Air Chief Marshal Air chief marshal (Air Chf Mshl or ACM) is a high-ranking air officer originating from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. An air chief marshal is equivalent to an Admir ...

Sir Michael William Patrick Knight, (23 November 1932 – 28 November 2022) was a British

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 ...

commander who was well known for his various charity projects, especially for the "Vulcan to the Sky" cause.

Early life

Knight was born on 23 November 1932 in

Leek, Staffordshire Leek is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the county of Staffordshire, England, on the River Churnet. It is situated about north east of Stoke-on-Trent. It is an ancient borough and was granted its royal charter in 1 ...

. He was educated at Leek High School, then studied English Language at the

University of Liverpool , mottoeng = These days of peace foster learning , established = 1881 – University College Liverpool1884 – affiliated to the federal Victoria Universityhttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/2004/4 University of Manchester Act 200 ...

, where he joined the University Air Squadron. After his graduation, he began his National Service and finished his training as a pilot.

RAF career

Knight joined the Royal Air Force in 1953. He was appointed Air Officer Commanding No. 1 Group in 1980, Air Member for Supply and Organisation in 1983 and UK Military Representative to NATO in 1986.Debrett's People of Today 1994 He retired in 1989. As of 2009, he was still actively involved in "Vulcan to the Sky", a project that returned a vintage

Avro Vulcan XH558 Avro Vulcan XH558 (United Kingdom military aircraft serials, military serial ''XH558'', civil aircraft registration ''G-VLCN'') ''Spirit of Great Britain'' was the last remaining airworthy example of the 134 Avro Vulcan jet-powered delta winged ...

to airworthiness and flight. In retirement he was Chairman of the

Air League The Air League is an aviation and aerospace non-profit organisation based in the United Kingdom. It is the UK's largest provider of aviation and aerospace scholarships and bursaries. The Air League aims to inspire, enable, and support the next ...

Personal life and death

In 1967, he married Patricia Ann Davies; they had one son and two daughters. Knight enjoyed rugby and music in his spare time. He died on 28 November 2022, five days after his 90th birthday.

References

, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Knight, Michael 1932 births 2022 deaths Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath People from Leek, Staffordshire Recipients of the Air Force Cross (United Kingdom) Royal Air Force air marshals Alumni of the University of Liverpool