Michael Graydon

Sir Michael James Graydon , GCB , CBE , FRAeS , (born October 24, 1938 in Kew , Surrey ) is a former British General (Air Chief Marshal) of the Royal Air Force , who was among other things Commander in Chief of the Air Strike Command ( RAF Strike Command ) and between 1992 and 1997 chief of air Staff ( chief of the air Staff ) was.

Life

Military training and staff officer

After attending school, Graydon began his officer training as a flight cadet at the Royal Air Force College Cranwell in January 1957 and was accepted into the RAF as a professional soldier (Permanent Commission) with the rank of Lieutenant (Pilot Officer) on December 15, 1959 . After attending the Central Flying School and was promoted to First Lieutenant (Flying Officer) on December 15, 1960 , this promotion being dated back to December 15, 1959. After that, between 1960 and 1962 he was employed as a QFI (Qualified Flying Instructor) flight instructor at No. 1 RAF Flying Training School at the RAF Linton-on-Ouse military airfield . After his promotion to Captain (Flight Lieutenant) , he was in 1962 for training on Hawker Hunter - combat aircraft No. 229 Operational Conversion Unit (OCU), and then in 1963 as a pilot of with English Electric Lightning - interceptors equipped No. 56 Squadron RAF at RAF Wattisham Air Force Base. In November 1964 he became a QFI flight instructor himself in No. 226 OCU as well as in April 1967 aviation commander of No. 56 Squadron RAF , where he was promoted to Major (Squadron Leader) on January 1, 1968 . On June 10, 1967, he was also awarded the Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air (QCVSA).

After Graydon from January 1970 to 1971, the RAF Staff College Bracknell had visited, he was the personal staff officer of the Deputy Supreme Commander of the Allied NATO -Streitkräfte in Central Europe AFCENT ( Allied Forces Central Europe ) . He then found between September 13, 1973 and 1976 use as a staff officer for air support in the operations department of the air force staff and was promoted to lieutenant colonel (wing commander) there on July 1, 1975 . During this time he also took second place in the Gordon Strachey Shephard Memorial Essay Prize in 1974 . He then graduated from the National Defense College (NDC), the predecessor of the Joint Service Defense College (JSDC).

Graydon then took over his first own command post on July 15, 1977, as commander of No. 11 Squadron RAF . He then took over 1979-1981 military assistant to the Chief of the Defense Staff ( Chief of the Defense Staff ) , Admiral of the Fleet Terence Lewin , and was in this use on July 1, 1980, to Colonel (Group Captain) transported. After attending an air defense course at No. 228 OCU , he became the commander of the RAF Leuchars air base on August 28, 1981 and, two years later, on August 11, 1983, the commander of the RAF Stanley air base on the Falkland Islands . While there he was on December 31, 1983 Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).

Air Chief Marshal and Chief of the Air Staff

On his return to Great Britain, Graydon graduated from the Royal College of Defense Studies (RCDS) in London between January 10, 1984 and January 2, 1985 , during which time he was promoted to Brigadier General ( Air Commodore ) . He was followed on 2 January 1985 to 16 June 1986 Chief of Staff SASO (Senior Air Staff Officer) and then Head of the Political Department at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe SHAPE ( Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe ) , where he at one July 1986 was also promoted to major general (Air Vice Marshal) .

On April 5, 1989 Graydon was promoted to Lieutenant General (Air Marshal) and took over as the successor to Air Marshal John Sutton the post of Air Officer Commanding in Chief of the Air Support Command ( RAF Support Command ) . Two months later, on June 17, 1989, he was beaten Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB), so that from then on he carried the suffix "Sir". His successor as Commander in Chief of the Air Support Command was Air Marshal John Thomson in 1991 . He himself in turn took over from Air Chief Marshal Patrick Hine as Commander in Chief of the Air Strike Command ( RAF Strike Command ) and received as such on May 31, 1991 the promotion to General (Air Chief Marshal) . He acted as commander in chief of RAF Strike Command until November 6, 1992 and was then again replaced by Air Chief Marshal John Thomson.

Last Graydon was on 6 November 1992 the successor of Air Chief Marshal Peter Harding as chief of the Air Staff ( Chief of the Air Staff ) and remained in this position until his replacement by Air Chief Marshal Richard Johns on 10 April 1997. acted in personal union it between November 6, 1992 and April 9, 1997 as aide-de-camp of King Elizabeth II. for the Air Force. During this time he was promoted to Knight Grand Cross (GCB) of the Order of the Bath on December 31, 1993 and in 1993 was made a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society (FRAeS). In addition he received honorary citizenship in 1995 ( freedom of the city ) of the City of London and was further 1996 member (Liveryman) of the Guild of pilots and navigators ( Guild of Air Pilots and Navigators ) .

Graydon took over in 1999 the post of President of the Battle of Britain Monument - Trust and in 2005 as president of the officers' union (Officers Association) . He is also a member of the Air Cadet Council and chairman of the Air Force Group of the Royal Aeronautical Society.

Web links

• Biography on Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organization

predecessor	Office	successor
Sir Peter Harding	Chief of the Air Staff 1992-1997	Sir Richard Johns