John Ponsonby (RAF)
Encyclopedia
Air Vice Marshal John Maurice Maynard Ponsonby OBE
, RAF
was a senior commander in the Royal Air Force
. He is now a senior executive.
, he was commissioned into the Royal Green Jackets
as a Second Lieutenant
on 8 March 1975. He was promoted to Lieutenant
on 8 March 1977, and to Captain
on 8 September 1981. He relinquished his commission on 7 March 1983, therefore retiring from the British Army
.
in April 1983, after 9 years service in the British Army
. On 10 April 1983, he was appointed to a permanent commission and promoted to Flight Lieutenant
with seniority from 10 March 1980. On 1 July 1988, he was promoted to Squadron Leader
, and then to Wing Commander
on 1 January 1994. He was promoted to Air Commodore
on 1 July 2002. He was promoted to his final rank of Air Vice-Marshal
on 4 January 2005.
He has served as a support helicopter
pilot
throughout his career, and as a helicopter and tactics instructor. He commanded 78 Squadron
in the Falkland Islands
, 27 Squadron
in the UK, the Support Helicopter Force in Bosnia and RAF Aldergrove
/Joint Helicopter Force in Northern Ireland
.
He has held staff appointments at Group, Command and MOD
level, including as Deputy Principal Staff Officer to the Chief of the Defence Staff
(General Sir Charles Guthrie
), and most recently as Air Officer
Plans at Headquarters Strike Command
.
He is a graduate of the RAF Staff College
and the Joint Service Command and Staff College.
He was appointed Air Officer Commanding Training Group
on 4 January 2005 and became Air Officer Commanding No 22 (Training) Group
on 30 October 2006.
, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire
in the 1998 New Year Honours List.
He was made an Aide-de-camp
to Queen Elizabeth II on 1 August 2001. He relinquished this appointment on 3 May 2002.
He received the Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service
in the 2002 Operational Honours List "in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in Northern Ireland during the period 1st October 2001 to 31st March 2002".
.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, RAF
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
was a senior commander in the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
. He is now a senior executive.
British Army
After graduating from the Royal Military Academy SandhurstRoyal Military Academy Sandhurst
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst , commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is a British Army officer initial training centre located in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England...
, he was commissioned into the Royal Green Jackets
Royal Green Jackets
The Royal Green Jackets was an infantry regiment of the British Army, one of two "large regiments" within the Light Division .-History:...
as a Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
on 8 March 1975. He was promoted to Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
on 8 March 1977, and to Captain
Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)
Captain is a junior officer rank of the British Army and Royal Marines. It ranks above Lieutenant and below Major and has a NATO ranking code of OF-2. The rank is equivalent to a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy and to a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force...
on 8 September 1981. He relinquished his commission on 7 March 1983, therefore retiring from the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
.
Royal Air Force
Ponsonby was commissioned into the Royal Air ForceRoyal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
in April 1983, after 9 years service in the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
. On 10 April 1983, he was appointed to a permanent commission and promoted to Flight Lieutenant
Flight Lieutenant
Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many Commonwealth countries. It ranks above flying officer and immediately below squadron leader. The name of the rank is the complete phrase; it is never shortened to "lieutenant"...
with seniority from 10 March 1980. On 1 July 1988, he was promoted to Squadron Leader
Squadron Leader
Squadron Leader is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in countries which have a non-English air force-specific rank structure. In these...
, and then to Wing Commander
Wing Commander (rank)
Wing commander is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries...
on 1 January 1994. He was promoted to Air Commodore
Air Commodore
Air commodore is an air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
on 1 July 2002. He was promoted to his final rank of Air Vice-Marshal
Air Vice-Marshal
Air vice-marshal is a two-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in...
on 4 January 2005.
He has served as a support helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
pilot
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
throughout his career, and as a helicopter and tactics instructor. He commanded 78 Squadron
No. 78 Squadron RAF
No. 78 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the Merlin HC3/3A transport helicopter from RAF Benson.Until December 2007 it was the operator of two Westland Sea King HAR3s from RAF Mount Pleasant, Falkland Islands.-History:No...
in the Falkland Islands
Falkland Islands
The Falkland Islands are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, located about from the coast of mainland South America. The archipelago consists of East Falkland, West Falkland and 776 lesser islands. The capital, Stanley, is on East Falkland...
, 27 Squadron
No. 27 Squadron RAF
No. 27 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the Boeing Chinook HC2 from RAF Odiham.-The Great War:27 Squadron formed at Hounslow Heath Aerodrome on 5 November 1915, soon being equipped with Martinsyde Elephant fighter aircraft, hence the use of an elephant for the squadron badge...
in the UK, the Support Helicopter Force in Bosnia and RAF Aldergrove
RAF Aldergrove
RAF Aldergrove was a Royal Air Force station situated northwest of Belfast. It adjoined Belfast International Airport, sometimes referred to simply as Aldergrove which is the name of the surrounding area...
/Joint Helicopter Force in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
.
He has held staff appointments at Group, Command and MOD
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
level, including as Deputy Principal Staff Officer to the Chief of the Defence Staff
Chief of the Defence Staff (United Kingdom)
The Chief of the Defence Staff is the professional head of the British Armed Forces, a senior official within the Ministry of Defence, and the most senior uniformed military adviser to the Secretary of State for Defence and the Prime Minister...
(General Sir Charles Guthrie
Charles Guthrie, Baron Guthrie of Craigiebank
General Charles Ronald Llewelyn Guthrie, Baron Guthrie of Craigiebank, was Chief of the Defence Staff between 1997 and 2001 and Chief of the General Staff, the professional head of the British Army, between 1994 and 1997.-Army career:...
), and most recently as Air Officer
Air Officer
An air officer is a Royal Air Force officer of the rank of air commodore or higher. Such officers may be termed "officers of air rank". The term is also used by many Commonwealth nations who have a similar rank structure to the RAF....
Plans at Headquarters Strike Command
RAF Strike Command
The Royal Air Force's Strike Command was the military formation which controlled the majority of the United Kingdom's bomber and fighter aircraft from 1968 until 2007: it was merged with Personnel and Training Command to form the single Air Command. It latterly consisted of two formations - No. 1...
.
He is a graduate of the RAF Staff College
RAF Staff College, Bracknell
The RAF Staff College at Bracknell was a Royal Air Force staff college active for most of the second half of the 20th century. Its role was the training of staff officers in the administrative, staff and policy aspects of air force matters...
and the Joint Service Command and Staff College.
He was appointed Air Officer Commanding Training Group
Air Officer Commanding Training Group
Air Officer Commanding Training Group was the appointment held by the Royal Air Force Officer responsible for the Royal Air Force Training Group...
on 4 January 2005 and became Air Officer Commanding No 22 (Training) Group
Air Officer Commanding No 22 Group RAF
Air Officer Commanding No. 22 Group is the appointment held by the Royal Air Force Officer responsible for RAF personnel selection and non-operational training...
on 30 October 2006.
Awards and decorations
As a Group CaptainGroup Captain
Group captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. It ranks above wing commander and immediately below air commodore...
, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
in the 1998 New Year Honours List.
He was made an Aide-de-camp
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
to Queen Elizabeth II on 1 August 2001. He relinquished this appointment on 3 May 2002.
He received the Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service
Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service
The Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service is a British military award that recognises meritorious service during, or in support of, operations...
in the 2002 Operational Honours List "in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in Northern Ireland during the period 1st October 2001 to 31st March 2002".
Later career
It was announced on 16 Jan 07 that Air Vice-Marshal Ponsonby was to be Chief of Staff Operations, Headquarters Air Command from July 2007. He chose instead to leave military service to take a commercial role as Senior Vice President Training, AgustaWestlandAgustaWestland
AgustaWestland is an Anglo-Italian helicopter design and manufacturing company. It was formed in July 2000 when Finmeccanica S.p.A. and GKN plc agreed to merge their respective helicopter subsidiaries to form AgustaWestland with Finmeccanica and GKN each holding a 50% share.AgustaWestland is now a...
.