Air Vice Marshal Air vice-marshal (AVM) is a two-star air officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes u ...

Graham Brian Lintott, (born 29 March 1955) is a retired senior commander in the

Royal New Zealand Air Force The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) ( mi, Te Tauaarangi o Aotearoa, "The Warriors of the Sky of New Zealand"; previously ', "War Party of the Blue") is the aerial service branch of the New Zealand Defence Force. It was formed from New Zeala ...

(RNZAF) and former Chief of Air Force. He is now the Managing Director of Strategy and Business Development for Lockheed Martin's New Zealand operation. Retrieved 2017-12-20.

Early life

Lintott was born in

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. ...

, New Zealand, on 29 March 1955, the only son of three children to Brian, a school teacher, and Heather Lintott. When Graham was aged four, the family moved to Ruakiwi, a small regional town northwest of

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

, where the Lintott children were educated at the local school by their father. The family later relocated to Huinga,

Taranaki Taranaki is a region in the west of New Zealand's North Island. It is named after its main geographical feature, the stratovolcano of Mount Taranaki, also known as Mount Egmont. The main centre is the city of New Plymouth. The New Plymouth Dist ...

, before returning to Hamiltion where Lintott attended

Hamilton Boys' High School Hamilton Boys' High School is a boys' secondary school in Hamilton, New Zealand and is the largest secondary school in the Waikato region. The school was established as Hamilton High School in 1911 but was later split into separate boys' and gi ...

from 1968. Aged 15, Lintott began flying lessons through the

Waikato Aero Club {{Short description, Aero Club The Waikato Aero Club (WAC) was founded in 1933 to provide pilot training and aerial services to the Waikato region of New Zealand. The club is based at Hamilton Airport near Rukuhia, on the outskirts of Hamilton. T ...

after winning $700 in the Golden Kiwi.

Career

Lintott joined the RNZAF in 1973 and graduated from pilot training in 1975. He completed the Basic Sioux Helicopter Course and the

Bell UH-1 Iroquois The Bell UH-1 Iroquois (nicknamed "Huey") is a utility military helicopter designed and produced by the American aerospace company Bell Helicopter. It is the first member of the prolific Huey family, as well as the first turbine-powered helic ...

Course, before completing tours with

No. 3 Squadron RNZAF No. 3 Squadron RNZAF is a unit of the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF). It currently operates NHIndustries NH90 and Agusta A109 helicopters. The squadron was initially formed as a territorial unit of the New Zealand Permanent Air Force in C ...

and RNZAF Support Unit Singapore. In the 1980s, Lintott was a member of the RNZAF

Red Checkers The Red Checkers was the aerobatic/precision flying Team of the Royal New Zealand Air Force. The Checkers fly the Pacific Aerospace CT-4E Airtrainer. Previous aircraft used were the CT4B and North American Harvard (T-6). Until the year 1994 ...

formation aerobatics team.

References

, - 1955 births Living people Officers of the New Zealand Order of Merit People educated at Hamilton Boys' High School People from North Canterbury Royal New Zealand Air Force air marshals Helicopter pilots {{NewZealand-mil-bio-stub