Solo Display for 2024 season
Please note: display sequences may be varied to account for venue, controlled airspace, cloud base, visibility and lack of discernible horizon.
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Flt Chelvin Hibbert (R'td), Chief Pilot
After attending Officer and aircrew selection at RAF Hornchurch, he went straight from school to RAF College Cranwell, where he did his basic flying training on Jet Provosts 3&4s. Then multi engine advanced training followed by posting to first C 130 squadron (36). This was followed a tour as pilot leader at 6 FTS RAF Finningley ( on Varsities) and then to RAF Northolt on Devons as VIP pilot.
On completion of service , he spent next 25 years in Automotive,Aerospace and Transport sectors culminating in running a £340 mill Aerospace company. Instead of retiring, he rejoined the RAF at RAF Woodvale. After completing CFS ,instructed on 10 AEF, Manchester & Salford as well as Liverpool UAS's where he accrued 2,500 hours in Grob Tutor.
Jet aircraft qualified on include Jet Provosts, Strikemaster, L29, L39 and Hunter. Tailwheel types include Auster, Chipmunk, Pitts, Tiger Moth, Stearman, Harvard, Cub and Spitfire.
Now instructs at RAF Flying Clubs based at Waddington, Cranwell and Barkston Heath teaching PPL/LAPL, aerobatics, tailwheel and IMC/IR(R) as well as flying XW324 during the air show season and being our Chief Pilot.
After attending Officer and aircrew selection at RAF Hornchurch, he went straight from school to RAF College Cranwell, where he did his basic flying training on Jet Provosts 3&4s. Then multi engine advanced training followed by posting to first C 130 squadron (36). This was followed a tour as pilot leader at 6 FTS RAF Finningley ( on Varsities) and then to RAF Northolt on Devons as VIP pilot.
On completion of service , he spent next 25 years in Automotive,Aerospace and Transport sectors culminating in running a £340 mill Aerospace company. Instead of retiring, he rejoined the RAF at RAF Woodvale. After completing CFS ,instructed on 10 AEF, Manchester & Salford as well as Liverpool UAS's where he accrued 2,500 hours in Grob Tutor.
Jet aircraft qualified on include Jet Provosts, Strikemaster, L29, L39 and Hunter. Tailwheel types include Auster, Chipmunk, Pitts, Tiger Moth, Stearman, Harvard, Cub and Spitfire.
Now instructs at RAF Flying Clubs based at Waddington, Cranwell and Barkston Heath teaching PPL/LAPL, aerobatics, tailwheel and IMC/IR(R) as well as flying XW324 during the air show season and being our Chief Pilot.
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Sqn Ldr Phil Bird (R'td)
Phil was born in Ely before moving to the Cotswolds. His love of flying started early and he gained a flying scholarship at 16. He studied economics at university where he flew the Bulldog on the University air sqn. After a year of travel Phil joined the RAF in 2002 and was selected for fast jet raining and completed most of his training in the UK before attending the NATO flying school in Cold Lake Canada for the tactical phase of the Hawk course. Phil was posted to 43 (F) Sqn ‘The fighting Cocks’ to fly the Tornado F3 at RAF Leuchars. This saw him conduct ‘Quick Reaction Alert’ (QRA) missions defending UK airspace as well as participate in exercises all over the world, including QRA in the Falklands.
In 2009 Phil became a Qualified Flying Instructor on the Hawk teaching tactical weapons on 19 (F) Sqn. In 2012 Phil was delighted to be chosen as the RAFs Hawk Display pilot.
Promoted to Sqn Ldr, Phil completed a 12 month tour to the Falklands in the Join HQ’s there prior to returning to fly the Eurofighter Typhoon and served on 29 and XI (F) Sqn’s at Coningsby and 6 Sqn at Lossiemouth. This saw Phil fly all over the world from the US to the UAE, but his proudest achievement on the Typhoon was flying more than 70 operational missions over Iraq & Syria as part of Operation SHADER helping to bring about the downfall of ISIS.
Recently leaving the RAF, Phil has flown the Airbus A321 and currently flies the Boeing 747.
Phil was born in Ely before moving to the Cotswolds. His love of flying started early and he gained a flying scholarship at 16. He studied economics at university where he flew the Bulldog on the University air sqn. After a year of travel Phil joined the RAF in 2002 and was selected for fast jet raining and completed most of his training in the UK before attending the NATO flying school in Cold Lake Canada for the tactical phase of the Hawk course. Phil was posted to 43 (F) Sqn ‘The fighting Cocks’ to fly the Tornado F3 at RAF Leuchars. This saw him conduct ‘Quick Reaction Alert’ (QRA) missions defending UK airspace as well as participate in exercises all over the world, including QRA in the Falklands.
In 2009 Phil became a Qualified Flying Instructor on the Hawk teaching tactical weapons on 19 (F) Sqn. In 2012 Phil was delighted to be chosen as the RAFs Hawk Display pilot.
Promoted to Sqn Ldr, Phil completed a 12 month tour to the Falklands in the Join HQ’s there prior to returning to fly the Eurofighter Typhoon and served on 29 and XI (F) Sqn’s at Coningsby and 6 Sqn at Lossiemouth. This saw Phil fly all over the world from the US to the UAE, but his proudest achievement on the Typhoon was flying more than 70 operational missions over Iraq & Syria as part of Operation SHADER helping to bring about the downfall of ISIS.
Recently leaving the RAF, Phil has flown the Airbus A321 and currently flies the Boeing 747.
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Flt Dave (DJ) Gibbs RAF
Dave John Gibbs was born and raised in Southport and commenced his flying career with the Royal Navy flying helicopters. Dave went on to became a Qualified flying Instructor on the firefly and Tutor subsequently serving as an examiner with the Central Flying School where he played a pivotal role in introducing the Grob Prefect into Service.
Dave transferred into the Royal Air Force in 2019 and is currently Training and Standardising Qualified Flying Instructors. DJ recently completed a 2 year appointment as the RAFs Tutor display Pilot, but Dave's real passion is vintage aircraft where he flies and instructs on a range of historic gliders, pistons and jets.
When Dave isn't airborne he also enjoys power boats, Classic cars, motorcycles and model engineering. Dave is also a 'Liveryman of the Honourable Company of Air Pilots.
Dave John Gibbs was born and raised in Southport and commenced his flying career with the Royal Navy flying helicopters. Dave went on to became a Qualified flying Instructor on the firefly and Tutor subsequently serving as an examiner with the Central Flying School where he played a pivotal role in introducing the Grob Prefect into Service.
Dave transferred into the Royal Air Force in 2019 and is currently Training and Standardising Qualified Flying Instructors. DJ recently completed a 2 year appointment as the RAFs Tutor display Pilot, but Dave's real passion is vintage aircraft where he flies and instructs on a range of historic gliders, pistons and jets.
When Dave isn't airborne he also enjoys power boats, Classic cars, motorcycles and model engineering. Dave is also a 'Liveryman of the Honourable Company of Air Pilots.
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Sqn Ldr Chris Heames (R'td)
Squadron Leader (retired) Chris Heames joined the RAF from school in 1970. After Officer training, he was posted to RAF Wattisham, RAF Akrotiri and RAF Brawdy as an air traffic controller.
In 1979, Chris began his pilot training at RAF Linton-on-Ouse in Lincolnshire on the Jet Provost and subsequently at RAF Valley and RAF Chivenor on the Bae Hawk. He then went to RAF Binbrook and converted onto the English Electric Lightning, followed by a further conversion course onto the McDonnell/Douglas Phantom with 19 Sqn at RAF Wildenrath in Germany.
Chris then served with 17 and 14 Sqn in RAFG at Bruggen after a conversion onto the Tornado GR1, returning to the UK as an instructor with TTTE at RAF Cottesmore. Following QFI training on the Tucano at Linton-on-Ouse, Chris then went through a further conversion onto the Tornado F3. Short tours on 5 and 11 Squadron flying the Tornado F3 were followed by a year at CFS Tutor Sqn Cranwell as a QPNI flight commander.
He currently has approximately 13500 total flying hours of which 6000 are on fast jets. His experience spans a diverse array of aircraft from including Tucano, Yak, Gnat, Hunter, Tornado, Lightning, Phantom and L29, Avro Tutor, Tiger Moth, Chipmunk and Bulldog.
Squadron Leader (retired) Chris Heames joined the RAF from school in 1970. After Officer training, he was posted to RAF Wattisham, RAF Akrotiri and RAF Brawdy as an air traffic controller.
In 1979, Chris began his pilot training at RAF Linton-on-Ouse in Lincolnshire on the Jet Provost and subsequently at RAF Valley and RAF Chivenor on the Bae Hawk. He then went to RAF Binbrook and converted onto the English Electric Lightning, followed by a further conversion course onto the McDonnell/Douglas Phantom with 19 Sqn at RAF Wildenrath in Germany.
Chris then served with 17 and 14 Sqn in RAFG at Bruggen after a conversion onto the Tornado GR1, returning to the UK as an instructor with TTTE at RAF Cottesmore. Following QFI training on the Tucano at Linton-on-Ouse, Chris then went through a further conversion onto the Tornado F3. Short tours on 5 and 11 Squadron flying the Tornado F3 were followed by a year at CFS Tutor Sqn Cranwell as a QPNI flight commander.
He currently has approximately 13500 total flying hours of which 6000 are on fast jets. His experience spans a diverse array of aircraft from including Tucano, Yak, Gnat, Hunter, Tornado, Lightning, Phantom and L29, Avro Tutor, Tiger Moth, Chipmunk and Bulldog.
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Jon Corley
Originally trained as an electronics engineer at GEC-Marconi, Jon started his training as a Private Pilot in 1995 then moved to Coventry starting a pilot cadet scheme with Air Atlantique, to become a commercial pilot. Once qualified, he moved on to the aerial reconnaissance sector of the company flying Cessna twins, before being streamlined into the turbo-prop fleet for freight and VIP passengers on the Fairchild Metroliner.
The company was gradually building up its own collection of classic aircraft, and in 2005 Jon became the Chief Pilot for Atlantic Reconnaissance and for ‘Classic Flight’, eventually being qualified on most of the aircraft they operate, as a display pilot, instructor and examiner.
Types flown range from the Auster, Chipmunk, Proctor and Prentice, on to twin engine Rapides, Dove, Avro Anson, Pembroke, Twin Pioneer and DC-3, and even on ex-military jets such as Jet Provost, Vampire, Venom and Gloster Meteor. Outside of Air Atlantique he has also qualified on the Howard 500, Beech 18, Grumman Widgeon and Albatross, T-6 Harvard and Strikemaster. Although not flying, Jon became involved in taxiing the Avro Lancaster, Shackleton and Douglas DC-6.
Jon has moved into the corporate aircraft sector flying Citation business jets around Europe and the brand new HondaJet, whilst still being involved in other classic aircraft in his spare time as a display pilot and instructor.
Originally trained as an electronics engineer at GEC-Marconi, Jon started his training as a Private Pilot in 1995 then moved to Coventry starting a pilot cadet scheme with Air Atlantique, to become a commercial pilot. Once qualified, he moved on to the aerial reconnaissance sector of the company flying Cessna twins, before being streamlined into the turbo-prop fleet for freight and VIP passengers on the Fairchild Metroliner.
The company was gradually building up its own collection of classic aircraft, and in 2005 Jon became the Chief Pilot for Atlantic Reconnaissance and for ‘Classic Flight’, eventually being qualified on most of the aircraft they operate, as a display pilot, instructor and examiner.
Types flown range from the Auster, Chipmunk, Proctor and Prentice, on to twin engine Rapides, Dove, Avro Anson, Pembroke, Twin Pioneer and DC-3, and even on ex-military jets such as Jet Provost, Vampire, Venom and Gloster Meteor. Outside of Air Atlantique he has also qualified on the Howard 500, Beech 18, Grumman Widgeon and Albatross, T-6 Harvard and Strikemaster. Although not flying, Jon became involved in taxiing the Avro Lancaster, Shackleton and Douglas DC-6.
Jon has moved into the corporate aircraft sector flying Citation business jets around Europe and the brand new HondaJet, whilst still being involved in other classic aircraft in his spare time as a display pilot and instructor.
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Flt Ollie Suckling RAF
Flying XN637 as part of the pairs display
Ollie Suckling joined the RAF in 2007 after spending 3 years at RAF Church Fenton with Yorkshire Universities Air Squadron whilst studying Physical Geography at Hull University.
After IOT he carried out EFT on the Tutor at Cranwell was streamed Fast Jet and flew the Tucano at Linton on Ouse before completing Advanced flying training and Tac weapons on the Hawk T1. Post Valley he started the Tornado OCU in January 2013, before being posted to RAF Marham in 2014. 2024 sees Ollie now in his second season with the RAF aerobatic display team 'The Red Arrows'
Having a true passion for aviation and having worked on historic aircraft such as Victor ‘Lusty Lindy’ at Elvington since he was 15, he was always keen to get into the classic aircraft scene. Ollie bought the share in the JP XN367 in 2014 and has worked hard in order to attain his Display Authorisation in short order. He also drives the Buccaneers at Bruntingthorpe and is a proud member of The Buccaneer Aviation Group.