I’m former world championship darts star who won Grand Prix… now I love my new life flying planes as pilot

ALAN WARRINER-LITTLE has swapped dart flights for plane flights in his new life as a pilot.

The former world championship star enjoyed a successful pro career on the oche.

Twitter / @AlanWarrinerAlan Warriner-Little is loving life in the cockpit[/caption]

He took to Twitter to reveal his flying exploitsTwitter / @AlanWarriner

The Englishman started out as a nurse at Lancaster Moor Hospital in his hometown and got his big break in darts as a contestant on ITV show Bullseye in 1987.

Two years later, he played in his first BDO world championship – going on to reach the final in 1993 and the top of the world rankings.

‘Wozza’ joined the PDC as a founding member in the same year.

And he proved a consistent feature in the PDC world champs – reaching seven quarter-finals plus the semis in 1999 and 2003 but lost on both occasions to Phil Taylor.

Warriner-Little – then Warriner before his third marriage to Brenda Little in 2005 – was World Matchplay runner-up to Taylor in 1997 and 2000.

But his solo major victory came at the World Grand Prix in 2001 when he thumped Dutchman Roland Scholten 8-2 in the Dublin final.

However, he called time on his career in 2009 – barring a brief cameo on the seniors tour in 2022.

These days Warriner-Little is still involved in darts, though, as a TV commentator and chairman of the PDPA players’ union.

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But the ex-player, nicknamed The Iceman, is needing to keep his cool in the cockpit.

Avid Manchester United fan Warriner-Little took to Twitter in May to reveal his new passion for aeroplanes.

He tweeted a pair of photos – one of him holding the yoke while wearing his headphones and sunglasses, the other proudly standing outside with the aircraft.

The pundit and pilot wrote: “Just flown this baby over the Solway coast, was awesome.

“Iceman Airways need Gerwyn Price as a co-pilot.

“Incredible views in this weather. Top Gun 3 here I come.”

Marriner-Little enjoyed a successful darts career after starting out as a nurseNews Group Newspapers Ltd

GettyThe former PDC World Grand Prix champion retired in 2009[/caption]

He sported this brilliant and bold waistcoat at the racesTwitter / @AlanWarriner