Jean Christou
THE RAF has appointed its first female squadron commander, Squadron Leader Nicky Smith, herself a helicopter pilot.
Smith, 33 from Lichfield in Staffordshire will now take charge of the Wessex helicopters at 84 Squadron RAF Akrotiri.
Although the RAF has retired the Wessex in the UK after 40 years of service, the British Bases on the island are retaining their four helicopters for at least another year.
Smith, who joined the RAF in 1986, graduated from RAF College in 1990 when women were first accepted as air crew, winning a merit for best female student and having until now some 250 rescue missions to her credit. Her last posting was RAF Shawbury in Shropshire where the final Wessex flights took place last month.
According to an announcement from the British Bases, Smith, who only recently took command of 84 squadron, is excited at the prospect of being in charge of such a high-profile squad.
“I’m delighted to be in charge of a squadron,” she said. “Most squadrons are commanded by Wing Commanders, which is a rank higher than mine. So it’s a fantastic opportunity to be able to do it at my age and rank. It’s a particular privilege to be given command of a squadron with such a long and distinguished history as 84 squadron.”
Smith said she had wanted to be a helicopter pilot for as long as she could remember. “I’m one of those lucky people to have actually achieved my childhood dream. Being a woman has not made any difference. I’ve always been treated the same way as the men. Women have been flying all kinds of aircraft in the RAF – fast jets and large transporters as well as helicopters – for more than a decade now so there’s nothing new in that.”
In Cyprus, the Wessex helicopters are regularly used in fire fighting and search and rescue missions around the island.
The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.
