Spring Dinner with guest speaker Air Marshal Sir Rich Knighton

Rich Knighton joined the RAF in 1988 as a University Cadet and studied Engineering at Clare College Cambridge. He spent his early career working as an engineer officer on Nimrod and Tornado F3 aircraft and several tours on the Harrier force including Senior Engineer Officer on 20 Sqn – the Harrier OCU at RAF Wittering. After 2 years in this role, including a short stint as Senior Engineer Officer on 1 Squadron in Italy during the Kosovo campaign, he was posted to the Tornado Integrated Project Team as the fleet manager for all marks of Tornado. 

He attended ACSC in 2003/4 before returning to the Harrier Force, transforming the way the Harrier was supported by industry. He was selected to be the MA to Deputy Chief of Defence Staff (Equipment Capability) in MOD. Promoted to Group Captain in 2007, he became Deputy Assistant Chief of Staff Strategy and Plans at Air Command. He attended the RCDS in 2009, after which he took up his appointment as the RAF’s Logistics Force Commander and Station Commander at RAF Wittering.