JUNE 2020 ISSUE 39 AI RPI LO T INSIDE BENSON PUMAS DEPLOY TO SCOTLAND 2EXCEL - A PROFILE NEWS FROMTHE REGIONS THE NORMANDY MEMORIAL DIARY THE HONOURABLE COMPANY All physical events have been postponed until further OF AIR PILOTS notice. Some meetings will take place through video- incorporating Air Navigators conferencing. For the latest situation please visit the calendar page of the Company’s website: PATRON: His Royal Highness https://www.airpilots.org/members-pages/company-calendar/ The Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh KG KT GRAND MASTER: Guidelines for submissions to Air Pilot His Royal Highness Please submit contributions as follows: The Prince Andrew • Text in word document, including your name below the Duke of York KG GCVO title of the piece; • No embedded photos; MASTER: • All images to be sent as jpeg files with a file size of at Captain John P Towell FRAeS least 2 MB; • More than 2 images to be sent via a Dropbox file, CLERK: rather than an e-mail attachment. Paul J Tacon BA FCIS Incorporated by Royal Charter. A Livery Company of the City of London. PUBLISHED BY: The Honourable Company of Air Pilots, Air Pilots House, 52A Borough High Street, London SE1 1XN EMAIL : [email protected] www.airpilots.org EDITOR: Paul Smiddy BA (Econ), FCA EMAIL: [email protected] EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTIONS: The copy deadline for the August 2020 edition of Air Pilot is 1 July 2020. FUNCTION PHOTOGRAPHY: Gerald Sharp Photography View images and order prints on-line. TELEPHONE: 020 8599 5070 EMAIL: [email protected] WEBSITE: www.sharpphoto.co.uk PRINTED BY: Printovation Ltd 01494 478870 Cover photo: The Extra 300s of the Blades, part of 2Excel. See the article on page 29 Except where specifically stated, none of the material in this issue is to be taken as expressing the opinion of the Court of the Company. 2 AIR PILOT JUNE 2020 A MESSAGE FROM YOUR EDITOR... IN THIS ISSUE... Since our last issue, much has occurred, yet in a sense much REGULARS remains the same. Military aviation is still very busy. This is 4 News Round Up & Gazette certainly true in the UK, where the armed forces have come to the aid of the civil authorities in impressive fashion. I asked 7 Master’s Message our friends at RAF Benson to produce an account of how the 10 From the Desk of the DAA Puma Force has been involved: I am delighted with their 13 Regional Report efforts (and indeed proud of their work), and hope you will The Recent Court be too. The Royal Air Force’s AT fleet has been involved in 15 Gazette Meeting on Zoom both repatriation flights and well-publicised shipments of PPE. RAF Typhoons from 6 Sqn (RAF Lossiemouth) have been operating in Lithuania for Op Azotize (the NATO’s Baltic Air Policing). And let us not forget khaki flying, where the British Army’s recent creation of 1st Aviation Brigade is gathering steam. To say the world of civil aviation is in flux, seems a great understatement. Managements of airlines, airports, aircraft manufacturers, and their whole supply chain down to fastener producers, are grappling with a demand outlook that is almost unknowable. In the News section I make reference to IATA forecasts. Their Head has indicated they expect that, of the January 2020 global Commercial Air Transport (CAT) fleet, VISITS & EVENTS between 12 and 35% would be “surplus to requirements” by 9 AGM and Installation Part 11 the year’s end. The implications for ongoing staffing levels in airlines – or the flight training pipeline – do not need underlining. Unions and pressure groups in the UK are maintaining that it is inappropriate to make large-scale redundancies when the Government’s generous furlough scheme is being prolonged. But this looks like simply delaying the inevitable. CAT is a cyclical industry, and the cycle has turned down in an evil and FEATURES severe manner, almost beyond comprehension. 11 Rear Admiral Colin Cooke-Priest - A Tribute Our Company is evolving too. Some recent initiatives are 16 33 Sqn on Op Rescript covered in this issue. Moreover, by the time you read this, we 20 Project Wingman Foundation Ltd shall have held our first online Court meeting. Who knows 21 Building the British Normandy Memorial what clothes and bookshelves will be revealed?! 24 The Very Beginning Whilst Covid-19 strikes in ways we have yet to fully 26 The Gimli Glider understand, skin cancers are more avoidable. Past Master 29 2Excel - The Aviation Company evolves Chris Spurrier has written a moving piece in new directions that should give us all pause for thought in summer sunshine. 32 Learning and Teaching Lookout 33 Sun-bronzed and Beautiful? We are indeed in uncharted waters, or perhaps in our case, uncharted air. 36 The Air Pilots Peer Support Initiative 40 Mentoring 43 Young Air Pilots Engagement Survey 2020 JUNE 2020 AIR PILOT 3 NEWS ROUND UP PEOPLE AND PLACES Past Master Cliff Spink has been appointed the new Patron of the Hawker Typhoon Restoration Group – this seeks to raise the funds required to oversee the rebuild and return to flight of the sole surviving combat veteran Hawker Typhoon MkIb, RB396. The Light Aircraft Association, under the management of Liveryman Steve Slater, is continuing to plan its annual Rally, still scheduled to be held at Sywell September 4-6. The LAA has now created its ownYouTube channel, accessed via a button the LAA website, or by searching ‘Light AN UNUSUAL MAP CERTIFICATE PRESENTATION Aircraft Association’ on theYouTube video platform. A Derek Clarke has now finished a career in commercial air direct link to the Light Aircraft Association channel is at: transport having reached an age when he can no longer fly https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQ8Ytam8IS5PEjyJemdx single pilot commercial. He has been a member of the MiQ Guild/Company since his days at Oxford in 1989/90. He The British Microlight Aircraft Association (which recently was awarded Master Air Pilot Certificate number 1091 on called off merger talks with the LAA) intends to hold a 23rd August 2012. rally at Popham, as soon as movement restrictions are It was always his intention to attend one of a Company lifted. Both organisations report strong demand from functions to collect his certificate. Unfortunately working in exhibitors for such events to proceed. the Southern Hemisphere most such functions coincided with his busiest time. With the co-operation of our London office, it was arranged for the Governor of the AIR PILOTSVISITS PROGRAMME Falkland Islands (as the Queen’s representative) to present Members received several flyers with their last copy of this the certificate. The certificate had been transported to the magazine. TheYeovilton and Williams F1 events have been Falklands by Mr Clarke’s son who was attending college in cancelled. The visit to the BGA at Lasham has also recently the UK. been cancelled. A decision on the Summer Supper on July The picture below shows His Excellency the Governor of 14 will be made on or near the closing date for the Falkland Islands, Mr Nigel Phillips CBE, (at left) applications of June 26, so please express your interest at presenting the certificate. Derek Clarke is in his uniform as this stage. a Captain in the Army Reserves, and serves as the The current situation regarding visits will be communicated Governor’s ADC! via the Clerk’s regular e-newsletters and the status of a particular event will be shown on the Company’s website. VE DAY CELEBRATIONS The RAF Museum, the National Army Museum and the MILITARY AVIATION National Museum of the Royal Navy did a good job in Putting the RAF’s experiences with the F22 into context, the USAF has recently abandoned its mission capability hosting a virtual day of commemorations. rate goals for its Lockheed Martin F-22s, F-35s and F-16s, The programme from Hendon can be seen at: after none of the fighters hit the target of 80% success by https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/about-us/virtual-ve-day- September 2019. A year earlier former US Secretary of 75.aspx?fbclid=IwAR0OBW5Bs1hAkV4a6Eag_eLacQMaL7lK Defense, James Mattis, had ordered the USAF and US Navy (USN) to increase mission capable rates for those 6aZ4pUcSRc81A9FbmST4c_3K06o aircraft and Boeing F/A-18s to achieve more than 80% by The quaintly named Arsenal of Democracy has produced the end of September 2019. (The mission capability rate is an excellent video tribute, which can be found at: the percentage of aircraft that are able to perform at least https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DC6VBnh86CQ&feature= one mission over a period of time). youtu.be 4 AIR PILOT JUNE 2020 COVID-19: THE FALL OUT IATA As ever this organisation produces some excellent data, forecasts, and reports. At the time of writing they have two scenarios: a v-shaped (first sign of recovery in late May) or a u-shaped dip and recovery (ditto in Q3 or later). These indicate the following for 2020: V-shaped U-shaped International Air Passenger Traffic -44% -80% Airport revenues -45% Airlines RPK -48% Aircraft in storage on the apron at Southend, March 2020 International Tourism Receipts -$300bn -$450bn (photo by the Editor) World GDP -3% to recover before 2023. Liveryman Chris Tarry has pointed Its director general, Alexandre de Juniac, said “We are not out that demand did not recover until 2016 after the 2008 expecting to restart the same industry that we closed a few financial crisis. He concludes that, on the most reasonable weeks ago.” It anticipates that between 12 and 35% of the assumptions, by the end of 2021 traffic will still be 20,150 global CAT fleet in service at the beginning of 2020 materially below the number reported in 2019.