LANCASTER PILOTS AND CREW We have a good number of groundcrew, pilots and engineers with our Lancaster. 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) Joined the RAF in 1980, served at Halton, Lossiemouth, Coltishall, Coningsby on Jet Provost, Hawk, Jaguar, Tornado. Ian then proceeded to joined the BBMF in 1985 for 18 yrs and left the RAF in 1993. He has been working here at East Kirkby on Lancaster NX611 since 1994. Sean Taylor (Lancaster Personnel Officer)Sean started his professional career in London in 1986 working for Terence Conran. He launched his own successful company, Inspiration - specialising in design and photography in 1992. He has worked for many varied clients including both the BBC and ITV. He has a passionate interest in the history of the RAF and in particular the WW2 period. With family serving in the RAF during the Second World War on Bostons, Wellingtons and Lancasters, he feels we all owe a huge debt, particularly to those who gave their lives, that we can't repay. Sean feels its very important to educate modern generations in just what happened during that period so the memory and sacrifices are never forgotten. He became involved at East Kirkby through his RAF living history presentations and joined the crew in September 2006.Crewing ·Just Jane·, East Kirkby·s working Lancaster he feels is truly an honour to him and he very much enjoys talking to taxi riders and visitors to the Museum. Flt/Lt Ed Straw(Pilot) 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.