BAC 177 Jet-Provost, aerobatic team "The Macaws" (RAF).
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One of the four Jet-Provosts of The Macaws. Well... Hear about a Macaws pilot John "BJ" Adlington... He began career at RAF Hamble and converted to Jet Provost, Gnat and Hunter.
In the early seventies he was successively part of The Macaws and The Swords aerobatic teams, all two flying Jet Provosts, the first from RAF Manby, the second from RAF Leeming...
After a tour with the Royal Navy where John "BJ" flew De Havilland Sea-Vixen, he came back to Royal Air Force and converted to Phantom in RAF Germany...
It was not enough... He joined the maritime force and flew Avro Shackletons from Irish and Malta bases...
Probably tired with low and slow flights he went to Binbrook for conversion on English-Electic/BAC Lightning , becoming in the mid eighties the official RAF display pilot on this type...and Commanding Officer of N° 11 Squadron.
It was not an end when he did his last flight as RAF officer at Cranfield during 1988, this ultime sortie being also the last official flight of the Lightning in the Royal Air Force...
And the story continues because he converted on the BAe Hawk in 1989 as QFI...and now is flying for KLM UK as an instructor captain on Fokker 50s... and belongs, nostalgy, nostalgy, to the "Classic Fighters" in Belgium where aircraft such Hawker Hunters are restaured and flown...
Their site is at
http://www.classicfighters.com/Contact/index.htm. Its not a publicity, just because I belong to the completely mad world of aircraft enthusiasts and you find quite interesting links about Air Shows and aerobatic teams etc...
Did you imagine about what a "Macaw" could be capable...???