About
Group Captain Ron Burrows AFC, FRAeS, JP, RAF (Ret'd) joined the Royal Air Force in 1962, flying Hunter fighter and ground-attack aircraft on operations during the Aden Emergency. In 1970, he graduated from the United States Navy Test Pilots' School and was posted to the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment (A&AEE) at Boscombe Down, where he would go on to test almost every RAF fast jet and trainer of the era across four tours.
Ron was the first RAF pilot to fly the MRCA/Tornado prototype in 1975 and later commanded the Fighter Test Squadron during the Falklands conflict. His extraordinary test-flying career took him from Buccaneer hot-weather trials in Arizona and Jaguar cold-weather trials in Alberta, to Harrier ski-jump trials and complex in-flight refuelling tests, including from the improvised Vulcan tanker. Promoted to group captain in 1985, he became A&AEE's Superintendent of Test Flying and Training and Chief Test Pilot.
In this talk, Ron reflects on his RAF career from the Aden Emergency through to the Tornado programme, offering a fascinating insight into the aircraft, people and practices of military test flying. Both informative and entertaining, the talk includes stories of two ejections, several close shaves, and the realities of pushing cutting-edge aircraft to their limits. Copies of Ron's memoir, 'Cold War Test Pilot', will also be available to purchase on the day.
Tickets include tea, coffee, or a glass of wine on arrival.
The Rifles Berkshire and Wiltshire Museum, Salisbury
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