My name is Justin Smith, I served in the Royal Air Force between Jan 1988 and Mar 2018. I joined as an Aircraft Weapons Mechanic and spent the first 10 years of my 30 year service front line Tornado GR1 & GR4 aircraft;
27 Sqn RAF Marham 1988-1991
IX Sqn RAF Brüggen 1991 – 1994
14 Sqn RAF Brüggen 1995 – 1998
Whilst serving on these Sqn’s I was involved extensively in Seat Removal and Fit including both for scheduled maintenance and for the not so scheduled reasons like loose article checks. I was one of the first Senior Aircraftsman to go through training at RAF Cottesmore and be given the Seat Authorisation something normally reserved for the Junior Technician rank. It was I huge responsibility working on the AAES on Tornado aircraft especially as during my time on the Sqn’s I deployed with them as part of the Gulf War Middle East Conflicts where Pilot Egress in conflict was a real possibility and sadly one which many crews had to carry out and thankfully survived as a result of your AAES.
Thankfully your egress system saved many a crew and continues to do so all over the world today.
Thank you for your continued commitment in keeping aircrew safe. I would love a coin as a reminder of my time working within the RAF on MBA AAES.
