First Royal Navy F 35 Pilot Retires After A Spectacular 32 Year Career Fleet air arm legend commander ian tidball has flown his final flight for the royal navy. his 32 year career as a pilot has seen him spend 4,111 hours – more than 171 days – in the skies in 35 different types of aircraft. but it’s his work with the f 35 programme for which ‘tidders’ is best known and it was appropriate that his last. 3rd january 2023 at 1:33pm. commander ian tidball completes his final flight in an f 35b (picture: royal navy). britain's first f 35 jet pilot has retired after spending a total of 171 days in the air. commander ian tidball has completed his final flight for fleet air arm, the aviation branch of the royal navy, after 32 years in the military.
First Royal Navy F 35 Pilot Retires After A Spectacular 32 Year Career Commander (cdr) ian tidball wrote history as the first royal navy pilot to fly an f 35, and is now a living legend. in the summer of 2021, an f 35 lightning was landing hms prince of wales, the. Commander ian tidball has retired from the royal navy after a 32 year career as a pilot. over the course of his career, tidball spent 4,111 hours in the air, flying 35 different types of aircraft. he is best known by readers of the uk defence journal for his work with the f 35 programme, and it was fitting that his final flight was in the. From the ashes the torch today passed between generations of pilots, and the uk – and navy – gained a new front line fast jet squadron. 809 naval air squadron joins the raf’s 617 ‘dambusters’ as the second, front line stealth fighter formation, operating the f 35b lightning. nearly 41 years to the day that 809 – known as the phoenix. Above: commander ian tidball completes final flight in an f 35b at edwards air force base in california. courtesy royal navy. his 32 year career as a pilot has seen him spend 4,111 hours – more.
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