Dim Jones, our MS&T Magazine Europe Editor, is a former RAF Group Captain with 44 years’ experience in defence aviation, having flown more than 7,700 hours in a wide variety of aircraft, the vast majority fast- jet. Dim served as an Instructor Pilot and Flight Examiner with the USAF, and as a Qualified Tactics Instructor, Squadron Commander, Station Commander and Deputy Inspector of Flight Safety. Dim spent the last six years as a Qualified Pilot Nav Instructor on the Hawk.

Out Of The Blue: Flying in the Royal Air Force

August 19, 2020

Chris Long and Dim Jones

Ever wondered what it was really like to fly in the RAF? Well CAT Europe Editor Chris Long and MS&T Europe Editor Dim Jones give you the chance to find out with their very popular Out Of The Blue series.

ITPS Canada – A Focus on the Customer

August 11, 2020

Dim Jones

The world of flight testing, both military and civil, is one which is somewhat set apart from the more mainstream aviation disciplines, yet it is one without which those engaged in the latter would have nothing to fly.

Gladiator – Towards Greater Networked Training

July 15, 2020

Dim Jones

MS&T Europe Editor Dim Jones reports on Project Gladiator, the UK’s networked air collective training, capability development, and mission preparation initiative.

The mix between live and synthetic flying training has been a hot topic within the military aviation fraternity for some while now. The arguments for synthetic training (ST) have been well rehearsed: the reduced cost per training hour of a simulator as compared with live flying; the environmental benefits, in terms of both fuel and noise; and the improved longevity of an aircraft fleet resulting from reduced flying hours, fatigue consumption and attrition. To these, more recently, have been added some operational considerations.

Britannia Royal Naval College Dartmouth.

Britannia Royal Naval College PREMIUM

June 22, 2020

Dim Jones

Over the next three issues of MS&T, Europe Editor Dim Jones will be reporting on the way in which the UK’s Armed Forces train their officers.

Blended Solutions PREMIUM

April 24, 2020

Dim Jones

Antycip Simulation is a simulation services company based in France, Italy, and the UK. MS&T’s Dim Jones went along to the UK office.

Thales Watchkeeper UAV over Parc Aberporth, Wales.

Tactical and Capable PREMIUM

April 21, 2020

Dim Jones

The Thales Watchkeeper is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and is the latest, and most capable and sophisticated, unmanned aerial system (UAS) in the British Army. MS&T’s Dim Jones visited the UK’s Watchkeeper Force and 47th Regiment, Royal Artillery.

The Valence detachment, with NH-90TTH, ETPS tutors and French hosts.

Transformation of the UK Empire Test Pilots’ School PREMIUM

March 17, 2020

Dim Jones

Throughout the year, MS&T’s Dim Jones has been following the Course of 2019 through the Empire Test Pilots’ School (ETPS) at MoD Boscombe Down, the first involving both a new syllabus and a new aircraft fleet.

The Airbus H125B3e, workhorse of the ETPS rotary wing fleet.

Autorotation, EOL, and Gunsight Tracking PREMIUM

March 9, 2020

Dim Jones

MS&T’s Europe Editor, Dim Jones, visited the Empire Test Pilots’ School (ETPS) at MoD Boscombe Down to track the progress of the members of the Class of 2019; by the time of this instalment, they were approaching the halfway mark, undertaking more complex and demanding tasks.

An open immersive infantry trainer was on display at the Epic Games’ booth, which has been developed in conjunction with Offworld Industries and Aperium.

Xtreme Reality – A Look Back at I/ITSEC 2019 PREMIUM

January 6, 2020

Rick Adams, Andy Fawkes, Rona Gindin, Dim Jones, and Marty Kauchak

Before vIITSEC takes place virtually this year, we are taking a look back at last year's conference. From life-size virtual helicopters to a haptic suit that lets soldiers feel faux gunshot wounds, I/ITSEC 2019 demonstrated the rapid evolution of high-tech training aides. Rick Adams, Andy Fawkes, Rona Gindin, Dim Jones, and Marty Kauchak report.

The Swedish Navy Visby-class stealth corvettes, built by Kockums, are designed to minimise optical, infrared, acoustic, electrical, magnetic, pressure and radar signatures.

Baltic Gatekeepers: Swedish Naval Warfare Centre PREMIUM

December 17, 2019

Dim Jones

As with many European military services, the Swedish Navy is under-funded, making do with aging equipment and personnel shortages. MS&T’s Dim Jones visited Karlskrona to view how the Naval Warfare Training System is helping get the most from their resources.

Transitioning Through a Pandemic (And a Few Other Challenges) PREMIUM

Try this combination: (1) learning a new airplane, (2) adapting to a new way of flying, (3) limited ATC and other resources (4) managing crew risk in a pandemic, and (5) navigating through the smoke of massive wildfires. Regional airline training veteran Paul Preidecker describes his new career flying on-call medical missions. On a recent trip to airports on the West Coast, we were dispatched to Boeing Field (KBFI) in Seattle. Descending through FL240, we could begin to smell the smoke. There was absolutely no forward or vertical visibility. We were eventually cleared for the ILS to runway 14R with the visibility reported barely above the minimums required for the approach. On that same trip, we had an overnight in San Francisco (KSFO). Upon arriving at the aircraft the next morning, we found that it was covered with a thin but very noticeable coating of ash that we removed before starting the day. En route from the southwest on another trip, Denver Center told us that all arrival routes from the southwest into KDEN had been shut down due to smoke and the number of TFRs in the area. Looking to read the full article? Become a Premium Club member and gain full access today!

Global ATS-V: A Unique Online Event for an Unprecedented Time in Aviation History

CAT Editor-in-Chief Rick Adams, FRAeS, offers a preview of this year’s definitive virtual conference on civil aviation training and simulation, taking place 10-12 November 2020.

Emirates’ Rapid Reaction PREMIUM

Training to restarting operations at an airline requires collaboration of pilots, cabin crew, trainers, regulators and others. CAT Europe Editor Chris Long, FRAeS, relates the story of how Emirates is meeting the challenges. The world reeled at the speed and depth of the onset of Covid-19. As we all know, the aviation industry was one of the hardest-hit sectors, and the reaction to it also needed to be both rapid and profound. Tim Clark, President of Emirates airline, made it clear that despite the challenges which the pandemic brought, the airline will not compromise on the safety of passengers or crew. Emirates is in a unique situation as the largest operator of exclusively wide-body fleets, and in theory, could have taken the biggest hit. But, as Captain Martin Mahoney, Emirates SVP Flight Training says, whilst practically all the A380 fleet was initially grounded, the B777 fleet continued to operate. Looking to read the full article? Become a Premium Club member and gain full access today!