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Council Members
Vice President - Peter Thorn
During WWII Peter began his aviation career as an apprentice to A.V.ROE (Avro's) at Woodford Aerodrome.
In 1947, he joined the Fleet Air Arm for Pilot training. This was curtailed due to post war Service cuts, and he rejoined Avro's as a Flight Test Observer on Lincolns, Lancasters, Athena, Tudor Mks 2&4b, Shackleton and Ashton aircraft.
Peter joined the RAF in 1952 and served in the Night All Weather role on Meteor Mk12 ,14 and later flying Javelin Mk 9R. During this period there was a short break in his flying career whilst Duncan Sands attempted to reduce manned aircraft within the Services.
On his return to the RAF Peter was heavily involved with in-flight re-fuelling trials and, with the C.O. of 23 Squadron, pioneered the first Javelin night refuel detachment from Leuchars to Cyprus. Peter flew air patrols in the 10 month detachment to Zambia during the 1965 Rhodesia crisis.
On returning to the UK, Peter trained at CFS and became a QFI at the University of Wales Air Squadron flying Chipmunks. There followed further tours of duty as Lightning Simulator instructor, and for 5 years in the mid-Seventies he trained a large number of flight cadets at the RAF College as QFI and, latterly, Flt Cdr on Jet Provost 5 & 5a.
His most enjoyable tour came with the BBMF flying the Hurricane and Spitfire Mk2a, 5, & 19. This led to flying some privately owned Spitfires and a replica Prototype Spitfire. The RAF employed Peter in his last tours of duty before retiring as an Examiner on the Flight Selection Squadron, and back to University Squadron flying this time at London again on Chipmunks as Chief Flying instructor.
Peter continued to instruct on leaving the RAF and held CFI position at CSE Oxford on the PPL side of the School. Since then he has been a self-employed QFI at Enstone and Kemble, but has also been engaged by Oxford Air Training School to teach at their invitation aerobatics and spinning on the Commercial syllabus utilising the ZLIN 242 aircraft.
Peter has been honoured with GAPAN Pike Trophy in 1994 and the Royal Aero Club presented him with the Cowburn-Kay Trophy in 2001.
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