Meet the GAC Member - Paul Cooper

Have you always been interested in Aviation?

When I was five, my dad spared a rare moment of his time and took me to an amusement park in Southport. I had a ride on a roundabout which consisted of aircraft going round and up and down. Apparently, I was not impressed and the idea of a career in aviation must have been totally dismissed. Twenty years later, he watched from the airfield perimeter fence at RAF Valley when I took off in a Lightning at the end of a 4 aircraft detachment to the missile firing facility there. We did a 270-degree turn, passing over the coast at over 600 knots and climbed vertically to FL240 before heading eastwards to our base at RAF Gutersloh in North Germany. My dad must have pondered over my change in mindset.

Tell us a bit about you and your flying journey?

My secondary school had a CCF and after a compulsory 2-year session as an army cadet, I joined the RAF section and my first ever flight was in a Chipmunk from RAF Woodvale. Not long after this, during a camp at RAF Little Rissington, several of us had a trip in a Jet Provost. My instructor flew continuous aerobatics for about 15 minutes and although I was not actually sick, just seeing or hearing one fly past, made me feel ill for the rest of the day.

During my Easter holiday, I attended a gliding course at RAF Swanton Morley, but the weather was awful, and we played cards for most of the week, enjoying only 7 launches. I managed to persuade the relevant teacher at school to find another course and after battling down the M6 on a tired Lambretta, turned up at Burtonwood and flew my first short solo from there in 1966.

The next year, I was lucky enough to be awarded a flying scholarship and learned to fly at Carlisle mainly on the Cessna 152. A PPL required another 5 hours, and I scraped enough money together to gain the PPL when I was just 17. A few days later I took and failed my driving test. Not enough care at junctions, I think!

University at Liverpool found me flying again from Woodvale as part of the UAS. I remember some wonderful summer detachments at RAF Benson and RAF Wattisham, where on one flight I became so short of fuel in my Chipmunk that a Lightning was made to orbit while I landed! On finishing my engineering degree, I considered military or civilian flying or failing entry to either of these I would go mining for diamonds in Zimbabwe with Anglo American. At that time the wait for Hamble (BEA/BOAC) I considered too long so started my Airforce career at Cranwell in January 1972.

Through training, I flew the Jet Provost Mk 5, a lovely aircraft for aerobatics, the Gnat, which was a bit of a handful at first, and the Hunter for basic weapon training. Of course, pressure was a constant and many friends and colleagues were chopped along the way. Probably about a quarter of each course had to rethink their future.

The Lightening was big noisy and intimidating at first. After a few trips in the T4, the first solo in the 1A is still memorable. Coasting out near Cromer I inadvertently went supersonic in a 10 degree climb with only cold power set. None of the other Lightning Mks were so slippery!

With no breaks between the courses at Valley, Chivenor and Coltishall, I started on my first Squadron No 19(F) at RAF Gutersloh in July 1974. I was rushed out there to replace someone who had, according to the Boss, not measured up. My wife and I did not unpack our boxes in our downtown flat just in case the same thing happened to me! Within weeks I was on detachment to Sardinia. My flight commander took the opportunity to keep a close eye on me and after a couple of weeks leading him around the skies of Sardinia and managing to successfully shoot at the banner towed by a Canberra, I seemed to be fully accepted onto the Squadron. The Lightning was being phased out at Gutersloh and at the end of my tour was posted to 5 Squadron at RAF Binbrook to fly the Mks 3 and 6.

CFS loomed at the end of that tour, and I spent over 3 years at RAF Valley instructing on the Hawk: a lovely aircraft, much easier to fly than the Gnat it replaced, but capable of much longer and complex flights.

Back to Binbrook and an instructional tour on the Lightning Training Flight, followed by promotion to Squadron Leader, I became a flight commander on 11 Squadron. My final flight was leading the last pair of Lightnings in RAF service on a delivery flight to Cranfield, then went back to Binbrook, handed in my RAF watch, and left!

Any favourite moments of flying?

The memorable moments from my RAF career include the interception of Russian Bears (Tu-95) and Bison (M-4). Low level night flying over the North Sea with head partly buried in the radar scope concentrated the mind. It was also very rewarding being a flight commander at Valley instructing some wonderful students.

While I was on detachment in Cyprus, with a year to go to an optional leaving date (age 38 years), I decided to leave the RAF and join the airlines. This meant I had a year to get my commercial license. This involved the normal aviation exams at Bournemouth and getting the twin engine and instrument ratings at Cranfield. Lots of pressure as I had a young family to support! I decided I would like to fly with Brittania Airways. The interview went well (despite arriving late because of severe holdups on the Al!) and I started my commercial flying career with Britannia in August 88.

The Boeing 737-200 was the first airliner I flew and with fairly basic instrumentation and early generation autopilot, it provided a good base to learn the more procedural type of flying. Soon after I completed my First Officer checkout, a road journey to Glasgow took me past Lockerbie 2 days after the Pan-Am crash. I can still remember the smell from the smoking town and shortly afterwards the Kegworth disaster occurred. And I thought I had started a safer form of flying!

After a course to fly the 757 and 767 the world opened up, beyond Europe. I enjoyed some long detachments to New Zealand and many to Indonesia carrying pilgrims to Jeddah for their Hajj in Mecca. The seniority list system within the airline meant a long wait for a command course, successfully completed in 2001. By 2013 the company (now Tui) was acquiring the 787 and rather than retrain I decided to leave a year before my 65th birthday.

After my first year flying airlines, I missed being upside, so I joined the RAF Volunteer Reserve and flew cadets on experience flights from Cambridge, Cosford and Colerne using the Chipmunk, Bulldog and finally the Grob Tutor. Of these I felt the Bulldog was the best for the role. A good sturdy aircraft with pleasant aerobatic potential and, of course, side by side seating.

I moved to Chichester soon after LGW became my base, so when I retired it was very convenient to join Goodwood Flying Club. I have enjoyed many flights from here and feel very lucky to have been given the opportunity to continue flying for so long.

Who is your aviation hero?

I have enjoyed reading the amazing descriptions of wartime flying by Roald Dahl and Geoffrey Welland. The early female pioneers, such as Amelia Earhart and Jacqueline Cochran, must be admired for their courage and ability. More recently, the ditching of his A320 on the Hudson River made by Captain Sullenberger is an amazing example of decision making, skill and crew coordination.

What has been the best piece of advice you have been given about flying?

Flight Safety posters have always played a role in the RAF, and I will always remember “If you think Flight Safety is expensive, wait until you’ve had an accident” I have tried to take that one through life.

Read more about the Goodwood Aerodrome and becoming a GAC member.