THE pilot who performed an extraordinary emergency landing at London's Gatwick Airport after discovering a problem with its landing gear has been revealed as a former student of Shebbear College.

Virgin flight VS43 was carrying 447 passengers and 15 crew to Las Vegas on December 29 when it was forced to return.

David Williams was in charge of the Boeing 747 as it circled over southern England for several hours dumping fuel before making a bumpy but safe landing just before 4pm.

Mr Williams has been widely praised for his skill and handling of the incident, but he has been quoted in the media as praising his colleagues in a difficult situation.

David, who now lives with his family in Sussex, has over 20 years flying experience.

Also a keen cyclist, he has raised more than £3,000 for charities through sponsored events, including the University of Liverpool Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund and the Down's Syndrome Association.