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Cliff Spink
Air Marshal Clifford Rodney Spink, (born 17 May 1946) is a retired senior Royal Air Force officer, who is now a Spitfire display pilot on the national air display circuit. The first Spitfire he ever flew belonged to the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, during his tenure as Station Commander of RAF Coningsby. He also served as the 23rd Commandant of the Royal Observer Corps, the last but one officer to hold the post. Royal Air Force career Spink joined the Royal Air Force in the spring of 1963 with the 104th entry of the Aircraft Apprentice Scheme at No. 1 School of Technical Training, RAF Halton. On passing out of Halton, in the spring of 1966, in the rank of Sgt Aircraft Apprentice, he was granted a flying commission at the RAF College Cranwell, and initially learned to fly on the Jet Provost. Later training took place on the Gnat and the Hunter, before Spink was posted to his first productive tour on No. 111 Squadron flying the Lightning. Spink was later posted to No. 56 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS). Following the Allied victory over the Central Powers in 1918, the RAF emerged as the largest air force in the world at the time. Since its formation, the RAF has taken a significant role in British military history. In particular, it played a large part in the Second World War where it fought its most famous campaign, the Battle of Britain. The RAF's mission is to support the objectives of the British Ministry of Defence (MOD), which are to "provide the capabilities needed to ensure the security and defence of the United Kingdom and overseas territories, including against terrorism; to support the Government's foreign policy objectives particularly in promoting international peace and security". The R ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
English Electric Lightning
The English Electric Lightning is a British fighter aircraft that served as an interceptor during the 1960s, the 1970s and into the late 1980s. It was capable of a top speed of above Mach 2. The Lightning was designed, developed, and manufactured by English Electric, which was later merged into the newly-formed British Aircraft Corporation. Later the type was marketed as the BAC Lightning. It was operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF), the Kuwait Air Force (KAF), and the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF). A unique feature of the Lightning's design is the vertical, staggered configuration of its two Rolls-Royce Avon turbojet engines within the fuselage. The Lightning was designed and developed as an interceptor to defend the V bomber airfields from attack by anticipated future nuclear-armed supersonic Soviet bombers such as what emerged as the Tupolev Tu-22, but it was subsequently also required to intercept other bomber aircraft such as the Tupolev Tu-16 and the Tupolev Tu-9 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brian Burridge
Air Chief Marshal Sir Brian Kevin Burridge, (born 26 September 1949) is a retired Royal Air Force officer. A former Nimrod pilot, Burridge was in overall command of British forces under Operation Telic during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. RAF career Brian Burridge joined the Royal Air Force as a university cadet (as a member of Cambridge University Air Squadron), being commissioned on 24 September 1967. He was a pilot with operational background in the maritime patrol role, serving on Nos 206 and 120 Squadrons. Burridge was promoted to the rank of pilot officer on 15 July 1970, to flying officer on 15 January 1971, flight lieutenant on 13 April 1972 to squadron leader on 1 July 1979 and to wing commander on 1 July 1985. In 1986 he attended the Royal Naval Staff College and then later that year went on to command the Nimrod Operational Conversion Unit. Promoted to group captain in 1990, he became officer commanding RAF Kinloss. From 1992 Burridge served in the Ministry of Defe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Martin Widdowson
Air Commodore Martin Keith Widdowson (born 10 May 1946) was a senior Royal Air Force officer in the 1980s and 1990s and the 24th and last Commandant Royal Observer Corps. Military career Widdowson was commissioned into the Royal Air Force on 25 March 1964, as an acting pilot officer. A year later, on 25 March 1965, he was regraded as a pilot officer. A year after that, on 25 March 1966, he was promoted to flying officer, and he was appointed to a permanent commission on 1 October 1968. He was promoted to flight lieutenant on 25 September 1969. On 1 January 1974, he was promoted to squadron leader. He was promoted to wing commander on 1 July 1981. His final operational flying appointment was as the Officer Commanding No. 23 Squadron in 1982 and by the late 1980s, he was Station Commander of RAF Coningsby. He was promoted from wing commander to group captain on 1 January 1988. On 1 July 1992, he was promoted to air commodore and in 1995 he was appointed as Senior Air Staff Offi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Michael Donaldson (RAF Officer)
Air Vice Marshal Michael Phillips Donaldson, (born 22 July 1943) is a former Royal Air Force (RAF) officer who became the 22nd Commandant Royal Observer Corps from 1992 to 1993. RAF career Educated at Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School, Donaldson joined the Royal Air Force in 1965.''Who's Who 2010'', A & C Black, 2010, He became Officer Commanding No. 19 Squadron in 1983, Officer Commanding No. 23 Squadron in 1985 and Deputy Personal Staff Officer to the Chief the Defence Staff in 1986. Promoted to group captain, he went on to be Station Commander at RAF Wattisham in 1987 and following promotion to air commodore on 1 April 1992, he became Senior Air Staff Officer at No. 11 Group. He simultaneously held the appointment of Commandant Royal Observer Corps (ROC) at a time when the majority of the ROC had been stood down, leaving a small number of Nuclear Reporting Cell observers serving at various Armed Forces HQs all over the UK. Promoted to air vice marshal, he served as Co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Historic Flying Limited
The Aircraft Restoration Company (formally Historic Flying Limited) is a British company that specialises in the restoration and new-build of Supermarine Spitfires and other historic aircraft. It is based at the former RAF Duxford in Cambridgeshire, UK. The company was founded in the late 1980s to restore five Spitfires to flying condition; these had been "gate guardians" at Royal Air Force stations. Since then, over 30 Spitfires have been restored or built from scratch - using salvaged parts where available - or restored. This is said to be a third of the Spitfires that are now airworthy. The organisation have also completed major maintenance work on the RAF's Battle of Britain Memorial Flight aircraft, for which the Stephenson Hangar was purpose built. The latest of this work included the minor maintenance of the BBMF's Avro Lancaster which was completed at the end of Summer 2021. The Aircraft Restoration Company operates and maintains the largest number of Spitfires an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
RAF Sealand
MoD Sealand (formerly RAF Sealand), is a Ministry of Defence installation in Flintshire, in the northeast corner of Wales, close to the border with England. It is a former Royal Air Force station, active between 1916 and 2006. Under defence cuts announced in 2004 RAF Sealand was completely closed in April 2006. All remaining RAF units were moved to RAF Leeming, and the site is now operated as a tri-service MoD installation. Early history Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust says the site is nationally important as it became home in 1916 to a flying school which, during World War I, was requisitioned by the War Office becoming RAF Sealand in 1924. The report said: "The site of the former Dutton's Flying School is an incredibly important historical location, effectively the origin point of the initial Royal Flying Corps and later RAF as a fighting force. "The degree to which any traces of Dutton's aerodrome survive as sub-surface deposits is currently unknown as there have been no ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Supermarine Spitfire Mk XVI NR
Supermarine was a British aircraft manufacturer that is most famous for producing the Spitfire fighter plane during World War II as well as a range of seaplanes and flying boats, and a series of jet-powered fighter aircraft after World War II. The company had successes in the Schneider Trophy for seaplanes, with three wins in a row of 1927, 1929 and 1931. The company was founded in 1913 as Pemberton-Billing Ltd on the River Itchen close to Woolston, Southampton, on ground previously purchased by Noel Pemberton Billing to construct motor launches. It produced a couple of prototypes using quadruplane designs to shoot down zeppelins, the Supermarine P.B.29 and the Supermarine Nighthawk. The aircraft were fitted with the recoilless Davis gun and the Nighthawk had a separate powerplant to power a searchlight.The World's Worst Aircraft James Gilbert Upon election as a Member of Parliament (MP) in 1916, Pemberton-Billing sold the company to his factory manager and longtime associate ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Old Haltonians
The Old Haltonian Association, which was founded by Lieutenant Colonel AFS Cardwell in 1925, was an important feature of the earliest years of the Royal Air Force's Apprentice training at the No. 1 School of Technical Training. The objects of the Old Haltonian Association were to stimulate interest and comradeship between all ex- Halton Apprentices, to provide information on the progress and activities of ex-Apprentices for those still under training and to give each Aircraft Apprentice at Halton an insight into the functions of Service units. It was a flourishing activity with representatives on every RAF unit and in the aircraft industry who all submitted reports to the Association's Halton Magazine on the doings of ex-Apprentices worldwide. RAF Aircraft Apprentice Scheme The RAF Aircraft Apprentice Scheme was initiated by Lord Trenchard at the No. 1 School of Technical Training, RAF Halton in 1922. Initially started in 1920 at Halton camp, the site was not ready to accept ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Royal College Of Defence Studies
The Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS) instructs the most promising senior officers of the British Armed Forces, His Majesty's Diplomatic Service and Civil Service in national defence and international security matters at the highest level, to prepare them for the top posts in their respective services. It forms part of the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom, and is its most senior and prestigious component. In addition, there are many overseas attendees, from countries who are close allies of the United Kingdom. History In 1922, a cabinet committee under Winston Churchill, then Secretary of State for the Colonies, recommended the formation of the College. The college was founded in 1927 as the Imperial Defence College and was located at 9 Buckingham Gate until 1939. Its objective at that time was to instruct senior military officers the defence of the British Empire. In 1946, following the end of World War II, the college reopened at Seaford House, Belgrave Square and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Panavia Tornado
The Panavia Tornado is a family of twin-engine, variable-sweep wing multirole combat aircraft, jointly developed and manufactured by Italy, the United Kingdom and West Germany. There are three primary Tornado variants: the Tornado IDS (interdictor/strike) fighter-bomber, the suppression of enemy air defences Tornado ECR (electronic combat/reconnaissance) and the Tornado ADV (air defence variant) interceptor aircraft. The Tornado was developed and built by Panavia Aircraft GmbH, a tri-national consortium consisting of British Aerospace (previously British Aircraft Corporation), MBB of West Germany, and Aeritalia of Italy. It first flew on 14 August 1974 and was introduced into service in 1979–1980. Due to its multirole design, it was able to replace several different fleets of aircraft in the adopting air forces. The Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) became the only export operator of the Tornado in addition to the three original partner nations. A tri-nation training and ev ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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