Complex sentence: He worked in the aerospace industry for a time before joining the Royal Navy in 1980, qualifying as a helicopter pilot in 1982 and clocking up 1500 deck landings and 2000 flying hours in three tours.
Split into simpler sentences: He worked in the aerospace industry for a time. Joining the Royal Navy in 1980, he qualified as a helicopter pilot in 1982, clocking up 1500 deck landings and 2000 flying hours on three tours.