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 Lt Cdr Ian Sloan RN - RNHF Commanding Officer & Sea Hawk Display Pilot |
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Lieutenant Commander Ian Sloan hails from Lockerbie, South Scotland, and was bitten by the flying bug from an early age. Having flown Chipmunks as a Cadet, he joined the Royal Navy in January 1998 after studying civil engineering at the University of Abertay, Dundee. Whilst with the Royal Navy Grading Flight at Roborough he was selected for fixed-wing training and continued flying training on the Tucano at RAF Linton on Ouse and the Hawk at RAF Valley, before joining 899 Naval Air Squadron (NAS) at RNAS Yeovilton for Sea Harrier training.
Ian then spent over two years on 801 NAS, serving in HMS Ark Royal and HMS Invincible, deployed on exercise throughout Europe and North America. He also took part in trials in support of the Sea Harrier Operational Evaluation Unit, the highlight of which was a live missile firing.
On leaving 801 NAS, he moved to RAF Valley in Anglesey, where he was the Royal Navy Qualified Flying Instructor on 208 Squadron, responsible for the Advanced Flying Training of RN, RAF and Indian Air Force student pilots on the Hawk. He then migrated to the Harrier GR9 at RAF Cottesmore where he deployed to Afghanistan and flew numerous missions in support of Operation HERRICK.
Ian then returned to the Hawk, this time on the staff of Naval Flying Standards Flight (Fixed-Wing) at Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton. He joined the Royal Navy Historic Flight as a Sea Hawk pilot in 2009 and superceded Lieutenant Commander Mike Abbey as RNHF Commanding Officer in May 2011.
Ian lives in Somerset with his young family and enjoys most sports, particularly those outdoors.
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| Katie Campbell - Display Manager |
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Katie Campbell joined the Royal Navy in 1983 as a Radar Wren, taking up her first post at RNAS Yeovilton ATC before joining Dartmouth in 1985 for Officer Training. She did not specialise, therefore undertaking a number of different and very varied appointments which included working as a Duty Operations Officer for Flag Officer Sea Training at Portland, the Joint Operational Support Cell at Northwood, as the RN Ship Agent in London , the RN Presentation Team and as an Events Manager for the first RN/commercial International Festival of the Sea. In the middle of these appointments she was very fortunate to be granted 12 months unpaid leave to go and live in Canada for a year!
Katie's final full-time appointment, now having risen to the rank of Lieutenant Commander, ended in 2002 assisting the running of the RNAS Yeovilton Air Day Flying Control Committee, a job she continued in a part-time capacity until finally leaving the Royal Navy in 2005. She joined the Flight team in August 2006 in the part time post of Display Manager. |
| Howard Read - Chief Engineer |
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Howard Read joined the Royal Navy in 1971 and, after qualifying as an Aircraft Mechanician, served in aircraft carriers HMS Ark Royal, Bulwark, Hermes and Illustrious, together with several Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships. Shore service saw him posted to RNAS Culdrose, RAF Honnington, RNAS Portland, RNAS Lee-on-Solent and RNAS Yeovilton. Types worked on included Wasp, Wessex and Sea King helicopters (becoming Chief Instructor for Sea King airframe and engines) and Buccaneer and Sea Harrier aircraft. On promotion to Warrant Officer One he served as part of the tri-service team at RAF Wyton converging Engineering Policy and Regulation for the military aircraft environment. His final draft saw him as part of the Joint Force Harrier team at RAF Cottesmore, Rutland, where he managed the Quality Cell and Harrier Aircraft Maintenance Group.
On leaving the Royal Navy after 34 years' service, Howard joined the Royal Navy Historic Flight in September 2005 as Chief Engineer.
Howard is married and lives near Wincanton. |
| [ Aircrew] |
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| Lt Cdr Mike Abbey MBE RNR - Swordfish Display Pilot |
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Lieutenant Commander Mike Abbey was born in Norwich in 1956 but brought up and educated in Bicester, Oxfordshire. The gliding bug bit early as a result of many happy hours helping his father build and repair gliders and small aeroplanes. He began flying at the age of 12, soloing on his 16th birthday. Mike joined the Royal Navy in 1975 and trained on the Bulldog and Gazelle before qualifying as a Commando helicopter pilot with 845 NAS flying the Wessex HU.5. In 1979 he converted to the Westland Wasp as Frigate Flight Commander in HMS Bacchante, serving in the Mediterranean, Indian Ocean and Africa. After completing the QHI course in 1981 he moved to 705 NAS at RNAS Culdrose teaching ab-initio helicopter pilots the intricacies of the Gazelle - a most satisfying task. A return to 845 NAS Wessex beckoned with tours in Norway, Northern Ireland and the West Indies embarked in HMS Fearless.
In 1986 Mike converted to the Lynx helicopter as Flight Commander in HMS Boxer, deploying to the Baltic and defending the Iceland/Faroes Gap, later moving to 829 NAS HQ Flt as the Training Officer. Promoted Lieutenant Commander in 1988 he joined the Naval Flying Standards Flight (Rotary Wing), flying and examining on the Sea King, Lynx and Gazelle. A return to the Commando world as Senior Pilot of 707 NAS on the Sea King HC.4 followed, later rejoining 845 NAS again but this time as the Commanding Officer with deployments to Brunei, Malaysia and the East Coast of America and tours in Bosnia working under the UN and IFOR.
Mike's first non-flying job in twenty five years came in 1998 when he became Deputy Commanding Officer of the RN Commando Helicopter Force. Appointed an MBE in 1999 he was keen to return to flying duties and in 2001 migrated across to the fixed wing fraternity and the Jetstream T.3s of 750 NAS Heron Flt. In 2002 he began displaying the Swordfish with RNHF and later became Flight Commander, a post he relinquished in 2005 on his appointment as an Air Accident Investigation Advisor. He moved job in October 2007 to become Lt Cdr (Flying) at Yeovilton, in effect operating as the airfield manager. In September 2009 he superceded Lt Cdr Phil Thornton as the RNHF Commanding Officer and on leaving the RN to join the RNR handed over to Lt Cdr Ian Sloan in May 2011, staying on with RNHF as mentor for the conversion of the new Swordfish display pilots. During his career he has amassed 5,000 rotary-wing and 1,500 fixed-wing flying hours.
Mike lives in Ilchester and enjoys field sports and controlling three grown up sons.
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| Lt Cdr Glenn Allison RN - Chipmunk & Swordfish Display Pilot |
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Lieutenant Commander Glenn Allison was born in Durham City in 1967 and spent his formative years there attending the local comprehensive. He left school in 1984, joined the Royal navy as an apprentice aircraft engineering artificer at HMS Daedalus and subsequently worked on Lynx helicopters at RNAS Portland.
In 1990 the Royal Navy decided it would be safer for Glenn to fly aircraft than maintain them and he was selected for officer and flying training. He followed the well-trodden path of a Naval helicopter pilot, through BRNC Dartmouth to Elementary Flying Training on the Bulldog at Topcliffe and thence to 705 Naval Air Squadron (NAS) Gazelle helicopters at RNAS Culdrose, where he was awarded “Wings” in 1992. Advanced and Operational flying training came on the Sea King Mk4 and he became a Commando or “Jungly” pilot. Front line service included tours of duty in Northern Ireland, Bosnia and Norway with 707, 845 & 846 NAS.
After front line tours he was selected for Helicopter Instructor training (QHI), and to that end joined the Defence Helicopter Flying School (DHFS) at RAF Shawbury in 1997. After completion of the QHI course he taught ab-initio pilots on 660 and 705 Squadron, qualifying as an A2 QHI on the Squirrel. He converted to the Lynx helicopter and was appointed as Flight Commander of HMS Cumberland, “The Mighty Sausage” in 2001. He had a very enjoyable and varied 2 years in HMS Cumberland ranging from working the ship up in the Baltic with NATO, to a 9-month deployment carrying out interdiction operations in the Northern Gulf and Indian Ocean.
In 2003 Glenn was appointed back to Squirrels at DHFS as the Training Officer of 705 Squadron, where he was responsible for the training of student pilots from all 3 services in advanced helicopter flying techniques, such as low level navigation and mountain flying. After this tour he returned to the Commando Helicopter Force as a QHI in 848 NAS, where he was responsible for refresher and conversion training of pilots to the Sea King Mk 4. 2007 saw him appointed to HMS Ark Royal as Lieutenant Commander Flying, responsible for the flying operations. Glenn is now Commanding Officer of 727 NAS, primarily responsible for pilot grading.
Glenn joined the RNHF in 2007 as a Swordfish pilot. |
| Lt Cdr Chris Gotke RN - Sea Fury Display Pilot |
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Lieutenant Commander Christopher Götke was born in March 1970 and educated initially in Canterbury and then Hatfield Polytechnic to degree level. Early addiction to aeroplanes was assured as his father was a bush Pilot in Africa and an avid aeromodeller, encouraging Chris into gliders. He worked in industry for a short while before joining the Royal Navy in 1992.
After Dartmouth and grading on the Chipmunk T.10 Chris flew the Slingsby T67M Firefly in elementary training at RAF Topcliffe and at this stage was selected for fast jet and carried out the basic jet course on the turboprop Shorts Tucano. Advanced and Tactical weapons training followed on the BAe Hawk with 208 Squadron at RAF Valley, but after this stage he had to hold over with FRADU and RN Standards Flight at RNAS Yeovilton, still flying the Hawk. Eventually, training on the Sea Harrier was completed in 1998 and he joined 800 Naval Air Squadron (NAS) in HMS Invincible, seeing service in Iraq and Kosovo, becoming Unit Test Pilot during this tour.
From 800 NAS he was selected as an Air Weapons Instructor and after the course joined 801 NAS in HMS Illustrious for Exercise SAIF SERRIA II before returning to 800 NAS in HMS Ark Royal. His next appointment was to the Fast Jet Test Squadron at QinetiQ Boscombe Down, where he was lucky enough to get his hands on the Jaguar, Alpha Jet, Harvard and all marks of Harrier. He was employed as the project pilot for the VAAC Harrier, a unique ‘fly-by-wire’ test bed to investigate the control philosophy for the Joint Strike Fighter. The VAAC carried out the worlds first ‘hands off’ landing on a ship underway during 2006. He recently moved to Navy Command in Portsmouth.
Chris joined the RNHF in 2004 when he converted to the Sea Hawk and flew it for the 2005 and 2006 seasons. He swapped to the Sea Fury at the end of 2006. Like all RNHF Pilots he keeps his skill level up by training in the Chipmunk, Piston and Jet Provost. Chris has around 2,500 hours of which 1,500 are on the Harrier of various marks and over 400 on the BAe Hawk.
Chris lives in the Yeovil area with his wife and two daughters. He leads an active life and enjoys running, squash, skiing and gliding.
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| Lt Cdr Dave MacKay RNR - Sea Fury Display Pilot & RNHF Qualified Flying Instructor |
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Lieutenant Commander Dave Mackay grew up in Edinburgh and Perthshire and when he was old enough learned to fly Cessna 150’s at Leicester, on a Naval flying scholarship. Whatever message the Navy gave him must have stuck because he joined the Navy in March 1979. Flying training went past in a blur, through the Bulldog, Jet Provost and Hawk, very much in the RAF system but destined for Naval Sea Harriers. That wonderful event, the Wings parade, happened in 1982 followed by three excellent months on the Hunters back at Yeovilton holding before tactical training on the Hawk at RAF Chivenor, the Harrier GR3 at Wittering and finally the Sea Harrier with 899 Naval Air Squadron (NAS), graduating in 1984.
After training Dave managed 4 years with 800 NAS before being selected for Qualified Flying Instructors course and appointment to the joint Elementary training Squadron, flying Bulldogs and teaching many of today's Helicopter and Sea Harrier Pilots. Back to the Sea Harrier in 1989 he spent a tour with 801 NAS embarked in HMS Ark Royal. 899 Squadron as an Instructor was next on the list and Dave remained there, improving his lot with promotion to Senior Pilot, until July 1994. During this tour he joined the Navy Historic Flight as a Firefly Pilot, flying two seasons before an exchange tour took him to America and the F18. Whilst in the States he flew all over the USA and Canada and operated from six different aircraft carriers, but unlike the UK version had to revert to catapults and arrester gear and a dry bar after night flying!
Dave and family returned to the UK in 1997, the new accent soon subsided, and he got used to the Sea Harrier routine again as the Senior Pilot of 800 NAS, flying tours over Bosnia and Iraq embarked in HMS Invincible. In 1998 he re-joined 899 Squadron as the Commanding Officer.
Six months working as an advisor for the next generation of RN aircraft carriers proved to be his last Naval tour and in 2002 he retired to follow a career flying airliners/executive jets around the world.
He joined the RNHF in 1994 as a Swordfish pilot converting in 2004 to the Sea Fury FB11. He is an RN Reserve Pilot on the BAE Hawk, remains the Historic Flight Qualified Flying Instructor and is the Chief Flying Instructor of the Yeovilton Flying Club. His 25 types and 7500 hrs experience covers Swordfish to Sea Harrier and Cessna 120 to Airbus 320. He doesn’t do Helicopters, therefore isn’t ‘fully rounded’!
Dave is married with two children and lives in Kingsdon, near Yeovilton. |
| Lt Cdr Paddy McWilliams RN - Swordfish Senior Observer |
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Lieutenant Commander Paddy McWilliams was born and raised in Northern Ireland and left in 1986, aged 16, to join the Royal Navy. He initially trained as a Weapon Engineering Artificer and ended up as a Chief Petty Officer in HMS RESOLUTION, the Polaris Class submarine. He volunteered for a Commission and commenced his officer training in 1994.
After BRNC Dartmouth and Basic Observer Course at 750 Naval Air Squadron (NAS), Paddy was streamed to the Lynx HAS Mk3 and completed his Advanced and Operational Flying Training at 702 NAS, which was then based at RNAS Portland. Appointments to HMS CARDIFF as an Observer and HMS EDINBURGH as the Flight Observer followed before he converted to the Lynx HMA Mk8 and completed another tour, in HMS IRON DUKE, where he was involved in Ops PALLISER and SILKMAN in Sierra Leone.
In 2002, Paddy qualified as a Helicopter Warfare Instructor and Qualified Observer Instructor before becoming the HWI on 702 NAS. It was during this time that he had his first real taste of display flying, where he was one of the Lynx Pair Observers in 2003 and the Black Cats Team Manager in 2004. He rejoined 815 NAS in 2005 as the Flight Commander of HMS MONTROSE, participating in deployments to the Arabian Gulf and the Mediterranean Sea supporting Ops TELIC and ACTIVE ENDEAVOUR respectively.
Paddy then decided to broaden his horizons and completed the Aerosystems Course at RAF Cranwell before taking up a position as a Trials Officer at ATEC Boscombe Down, where he was involved in test and evaluation for mission systems across the UK rotary wing helicopters. At the end of 2009, he completed an operational tour in a NATO HQ at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. He is currently the Squadron Warfare Officer in 700W NAS, which is the RN’s new Wildcat trials squadron based at RNAS Yeovilton.
Paddy joined the Royal Navy Historic Flight in 2011 as the first volunteer Observer for the Flight.
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| Lt Simon Wilson RN - Swordfish Display Pilot |
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Lieutenant Simon Wilson was born in Lisburn, Northern Ireland in 1980. He first flew in small aircraft with his father, who was a Flying Instructor, at the age of six. Hooked on flying, he took every opportunity to fly with whoever he could convince to let him in the cockpit, going solo on his 17th birthday. He went on to complete his PPL within the following few months.
Simon joined the Royal Navy as a pilot in 2002, completing the flying training requirements of flying grading, JEFTS and DHFS, before joining the maritime Lynx community. He was one of the last pilots to complete the final ab initio Lynx Mk3 course, gaining his wings in 2005, and converted to the Lynx Mk8 DSP a short time later. Following on, he joined HMS Sutherland Flight for Operation TELIC in 2006.
He subsequently served on HMS Montrose as the flight pilot, deployed in the Mediterranean, and participated in Operation ACTIVE ENDEAVOUR during 2007. Once back in the UK, he joined the newly-formed 815 Naval Air Squadron B Section, based at Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton. Since joining B Section, Simon has been flying Lynx on a range of demanding tasking and converted to the upgraded Lynx Mk8 SRU. In 2009 he was appointed B Section Operations Officer and Instrument Rating Instructor.
In his spare time Simon enjoys flying a wide range of aircraft. He has flown everything from weight shift microlights, through many different general aviation aeroplanes, to vintage aircraft. He has his own aircraft and has been restoring it to an airworthy condition over the last few years. Simon has accumulated flight time in over 65 different aircraft types to date, of which 18 are taildraggers.
Simon lives with his partner Simone, in Gillingham, Dorset.
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| [ Engineering Team ] |
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| Don Robertson - Senior Supervisor (Mechanical) |
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Don Robertson joined the Fleet Air Arm in 1965 aged 15 and spent the next 22 years working his way up from a Junior Naval Air Mechanic to a Petty Officer. During his Service career he worked on Whirlwind and Wessex helicopters, and Meteor and Sea Vixen fixed wing aircraft. On leaving the RN in 1984 he worked as a maintenance fitter before returning to RNAS Yeovilton to work as a civilian fitter on Sea Harrier aircraft in 899 NAS - a Squadron he had previously left in 1972. He joined the RNHF in 1997 and is now the Senior Supervisor (Mechanical).
Don is married, has two grown children and lives in Street, Somerset. |
| 'Mac' McKernan - Senior Supervisor (Electrical) |
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"Mac" McKernan left school in 1962 and joined the National Coal Board as an apprentice electrician. To satisfy the thirst for travel he joined the Royal Navy in June 1966 and completed his training as a Radio Electrical Mechanic (Air). Immediately following this he worked on Buccaneer aircraft at RNAS Lossiemouth. After a career which saw service in many RN ships and air stations, "Mac" left the Royal Navy in 1992 as a Chief Petty Officer. He joined the RNHF in November 1994 and is responsible to the Chief Engineer for all radio, electrical and ordnance work carried out within the RNHF.
"Mac" has a grown up family and both he and his wife live in Yeovil |
| 'Dickie' Dawes - Aircraft Fitter |
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‘Dickie’ Dawes joined the Royal Navy in 1966 as a Junior Air Mechanic. During his career he served with the Commando 845 and 846 Naval Air Squadrons, worked with hovercraft and gained fixed-wing experience working with Station Flight before leaving the Royal Navy in 1990. Since then he has worked at Boscombe Down with the Rotary Wing Test Squadron and Empire Test Pilots School and joined the RNHF in February 2009 as an aircraft fitter.
Dickie lives in Yeovil with his family and is an instructor with a local Air Cadet Force.
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| Neil 'Fraz' Fraser - Senior Supervisor (Avionics) |
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Neil Fraser, or "Fraz" as he likes to be known, was born and raised in Edinburgh. He left school in 1975 and joined the Royal Navy in 1980. On completion of his training as an Aircraft Mechanic (Radio and Radar) he became the first radio trade mechanic to join the Sea Harrier-equipped 899 NAS from trade training. In 1982 he joined 801 NAS and served during the Falklands conflict aboard HMS Invincible. He subsequently served in 899, 800 and 801 Sea Harrier squadrons, a Lynx Flight aboard HMS Avenger, and in the Ground Radio section at RNAS Yeovilton, completing a total of 15 years in the Service in 1994. He took up his present position with the RNHF in March 1995.
Fraz lives in Street, Somerset, with his wife and grown-up family. |
| Mick Jennings - Aircraft Fitter |
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Mick Jennings joined the RAF as an Aircraft Technician straight from school in 1967. On completion of his training at RAF Halton he enjoyed a varied career spent mainly on C-130 Hercules and Phantom aircraft. Retiring from the RAF as a Chief Technician, he joined the RNHF in July 1998. As the only member of the Flight with a "light blue" Service background, Mick is affectionately known as "The Crab" by his ex-"dark blue" colleagues. He is currently the plane captain of Sea Hawk FGA.6 WV908.
Mick lives with his wife in Bridport, Dorset. |
| Mark 'Tug' Wilson - Aircraft Fitter |
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Mark ‘Tug’ Wilson originates from Cumbria. He joined the Fleet Air Arm in 1977 as a 16 year old Junior Naval Air Mechanic, leaving 33 years later as a Chief Petty Officer. During his service career he worked on Lynx helicopters, serving on HMS Alacrity which was one of the first British warships to visit Shanghai since the ‘Yangzi’ incident. He also maintained Sea King helicopters whilst serving on 707, 706 and 814 ‘Pinger’ Naval Air Squadrons and 845 ‘Commando’ Naval Air Squadron. He has seen active service in the first and second Gulf Wars as well as in the Balkans.
Tug lives in Yeovil with his wife, three children and grand daughter.
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| Stephen Henrick - Logistics/QSC |
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Stephen Henrick joined the Fleet Air Arm in 1971 at the age of 16 and had a naval career spanning 34 years. He worked his way up from junior Naval Air Mechanic to Chief Petty Officer seeing front line service with Wasp, Phantom, Sea Harrier FRS.1 and F/A.2 aircraft. Serving on various aircraft carriers including both old and new HMS Ark Royals, HMS Invincible and HMS Illustrious, his final draft was with the Sea Harrier Operational Evaluation Unit. He joined Agusta Westland Helicopters on leaving the Royal Navy as a project officer supplying EH101 Merlin aircraft to the Royal Danish Air Force.
Stephen joined the RNHF in 2008 as Logistics Support and Quality Assurance. He is married with one son and lives in Martock, near Yeovil. |
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