Frank Hitchens was born in England and, after a stint in the merchant navy, moved to New Zealand where he learned to fly and gained his commercial pilots licence in 1973. His interest in aviation has remained firmly entrenched over the years, leading to an interest in the technical side of aviation and a hobby of aviation photography and also writing. Apart from several magazine articles, he has also authored Range & Endurance and Formulas for the E6-B Air Navigation Computer.