Britain's pilots have a new leadership team for their union, BALPA - the near 10,000 strong British Airline Pilots' Association.

Newly elected Chairman is Captain Mark Searle, a pilot with easyJet and the Vice Chairman is Captain Tim Pottage, who flies with British Airways.

Mark, 41, lives in East Grinstead, and was a petroleum engineer before achieving his ambition of following in his father's footsteps and becoming an airline pilot.

He joined BALPA during his training which he completed in 1996. He became a flying instructor at Biggin Hill before joining Cityflyer Express as a First Officer a year later.

He had his first taste of union activity when he became a member of the Cityflyer Express BALPA company council.

Mark's desire was to fly bigger aircraft and in 1998 he joined GB Airways as a First Officer, becoming Captain when he switched to flying the A320 Airbus.

At GB Mark became Chairman of the airline's BALPA company council where he had a series of tough negotiations. The relationship between BALPA and GB had 'rocky times' but a new understanding began to take place.

Mark's time as Chairman of BALPA's company council at GB Airways also saw the aquisition of the airline by easyJet in 2007. There followed difficult negotiations to find an acceptable package for the 200 plus pilots of GB Airways.

'Dealing with the frustrations of trying to please all the members and alleviating their concerns was a real challenge,' says Mark.

'I enjoy flying with easyJet. They have great, committed flight and cabin crew and I find the variety of the route structure both challenging and rewarding.'

Now, as Chairman of BALPA Mark sees four priorities for the union. These are:

- the growing casualisation of flight crew, with more and more contract pilots

- getting the European Union to take account of scientific evidence when drafting fatigue rules so that unsafe flying hours are avoided.

- working more closely with other pilot unions in Europe to stop unscrupulous employers taking advantage of states with less stringent employment laws.

- opposition to any new Government putting taxes on airliner fuel, creating greater strain on a fragile industry.

'Taxes on fuel will, with air passenger duty, be a double whammy which will put more of our members' jobs at risk,' Captain Searle adds.

Captain Tim Pottage, the new BALPA Vice Chairman shares Mark's priorities and he wants BALPA to be forever vigilant on safety and security issues.

'Safety is expensive,' he says, 'but accidents are beyond cost. To keep aviation safe for both the public and crew we as pilots, and BALPA as our union, have a duty to stand against any erosion of safety or security standards.'

Tim, 43, who lives near Maidenhead, Berkshire, flies Boeing 757/767s and enjoys the teamwork, camaraderie, and the immediacy of flying an aircraft. 'I get great satisfaction from seeing decisions and skills played out in front of you. I feel very fortunate to have been able to become a professional pilot. It is what I grew up wanting to do and, although competition was fierce, airlines offered good training and proper jobs to those able to make the grade.

'I became a BALPA rep because I felt it was my turn to do my bit. The terms and conditions I enjoy were won by BALPA reps before me. They faced the challenges of their time and stood up to be counted.

'I have a lot of personal satisfaction working for fellow pilots and doing what I believe to be the right thing.'

Tim, like Mark, knows that as BALPA leaders and the prominent players on the union's National Executive Council they represent not just pilots in their own airlines but all of BALPA's membership.

'I am proud to be a member of BALPA,' Tim says. 'It is a body that unites us all.'

Unsurprisingly both Mark and Tim love to get home to their families. Mark has four children, Tim three, and with a tradition of sons and daughters following fathers to the skies, who knows how many of their offspring will want to follow their father's footsteps.