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George Black (RAF officer)

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George Phillip Black
Born (1932-07-10) 10 July 1932 (age 92)
Aberdeen, Scotland
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service / branchRoyal Air Force
Years of service1950–87
RankAir Vice-Marshal
CommandsRoyal Observer Corps (1983–84)
RAF Wildenrath (1971–73)
No. 5 Squadron (1969–70)
No. 111 Squadron (1964–65)
AwardsCompanion of the Order of the Bath
Officer of the Order of the British Empire
Air Force Cross & Bar

Air Vice-Marshal George Phillip Black, CB, OBE, AFC & Bar (born 10 July 1932) is a retired Royal Air Force officer.

RAF career

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Black was commissioned into the Royal Air Force in 1950.[1] He became officer commanding No. 111 Squadron in 1964, Leader of the Lightning Display Team in 1965 and Commander of the Lightning Operational Conversion Unit in 1967.[1] He went on to be officer commanding No. 5 Squadron in 1969, a member of the air plans directorate in the Ministry of Defence in 1971 and Station Commander at RAF Wildenrath in 1972.[1] After that he became Commander of the Harrier Field Force at RAF Germany in 1972, Group Captain Operations at Headquarters No. 38 Group in 1974 and Group Captain Operations at Headquarters No. 11 Group in 1978.[1] His last appointments were as Commander Allied Air Defence Sector One in 1980 and Deputy Chief of Staff (Operations) at Headquarters Allied Air Forces Central Europe in 1984 before retiring in 1987.[1]

In February 1983 Black was appointed as the 18th Commandant of the Royal Observer Corps, an appointment he held until September 1984.[2]

Career after the RAF

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Between 1987 and 1992 Black was the senior defence advisor at Ferranti Defence Systems in Edinburgh, moving to an appointment as Director of Military Business for Marconi Electronic Business Systems from 1993 until 1999. He then spent a year as the Defence Advisor to the Sensor Division of British Aerospace, transferring to the BAe Systems Avionics division in 2000. Since 2000 Black has been the Defence Consultant for Selex. Black was elected a Fellow of the Institute of Management in 1977 and a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautics Society in 2000.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f "George Black". Debrett. Retrieved 7 June 2015.[permanent dead link]
  2. ^ "Units directly responsible to Ministry level". rafweb.org. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
Military offices
Preceded by
D McL Scrimgeour
Station Commander RAF Wildenrath
1971–1973
Succeeded by
J F H Tetley
Preceded by Commandant Royal Observer Corps
1983–1984
Succeeded by