Falklands Helicopter pilot retires from the Defence Helicopter Flying School
March 20, 2025
Having joined the Royal Marines in 1978, Capt Price is one of the last serving Marines who took part in the first wave of landings during the Falklands conflict.
Following a variety of appointments across the Commando Helicopter Force (CHF), latterly as a RM Commando Sea King ‘Junglie’ pilot and QHI, Price was the Royal Navy exchange pilot training officer with the Royal Australian Navy from July 2004 – February 2007, training Royal Australian Navy pilots on the Sea King Mk 50.
Capt Price was posted to RAF Shawbury as a Flight Commander on No.60 Squadron, instructing on the Bell 412 from 2009 – 2011, then becoming the Royal Navy Standards Officer at the Defence Helicopter Flying School (DHFS) responsible for the Bell 412 Griffin.
From 2012 – 2017 Price was a Pilot Training Officer on the Central Flying School (Helicopters) CFS(H) squadron, responsible for training military staff instructors and student Qualified Helicopter Instructors (QHIs).
Remaining at Shawbury Price served as an A2 QHI (Qualified Helicopter Instructor), an Instrument Rating Instructor, an NVG Instructor (with 450 hours of NVG flying), and a deck landing instructor (with 1,000 deck landings).
He helped to instruct over 1,100 students during his tenure, gaining extensive experience in Maritime, SAR, Arctic, Mountain, Desert and Jungle UK military flying instruction, and teaching student pilots on the Gazelle, Lynx, Sea King, Bell 412 (Griffin), Eurocopter AS350 (Squirrel) and Airbus 135 T3H (Juno).
Recognised as the most experienced pilot in the Royal Navy by Naval Flying Standards, Capt Price was made a Master Air Pilot by the Honourable Company of Air Pilots, and more recently received a First Sea Lord’s Commendation.
More prosaically, Price has an EASA Commercial Pilots Licence Helicopters CPL(H) with an Instrument Rating (IR), an ATPL(H) credit and a Multi Crew Co-operation Certificate (MCC)!
