We bid farewell to two legends of the Fleet Air Arm – who joined the Royal Navy on the same day, and shared their last flight together at RNAS Culdrose – as they retire after careers spanning nearly 40 years.
Stephen ‘Softy’ Beirne and Ian ‘I-Mac’ McDonald both joined the Royal Navy in 1986. They had careers as Sea King helicopter Observers, flying anti-submarine warfare missions as well as Search and Rescue with 771 Naval Air Squadron at RNAS Culdrose, before joining Ascent.
Stephen said: “I’ve had a good career and I’ve enjoyed it. I worked out that I’ve trained every Observer in military uniform on this base – with the exception of three people. That’s all the Observers, the Squadron Commanders, the Force Commanders and even the Captain.”
Ian added: “My original plan was to go and fly with the airlines when I left the Navy, but I decided to stay here at Culdrose. I’ve never regretted it. It’s much more rewarding bringing people through the training programme and the flying is better.”
Stephen ‘Softy’ Beirne
At the age of 25, Stephen Beirne was stuck in a boring engineering job and wanted some excitement: “I was reading the newspaper and saw the Navy were looking for aviators. I applied to the Navy as an Observer and I came through 750NAS (38 BOC) in 1986. My graduation photo is displayed on the walls even now!”
His naval career saw Stephen serve with 826 and 820 Naval Air Squadrons, as well as the Search and Rescue Squadrons 771, covering Cornwall, and 819 covering Scotland from Prestwick.
“I’ve flown more than 100 Search and Rescue missions. It was exciting,” said Stephen. “I was also in the First Gulf War. We were on a Dutch ship just off Kuwait and we were one of the first – if not the first – helicopters into Kuwait. You had missiles fired at you. They were certainly exciting times but my passion has always been in instruction.”
In 1998, Stephen joined 750 Naval Air Squadron as a Qualified Observer Instructor (QOI) on the Jetstream aircraft. He left the Navy in 2006 and carried on the same role as a civilian, later joining Ascent and converting to the King Air Avenger aircraft.
“Some of my highlights include becoming the Chief Instructor at 750NAS, acquiring 6,000 flying hours, being awarded Master Air Navigator and being able to visit Auschwitz as part of a Continental Navigation Training Exercise, ” said Stephen. “I have flown in a plethora of aircraft including the Jetstream, Sea King M5 & 6 and King Air Avenger. My favourite has to be the Sea King doing Search & Rescues, as these were always the most exciting flights. “
Stephen says that times have changed for the modern trainee. “The quality of instruction has vastly improved along with IT and equipment provided. The most important advice I can give is that of the ethos of joining the Royal Navy – to always be and remain professional.”
And his ‘Softy’ nickname? “It came from a programme called Brookside on Channel 4 in 90s. One of the characters called everybody ‘Soft Lad’. I was (and still am) awful at remembering people’s names, so I reverted to calling everyone ‘Soft Lad’. They would of course repeat it back to me, almost like you would a greeting. Eventually, we became lazy and shortened the greeting to ‘Softy’ – and that’s where it stuck! Now you know.”
Ian ‘I-Mac’ McDonald
Ian joined the Navy in 1986, alongside Stephen Beirne, and despite really wanting to be a pilot, the Navy thought he would be a good Observer. He then spent 16 years as an ASW Observer, operating off the carriers Ark Royal and Invincible, as well as operating from RFA vessels and tours ashore teaching Operational Flying Training, the Sea King simulator and SAR. His final tour was at 750 Sqn, teaching the Basic Observer Course on the Jetstream.
After leaving the Navy, Ian re-trained as a commercial pilot, with the intention of joining an airline, but instead he re-joined 750 Squadron as a civilian QOI. He joined Ascent in 2011 and moved across to the King Air Avenger.
“The most enjoyable aspects with Ascent have been seeing the progress of the trainees as they go through the course, taking the aircraft into Europe and numerous visits to the Royal International Air Tattoo, and probably more importantly, working with great people,” said Ian.
“The world has changed dramatically during my time in the Fleet Air Arm. I joined during the Cold War, when we practised for a specific role in wartime, indeed my 750 NAS Continental Nav Trainer was to West Berlin, pre the wall coming down. I have seen the peace dividend and now going full circle back to potential hostilities again. I feel that the training is as good as ever and instructors are far more approachable these days than in the 80’s.
“My most important advice to trainees would be to work hard and practice as much as possible on the ground, it will pay dividends in the air.”
With Stephen and Ian both planning for an active ‘retirement’ we wish them well for their future adventures.
Photos top and bottom of page: Crown Copyright
