Tim Peake officiating at helicopter aircrew graduation 7 May
Congratulations to a total of 23 tri-Service aircrew who graduated on 7 May from Number 1 Flying Training School (No. 1 FTS) at RAF Shawbury.
Their wings were awarded by Colonel Tim Peake CMG, astronaut and former Army helicopter pilot, who was recently appointed Honorary Colonel of 9 Regiment Army Air Corps (9AAC) by HM The Queen. Colonel Peake commented “What a wonderful honour to present the wings today; it took me back to my own wings parade and I know how much this day means to them. I am very proud of what they have achieved, and they should be rightly proud as well. This is the culmination of a huge amount of effort and something they have been working towards for many years. I am excited for them all; they have great careers ahead of them and a really exciting journey.”
Colonel Peake also saw the world-leading training being delivered to the next generation of military aircrew in the Duke of Cambridge Building in the state-of-the-art advanced Flying Training Devices (FTD) provided by Ascent; where the trainees learn many of their skills before getting airborne.