Skywise Employee Spotlight: Doug Gizzie’s

Welcome to our Skywise Employee Spotlight Feature! We’ve created these stories with the goal of shining a spotlight on the pivotal role our employees play in the tech and aviation field, their journeys so far, and how Skywise aims to create an innovative and inclusive workforce with their help.

Today we are sharing the story of Doug Gizzie, a true Skywise legend who has been with the company for over 55 years, helping shape our charting products from the very beginning. ✈️ 🗺️

Fun Facts

🐈🐇🐕 I’m a bit of an animal lover, and I look after rescued cats, kittens and dogs that need re-homing, I currently have 9 dogs, 5 of which are Chihuahuas (who think they are as big as Rottweilers), also several cats, a rabbit and a cockerel.

💦⛷️🚣On weekends I’m a waterski instructor, but for ten years on every Summer Sunday I was in a professional waterski show team (actually making one appearance on TV) .One of the acts involved skiing with two young ladies on my shoulders in a two tier pyramid, unsurprisingly nowadays my aching back is reminding me about it, but it was fun at the time.

I also try to surf and paddleboard ( when the sea is warm)

Hello Doug Gizzie! You’ve been in the flight operations industry for an incredible 55 years. Can you share a bit about your journey and what has kept you inspired at Skywise for over half a century?

As a boy I was always interested in aviation and geography and was excited to start my career in Aeronautical charting straight from school, initially as an apprentice.

I think the reason that I’ve remained inspired for all this time is because the work is so interesting, and the knowledge of how vital the information is to the flight crew. Also because the worldwide data updating system happens every 28 days means there’s constantly the pressure to meet those deadlines to ensure an accurate and safe charting product, so there is never time to be bored. Because of those deadlines, and because so much technical and safety information is contained in the product, and the constant planning required to keep the information accurate and up to date, knowing how important the accuracy of it all is. All these things ensure iit remains interesting and inspiring..

You’ve worked on our charting product since you first joined. How has the product evolved from those early days to the high-tech digital solutions we provide today?

It’s incredible to think back to those early days when I started, that all the charts were drawn by hand, literally ink on card or film, so we were all trained cartographers or artists. Surprisingly a lot of the content of information hasn’t really changed that much, It’s how it’s produced and delivered to the customer that’s changed. Back then it was all printed on paper, which meant many bulky documents and charts on the flight deck. When the charts were revised and updated it meant that the pages in the books were replaced by hand for every flight, 1000’s of paper charts replaced every 28 days, people in vans full of charts would go to the aircraft on the tarmac and replace the books. Now of course everything is produced using computers and all the data is delivered electronically. One particularly interesting and exciting period I remember was being involved in creating the special charts required for Concorde, working closely with the British Airways Concorde Chief pilots.

What is the most significant change you’ve witnessed in the aviation industry during your tenure, and how did Skywise adapt to stay ahead of the curve?

So many changes but the most significant one was the introduction of computers, computer graphics and cartographic tools, and as this technology steadily improved and evolved over time then we of course introduced the ever improving technology into our production and delivery systems allowing it to evolve into the great product that it is today.

What advice would you give to a new "Top Prospect" or apprentice starting their first day at Skywise today?

Take pride in your work, and

take pride in your role in making Skywise a successful and safe solution for its customers, and most of all enjoy it.

After 55 years of watching this company grow, how would you describe the future of Skywise in one word?

LIMITLESS !!