MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Experienced Helicopter pilot is new CBFFI.

The new Commander of British Forces in the Falkland Islands (CBFFI) is Air Commodore Richard H Lacey, MA, who takes up the post in December.

His professional experience and his hobbies are particularly appropriate to the Falkland Islands. He is a very experienced helicopter pilot and his interests include photography and all aspects of the natural world as well as industrial archaeology and model engineering.

Though he has not previously served in the Falkland Islands in an RAF career spanning more than 30 years, his sister, Kate, formerly an RAF Officer, was posted to the Falklands several years ago and his mother, a wildlife artist, has paid a brief visit there. So he has heard a lot about the Islands from them as well from RAF colleagues.

Born and educated in Croydon, Air Commodore Lacey joined the RAF in 1972 as a University Cadet, graduating from Cambridge in 1975 with a degree in electrical sciences before entering officer and initial flying training at the RAF College Cranwell.

After advanced flying training at RAF Shawbury, he graduated from the Wessex Operational Conversion Unit in 1978 to join his first squadron, No 72 Squadron then based at Odiham in Hampshire, though much of his time was spent supporting the Army in Northern Ireland.

After an operational tour in Hong Kong, Air Commodore Lacey returned to the UK and RAF Shawbury as a flying instructor on the Wessex.

Promoted Squadron Leader in 1985, he returned to the front line as a Flight Commander again with 72 Squadron, by now based full-time at RAF Aldergrove in Northern Ireland.

Thereafter, he served on the staff at RAF Support Command overseeing rotary wing training before attending the RAF Staff College at Bracknell in 1988. On graduation, he served as the Personal Staff Officer to the Deputy Commander in Chief and later Commander in Chief of Strike Command who was at that time commander of all British forces in the 1991 Gulf War.

Richard Lacey was promoted Wing Commander in 1990 and after conversion to Puma helicopters, he commanded No 33 Squadron at RAF Odiham. He later served in the Ministry of Defence (MOD), first in Air Plans as the NATO desk officer and, following promotion to Group Captain, in the Directorate of Joint Warfare. He became the first helicopter pilot to command RAF Benson.

He attended the Royal College of Defence Studies before taking up his present appointment as Director for NATO policy in the MOD, a post he has held for 3 years. Air Commodore Lacey is married to Cate and has a daughter Alex, and a son Greg, both at university.