Meet the Pilots

Sid, now in his 12th season as a display pilot, is a former RAF fast jet pilot flying multiple tours on the Tornado F3, the Hawk, Grob 120TP Prefect and now the Grob Tutor in the University Air Squadron & Elementary Flying Training roles.  He joined the RAF straight from school, could fly jets before he could drive & was a front-line F3 pilot at 22, although by current Raven Team member’s standards he is a ‘late starter’ having only gone first solo at 17.  Unlike the other ex-military pilots in the Team, Sid was too slow when it came to dodging ground tours & has served as Staff in HQ Air Command & in Kabul Afghanistan.  He flew the Yak 52 at North Weald where he went on to meet some of the current members of the Team.  The opportunity to display is a dream-come-true for him.  A keen motorcyclist, Sid has been known to tour Europe with other bikers & is also a passionate skier.  He lives in Cardiff & when not teaching students to fly or displaying with the Team, he enjoys travelling, cooking (never trust a thin chef!) & amateur astronomy.

Patrick grew up in the backseat of aerobatic aircraft, following his father around the airshow circuit from a young age. Initially going solo in gliders, he was looping, rolling and stalling the same day his PPL arrived.

Patrick started his career in aviation as an engineer on corporate jets, before cutting his teeth flying Saab 340s through the demanding and stereotypical weather of the Scottish Highlands and Islands.  He is now a full-time airline captain operating two types, the Airbus A320 and Embraer Phenom 300 (which he flies single-pilot). Working for the family business, he operates charter, cargo and ultra VIP round-the-world tours to exotic destinations like Easter Island, Laos, Botswana and Fiji to name a few. Patrick has flown across the international date line three times in his career already.

An Essex boy at heart, he lives in Saffron Walden and spends his time off with lightweight track cars in the summer, and off-piste snowboards in the winter.

2026 is Patrick's 4th year on the display circuit, and 2nd with Team Raven.

Pete has been flying all his life and is a self-confessed air junkie having amassed over 6000 hours, all of which on tail-draggers.  He went solo on his 16th birthday in a glider & retains a keen interest in gliding.  He started power flying as a glider tow plane pilot on Piper Cubs & Pawnees after which he progressed onto aerobatic types.  He built one of the first ever RV8s in the UK in 2002 but sadly could not get it back to fly in the team so he has acquired another.  He built a Silence Twister aircraft & started a solo display act 2007 which progressed into the Twister Duo; a Team he led for 10 years displaying all over the world.  In 2009 he was the first to perform an aircraft pyro display in the UK & he went on to lead the first team to perform pyro displays, which he has done in most of Europe, China, the UAE & Bahrain.  His interests include motorcycling; he has ridden a monkey bike 1000km across the Andes into the rainforests of Peru, & again a similar trip from the Sahara to Marrakech across the Atlas mountains! 2026 is Pete's 4th year on the Team.

Gerald, originally a professional rugby player in Wales, New Zealand & South Africa is now a successful businessman in the Swansea area.  A keen PPL pilot for 25 years he is arguably one of the most experienced military jet pilots on the civilian scene having flown (& owned) many ex-military jets including (but not limited to) L29, L39, Jet Provost, Strikemaster, Vampire, Venom & Hunter T7 and FGA9.  Gerald is also an experienced piston fixed wing pilot & helicopter pilot having owned a couple of Yak 52s & a Wasp.  A very experienced display pilot, he has displayed all of his ex-military jets & the Wasp, the former with Team Viper.  He Also displayed with a Yak 52 team in South Africa.

With unquenchable enthusiasm & drive, Gerald is the fuel to the momentum of the Team & with his extensive networking links in the display arena is the Team’s display schedule organiser & communications into the Team.  In his precious little spare time Gerald enjoys spending time with his family and holidaying in warmer climates. Another natural wit, he is always at the centre of any social event & is the archetypal life and soul of the party. Founding the team in 2014, this is Gerald's 12th year.

Russ is in his 5th season with the Team. He sits outside left when flying with the full team and is teamed with Gerald (#4) during the synchro-pair manoeuvres. His passion for aviation was seeded at the age of 11 when his father taught him to fly gliders. Joining the Royal Navy’s Fleet Air Arm straight from school, Russ went on to fly Sea King Helicopters before being selected to fly Fast Jets. After re-training onto the Sea Harrier, he joined 800 Naval Air Squadron in 1993. Leaving the front line with 67 combat missions under his belt, he instructed on the Hawk & Sea Harrier. Russ displayed the Sea Harrier for 2 years, then the Swordfish & Sea Hawk for the Navy’s Historic Flight (Now called Navy Wings) as well as the Rolls-Royce Spitfire Mk 19 at air shows throughout the UK & Europe. He became the Chief Pilot of what is now Spitfires.com in 2010 flying the TR9 Spitfire. A career change to the airlines flying for Monarch, Etihad & Emirates on Airbus A319/20/21 & A380 respectively. Russ has now returned to his military roots & is training the next generation of Naval & RAF fighter pilots at RAF Valley on the Hawk T2.

Mark, otherwise known as 'Bradford Pitt' is by trade is an airline pilot with significant experience over the last 30 years on both Boeing & Airbus ranges of aircraft for Thomas Cook and Monarch. He is an ex-RAF fast jet pilot having flown the Tornado GR1 & the Jet Provost in the instructional role.  Also an experienced display pilot, all of Mark’s previous display experience has been on ex-military jets having owned & displayed his own Hunter GA11 with Team Viper with Gerald. Mark, being from the North has a naturally laid-back approach to all he does.  However, this relaxed attitude is actually a veneer for a wealth of aviation knowledge and a quick, dry wit.  Mark lives outside Manchester & in his spare time enjoys high speed downhill skiing & house building; the latter being a skill he practices in order to stay grounded with ‘earthy’ people.

Bruce is the newest & youngest member of the Team, and is in his training year flying as Raven 7. Since getting his PPL at 16, Bruce has been flying GA types ever since and has been on the display circuit since 2022, flying in the Ballistic Barnstomers in a Taylor Monoplane and Steen Skybolt. He now owns his RV8, number 7. As well as the flying training and work up to 7 ship, Bruce will be at shows doing commentary and support for 2026. He is also a Flying Display Director. Outside of display flying, Bruce is the Aerodrome Manager of Sleap Airfield in Shropshire, where the team frequently practice and train, as well as display at SleapKosh, the airshow Bruce runs.

Barry is an experienced GA pilot having had a PPL for 36 years and around 2,300 hours. An experienced display pilot having flown in Team Osprey displaying his Yak 52, and flew with Team Raven as Raven 3 since 2014, retiring from display flying in 2023, but remains an important part of he team as he is the money man!

More recently he has re-acquainting himself with the gliding fraternity, Barry now flies the Pawnee and Eurofox tow planes at Talgarth gliding site. To keep him out of mischief, one of his current projects includes re-building a Starduster open cockpit biplane which will be flying again this Summer.