Past Talks : JANUARY 2025

“Flying the Hunter and other things”, by Rod Dean (Sqn Ldr, RAF, Rtd)

Rod Dean is a man with an interesting and wide-ranging flying history, which is why SOFAAM was delighted to welcome him back, yet again, for our January Talk. Over his career, Rod accumulated more than 7,000 flying hours, on 59 different aircraft, spanning a period of around 50 years. This goes some way to illustrate the fact that as recently as 2023 Rod gave us a talk with precisely the same title, but an entirely different and varied content.

For today’s talk Rod opened with a background screen shot of the RAF 111 Squadron ‘Black Arrows’ aerobatic formation team of 22 Hunter aircraft performing a loop, for which they still hold the world record for the largest aircraft formation to do so. That was back in the late 1950s and believe me they were an impressive team to watch.

Where was Rod? He was still a school boy. In 1961 he made his first step in aviation as a Cadet in the Air Training Corps when flew in a glider at RAF Kirton in Lindsey, Lincolnshire. The flying bug had found a new home.

In 1964 Rod joined the RAF and just about 40 years later in 2003 he retired, having been operational throughout and logging almost 3,000 hours in the process. Having ‘signed up’, the first thing that Rod learned was ‘square-bashing’ at South Cerney, it is unavoidable. Thankfully it was not long before he was introduced to the Jet Provost JP4, which Rod regards as a good aircraft to fly, particularly with its 2,500lb thrust Viper engine, compared with the lower powered Jet Provost JP3, which he described as being very good at converting fuel into noise. In those early days there were no simulators to train on. The best the RAF could manage was a cardboard representation of the instrument panel placed in the Mess for students to study and memorise.

Having displayed some competence in the Jet Provost, Rod was sent to RAF Valley in Wales to fly the much more advanced Folland Gnat. The Gnat was a small tandem two-seat training aircraft described by Rod as being superb to fly from the front seat, whereas he is convinced that the back seat cockpit was designed by the cleaner during a tea break. Having said that, the Gnat was very light on the controls and its twitchy handling quickly led to one wag creating and issuing to each student a signed ‘Death Certificate’, one copy of which inevitably fell into the hands one student’s very alarmed parents. Yet again no simulators existed although thorough ‘procedures’ training was given.

On completion of his training Rod was posted to RAF Chivenor at the time that Hunter aircraft were being phased out of service gradually and stored at Chivenor – there were dozens of them lined up, mostly Hunter F.6 models with the 10,000lb thrust RR Avon engine. The life-long connection between Rod and the Hunter had been made.

There was a lot to learn and Ground School provided the foundations for what lay ahead before Rod could start conversion onto the Hunter itself. After 10 hours dual, Rod went solo, quickly followed by formation flying practice, then gun-sight training for air-to-air combat and for air-to-ground attack. It was a hectic, but exhilarating period and being young trainees, few opportunities for excitement were missed.

Rod Dean is a well practised speaker and throughout the whole evening the anecdotes flowed thick and faster than my pen could write. Just a flavour of a typical incident occurred during a formation exercise at 40,000ft involving groups of Hunters, totalling 13 in all. The exercise took an unplanned and unauthorised route when four FAA Sea Vixens provocatively flew through the Hunter formation. A hectic dog fight ensued that did not go unnoticed far below, back at base. An RAF and RN enquiry followed, fortunately conducted by pragmatic senior staff who imposed lenient punishments along with a strong message on discipline.

Shortly after, in 1964, Rod was posted to 43 Squadron flying Hunter FGA.9s out of Khormaksar, Aden as a part of the MEC (Middle East Command). The FGA.9 was essentially a Hunter F.6 with upgraded hydraulic systems to improve control in dives and ground attack situations, in which role it gained an impressive reputation. Many operations were carried out by 43 Squadron against dissident groups, in particular during the Radfan Campaign when insurgents were attempting to overthrow the Federation of Saudi Arabia. Hunters were designed to carry a formidable array of weapons, although 43 Squadron generally relied upon 3” rockets and the powerful pack of four 30mm ADEN cannon. Inevitably Rod and his compatriots found time to enjoy life and to tease those around them with japes and mischief – best read directly from Rod’s autobiography “Fifty Years of Flying Fun”, which reveals numerous tales of escapades and the real life behind the scenes of operational squadrons, both far from home and at home.

Routine maintenance of the aircraft was carried out on the air-base, but major overhauls required a return to the UK. In due course, Rod was delighted to be one of the nominated pilots to join the group of Hunters making the journey home, albeit not for long. In transit and on arrival in the UK, these desert based aircraft were unable to hide their very worn and tired appearance.

Between 1965 and 1967 Rod was transferred to the coveted role of Tactical Fighter Reconnaissance with 1417 Flight, flying the Hunter FR.10, still in the Middle Eastern theatre. The FR.10 looked very similar to the FGA.9, apart from the camera bay in the nose. However, there were a number of changes under the skin, including armour plated protection for the pilot during very low level reconnaissance operations, plus provision for two 230 gallon underwing fuel tanks on the inner pylons and two 100 gallon tanks on the outer pylons.

Following that experience, Rod returned to Chivenor for a ‘rest’ to train other pilots, before being posted to 208 Squadron in Bahrain, based at the joint civil/military airbase at Muharraq. Even there, it was not long before Rod was sent on detachment to Salala, Pakistan at the time of one of the many border incursions. On this occasion a careful eye had to be kept open for opposition from aggressor Mig 19s.

When the detachment concluded, Rod found himself posted back to Chivenor in an operational training role with 79 Squadron, which formed part of 229 Operational Conversion Unit, until it was disbanded in 1967. Once again Rod was flying the Hunter F.6 and passing on his now quite significant experience. At this point Rod put on the screen an excellent photograph of a flight of 36 Hunters in a formation showing the numbers ‘229’.

It was around this period that Rod demonstrated his aerobatic skills by becoming a Strike Command Hunter display pilot and putting on at least 50 displays at air shows. In 1972 he entered the competition for the WD & HO Wills Tobacco aerobatic trophy and to his delight he came first in his Hunter and won the very first trophy, which he still proudly displays.

At that point Rod’s operational service life with the Hunter finished and he found himself now a Squadron Leader and Commanding Officer flying the SEPECAT Jaguar in Germany. He considered it to be a super aircraft to fly and much as he loved the Hunter he did enjoy his time with the Jaguar – which was fortuitous because he was invited to be transferred ‘on loan’ to Oman for four months to conduct the training courses on Jaguar aircraft for them.

Broadly speaking, this concluded Rod’s service with the RAF, after which he headed a number of influential roles with the CAA (Central Aviation Authority), but still continued flying displays in vintage and warbird aircraft, including his old ‘friend’ Hunter XR515 which he first met in his earliest Hunter flying days.

To top it all, Rod Dean’s son, Duncan, followed in his father’s footsteps by joining the RAF. The icing on this particular cake was that in 2003, 50 years after Rod joined the RAF, son Duncan took his father as his passenger in an hour long sortie in a Hawk trainer. Rod wasted no time in telling us that having taken off, Duncan handed control to Rod who then flew for most of the remaining hour, before handing back to Duncan for the landing – and “I wasn’t sick either” boasted Rod. How many people can conclude their career in such a memorable way?

A most enjoyable evening full of interest, drama, humour and some fantastic pictures. Thank you Rod and to the SoFFAAM back-room team.