orca. You ask
Can you tell us how it was established that the pilot was both expert and experienced and which criteria were used?
Well, AH graduated from advanced FJ training at RAF Valley and became a ‘creamy’ - that’s to say, he was so good that the RAF ‘creamed’ him off as as a first tour instructor before sending him on to a frontline squadron. When he did go on, he was posted onto Harriers - an indication that he was amongst the top echelons of RAF pilots.
When he left the Air Force in 1995, having been an instructor in advanced combat manoeuvres and formation flying, he got his ATPL and flew for Virgin and BA, becoming a captain for BA.
But he also became a display pilot, flying the Extra 300, Bulldog and Vans RV-8. He became a light aircraft test pilot and taught aerobatics. He was part of a two-ship RV-8 team called the RV-8ors (geddit?), and did more than 300 displays with them. They were a very popular part of the display scene. AH also displayed the JP, and was eventually invited to display the Hunter. He was trained in that by the experienced and distinguished Hunter pilot, Chris Heames.
So I suggest that it was clear AH was ‘expert and experienced’ as a display pilot - although not, by military standards, as a Hunter display pilot. He was, though, fully qualified on the Hunter for CAA purposes.
It is also noteworthy that, at his trial, his defence team produced an extraordinary array of fourteen highly positive character references from distinguished pilots. The referees included:
- A past leader of the Red Arrows,
- A former director of the Empire Test Pilots’ School and subsequent founder of the ‘Ultimate High’ flight safety training organisation,
- A Red Bull Air Race World Championship pilot,
- A pilot to the royal families of the UK and Jordan who was also British National Aerobatic Champion and flew as a BA captain and a warbird pilot.
The referees spoke of AH’s high personal standards and his awareness of regulatory, operational and aircraft limits. One mentioned “his superior intellect [and his ability] to project ahead, identifying potential errors or hazardous situations and mitigating them.” Another spoke of his “threat error management”. Yet another said “Compared to his peers, AH’s ‘Situational Awareness’ was excellent.”
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