I was immediately impressed by Adamos' personality, a gentleman and true aviator of the highest class. I met him to talk about the last landing at Nicosia Airport but then I got so much more than I had hoped for. He was born to a family of 8 children and told me that his dream was from a very young age to become a pilot because he was fascinated by anything that flies. He talks about how he got to England to learn how to fly and how he found work as a pilot and how he ended becoming chief pilot at Cyprus Airways.

On July 15,1974, a military coup took place in Cyprus instigated by the junta in Athens, giving Turkey the pretext to invade five days later.The plotters overthrew the President of the Republic of Cyprus Archbishop Makarios and installed a “marionette” government under journalist Nikos Samson.

Their aim was to unify the island with Greece, the Union being a nationalist ideal for some Greeks and Cypriots as well. Five days later, the Turkish army invaded Cyprus and their occupying forces remain on the northern part of the island to this day.

Adamos' story did not finish at the airport during that morning of July 20th 1974. He was also very lucky to survive the next couple of days and then continued working out of Larnaca airport which was hastily developed towards the end of 1974 after Nicosia was forced to close and opened in February 1975.

He ended his fascinating aviation career as the personal pilot to HM The Sultan of Brunei and is now retired.