Tornado F3 2000 display

Tornado F3 2000 display team

ze292.JPG (24528 bytes)

Tornado F3 ZE292/AZ, 56(R) Squadron, Waddington (Saturday) 2000. Copyright Gary Parsons, f4 Aviation 2000

Flight Lieutenant Antony Parkinson, 35, joined the RAF in 1983 having gained a flying scholarship through the CCF at the William Parker School in Hastings. After initial flying training in America, followed by advanced flying training on the Hawk, Parky was posted to F4 'Phantoms', completing tours on 111(F) Squadron at Leuchars and 92(F) Squadron at RAF Wildenrath in Germany.

Parky & Jabba Conversion to the Tornado F3 followed in 1991 and was followed by a tour at 25(F) Squadron at Leeming. Parky was then selected for the NATO exchange programme and went to fly the F16 with the Royal Netherlands Air Force in Leeuwarden, Holland. After a three year exchange, he returned to the Tornado F3 taking up his present role as an instructor on 56(R) Squadron at Coningsby. Parky has over 3,000 hours on fast jets. This is his second season as the F3 Display Pilot.

Aged 31, Flight Lieutenant David Hake joined the RAF in 1987 having been educated at Wellington School in Somerset. He was commissioned in 1990 after a ground tour in Berlin. After undertaking initial Navigator training at Finningley, he completed the Tornado F3 operational conversion course in 1993. Subsequently his first operational tour was on 25(F) Squadron at Leeming, where he participated in major flying exercises in the Far East, Europe and North America. Jabba is presently an instructor on 56(R) Squadron at Coningsby and has over 1,300 hours flying the Tornado F3. This is his second season as the F3 Display Navigator.