A British Airways engineering apprentice has packed his bags and is ready to fly off on an expedition of a lifetime.

Gary Taylor (20), from Alloa, will take off on Thursday (28 August) to the Land of the Rising Sun with the goal of climbing Japan’s highest mountain, the 12,400ft tall Mount Fuji.

The 20-year-old will be joined by 14 of his colleagues from British Airways Maintenance Glasgow (BAMG) in the hope to complete the ‘apprentice challenge’ and raise money for the airline’s charity initiative, Flying Start.

Gary is one of the latest recruits to the BAMG modern apprenticeship programme; a four-year course of academic and practical work that will see them emerging as licensed aircraft engineers.

Almost 30 young people have already graduated through the programme, which started a decade ago and is now in its fourth intake.

The apprentices have been training for several months for their Mount Fuji challenge and earlier this month they completed a practice climb on Ben Lomond, which at just over 3000ft is a quarter the height of the extinct Japanese volcano.

The expedition to Mount Fuji will start with a flight from Glasgow to London Heathrow’s Terminal Five, where the group will connect onto a British Airways long-haul aircraft to Narita Airport in Japan.

After a three-hour journey by road, the group, which will be accompanied by experienced runners and climbers from BAMG staff, will reach the foothills of Mount Fuji.

Then, after establishing base camp and preparing for what is expected to be an arduous eight-hour climb, the group will set off in the dark with the intention to reach the summit and have their heads, literally, in the clouds.

After that it’s back down the mountain, back to Narita and back home – with their feet well and truly on the ground to continue their training as BA technicians and mechanics of the future.

Adrian Gaughan, BAMG’s team technical fleet manager, said, “It will be a life-changing experience for Gary and his colleagues, one that they will never forget, giving them an invaluable insight into working as a team and aiming high – in this case the 12,400ft summit of Mount Fuji.

“Gary and the rest of the lads have put their heart and soul into the effort and I’m sure he will excel in his efforts to achieve his goal, both on this challenge and in his career with British Airways.”