[citation needed] David studied Aeronautical Engineering at the University of Glasgow.

In 1988 he graduated from the French test pilots' school, École du personnel navigant d'essais et de réception - EPNER, through an exchange with the RAF's Empire Test Pilots' School.

[4] He joined Virgin Atlantic in 1995, flying Boeing 747s as a Captain from 1999; he also flew the Airbus A340 from 2002.

[citation needed] He joined Virgin Galactic in 2009, and is now the Chief Pilot.

He piloted the VSS Unity VF-01 flight above 50 mi (80 km), qualifying him as an FAA commercial astronaut.