Former RAF Pilot Reunited With Jet He Flew More Than 60 Years Ago for 90th Birthday
By Community Correspondent
A former Royal Air Force pilot was given a surprise trip down memory lane when he was reunited with an aircraft he flew more than 60 years ago as part of his 90th birthday celebrations.
Tony Davies, from North Dorset, came face-to-face once again with a de Havilland Vampire jet after his family arranged a special visit to Vanguard Storage in Bath, where the aircraft is on display.
The Vampire was one of the first jets Tony flew after qualifying as an RAF pilot in 1961 and seeing it again brought back memories from the start of a flying career that would span nearly three decades.
Accompanied by his daughter Sarah, Tony spent the visit recalling stories from his time in the RAF, where he flew a range of aircraft including the Vampire, Jet Provost, Victor and Vulcan bombers.
His career began with National Service, which was intended to last just two years.
Instead, his passion for flying led him to remain in the RAF for 28 years. After retiring as an officer, he continued flying with the RAF Voluntary Reserve, taking Air Cadets into the skies for a further 14 years.
Tony was also a member of the Red Pelicans aerobatic display team in 1969, one of the RAF's Jet Provost display teams before the formation of the Red Arrows.
For Tony, however, the highlight of the birthday surprise was seeing the Vampire once again.
"I felt wonderful and very privileged to be able to see a real Vampire again," he said. "It brought back so many memories from the early days of my flying career."
Among those memories was his commanding officer, known affectionately by colleagues as "PLR" – short for Plucky Little Roy.
Sarah said the family wanted to mark the milestone birthday with something linked to her father's lifelong love of aviation.
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"We wanted to do something special for Dad's 90th birthday and when I discovered there was a Vampire aircraft on display, we knew it would be the perfect surprise," she said.
"Aviation has always been a huge part of his life, so seeing him reunited with an aircraft he flew more than 60 years ago has been incredibly special."
During the visit, Tony was presented with a Red Arrows birthday card and a Vulcan bomber lapel pin to mark his contribution to RAF aviation.
Anil Kellay, manager of the Bath branch of Vanguard Storage, said it had been a privilege to welcome Tony and hear first-hand accounts of the aircraft's history from someone who had flown it.
The visit provided a fitting way to celebrate a remarkable aviation career that has stretched from the early days of Britain's jet age through to inspiring future generations of Air Cadets.
