Lancaster Bomber Pilots and Crew

LANCASTER PILOTS AND CREW

We have a good number of Groundcrew, Pilots and Engineers that assist with the running of  Lancaster NX611 'Just Jane'. All four of our Pilots have extensive flying hours on all types of aircraft including the BBMF Lancaster.
Our Engineer, Ian Hickling has had a long career with the BBMF on the Lancaster and our Airframes Technician has worked in the RAF and privately on planes for many years. Please see our Crew members below.


Ian Hickling (Engineer)

Ian joined the RAF in 1980 serving at Halton, Lossiemouth, Coltishall, Coningsby on Jet Provost, Hawk, Jaguar, Tornado. Ian then proceeded to joined the BBMF in 1985 for 18 yrs  leaving the RAF in 1993. He has been working here at East Kirkby on Lancaster NX611 since 1994.

 

 Andrew Panton (Lancaster Personnel Officer and Guide)

Andrew has grown up with the Lancaster and the world of Aviation inspiring him to carry on the work of Fred and Harold and maintain the Centre.
Andrew's aim was to join the RAF as a pilot, but as he did not meet the standards for eye sight; this was not to be, and so he has worked at the Centre as a career after leaving full time education.
Andrew has been working with the Lancaster for two years and has begun a training course for Lancaster taxying under the tutorage of Flt/Lt Mike Chatterton.
As well as working with the aircraft Andrew also organises and runs the events at the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre.

Sean Taylor (Lancaster Personnel Officer and Guide)

Sean's interest, knowledge and passion for historic aviation stems from his families involvement in the RAF during WW2. His Grandfather served with 88 Squadron, Bomber Command on Bostons. His wife's uncle was a Navigator with 254 Squadron, Coastal Command on Beaufighters and his other Grandfather attempted to enlist but was declared medically unfit. Not to be deterred by this, and being a skilled cabinet maker, he went on to do his bit building De Havilland Mosquito's.

Sean is a designer and photographer and stands in on the Lancaster for Andrew as often as he can. He gives tours of the Lancaster and organises the living history aspects of the events at East Kirkby alongside Andrew. He does talks at the museum demonstrating the historic uniforms, flying kit, ground crew and airfield equipment used by Bomber Command during WW2.

Sean passionately feels that the Men and Women from the Commonwealth and Dominion Forces that served during WW2 have left us with a debt that we can't repay and that he has a duty to tell their stories whenever possible to keep their memory alive and to never let their courage, humour, spirit and resourcefulness be forgotten.

Flt/Lt Ed Straw (Pilot)

Ed joined the RAF in 1986 and, after completing pilot training, flew Sea King Helicopters in the SAR role at Manston, Boulmer and in the Falklands Islands. He was the RAF Sea King display pilot for two years (1994 and 1995) before becoming a Qualified Helicopter Instructor (QHI). Instructional tours at Shawbury and St Mawgan followed before his cross-over to fixed wing aircraft and to the E3-D AWACS in 1999. He has flown the E3-D on many operations in Afghanistan and throughout the Iraq conflict and serves on 8 Squadron at Waddington as an aircraft captain and the Squadron’s Air-to-Air Refuelling Instructor. Ed is the Lancaster and Dakota captain for the BBMF and is on his sixth season. He started taxiing our Lancaster in 2007.

Flt/Lt Mike Chatterton (Pilot)

Mike Chatterton is one of our current RAF Pilot still amassing hours. He flies Nimrods from RAF Waddington, and tries to get to us as often as he can to pilot 'Just Jane'.
Mike flew the Battle of Britain Lancaster in the 1990's and massed over 500 flying hours making him our most experienced pilot on type.
Mike has a special connection with East Kirkby and the Lancaster because his late father John Chatterton flew from here a couple of times during the war on Lancasters (but was based mainly at Syerston and Dunholme Lodge). We think that they must have been the only father-son team that have flown Lancasters.

Flt/Lt John Sully (Pilot)

John has flown a great number of aircraft including the Hastings with Sqn Ldr Jacko Jackson. He now teaches private pilots on aircraft such as the Cessna, and gives up some of his time to taxi 'Just Jane' on our special taxi days. John has massed a great number of hours and is possibly the pilot with the most flying hours that taxis our Lancaster.

Sqn/Ldr Rick Groombridge (Pilot)

Rick Groombridge was born just as the Second World War started. Maybe Herr Hitler was pre-warned as Rick was 'Bombed Out' at the age of three months. He was evacuated twice to Chichester, the second time to a cottage across the lane from RAF Tangmere's main satellite airbase, Merstham Airfield. "Quelle Finesse" says Rick who reckons they were bombed more there than they would have been in London!
He attended "Battersea Grammar School" in Streatham Hill, worked in a City Bank and then, expecting to be 'Called up' he joined the RAF in 1958, just before National Service was cancelled - ah well! He became a Russian Linguist on intelligence duties but cant tell us much about that, otherwise he would have to shoot us. As part of these duties he flew in some interesting aircraft to interesting places but was not pleased as the aircrew were on twice his pay, so he re-mustered and became a pilot, learning to fly on the Jet Provost, Vampire and Meteor, never touching a piston aircraft.

Immediately on graduating he was sent to be a 'creamed off' qualified flying instructor. (talk about blind leading the blind). As a reward for not killing any of his students he was sent direct to the new wonder jet, the "lightning", or, as he describes it "20 tons of screaming aluminium death tube". His summation, "A great sports car , but i would never want to go to war in one!" After surviving 1000 flying hours, on this he was sent off to do an exchange with the French, flying their Mirage III & IV. He only had French 'O' level but thinks the RAF decided that he had learnt to be a Russian Interpreter, French would be a doddle. After three glorious years of dashing around France, he came home to fly the mighty 'Phantom' the F4, a victory of shear power over aerodynamics! He flew 2000 hours on the F4, but in the middle did a 2 year slot instructing on the 'King Faisal Air Academy' in Sordid Arabia as he calls it.

After the F4, he switched straight across to the new 'Tornado F2 and F3' and flew this over 1500 hrs, when he was asked to learn to fly and display the BBMF Lancaster,. As he had never touched a piston engined or tail-wheeled aircraft apart from one mistaken solo in a Chipmunk, this was a bit of a challenge, but he hacked that and flying the DC3 Dakota. As he scornfully observes 'After 31 years of being a fighter pilot i had to descend to the level of being, not only a bomber pilot but also a 'Trucky' (transport pilot).

At the age of 58 he hung up his flying boots, but still, at 66, teaches aircrew the art of flying the Tornado using a flight simulator and taxies 'Just Jane' as a hobby.