‘It’s terrible to see grown men in tears’

“I can’t describe how bad it is. It’s terrible to see grown men in tears. People are feeling highly depressed here. The mental strain is terrible. We loved this course. We’re devastated.”

So says 18-year-old Conor Deeny, from Derry. He’s one of the 80 Irish trainee pilots who are victims of the collapse of Waterford’s Pilot Training College (PTC) course in Florida 12 days ago.

The trainees are aged 17-35, with just five women. Some have children and left high-paid jobs in IT taking out enormous personal loans to pursue their dream of flying.