Training & Personnel

Breaking the Ceiling: How Female Fast-Jet Pilots Are Reshaping the RAF's Operational Identity

The RAF lifted its ban on women flying in combat roles in 1994, yet the journey from policy change to genuine cultural transformation has taken a generation. Today, female fast-jet pilots are flying operational sorties on Typhoon and F-35B, and their presence is quietly but unmistakably altering the character of front-line squadrons. RAF Infos examines what their experience reveals about the modern service, the barriers that remain, and why the RAF's ability to attract and retain exceptional tal

Oct 3, 2026

Chalk and Throttle: The RAF Veterans Transforming University Flight Training Across Britain

Retired RAF pilots and aircrew are increasingly stepping into lecture theatres and flight simulators at Britain's universities, bringing decades of operational experience to the next generation of aviation professionals. From curriculum redesign to one-to-one mentorship, these veterans are fundamentally altering how aspiring aviators are prepared for careers in both civil and military aviation. RAF Infos examines the partnerships, the people, and the profound impact this movement is having acros

Oct 3, 2026

The Sortie That Decides Everything: Inside the High-Stakes Evaluation Flights That Shape RAF Pilot Careers

Within the RAF's pilot training pipeline, certain sorties carry a weight disproportionate to their duration. A single flight of less than an hour can close the door on a fast jet career or accelerate a pilot's trajectory beyond expectation. This is an examination of those moments — what creates them, what they demand, and what they reveal about the institution that stages them.

Sep 30, 2026

Into the Storm: The Extraordinary Training That Prepares RAF Search and Rescue Crews for Britain's Harshest Rescues

Long before an RAF search and rescue helicopter lifts into a Scottish blizzard or hovers above a stricken North Sea platform, its crew have endured some of the most demanding preparation in British military aviation. This is an account of the training, the judgement calls, and the human cost of keeping Britain's most vulnerable alive.

Sep 30, 2026

Concrete and Memory: The Slow Erasure of Britain's RAF Heritage Landscape

Across Britain, the physical remnants of the RAF's operational history are disappearing at an accelerating rate, replaced by housing estates, logistics parks, and retail developments. For aviation historians, preservation societies, and former station personnel, each demolition represents not merely the loss of bricks and mortar, but the irretrievable erasure of stories that shaped the nation.

Sep 28, 2026

From Flight Deck to A&E: The Remarkable Second Acts of RAF Medical Professionals

When RAF medical officers hang up their uniforms, they carry with them a form of clinical experience that few civilian practitioners can match. From trauma centres in Manchester to aeromedical units at Heathrow, former RAF flight surgeons and combat medics are reshaping how Britain's healthcare institutions operate under pressure.

Sep 28, 2026

On the Edge of the Envelope: Inside the Secretive World of RAF Experimental Test Pilots

Before any RAF aircraft enters operational service, a small cadre of extraordinarily skilled aviators must first fly it into the unknown. These experimental test pilots operate at the intersection of courage and precision science, accepting risks that few can comprehend in order to validate the systems that will protect Britain for generations to come.

Jul 21, 2026

Spanners Before Degrees: Why Britain's Brightest Young Engineers Are Swapping Lecture Halls for RAF Hangars

The Royal Air Force's apprenticeship and engineering fast-track programmes are mounting a serious challenge to the traditional university pathway, offering school leavers hands-on technical mastery, a salary from day one, and a career trajectory that many graduates can only envy. As Britain grapples with a deepening aerospace skills shortage, the RAF's approach to growing its own talent may well represent the most compelling vocational offer in the country.

Jul 20, 2026

Fortress at the Edge of the World: The RAF Pilots Holding Britain's Most Isolated Front Line

Eight thousand miles from home, a small detachment of RAF Typhoon pilots maintains round-the-clock air defence over the Falkland Islands — one of Britain's most strategically sensitive overseas territories. Far from the headlines and the ceremonial fanfare of home-based squadrons, these aviators operate in conditions of profound isolation, facing operational challenges that test both machine and crew in equal measure. RAF Infos examines what life and duty truly demand at Mount Pleasant.

Jul 20, 2026

Briefing the Next Generation: How RAF Combat Pilots Are Sparking a STEM Revolution in Britain's Classrooms

A growing RAF initiative is placing combat-experienced fighter pilots directly into secondary school classrooms, using the raw realities of military aviation to ignite student passion for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Far from a simple careers fair exercise, the programme is reshaping how young people in Britain engage with complex technical disciplines. For an air force that depends on a steady pipeline of skilled engineers and aviators, the stakes could hardly be higher.

Jul 20, 2026

Wings Transferred: How RAF Fast Jet Pilots Are Reshaping Commercial Aviation and What Their Success Reveals About Britain's Military Training Legacy

Each year, a cohort of former RAF fast jet pilots trades the cockpit of a Typhoon or Tornado for the flight deck of a commercial airliner, carrying with them a set of competencies that the airline industry quietly prizes above almost any other background. Their transition illuminates not only the personal journey of career change, but the enduring quality of a training pipeline that Britain has refined over generations. What does the civilian aviation world see in these individuals, and what doe

Jul 19, 2026

Forged in Fire: How Three Decades of RAF Combat Operations Have Rewritten NATO's Air Power Playbook

From the skies over Baghdad to the intelligence briefings informed by the war in Ukraine, the Royal Air Force has spent three decades converting hard-won operational experience into doctrine that shapes how NATO thinks about modern air warfare. This is the story of how combat lessons become training protocols, and how British air power expertise continues to influence allied strategy at the highest levels.

Jul 19, 2026

Vertical Ambitions: The Transformation of RAF STOVL Pilot Training from Jump Jet to Lightning

The RAF's journey from the iconic Harrier Jump Jet to the F-35B Lightning II represents far more than a straightforward aircraft upgrade — it marks a fundamental reimagining of how Britain trains pilots to master one of aviation's most demanding disciplines. From nozzle management drills in converted hangars to immersive full-motion simulators replicating carrier deck landings, the evolution of STOVL training tells a story of hard-won lessons, technological leaps, and an enduring British commitm

Jul 17, 2026

The Invisible Hand: How RAF Air Traffic Controllers Shape Every Mission from the Ground Up

They never leave the ground, yet their decisions determine whether aircraft return safely. RAF air traffic controllers operate in the shadows of military aviation, wielding authority that directly governs pilot safety and mission success across every theatre of operations.

Jul 17, 2026

The Backbone of the Fleet: How RAF Ground Crews Keep Britain's Air Power Ready for Anything

Behind every successful RAF sortie stands a team of highly trained specialists whose expertise rarely makes the evening news. From avionics technicians diagnosing complex systems faults to weapons loaders preparing aircraft for live operations, RAF ground crews are the quiet architects of British air power — and their story deserves to be told.

Jul 17, 2026

Throttle to Throttle: The Journey RAF Combat Pilots Make When They Leave the Service

Thousands of hours in a Typhoon or Tornado cockpit represents an extraordinary foundation for a civilian aviation career — but the transition from fast jet to flight deck is rarely as straightforward as it might appear. Former RAF combat pilots describe a journey that is as much psychological as it is professional, demanding a fundamental renegotiation of identity, purpose, and ambition.

Jul 16, 2026

Hands on the Machine: The RAF Technicians Who Make Every Mission Possible

Behind every RAF aircraft that lifts off lies an intricate web of skilled professionals whose contributions rarely feature in headlines or airshow commentaries. Aircraft technicians, avionics engineers, weapons loaders, and support specialists form the operational backbone of Britain's air power, ensuring that complex military systems are flight-ready around the clock. This feature goes beyond the cockpit to examine the expertise, training, and daily realities of the people who truly keep the RA

Jul 15, 2026

Eyes Without Borders: The RAF's Intelligence and Surveillance Aircraft Quietly Redefining Modern Conflict

Operating far from the headlines and beyond the reach of most cameras, the RAF's intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance crews represent some of the most operationally consequential personnel in the British armed forces. Through platforms such as the RC-135W Rivet Joint and the Shadow R1, these quiet professionals are shaping the outcomes of conflicts across multiple theatres — and their work has never been more vital.

Jul 15, 2026

Beyond the Airshow: How the Red Arrows Forge Combat-Ready Aviators

The Red Arrows are celebrated as Britain's most iconic aerial display team, but their contribution to the Royal Air Force extends far beyond the smoke trails and precision loops that delight millions of spectators each year. A closer examination of the team's selection process and training regime reveals a rigorous system that cultivates some of the most tactically aware and operationally prepared pilots in the RAF. Former Red Arrows pilots who have returned to frontline squadrons consistently a

Jul 15, 2026