In early June 2023, just over a week ago, whilst working in the Museum, I met a chap called David Dabbs. He showed me some pictures of himself with our Phantom. Taken in 1999, they show Phantom XV408, from its time on the parade square at Halton. I believe there is now a Tornado in its place.
This is his story.
I enlisted into the Royal Air Force at the age of 21, on Armistice Day 1998. After 9 weeks of basic recruit training at RAF Halton I moved on to Shawbury, for the Flight Operations Assistant (FOA) course.
Operations Wing at RAF Coningsby was to be my first posting upon graduation. I worked within the Air Traffic Control Section for a year, before moving on to Station Ops, in support of the Tornado F3 Squadrons: Nos. 5, 56 (OCU), OEU, plus the BBMF. During this tour, I was sent on a 1-month detachment to the Red Arrows at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus.
In the first moments following the attacks on September 11th, 2001, Coningsby was placed on to Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) South and my main task that day was to relay information between OC Ops and the Fighter Controllers. The ongoing QRA role involved duplicating the scramble message from the “bomber box” and liaising with the relevant sections on the station. QRA was launched twice during my remaining shifts at Coningsby.
London Air Traffic Control Centre Military (LATCC Mil) at West Drayton near Heathrow was to be my second posting. Here I became the RAF’s first Senior Aircraftman (SAC) to work in the role of Area Radar Support Controller, pairing-up with the Executive Controller (a commissioned officer or senior NCO), dealing mainly with exercises over the North Sea and Eastern England, including aerial refuelling operations. Our main customers were the Jaguar GR1s, Harrier GR7s, Tornado F3s and the USAF F15 Eagles out of Lakenheath.
Shortly before leaving the RAF, I was sent on a 4-month detachment to Operations Wing at Mount Pleasant Airfield in the Falkland Islands.
After a year in “civvy street,” I joined No. 616 Volunteer Gliding Squadron at RAF Henlow, becoming an instructor, teaching the Air Cadets on the Grob Vigilant T. Mk1 Motorglider. This was a weekend role which lasted for 8 years, before the unit disbanded.
The RAF experience was an invaluable foundation for my future career, progressing to a business jet operations role as a stepping stone towards my first job as a commercial pilot. I later became a First Officer with Gama Aviation on the Scottish Air Ambulance contract, flying the Beechcraft King Air 200 & 350, before moving on to Eastern Airways operating the BAe Jetstream 41, Embraer 145 and finally the ATR72-600, based at Southampton Airport.
