Air Commodore Dickens was appointed Commandant RAF College Cranwell in November 2021. He is tasked to inspire, attract, train and develop the Next Generation Royal Air Force. He is the RAF Phase 1 Force Commander, Air Officer Lincolnshire, Head of the University Air Squadron Organisation and Chair of the Astra Trust. The RAF College comprises the stations of RAF Cranwell and RAF Halton, the RAF Officer Training Academy, Number 6 Flying Training School, the Tedder Academy of Leadership and the Robson Academy of Resilience.
Commissioned aged 18 as a Direct Entrant Pilot in November 1990, he completed flying training on the Chipmunk, Jet Provost Mk 3&5 and the Hawk before being posted to the Tornado F3 OCU in 1995. His operational flying career remained on the Tornado F3 completing 4 tours including a tour on the Tornado F3 OCU instructing the Qualified Weapons Instructor Course. This period included a short detachment to Italy for Operation Deny Flight, 6 detachments to the Falkland Islands for QRA duties and 3 detachments patrolling the No-Fly Zone over Southern Iraq as part of Operation BOLTON/RESINATE as well as Exercises across Australia, Canada, Europe, the broader Middle East, Malaysia, Singapore and the United States.
Latterly he converted to the Tutor 115E as a Qualified Flying Instructor. In 2015, he was promoted to Group Captain as Commandant of Number 6 Flying Training School (FTS) responsible for the 15 University Air Squadrons and 12 embedded Air Experience Flights. Staff appointments have included the Ministry of Defence Saudi Arabia Project, Air Capability, Joint Services Command & Staff College and twice within the Air & Space Warfare Centre. In the latter, he was responsible for operational Air, Space & Electromagnetic Environment advice, live and synthetic multi-domain collective training, special capability management and the production of Typhoon & F-35 Mission Data. Operational appointments have included Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan as Chief of Staff (Operations) at 904 Expeditionary Air Wing and RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus as Commanding Officer 903 Expeditionary Air Wing on Operation SHADER.
Air Commodore Dickens has completed the Advanced and Higher Command Staff Course, RAF Senior Leader Development Programme and the Strategic Business Programme.
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