Page 6 - Demo

6%u000b%u0006%u0001%u0003%u0004%u0005%u0006%u0004%u0007%u0001%u0006%u0008%u0001%u0009%u0006fl%u0006%u0004%u0010%u0006%u0007%u0010%u0001%u0010%u0004%u0007%u0010%u0004%u0005%u0006%u0018%u0007ffi%u0010%u000c%u0007%u0010%u0006%u0001%u0004%u0008%u0006ffi%u000f%u000c%u000fffiffl%u0006%u000b%u0010%u0018%u0010ffl%u0006ff%u0006%u0004fi%u0001%u0007%u0005%u0006 !\#%u0005%u0009ffi%u0006%u0004%u0018%u0018%u0001%u000c%u000c%u0006%u0019%u0003%u0006%u000b%u0006%u000c%u0009%u0007%u0003$%u000c%u0006%u0009%u000b%u0004%u0007%u0001ffi%u0004%u0010%u0006%u0004%u0015%%u0006%u001a%u0015&%u0017'ffi(%)*(+%u0006%u0010%u0015,%u0017+%u0006%u0019(+-.%u0015/%u0006%u0009%u0019%u0006%u0009%u0019%u0006 Ladies and gentlemen %u2013 good morning %u2013 good to see you all. For the first time in nearly fifteen years, I need to change my introductory sentence. Since we last met, Dr Michael Fopp has retired as Director General of the Museum here. Fortunately, he has accepted our invitation to be our speaker immediately after the AGM at the RAF Club on Wednesday evening 16 June when he will talk about the Battle of Britain. I will then have the opportunity to thank him properly for all the help he has given the Society over the years, not least in making the Museum available for our meetings. But today I would like to thank Air Vice8Marshal Peter Dye %u2013 who is holding the fort here as the acting DG until a successor is appointed. Thank you Peter and your splendid staff at the Museum who help us so much. Our Chairman today, Air Vice8Marshal George Black, is a military aviator par excellence. A National Service pilot, he flew Vampires, Sea Hawks with the Fleet Air Arm, and in 1961 was with No 74 Sqn as the Lightning was introduced. He commanded %u2018Treble One%u2019 Squadron and then No 5 Sqn at Binbrook %u2013 which is a story in itself (and I speak as the ADC to the AOC 11 Group at the time!). In RAF Germany, he commanded Wildenrath and was closely involved with the policy and concept of operations for the Harrier Force. After a tour as Commandant of the Royal Observer Corps, he finished his RAF career as Deputy Chief of Operations at HQ Allied Air Force Central Europe at Ramstein. Unusually by modern RAF standards, he has over 8,000 flying hours on 165 different types of aircraft. He knows enough about the RAF%u2019s involvement over the years with allies and what we are calling today %u2018dominion%u2019 air forces to keep us all on track today. George, you have control.