End of an Era

Today marks the end of an era for the Wing as we say goodbye to Wing Command Andy Pass and he officially takes up his new post as the Senior Volunteer Advisor, the first volunteer Group Captain role. He moves on from a five year tenure as Officer Commanding South & East Midlands Wing.

During his time in command he has maintained the Wing’s position as one of the consistently top performing wings in the RAFAC and driven a number of successful organisational shifts within the Wing. The changes have moved the Wing into a more supportive structure for the individual units and the volunteers that run them, with a particular passion for sustaining their mental health and providing them recognition for their successes. His final few weeks in command have allowed him to show this passion by visiting a number of squadrons in order to present the many commendations and awards that they have been awarded over the past 18 months.

This era began in 1988 when he joined 2195 (Long Eaton) Squadron within the Wing. As an adult volunteer he commanded a couple of Squadrons before becoming a Wing Staff Officer with a variety of portfolios. He will continue to be regarded as an agent of change within the Wing, never content to rest on his laurels but to continue to deliver a better cadet experience.  In 2016 he became Officer Commanding South & East Midlands Wing, first Acting and then appointed in early 2017. During his leadership the Wing continued to grow and maintain its position as the largest Wing in the RAFAC. Wing Commander Pass was awarded an MBE in the 2021 Queen’s Birthday Honours.

We would like to wish Group Captain Andy Pass MBE the best of luck in his new role and thank him for the many years of support, guidance and leadership he has given to our Wing.