In the spring of 1981, I was enjoying a few days’ leave with my wife June at our home on Anglesey, North Wales, when the telephone rang unexpectedly. On the line was an old friend from my first squadron tour at Tengah in Singapore, in the mid-1960s. I knew he was working at the RAF Officer Personnel Centre, and was the postings specialist dealing with aircrew wing commanders.
He told me the exciting news, that I’d been selected for promotion on July 1 and that he wanted to discuss options for posting in my new rank.
To my astonishment, I was given three choices: Chief Instructor (CI) on the BAE Hawk at RAF Brawdy, Pembrokeshire, CI on Jet Provosts at Church Fenton, North Yorkshire or OC Operations Wing (OC Ops) on the Harrier at Wittering, near Stamford, Lincolnshire. I could have been tempted by any one of the three. The first was a logical step. As OC Standards Squadron at 4 Flying Training School, Valley, Anglesey, from 1976 to 1979, I’d had a key role during the introduction of the Hawk to RAF service.
The second was interesting, partly because I had done my own basic training on Jet Provosts in the early 1960s at Church Fenton, but also because it would bring new professional perspectives. It wou…
