Squadron Leader Pablo Mason recently visited 121 Squadron to talk to the cadets about his distinguished RAF career.

Pablo Mason was among the 24 tornado crews detachment during the Gulf War. During Operation 'Desert Storm' Pablo Mason led his formation of four 15 Sqn. Tornados on 24 bombing missions over Iraq. These included ultra-low level daylight mission, medium-level night bombing and the first ever Buccaneer/Tornado attack using laser-guided bombs which took place on the 2nd February 1991. During his first Gulf War mission his No. 2 was shot down and the crew (John Peters and John Nichol) became POWs. This was the attack on the Ar Rumaylah airfield and it was the first daylight Tornado attack of the war.

Pablo described how as a young Air Cadet he had an ambition to fly and how his time in the ATC gave him a good grounding on which to start his career in the RAF.

Pablo started his talk with a brief outline of this flying career which included his initial training his time on helicopters, his transition to fast jets and finally his move to commercial flying. Our cadets then had the opportunity to ask Pablo questions about his experiences, which ranged from his early days in the airforce to his exploits in the Gulf War. Pablo also gave an account of the incident in which he was forced to eject from a Tornado GR1 which crashed nr Lubberstedt, Germany, on training mission on 10th May 1991.

The combination of Pablo's own very special brand of humour and the extremely interesting experiences he had to share with the cadets proved to be just the right mix.

The staff and cadets of 121 Squadron would like to take this opportunity to thank Pablo for what proved to be a fantastic evening.