Ride Like A Pilot

I have been a Survival Equipment Fitter in the Royal Air Force for 4 years. My day to day role includes maintaining, repairing and fitting aircrew protective helmets for the Apache Helicopter at Army Air Corps Middle Wallop, near Andover.

Cycling has been a big part of my life for the past 7 years. I originally came from a swimming background and swam at club level since the age of 12. I was later inspired by the Brownlee Brothers performance at their first Olympics and decided that I would buy a bike – a £150 hybrid from Halfords. I decided that this bike was far too slow and upgraded to a road bike. I trained with my Dad after he too purchased a road bike, and we would cycle at the weekends and I went on to enter a few local time trials and triathlons. I now represent the RAF in triathlon, time trials and road racing and these sports are a massive part of my life. It is an honour to be able to compete in these sports as part of my job and also be a part of the RAF Cycling committee as one of the Engagement Secretaries.

Joined the RAF at 16 back in 2001 as a Trade Group 5 General Technician Electrical (Gen Tech E). Responsible for the rectification and maintenance of vast spectrum of Plant Equipment, Specialist Vehicles, Electrical Installations and Aircraft Batteries.

I have moved from the Technician role into Supervisor/managerial aspects, currently employed as a Training Analyst. Responsible for the rectification and maintenance of vast spectrum of Plant Equipment, Specialist Vehicles, Electrical Installations and Aircraft Batteries, I have moved from the Technician role into Supervisor/managerial aspects, currently employed as a Training Analyst. I was already competing in Cross Country Mountain Biking upon enlistment and was quickly swept into a raft of new events not previously known to me. Indeed the RAF Cycling Assn negotiated me competing in my first 24 hour race at the age of 17, a year under the minimum age, making me the youngest finisher in the race. Since then I have gone on to race in numerous National Championships, year on year Interservices representation, podium and win multiple 24 hour races, eventually settling on Road Racing as the Men’s Team Captain 18 years later. I’m also the RAFCA’s Clothing Manager for the past 3 years.

From Torbay in Devon I’ve raced bikes from the age of 8 and its always been an integral part of family life, countless weekends have been spent travelling the length and breadth of the UK to race something, somewhere. My family also acted as support crew for a self-imposed charity ride across the French Alps and Pyrenes in 2015, where myself and a friend rode 900 miles in 6 days gaining 54000ft in elevation and taking in all 26 mountain tops from previous years Tour de France. In June 18, after a short, severe period of illness I was diagnosed as Type 1 Diabetic, a chronic condition that affects the body’s ability to self-regulate, fuel and function correctly. I have made a return to competition within 8 months of diagnosis, recently captaining the men’s team at the inaugural Interservices Criterium Championships as well as competing in Regional and National Championships. 

Jon Warren, JW to his friends, started his career in the RAF, and he originally commissioned with the dream of being a Fast Jet pilot. This was dashed by deteriorating eyesight; undaunted and having an Engineering Degree he re-branched to Aircraft Engineering Officer and never looked back. 

JW’s career, spanning just under 30 years has been hugely diverse from the start including, as a junior officer roles managing aircraft maintenance on a Squadron, from Italy, delivering ISTAR support to the former Yugoslavia, running a deep maintenance facility for Tornado’s, recovering all the RAF’s crashed aircraft worldwide as well as on the team supporting Hercules C-130. Following promotion to Sqn Ldr there were roles in intelligence, deployments to Iraq, back at the front line supporting ISTAR operations and running the Tornado Integrated Logistics Operation centre for concurrent operations in Afghanistan and Lybia. Promotion to Wing Commander brought yet more diversity, working directly for the Chief of the Air Staff as his Air Safety Manager before undertaking Advanced Staff College in Paris and working embedded with the French Airforce in their ‘Air Forces Command’.  Currently JW is the chief engineer at RAF Waddington, responsible for the Airworthiness of all the RAF’s in service ISTAR platforms. 

An avid skier, having competed to a reasonable level and runner, JW comes to cycling only this year, inspired by a colleague who lost a close friend, also an RAF Cyclist, in a road traffic collision. A member of the RAF Novice league, he is keen to develop this new passion and potentially compete in the coming years; age, usually a detractor, may be on his side this time! For this challenge he is quite nervous to be riding with some of the best cyclists the RAF has to offer and will do his best not to let the side down!

Sqn Ldr Martin Pearson known as ‘Beef’ joined the RAF in 2005 as a Weapon Systems Officer (Navigator). He served on Nimrod MR2 with 120 Sqn at Kinloss completing an Operational tour in the Middle East before the retirement from service of the aircraft. 

Following the SDSR 10 he was posted to RAF College Cranwell where he completed an MSc in Aerospace Systems. A short tour in ISTAR trials at Waddington followed prior to serving on the ISTAR force completing multiple operational tours to the Middle East. He is currently serving in HQ 1 Group at RAF High Wycombe where he is the capability desk officer for Combat Air and ISTAR platforms.

A keen cyclist since the age of 15 he has competed in road, time-trial, cross-country mountain bike and cyclo-cross for the RAF. In addition to these disciplines he is always keen to try his hand at any 2 wheeled activity and has been the RAF downhill mountain bike and track cycling champion. As part of his diverse cycle racing experience over the last 20 years he has competed in 12 and 24 hour endurance events both solo and as part of a team and relishes the challenge that endurance cycling brings. A member of the RAF Cycling committee for 10 years he is currently the off-road performance director and the project officer for the sponsored challenge.