Group Captain Terry Wilson, AM AFC. Fighter Pilot, Helicopter Pilot: Keen On All Things Aviation

Introducing Group Captain Terry Wilson, AM AFC   Terry grew up in the Swan Valley.  Vampires from Pearce Air Force Base constantly flew overhead and along with the prevalence of lots of material about World War II air exploits (not to mention Biggles books), Terry was bound to be very keen on all things aviation.   Terry graduated the dux of his Air Force apprentice engine fitter course in December 1960,   In 1964, Terry start his long-coveted pilot training.  He felt at home when he got to do flying training on the same Vampires from his childhood.   Terry’s squadron flying on Sabres started out at RAAF Butterworth with 3 Squadron.  Terry was lucky enough to be one of two ‘boggies’ selected to fly one of of eight 3 SQN Sabres from Butterworth back to Williamtown in February 1967.      His Sabre flying at Butterworth also involved detachments to No 79 Squadron at Ubon in north-east Thailand, associated with the Vietnam War.   After conversion to the Mirage in 1968 Terry continued flying fighters through until the end of 1973 when by then he was a Category A Mirage Fighter Combat Instructor.   Surprise, surprise, Terry then moved to a career on Iroquois helicopters.  He was awarded the Air Force Cross for flood rescue work.   In November 1977 Terry started a six-month stint on peacekeeping helicopter operations in Egypt as Executive officer with AUSTAIR UNEF at Ismailia on the Suez Canal in Egypt.   In late 1981 Terry began working as the chief planner and commander-elect for a possible ADF deployment to a peacekeeping operation with the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) in the Sinai. When that deployment was confirmed in early 1982, Terry had to form a new joint unit comprising eight Iroquois helicopters and get it to the Sinai to be ready by 25 April 1982.   Terry was made a member of the Order of Australia for his work on this operation.   Terry then became Commanding officer of No 9 Squadron at RAAF Amberley.   After leaving the RAAF in October 1990, Terry spent six years at the Bureau of Air Safety Investigation in Canberra.  He then moved to a senior management position in the Civil Aviation Safety Authority.   Terry was then asked to be Head of Flying Operations for Impulse Airlines (now Jetstar Airways).   Since 2008 Terry has been a volunteer member of the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society (HARS).