Air Chief Marshal

Air Chief Marshal

Air chief marshal is a senior 4-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...

 Sir Michael James Graydon GCB

Order of the Bath

The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...

, CBE

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...

, ADC

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...

 (born 24 October 1938) is a retired RAF officer. He was a fast jet pilot in the 1960s and 1970s and a senior RAF commander in the 1980s until his retirement in 1997. He was Chief of the Air Staff from 1992 to 1997.

RAF career

Educated at Wycliffe College

Wycliffe College (Gloucestershire)

Wycliffe College is a co-educational independent school located in the town of Stonehouse in Gloucestershire, in the West of England. The school was founded in 1882 by GW Sibly, and comprises a Nursery School for ages 2 – 4, a Preparatory School for ages 4 – 13, and a Senior School catering for...

 and the Royal Air Force College Cranwell

Royal Air Force College Cranwell

The Royal Air Force College is the Royal Air Force training and education academy which provides initial training to all RAF personnel who are preparing to be commissioned officers. The College also provides initial training to aircrew cadets and is responsible for all RAF recruiting along with...

, Michael Graydon joined 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...

 in January 1957 and was commissioned in 1959. His potential as a flying instructor was noticed early in his career and, after completing his Qualified Flying Instructor

Qualified Flying Instructor

Qualified Flying Instructor is a term mainly used in the UK and commonwealth Military, Army, Navy and Air Force for a person who has passed the appropriate course before being allowed to instruct in an aircraft. In the USA and elsewhere, the equivalent term is "IP"...

 course at the Central Flying School

Central Flying School

The Central Flying School is the Royal Air Force's primary institution for the training of military flying instructors. Established in 1912 it is the longest existing flying training school.-History:...

, he was posted to No 1 Flying Training School

No 1 Flying Training School

No 1 Flying Training School is the oldest military pilot training school in the world.-First formation:No. 1 Flying Training School was officially formed on 23 December 1919 by renaming the Netheravon Flying School, which had been formed on 29 July 1919 at Netheravon in Wiltshire, England, out of...

 at RAF Linton-on-Ouse

RAF Linton-on-Ouse

RAF Linton-on-Ouse is a Royal Air Force station at Linton-on-Ouse near York in Yorkshire, England. It is currently a major flying training centre, one of the RAF's busiest airfields...

 in Yorkshire. Graydon later gained experience on the Hunter

Hawker Hunter

The Hawker Hunter is a subsonic British jet aircraft developed in the 1950s. The single-seat Hunter entered service as a manoeuvrable fighter aircraft, and later operated in fighter-bomber and reconnaissance roles in numerous conflicts. Two-seat variants remained in use for training and secondary...

 and the Lightning

English Electric Lightning

The English Electric Lightning is a supersonic jet fighter aircraft of the Cold War era, noted for its great speed and unpainted natural metal exterior finish. It is the only all-British Mach 2 fighter aircraft. The aircraft was renowned for its capabilities as an interceptor; Royal Air Force ...

.

Notably he served as Officer Commanding 11 Squadron at RAF Binbrook

RAF Binbrook

RAF Binbrook was a Bomber Command station during World War II. After the war it was amongst others the home of the Central Fighter Establishment...

 in 1977 and of the bases at RAF Leuchars

RAF Leuchars

RAF Leuchars is the most northerly air defence station in the United Kingdom. It is located in Leuchars, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland, near to the university town of St Andrews.-Operations:...

 in 1981 and at RAF Stanley

Stanley, Falkland Islands

Stanley is the capital and only true cityin the Falkland Islands. It is located on the isle of East Falkland, on a north-facing slope in one of the wettest parts of the islands. At the 2006 census, the city had a population of 2,115...

 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...

 in 1983.

He was appointed Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief at RAF Support Command

RAF Support Command

-History:It was formed on 31 August 1973 by the renaming of Maintenance Command, with No. 90 Group being added to it. Its responsibilities included all logistical and maintenance support requirements of the RAF...

 in 1989 and Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief at RAF 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...

 in 1991. He served as served as Chief of the Air Staff from 1992 to 1997. He retired from the Air Force in Spring 1997.

Later life

He was appointed President of the Battle of Britain Memorial Trust in 1999. He is also President of the Officers' Association, a member of the Air Cadet Council and Chairman of the Royal Aeronautical Society

Royal Aeronautical Society

The Royal Aeronautical Society, also known as the RAeS, is a multidisciplinary professional institution dedicated to the global aerospace community.-Function:...

 Air Power Group.

In 2006, Graydon spoke at the pressure group Embargoed

Embargoed

Embargoed is a UK based human rights organisation campaigning to bring an immediate and unconditional end to all embargoes against the people of Northern Cyprus. Embargoed does not proscribe any political remedy, but considers the embargoes on the people of Northern Cyprus to be unjust and immoral...

's annual general meeting, stating his belief that action was required to end the isolation of Northern Cyprus.

In 2009, he helped to erect a memorial to all British servicemen who died in service in Cyprus

Cyprus

Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...

 during the conflict in between 1956 and 1960. The memorial was dedicated on Remembrance Sunday, 8 November 2009. Sir Michael Graydon is a trustee of the British Cyprus Memorial Trust.

In 2010/11, Graydon spearheaded a committee to win approval from the North Cyprus government and the Royal British Legion to establish a branch of the RBL in North Cyprus, which at the time was not recognised by the British government. On 1 October 2011 the branch was officially formed with Graydon as President.