A FORMER Petersfield paperboy who dreamed of flying while on his paper round before heading off to The Petersfield School is now the chief test pilot for Boeing Defence’s Military Aircraft Division – and one of the faces of a nationwide advertising campaign.

Richard Pillans is now testing upgrades to the armed forces aerial workhorse, the Chinook helicopter. He said: “I am very proud to work for Boeing, and I was keen to put that into my own words for the advertising campaign.”