Page 106 - Demo

106%u0009%u0008%u000c%u0006C%u0004ffi%u0007%u0010%u0007%u00103%u0006#%u0007%u00103%u0006%u0004%u0010%u0018%u0006%u0007%u000c%u0006#%u00016%u0006%u001a%u0001%u000c%u0004%u000cffl%u0006\3B%u0006%u0009(B%u0016%u0006%u0013%u0014%u0006%u0017+%u0017)%u0006Tom Eeles joined the RAF via Cranwell in 1960. His post?graduate flying experience embraced the Canberra, Gnat, Hunter and, especially, the Buccaneer, culminating in a tour as OC 237 OCU in 1984?87. After two years with the CFS as OC Examining Wing, he did a stint at HQ Support Command before commanding RAF Linton?on?Ouse; his final appointment was with Defence Exports Services Organisation within MoD. On leaving the Service in 1997 he was commissioned into the RAF Reserve to serve, initially, with Cambridge UAS and today he continues to fly with No 5 AEF. At the end of the war, in 1945, the Central Flying School (CFS) was reformed at RAF Little Rissington. The Examining Wing, which had not existed during the war years, was re8established to function very much as it had pre8war, as a checking organisation for flying instructor standards and the authority for confirming and upgrading instructor categories. During the immediate post war years, when many nations that had been part of the Empire gained their independence, such as Rhodesia, Kenya, Pakistan, India, Ceylon and Malaya, air forces were formed in these countries modelled very much on the RAF template and with active RAF assistance. There also remained the air forces of Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa that retained strong ties with the RAF, and air forces of other nations, such as Jordan, where King Hussein was the Honorary Air Commodore of 6 Squadron, which forged strong links with the RAF. The CFS inevitably found itself heavily involved with these overseas air forces, both in training their instructors in the UK and sending Examining Wing teams to audit their activities in8country. The British aircraft industry provided many of the aircraft for these air forces, either in the form of surplus wartime aircraft or %u2018new build%u2019 such as the Vampire, Meteor, Canberra, Chipmunk, Hunter, Provost and Jet Provost. In 1953 alone a total of some 3,000 tests was carried out in