60 seconds with Heathrow Airport’s Nick Platts

60 seconds with Heathrow Airport’s Nick Platts

As Head of Cargo at London Heathrow Airport, it falls to this Australian to head up the UK’s most important airfreight gateway as the country exits the EU. A former RAAF pilot, Platts came to the Heathrow job after a logistics career had brought him to the UK. His mother is very proud of his current position.

ACW: What would you expect to see written on your gravestone?

Platts: I couldn’t see anything though, could I? So I’d hope someone at least spells my name correctly.

ACW: What kind of culture do you thrive in?

Platts: Open, honest and one where banter is encouraged.

ACW: Do you have any motto or philosophy you live and work by?

Platts: I owe a debt to fallen ancestors which I try to repay through not acting out of self-interest.

ACW: What do you do outside of work?

Platts: Is there an “outside of work”? I should try that… maybe go sailing…

ACW: If you became a multi-millionaire overnight, what would you do with that money, or your life?

Platts: Go flying and get a dog.

ACW: Neighbours or Home and Away?

Platts: Back in the day it was Neighbours but I haven’t watched it since 1988.

ACW: What aircraft did you fly as a pilot in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF)?

Platts: I trained on the Pilatus PC-9/A then operationally on Lockheed P3C Orion and Hawker Siddeley (HS) 748.

ACW: With your height, weren’t you a bit cramped in the cockpit?

Platts: Not really, mind you if I had to eject from the PC-9/A then I may have had trouble walking again as there wasn’t a lot of space between my knees and the instrument panel. The Orion was the best for space.

ACW: Do you support any football team or have you stayed with Aussie Rules Footy?

Platts: I’ve tried to adopt a local team and I’m conflicted between Man City (ancestral home was in Rusholme) and Watford (my in-laws team) but I have to say that I can’t stand all the highly paid actors running around on pitch. So I still watch my home team Hawthorn Hawks – AFL is much more physical and faster paced than your local game of kick to kick.

ACW: What is the most interesting fact about you that we would not learn by looking at your CV?

Platts: I was co-pilot on the mission that saved French yachtsman Thierry Dubois during Vendeé Globe 96 – his rescue was more miraculous than the over-publicised Tony Bullimore’s 10 days later because Thierry’s boat actually sank.

ACW: What’s your murder weapon of choice?

Platts: Odd question so I’ll ignore the “murder” part and stick with my weapon of choice – which of course is the P3C Orion!

ACW: You’re on death row, what would your last meal be?

Platts: Phad thai with chicken for starters then roast lamb. Port and a Romeo y Julieta Churchill to finish.

ACW: Vegemite or Marmite?

Platts: Vegemite.

ACW: What would I find in your fridge right now?

Platts: Beer.

ACW: What are the best and worst purchases you’ve ever made?

Platts: Best – Flying lessons. Worst – Palm Pilot.

ACW: Are you afraid of clowns?

Platts: Circus clowns, no. We should all be afraid of clowns in politics.

ACW: If you could have dinner with anyone from history, who would it be and why?

Platts: My great-grandfather – I’d like to have known him.

ACW: What would your autobiography be called?

Platts: A path less travelled.

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