Air Chief Marshal Sir Michael William Patrick Knight, KCB, AFC (23 November 1932 – 28 November 2022) was a British Royal Air Force commander who was well known for his various charity projects, especially for the "Vulcan to the Sky" cause.
Sir Michael Knight | |
|---|---|
| Born | 23 November 1932 Leek, Staffordshire, England |
| Died | 28 November 2022 (aged 90) |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service | Royal Air Force |
| Years of service | 1953–89 |
| Rank | Air Chief Marshal |
| Commands | Air Member for Supply and Organisation (1983–85) No. 1 Group (1980–82) |
| Awards | Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Air Force Cross |
Early life
editKnight was born on 23 November 1932 in Leek, Staffordshire. He was educated at Leek High School, then studied English Language at the University of Liverpool, where he joined the University Air Squadron. After his graduation, he began his National Service and finished his training as a pilot.[1]
RAF career
editKnight joined the Royal Air Force in 1953.[2] He was appointed Air Officer Commanding No. 1 Group in 1980, Air Member for Supply and Organisation in 1983 and UK Military Representative to NATO in 1986.[3] He retired in 1989.[3] As of 2009, he was still actively involved in "Vulcan to the Sky", a project that returned a vintage Avro Vulcan XH558 to airworthiness and flight.[4][5]
In retirement he was Chairman of the Air League.[3]
Personal life and death
editIn 1967, he married Patricia Ann Davies; they had one son and two daughters. Knight enjoyed rugby and music in his spare time.[3][1] He died on 28 November 2022, five days after his 90th birthday.[6][1]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Sir Michael Knight, top RAF pilot and energetic commander at the height of the Cold War – obituary". The Telegraph. 4 December 2022. (subscription required)
- ^ "No. 39935". The London Gazette (Supplement). 11 August 1953. p. 4367.
- ^ a b c d Debrett's People of Today 1994
- ^ Vulcan rules the skies again after £6m facelift Daily Telegraph, 19 October 2007
- ^ Irvine, Chris (11 February 2009). "Sir Richard Branson, Frederick Forsyth and Robin Gibb want Vulcan to keep flying". The Telegraph. London. Retrieved 29 July 2017.
- ^ Knight, Richard (2 December 2022). "Knight". The Telegraph Announcements. The Telegraph. Retrieved 1 January 2023.