Photo: Royal Navy
Out of all of the boys out there who used to dream about a life just like the one pictured in Topgun, some got to experience that and much more. This man was not just a Royal Navy pilot for more than three decades, but a pioneering one. Commander (Cdr) Ian Tidball wrote history as the first Royal Navy pilot to fly an F-35, and is now a living legend.
In the summer of 2021, an F-35 Lightning was landing HMS Prince of Wales, the newest carrier in the UK Royal Navy’s fleet, for the first time. It was a great milestone, confirming that Britain now has two operational aircraft carriers (the other one being HMS Queen Elizabeth) that can be deployed at the same time.
But in order for this moment to be possible, a Royal Navy pilot once had to move to the U.S. and eventually take control of an F-35 cockpit for the first time ever. This was Cdr Tidball, the man who has recently ended his 32-year career as a military pilot.
It’s hard to even wrap our heads around that – one man took to the sky in no less than 35 different types of aircraft, and was deployed onboard no less than three British aircraft carriers.
If that wasn’t enough, Crd Tidball also served as the UK Deputy Lead National Representative within the F-35 Operational Test Team, led by the U.S., a decade ago. And then he officially became the first Royal Navy pilot on the F-35, working as an Instructor Pilot with the U.S. Marines, at the Eglin base in Florida.
Long before flying the F-35, the young Tidball was first acquainted with helicopters. More specifically, the “Junglie” Sea Kings (the British adaptation of the Sikorsky S-61). That was back in 1991.
Then came the time for Tidball’s first fast jets. These were the Sea Harriers, the subsonic aircraft powered by a Rolls-Royce Pegasus turbofan engine, which were retired in 2006 and replaced with the F-35B (the F-35 variant designed to be operated by the U.S. Marine Corps).
From the Sea Harrier, Tidball then switched to the Super Hornet (FA-18), after moving to America. While serving with the U.S. Navy’s VX-9 Squadron, he got to live out those Topgun-inspired fantasies to the fullest, testing the FA-18 in every way possible.
After becoming Commander of The 17th Test and Evaluation Squadron (17 Tes) at the Edwards base, Crd Tidball eventually got to lead the initial Operational Testing (OT) of the F-35B for the UK, for the birth of the first-ever UK F-35B squadron. His personal history was coming full circle.
This year, after more than 4,000 flight hours, the pioneering pilot said goodbye to his fellow pilots in both the UK and the U.S. He made one final flight on the F-35 Lightning, from the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, in San Diego, to the Edwards Air Force Base – the perfect goodbye for the man who was once told that he’d never be able to become a pilot.
But in order for this moment to be possible, a Royal Navy pilot once had to move to the U.S. and eventually take control of an F-35 cockpit for the first time ever. This was Cdr Tidball, the man who has recently ended his 32-year career as a military pilot.
It’s hard to even wrap our heads around that – one man took to the sky in no less than 35 different types of aircraft, and was deployed onboard no less than three British aircraft carriers.
If that wasn’t enough, Crd Tidball also served as the UK Deputy Lead National Representative within the F-35 Operational Test Team, led by the U.S., a decade ago. And then he officially became the first Royal Navy pilot on the F-35, working as an Instructor Pilot with the U.S. Marines, at the Eglin base in Florida.
Long before flying the F-35, the young Tidball was first acquainted with helicopters. More specifically, the “Junglie” Sea Kings (the British adaptation of the Sikorsky S-61). That was back in 1991.
Then came the time for Tidball’s first fast jets. These were the Sea Harriers, the subsonic aircraft powered by a Rolls-Royce Pegasus turbofan engine, which were retired in 2006 and replaced with the F-35B (the F-35 variant designed to be operated by the U.S. Marine Corps).
From the Sea Harrier, Tidball then switched to the Super Hornet (FA-18), after moving to America. While serving with the U.S. Navy’s VX-9 Squadron, he got to live out those Topgun-inspired fantasies to the fullest, testing the FA-18 in every way possible.
After becoming Commander of The 17th Test and Evaluation Squadron (17 Tes) at the Edwards base, Crd Tidball eventually got to lead the initial Operational Testing (OT) of the F-35B for the UK, for the birth of the first-ever UK F-35B squadron. His personal history was coming full circle.
This year, after more than 4,000 flight hours, the pioneering pilot said goodbye to his fellow pilots in both the UK and the U.S. He made one final flight on the F-35 Lightning, from the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, in San Diego, to the Edwards Air Force Base – the perfect goodbye for the man who was once told that he’d never be able to become a pilot.
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