Barry Neal

Barry Neal

Vice President

Barry joined the RAF in 1963 as an RAF Halton Aircraft Apprentice and graduated on a cadet-ship to the RAF College Cranwell. Awarded his commission and pilots’ wings in 1968 he went on to a full RAF career specialising in air-to-air refuelling (AAR) (Victor K1 & K2 and VC10 aircraft, and KC-135 & KC10 aircraft on exchange with the USAF). He was an AAR Instructor and a USAF Instructor Pilot, and was awarded a Queen’s Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air for AAR operations in the 1982 South Atlantic Conflict. His last 7 years in the RAF were spent in flight/aviation safety during which time he gained a Certificate in Aviation Safety Management from the Southern California Safety Institute (Safety & Risk Management, Aircraft & Incident Investigation, and Human Factors), and was the UK representative to the NATO Flight Safety Working Group. He also monitored military aircraft participation in civilian flying displays and, in 2003, became an Air Display Association Europe (ADAE) certificated flying display director. On retirement from the RAF he founded, and is Managing Partner of, Aviation Safety Associates llp, an aviation safety consultancy specialising in safety & risk management, human factors, and flying display safety. He was the display advisor for the 2000 Royal Military Tattoo, London, and the 2002 Queen’s Golden Jubilee Visit to the Armed Forces, Portsmouth. He has been flying display director at Guernsey (currently), Plymouth and Elvington, and on flying control committees at Guernsey, Kemble, Babbacombe and Dawlish (currently). Barry is a Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute, a Member of the Royal Aeronautical Society, and a former member of ADAE and a founder Member of BADA.