A ROYAL Navy officer from Worcester has completed five years of training to become an elite submarine-hunting helicopter pilot.
Lieutenant Matthew Ford was handed his ‘wings’, the badge which shows he is now qualified to fly on frontline squadrons, at a special ceremony at Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose in Cornwall.
The 30-year-old, a former pupil of Nunnery Wood High School, will now joins 820 Naval Air Squadron, the unit dedicated to protecting the UK’s aircraft carriers HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales.
“I joined the navy when I was 17 as a Royal Marine so it was a natural progression when I wanted to become a pilot to stay in the navy,” he said.
“I spent eight years in the marines. A friend of mine was learning to fly Wildcats [helicopters] and as soon as I found out he’d done it, I thought I’d give it a go as well – and here I am.”
For the last year, Lieutenant Ford has been based at RNAS Culdrose’s 824 Naval Air Squadron learning how to fly and fight as a team of four aircrew in the navy’s Merlin Mk2 helicopters.
“The first time you step into a Merlin, you’re mesmerised by the number of switches and circuit breakers,” he added. “The Merlin is just crawling with technology and gizmos – you name it, it’s got it. I’ve always been into technology so I am in heaven,” he said.
“It really does come home then that all of those things you’ve been taught through training, you need to apply every single one of them to keep the aircraft safe and bring the other people on board back safely.”
Now his training has completed, Lieutenant Ford said he was looking forward to getting stuck into the real job.
Most of 820 Naval Air Squadron will join HMS Queen Elizabeth for her round-the-world maiden deployment in 2021.
He was one of eight Merlin aircrew who completed their training. A small, socially-distanced parade was held in one of the aircraft hangars at RNAS Culdrose.
Commander James Taylor, the commanding officer of 824 Naval Air Squadron, said: “This is the biggest milestone in their careers; the day you are awarded your wings is a day every naval aviator will always remember.
“Our graduates now join the Royal Navy’s finest frontline naval air squadrons at a really exciting time.
“I know they are all desperate to get embarked and do their jobs at sea.
“They will absolutely love it and wish them every success.”
