Association Vice President

DICKY PATOUNAS

Dicky’s first career spanned 26 years in the Royal Air Force.  Joining straight from school, he was a Qualified Hawk Flying Instructor at RAF Valley when he was 21, a Jaguar pilot in his mid-twenties and selected to join the Red Arrows when he was 27. Dicky went on to help bring the Eurofighter Typhoon into service in 2002 and was then selected to return to The Red Arrows to become Red 1, where he led displays in over 20 countries around the world. 

Next was a year in Australia at their Advanced Command and Staff College in Canberra, undertaking an MA in Defence Studies, followed by a posting to the Ministry of Defence where he was a strategic planner responsible for the Future Combat Air Capability for the RAF.  During his time in the Ministry of Defence Dicky spent 4 months in Afghanistan as the Air Commander for all the Air and Aviation assets supporting the UK Special Forces.  In 2010 he became the Officer Commanding No 3(Fighter) Squadron flying the Eurofighter Typhoon.  During his tenure he led the squadron on combat operations over Libya and played a key role patrolling UK airspace during the Olympics.  Dicky’s final position was as Group Captain Systems in the Ministry of Defence Saudi Armed Forces Project providing operational advice to the Royal Saudi Air Force.

Having retired from the RAF in 2015, Dicky is now one of the Directors of DEA Aviation Ltd, an exciting and rapidly expanding aviation business providing a variety of services including Airborne Surveillance, Maritime Patrol, Flight Calibration, Aerial Survey and Executive Charter.