SQN LDR DAVID MORRIS LEAVES RAF SERVICE AFTER 37 YEARS' SERVICE

Joining the Royal Air Force in Jan 1985

Sqn Ldr David Morris completed IOT & Nav Trg at 6 FTS Finningley, before heading to his first tour flying Canberras on 100 Sqn in the target facility role. With a posting to Finningley and Chivenor Tactical Weapons Course he briefly flew the Tornado F3 en route before the prize of flying with the Support Helicopter Force via a tour with 1 Gp Mobile Air Operations Team (MAOT) 1991-94; Serving first at Upavon and then RAF Benson when No 1 Gp MAOT moved in 1992. Completing his first of five tours at RAF Benson, he was finally posted to RAF Shawbury 1994-96 to undertake rotary wing training. The end of training saw him selected to fly Puma on 240 OCU at RAF Odiham in 1996 and a posting to 230 Sqn in Aldergrove 1996-99 for Northern Ireland Counterterrorism ops. A double tour at RAF Benson on 33 Sqn followed, alongside extensive deployments with the Allied Command Europe Mobile Force and Air Mobility Force Flight to the Arctic and peacekeeping and warfighting roles in Kosovo and Iraq. During his time on 33 Sqn he completed Central Flying School instructor training, instructing on both the Operational Conversion Fight and C Flt as a B1 Qualified Helicopter Navigation Instructor (QHNI).

Promoted to Sqn Ldr in Apr 2005 and posted to Joint Helicopter Command Headquarters he worked at length on acquiring defensive aids for helicopters including Puma and Chinook and received a Chief of the Air Staff Commendation for his work. Moving back to RAF Benson in 2007 for his fourth tour, this time on 78 Sqn Merlin as OC B Flight, with its first OC, Wg Cdr Colman, he deployed regularly to both Iraq and Afghanistan. Remaining on Merlin until 2011, a move to the Release to Service Authority (RTSA) beckoned. Using his experience with Merlin’s modern avionics, he introduced new glass cockpits to Chinook Mks 4, 5, 6 & 6A and was awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List 2016 for his efforts in this role. On completion of a 5-month out of area (OOA) to Kabul operating in a United States Special Operations Advisory Group and working towards Congressional approval for the Special Missions Wing (SMW) to be equipped with both Black Hawk (UH-

60) and over 20 Chinook (CH-47), he was for the fifth and final time posted back to RAF Benson. First on the Rotary Wing Operational Evaluation and Tactics Unit and latterly 22 Sqn where he’ll be sorely missed, conducting testing and evaluation duties for both Puma 2 and Chinook.

Although not quite farewell yet, as links will be retained with Force Headquarters, his last military flight was on a 33 Sqn Puma 2 on 14 Nov 22 and we wish him all the best for the future.