More about Ed

 
 

Ed is too modest by far.

Here is Tom’s best shot at a very brief summary of the varied and interesting career Ed had in the Senior Service.

He served from 1965 in the Royal Navy and retired with the rank of Commander.


Theatres of service included the Far East Frigate Squadron, Rhodesian Blockade, Tonga in the Pacific, Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman, Long range Atlantic Search & Rescue with Wessex and Seaking helicopters. South Atlantic Task Force.

North Atlantic anti submarine patrols.


RAF 8 Squadron AEW Lossiemouth and 849 HQ Squadron. 824 Squadron RNAS Culdrose

Senior Instructor, Junior Officers Air course

RNAS Yeovilton.

Flight Commander HMS Amazon and Flight Commander & Squadron Aviation Officer 4th Frigate Squadron with  HMS Cleopatra. 

Aviation Officer/Lieutenant Commander Falklands War aboard HMS Fearless. Head of Air Department, HQ ship where he directed helicopter operations.

Executive officer and Second in command, HMS Phoebe in Northern Atlantic waters on anti soviet ballistic missile submarine patrols

Promoted Commander 1988. MOD Lynx HA8 operational development and NATO Frigate projects management office Hamburg

He also was involved as surface controller for the first Gulf War at the Joint Force Command in 1991.


Took early retirement in 1991.


He has kept on in the thick of things since leaving the Navy. For more information you can look him up the www.


 

Name: Ed Featherstone

Age: 67

Birthday: April

Colleges:

Britannia Royal Navy College, Royal Navy Observer School, Joint Service Defence College and Open University


Majors:

Maritime Studies, Aviation Studies, Defence Studies

and Politics


Ed’s Comments:

First RN Officer to be trained by the RAF in AEW (Airborne Early Warning).

I flew with RAF 8 Squadron Shackleton's as a Naval Observer AEW.

In the RN, in Naval aircraft I would often fly as the senior qualified aircrew officer. (Captain of the Aircraft)


My helicopter control qualification was exercised using the radar in the Wessex HAS 3 or Seaking HAS1 aircraft i.e. control of one helicopter by another to pursue and attack submarines.

I happened to be embarked in and flying from HMS Ark Royal, when I was serving in 824 Sqn.


In a Seaking, the pilots fly the aircraft, the observer fights the aircraft and controls weapon release. In the Shackleton the pilots fly the aircraft but the TACO is responsible for the successful prosecution of the mission.

i.e. In both aircraft the pilots control the airframe and engines but the Observer or TACO tells them what height to fly, speed, position changes, to achieve the mission.




Ed’s Photo Albums (under development)


Land



Sea



Air







 

After Salalah & The Oman Operations