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John Thomson (RAF)
Air Chief Marshal Sir Charles John Thomson, (7 June 1941 – 10 July 1994), usually Sir John Thomson, was a senior officer in the Royal Air Force (RAF). RAF service Educated at Campbell College in Belfast, Thomson entered Royal Air Force College Cranwell in 1959, and was commissioned into the Royal Air Force in 1962. Thomson was appointed Officer Commanding (OC) No. 41 Squadron in 1976, Personal Staff Officer to the Chief of the Air Staff in 1979, and Station Commander at RAF Bruggen in 1981. He went on to be Director of Defence Concepts at the Ministry of Defence (MoD) in 1985, Air Officer Commanding (AOC) No. 1 Group in 1987 and Assistant Chief of the Air Staff in 1989. He became Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AOCinC) at Support Command in 1991, and Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief at Strike Command in 1992. In July 1994, Thomson became the first Commander in Chief of the new NATO command, Allied Forces North-Western Europe. However, only days after taking up thi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
RAF Halton
Royal Air Force Halton, or more simply RAF Halton, is one of the largest Royal Air Force stations in the United Kingdom. It is located near the village of Halton near Wendover, Buckinghamshire. The site has been in use since the First World War but is due to close by December 2027. The Queen Consort is the Honorary Air Commodore of RAF Halton. History The first recorded military aviation at Halton took place in 1913 when the then owner of the Halton estate, Alfred de Rothschild, invited No 3 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps to conduct manoeuvres on his land. Following a gentlemen's agreement between Rothschild and Lord Kitchener, the estate was used by the British Army throughout the First World War. In 1916 the Royal Flying Corps moved its air mechanics school from Farnborough, Hampshire to Halton, and in 1917, the school was permanently accommodated in workshops built by German PoWs. The estate was purchased by the British Government for the nascent Royal Air Fo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Assistant Chief Of The Air Staff
The Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (ACAS) is a senior appointment in the Royal Air Force. The current ACAS is Air Vice-Marshal Simon Edwards. The post was originally established circa February 1938, but without being made a member of the Air Council. The ACAS post was re-established in 1985 by eliminating the Vice Chief of the Air Staff and combining the Policy and Operations two star assistant chiefs. In 1992, ACAS became a member of the Air Force Board. The ACAS is responsible for "assisting the Chief of the Air Staff in generating a balanced and integrated Royal Air Force capability and for maintaining the fighting effectiveness and morale of the Service including the development of policy." One of the many duties of the ACAS is to sit on the board of the Civil Aviation Authority as a non-executive member. Assistant Chiefs of the Air Staff from 1985 *1985–1986: Anthony Skingsley *1987–1989: Michael Simmons *1989–1991: John Thomson *1991–1992: Timothy Garden *1 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Michael Simmons (RAF Officer)
Air Marshal Sir Michael George Simmons, (born 8 May 1937) is a former Royal Air Force officer who became Assistant Chief of the Air Staff. Flying career Educated at Shrewsbury School, Simmons was commissioned into the Royal Air Force in 1958.''Who's Who 2010'', A & C Black, 2010, He became Officer Commanding No. 15 Squadron in 1973, Station Commander at RAF Cottesmore in 1980 and Senior Air Staff Officer at Headquarters RAF Strike Command in 1980. He went on to be Air Officer Commanding No. 1 Group in 1985, Assistant Chief of the Air Staff in 1987 and Deputy Controller Aircraft in 1989 before retiring in 1992. He is President of the Tring Branch of the Royal British Legion The Royal British Legion (RBL), formerly the British Legion, is a British charity providing financial, social and emotional support to members and veterans of the British Armed Forces, their families and dependants, as well as all others in ne .... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
United States Air Force Memorial
The United States Air Force Memorial honors the service of the personnel of the United States Air Force and its heritage organizations. The Memorial is located in Arlington County, Virginia, on the former grounds of the Navy Annex near The Pentagon and Arlington National Cemetery. The Memorial is southwest of the intersection of Columbia Pike and South Joyce Street and is accessible from the north side of Columbia Pike. It was the last project of American architect James Ingo Freed (known for the design of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum) with the firm Pei Cobb Freed & Partners. History In January 1992, the Air Force Memorial Foundation was incorporated to pursue the development of a memorial that would honor the people in the United States Air Force. In December 1993, President Clinton signed authorizing the Air Force Memorial. In 1994, the National Capital Memorial Advisory Commission approved a site next to Marshall Drive and State Route 110, down the hill fr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Air Training Corps
The Air Training Corps (ATC) is a British volunteer-military youth organisation. They are sponsored by the Ministry of Defence and the Royal Air Force. The majority of staff are volunteers, and some are paid for full-time work – including Commandant Air Cadets, a Full Term Reserve Service RAF officer. In 2013, the officer in command of the ATC was Air Commodore Dawn McCafferty. Although many ATC cadets go on to join the RAF or other services, the ATC is not a recruiting organisation for its parent service. Activities include sport, adventure training (such as walking and paddle-sports), ceremonial drill, rifle shooting, field craft, powered aircraft, glider flying, and other outdoor activities, as well as classification training leading up to a BTEC in Aviation Studies. Week-long trips to RAF stations, or camps offering adventure training or music, allow the opportunity for cadets to gain a taste of military life and often some flying experience in RAF gliders and RAF tra ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Academic Term
An academic term (or simply term) is a portion of an academic year, the time during which an educational institution holds classes. The schedules adopted vary widely. In most countries, the academic year begins in late summer or early autumn and ends during the following spring or summer. In Northern Hemisphere countries, this means that the academic year lasts from August, September, or October to May, June, or July. In Southern Hemisphere countries, the academic year aligns with the calendar year, lasting from February or March to November or December. The summer may or may not be part of the term system. Synonyms ''Semester'', ''trimester'' and ''quarter'' are all synonyms for an academic term (the last two being mainly confined to American English), which refer to terms of specific periods as described below: *Semester ( la, sēmestris, lit=six monthly) originally German, where it referred to a university session of six months, adopted into American usage in the early 19th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wing Commander (rank)
Wing commander (Wg Cdr in the RAF, the IAF, and the PAF, WGCDR in the RNZAF and RAAF, formerly sometimes W/C in all services) is a senior commissioned rank in the British Royal Air Force and air forces of many countries which have historical British influence, including many Commonwealth countries but not including Canada (since Unification) and South Africa. It is sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in countries which have a non-English air force-specific rank structure. It ranks immediately above squadron leader and immediately below group captain. It has a NATO ranking code of OF-4. It is equivalent to commander in the Royal and United States Navies, as well as to lieutenant colonel in the British Army, the Royal Marines, and the United States Army, Air Force and Marine Corps. The equivalent rank in the Women's Auxiliary Air Force and the Women's Royal Air Force (until 1968) and in Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing Service (until 1980) ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Section (military Unit)
A section is a military sub-subunit. It usually consists of between 6 and 20 personnel. NATO and US doctrine define a section as an organization "larger than a squad, but smaller than a platoon." As such, two or more sections usually make up an army platoon or an air force flight. Land Forces NATO Standard NATO symbol for a ''section'' consists of two dots (●●) placed above a framed unit icon. Australian Army At the start of World War I, the Australian Army used a section that consisted of 27 men including the section commander, a sergeant. During World War II, a rifle section comprised ten soldiers with a corporal in command and a lance-corporal as his second-in-command. The corporal used an M1928 Thompson submachine gun, while one of the privates used a Bren gun. The other eight soldiers all used No.1 Mk.3 Lee–Enfield rifles with a bayonet and scabbard. They all carried two or three No.36 Mills bomb grenades. After World War II, and during the Vietnam War, a rifle ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Commander
Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. Commander is also a generic term for an officer commanding any armed forces unit, for example "platoon commander", "brigade commander" and "squadron commander". In the police, terms such as "borough commander" and "incident commander" are used. Commander as a naval and air force rank Commander is a rank used in navies but is very rarely used as a rank in armies. The title, originally "master and commander", originated in the 18th century to describe naval officers who commanded ships of war too large to be commanded by a lieutenant but too small to warrant the assignment of a post-captain and (before about 1770) a sailing master; the commanding officer served as his own master. In practice, these were usually unrated sloops-of-war of no ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Combined Cadet Force
The Combined Cadet Force (CCF) is a youth organisation in the United Kingdom, sponsored by the Ministry of Defence (MOD), which operates in schools, and normally includes Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force sections. Its aim is to "provide a disciplined organisation in a school so that pupils may develop powers of leadership by means of training to promote the qualities of responsibility, self reliance, resourcefulness, endurance and perseverance". One of its objectives is "to encourage those who have an interest in the services to become Officers of the Regular or Reserve Forces", and a significant number of British military officers have had experience in the CCF. Before 1948, cadet forces in schools existed as the junior division of the Officers' Training Corps framework, but in 1948 Combined Cadet Force was formed covering cadets affiliated to all three services. As of 2019, there were 42,720 cadets and 3,370 Adult Volunteers. The MOD provides approximately £28M per yea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cadet
A cadet is an officer trainee or candidate. The term is frequently used to refer to those training to become an officer in the military, often a person who is a junior trainee. Its meaning may vary between countries which can include youths in voluntary youth organisations. Usage by country Antigua and Barbuda The Antigua and Barbuda Cadet Corps consists of students between the ages of 12 and 19. It Is a voluntary youth organization, sponsored by the government and people of Antigua & Barbuda that acquires its membership from the Secondary School. The main objective is to provide training and personal development to the youths through paramilitary activities and also embrace community activities. The training is geared to inspire young men and woman to become model citizens. Emphasis during training is often based on discipline, loyalty, leadership and good citizenry. Presently, the cadet corps has 200 active members and falls under the direct command of Colonel Glyne ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Air Experience Flight
An Air Experience Flight (AEF) is a training unit of the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (Training Branch) whose main purpose is to give introductory flying experience to cadets from the Air Training Corps and the Combined Cadet Force. As of 2019, thirteen AEFs are active. History The AEFs, numbered from 1 to 13, were formed across the United Kingdom in 1958, all but two forming on the same day, 8 September. All were equipped with the de Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk T.10 trainer. An exception was No. 5 AEF, which also operated a single Beagle Husky (''XW635'') from 1969 to 1989. In the mid-1990s they were merged with co-located University Air Squadrons (UASs), the Chipmunks being replaced by the existing UAS Scottish Aviation Bulldog T.1s. No. 13 AEF at RAF Aldergrove was disbanded in 1996. In 1999, the Grob Tutor T.1 began to replace the Bulldog. On 10 March 2016, Julian Brazier, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence), announced the return of 13 AEF and a n ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
