FINN Flashback: Typhoon display pilot Flt Lt Jim Peterson
In this week’s FINN Flashback, we take a look back at an interview with Flight Lieutenant Jim Peterson, solo display pilot for the Typhoon.
FINN caught up with Peterson after…
In this week’s FINN Flashback, we take a look back at an interview with Flight Lieutenant Jim Peterson, solo display pilot for the Typhoon.
FINN caught up with Peterson after flying the Typhoon in the flying display at the Bahrain Airshow where he was showcasing the jet’s manoeuvrability. Peterson told FINN: “I’ve been flying the Typhoon for 12 years now. I used to fly the Tornado, and then I was lucky enough to transfer back in 2006, and I’ve been flying it ever since, and I absolutely love it.”
He added: “I’ve flown it on the front line. We used it in operations over Libya, which I was a part of. Now, I instruct on it.”
The edge of performance
He said: “With operational flying, you’re quite often at a medium-level just transiting between places. The only time you really need to fully use all the capabilities of the jet would be in a dog fight, which is extremely rare. Display flying is the only time you really get to fly the jet right on the edge of its performance, at low-level.”
Peterson added: “It’s got carefree handling which means I just pull the stick back as far as it will go, and the computers do the rest,” he explained. He went from -3G to positive 9G within 10 seconds.”
He was also showcasing new P2E software on the Typhoon. “The jet keeps getting upgraded and keeps getting better. This upgrade has added extra weapons onto the jet – the Meteor Air-to-Air missile, and the Storm Shadow Cruise missile,” he said.
