground crew...
Gary Winter - Commercial Director
Gary has played a major part in the evolution of The Producers since 1989 and nowadays oversees all departments as well as playing the role of comapny ‘problem solver’ with his infinite knowledge of the fulfilment business.
Gary previously worked at Linguaphone, a specialist in Language learning courses, and together with Craig manages the production process and fulfilment requirements of all the Just Flight and Just Trains products – from artwork proofs, printing, and product assembly to CD replication, distribution and every point in between.
Craig McFadyen - Senior Account Manager
Craig has worked on many high profile accounts such as Virgin Interactive Ltd and British Standards Institution and has over 10 years experience at The Producers.
Previous to this Craig worked as a Production Manager within the software industry and started his career in the technical department at Commodore Business Machines.
Simon King - Customer Services
Simon joined The Producers in 1995 and was originally involved in the manufacturing and production side of the business.
After a spell in warehousing and logistics he transferred into the Customer Services department and now ensures Just Flight’s customers are well looked after, whether it’s dealing with order processing, account management, e-mail or customer service over the phone.
Ann Clinton & Louise Fisher - Accounts
Ann and Louise have looked after the Just Flight business accounts for many years. Not only do they understand the intricacies of asset turnover, working capital and current liabilities, but they can now explain at the drop of a hat the exact differences between Spitfire variants and know their Boeings from their Airbuses.
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