Starting as a Bevin Boy, Alan Hewett, struggled to settle down after being demobbed. Determined to follow his dream, Alan joined the RAF. Originally stationed at RAF Melksham, Alan met his future wife, Eve. Later he was sent to North Luffenham, working as a mechanical engineer, Alan replaced Dakota aeroplane engines during the Berlin Airlift. Although RAF Luffenham wasn’t a very social place, Alan reflects on how his downtime was spent there.
After serving as an instructor at Melksham and on tour in Iraq, Alan was meant to be demobbed. Instead he took a job at RAF Crawley, building the De Havilland Comet 2 flight simulator. At RAF Little Rissington, Alan became the chief in charge of simulators for the NATS, which later became the Red Arrows.
Lastly, Alan reflects on the independence and self-reliance that his time spent in the RAF taught him. He details how his 22 years of service shaped his confidence, work ethic, and even his marriage, affording him with an overall ‘great life’.