He also loves his home life in a village on the outskirts of Hartlepool.

It's the 16,000 mile commute between the two that he's not keen on.

CHRIS CORDNER met him.

PHIL Cowell is sweating profusely as he relaxes at home.

It's September in Hartlepool and it's pouring down outside. The weather is gloomy.

Phil is just home from a three month stint in the Falkland Islands. "It's the middle of winter down there and the temperatures are in the minus fives and tens," says the 51-year-old.

SLIDESHOW: In the Picture with Phil Cowell
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"I do a 16,000 mile round trip to work and the downside is I don't get air miles."

He's not re-adjusted yet to the heat of Hartlepool. He's got four weeks of leave to get used to it before he has to return to the south Atlantic winter.

Phil works as a helicopter pilot for a commercial company called British International. Once he arrives in the Falklands, his job is to fly supplies to the Army.

Food, drink, dogs, Army personnel - he flies the lot.

But it's not just to military sites on land. Sometimes, he will land his S61 helicopter on ships in the middle of the Atlantic when he takes supplies.

It's no small feat to place a massive helicopter on the back of a warship with just 20ft of clearance space for the propellers.

"The ship can be going forwards, up, down, and sideways. It is one of the hardest things to do. You have to avoid hitting the superstructure with the blades."

But it's all part of a day's work for Phil who has been flying for 30 years. He's so experienced, he also trains other pilots how to fly.

He's flown Royalty as part of his duties. Princes Charles, Andrew, Edward and Princess Anne are among the list.

He recalls: "I once told Princess Anne to keep her hat on her head. The rotars were turning and it was a windy day.

"She just smiled. I think she was making a mental note of something like 'off with his head next time'."

Phil is a Hartlepool lad born and bred. He went to Oxford Street Infants and Junior School and then Dyke House before leaving at 15.

He joined the Army Air Corps and later became a civilian pilot flying operations for British International on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Phil spends eight weeks at a time on the island in the South Atlantic Ocean. Then, he gets a month of time off at home in Greatham, on the outskirts of Hartlepool.

While he's in the Falklands, his home is on the Mount Pleasant Army base in the officer's mess. He gets one day off a week on Tuesdays.

If the weather's a struggle for him in Hartlepool, there's hurdles to overcome when he returns to the Falklands.

Being apart from his wife Dawn, 50, is one of them.

She's tried the Falklands life on the most recent of Phil's working stints and did not like it. The cost of living takes a little getting used to.

Mobile phone calls to England cost £1.20 a minute. Then there's the shopping trip to the main store.

Dawn couldn't believe it when she found a cauliflower on sale for £5.95. "And it was brown. And it had gone past its sell-by date," she says.

The Army base is a little better equipped. It has a gym and there's also a nearby cinema and ten pin bowling alley to keep people entertained.

Then there's games. "I have been through every generation of PlayStation," says Phil.

"I am now on PlayStation 3. I am better on it than most 16-year-olds and I have got thumbs like fighter pilots."

Phil has umpteen photos of the Falklands. He shows me pictures of Goose Green which he reckons has not changed since the Falklands War. "I keep expecting to see tumbleweed," he says.

He shows me a shot of penguins on a beach. There's not a human in sight. "It is filled with mines," explains Phil.

"Sometimes you get cows on there which set them off."

But Phil loves the spectacular scenery and reckons the terrain is ideal for flying a helicopter with its massive mountains and stunning views.
He adds: "There is no better use of a helicopter than what I am doing with it, from low flying to landing on ships."

But he admits: "I have a totally separate work life from home.

"There are 24 hours flying between the two and I feel like I go through the twilight zone when I go from one to the other."