Many years ago I served in the Royal Air Force as an Air Traffic Controller, my first posting being RAF Chivenor and this was the final phase of training for fighter pilots in the Hawk aircraft.
As this was a relatively small airfield we the Air Traffic Controllers had a great relationship with the trainer pilots, let’s say there was much banter!! Early each morning there would be a weather sortie carried out to determine the local area’s weather ( big surprise!!) but also the ranges, cloud cover, visibility, assesment of which training sorties could be carried out each day etc etc. Now the fantastic thing about knowing the pilots so well was that you could blag a Jolly ( free back seat flight ) when the pilots took the aircraft up for the hour to check out the local area. How amazing was that, to be able to fly at up to 550kts and 48000ft and acceleration that would make your eyes water was the bees knees!!
I was lucky enough to be able to fly 6 times in the back seat, briefly taking the stick on one occasion, so as to be able to show-off that I had very briefly taken control of a fighter jet, but that was it!!
Hats off indeed to the guys who fly these jets for a job both in combat and non combat missions.
Which brings me to a great story which has recently emerged, that finally the Red Arrows who coincidently fly the Hawk aircraft have just recruited their first female pilot. Flt Lt Kirsty Moore is her name and watch out for her at a show near you, girl power…..