John Pym

Visions of the grassy hill, crates of milk, the railings, May's bird-like focus behind glasses, the only later realised magnitude of our good fortune. High school was different, homocentric. Technical Drawing to prepare for a pre-adolescent dream of aeronautical engineering. Turning 16 on SS Strathnaver in the Bight en route to join with brother Bob mother and sisters in UK. Sandown Grammar and a return to the delights of co-education. Receiving a Queen’s Scout award from Lord Rowallan. The long wonderful voyage home on SS Strathaird, the never to be forgotten assault on the senses of entering The Heads. 5th year agonies over career choices - a ComSchol in Arts/Law at Sydney giving way to an RAF Scholarship to Cranwell, UK, to join as a pilot. I had never been in an aircraft.

Gathering with 53 other young men in overcoats and officer’s dress, trilby hats, on freezing Sleaford Station, 1960, one of 2 Australians among 300 cadets. Graduation and a commission from HM, wings and one of the flying prizes from King Hussein. Folland Gnat course, North Wales, 63; fighter course on Hunters in Devon, 64. Survived to reach No 54 Squadron at RAF West Raynham in Norfolk. A first squadron is unique - I still see most of the survivors 40 years on.

Met No 1 wife-to-be when her sister married one of our pilots. We were married 10 months later, moved into a vast old RAF married quarter at a haunted station near to the base. She coped surprisingly well with her encounters with the dead WW2 pilot in a leather jacket. Posted to 8 Sqn in Aden as weapons instructor — supporting the army against Yemen-based guerrilla force attacks, in the rundown to withdrawal from the Protectorate, not one of Britain’s finest hours. Life became increasingly fraught and the families were withdrawn - in our case to Bahrain. We continued to operate from 'Fortress Khormaksar' until late 67, leaving the place to the Yemenis and their Russian friends. A daughter born in Feb 68.

One day in June I didn't return from a flight, lay in the shade of a camel-thorn bush in the middle of Qatar for about 2 hours before the chopper from Muharraq arrived. The engine had failed and I had departed a suddenly inhospitable cockpit by way of the bang-seat. That parachute course at Cranwell had been some use. My spine was fractured in 3 places, so after 4 weeks on a board in hospital we set off back to UK rehab centre. Finally deemed fit, we go to Chivenor in Devon, our home for 5 years. Flying cadets around in Chipmunks until my back was fit for ejection seats, then back into the fray on the Hunter as a tactics and weapons instructor. A wonderful period — little money, old cars, but great friends, full and varied lives, and a son.

Made flight commander. Happy weeks and hangovers on detachment defending Gibraltar against the Spanish with three Hunters by day, drinking for Australia by night. Brits and French managed to put aside differences long enough to jointly build the Jaguar. In 73, sent to help form the conversion team and bring it into RAF service. 54 Sqn at Coltishall in Norfolk for 6 months, then Bruggen in Germany to become weapons specialist on the first nuclear-capable unit, 14 Sqn, in 75, the height of the cold war.

Four of us sitting on standby in a compound for 24 hours, our aircraft loaded with 'buckets of sunshine', prepared, when it hit the fan, to fight our way through to Poland or wherever and launch the things at “important military targets” while the “civilised world” set about destroying itself. I now shudder to think of such madness and my dutiful part in it.

Notoriety was earned when court martialled for allegedly driving with a mild excess of alcohol in the blood. The young blond lady barrister friend was more than a match for the prosecution and, my name now known, I was promoted to Squadron Leader and posted back to Coltishall, to 6 Sqn. as Exec Officer. I led teams at international competitions and 'meets', we tanked across the Atlantic to Exercise Red Flag in Nevada and Maple Flag in Alberta. Received an Air Force Cross from the Queen at Buck House as a farewell 'gift'.

But it came at the price of a marriage - for several of the usual reasons — and I set off to return “home” to Australia, alone, in April 81, leaving my children, 13 and 10, at boarding school. The next 2 years were not great, although I met No 2 wife-to-be in Canberra soon after starting life there with the Department of Transport. Children and money encouraged a return to flying and I joined the Omani Air Force in Jan 83. For 3 years I lived and flew at Thumrait, in the desert north of Dhofar, among Omanis and mercenary expatriates, enjoying a simple, active life. Pam and I were married a year after I arrived and she joined the Omani Army as a nurse.

We left after 3 years to seek a more 'normal' existence on the Northern Beaches, after I had arranged a return to the Department of Transport in Sydney, I have often since wondered why. Life in Sydney again was good — leisure mainly involved owner-rebuilding the shack in Newport around us. Then interest rates drove us offshore again.

By way of UK for a holiday and some training, I went to Saudi, to the Tornado simulator with BAE. Home for Xmas 88 via Brunei and an interview, and started my 12 years with Royal Brunei Airlines a month later. Airline flying is mostly tedious, alleviated only by the variety of companions and destinations. Nearly 7000 hours in B767/757s. Our son arrived - life was settled and pleasant.

Then Pam moved back with Paul to Canberra to be near family and it all slowly unravelled — few work opportunities, her boredom, then later her absence and my frailty the main culprits. Back to Canberra when a job with CASA (Civil Aviation Safety Authority) appeared - we tried again, but no joy, and when the offer of a similar post in Hong Kong arrived we parted amicably.

I had spent years being too old for Cathay Pacific so I came with a smile to be their Consultant Flight Operations Inspector. I have flown the Airbus A330 with Cathay for 4 years, and will start a B747 course in UK (with BA) in October, part of my responsibilities for seeing the new local low-cost airline OASIS into being. I will complete my line training by operating flights to and from Gatwick a few days before I take off my spurs at 65 on 2 Dec.

Quote from my Queens Scout certificate (signed by E11R): “I wish you God Speed on your journey through life. May it prove for you a joyous adventure” Those words have lived with me ever since.

Added July 2021 - a must-see video from John https://youtu.be/bEinOPJtC6U

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