RIAT 2006 Press Release
MEDAL HONOUR FOR AIR TATTOO FOUNDER
At a ceremony at St James's Palace on Monday (May 8), His Royal Highness Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, will present a founder of the Royal International Air Tattoo with a prestigious medal for his services to aviation.
The presentation of the Jeffrey Quill Medal, on behalf of The Air League, will be made to Tim Prince for his contribution to the development of air-mindedness in Britain's youth.
Mr Prince, 57, from Stroud in Gloucestershire, was a founder member of the Air Tattoo with his friend Paul Bowen in 1971 and since then it has grown to become the largest military airshow in the world. It is held annually at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire in support of the Royal Air Force Charitable Trust and regularly attracts more than 300 participating aircraft from around the world and 150,000 visitors.
Past recipients of the medal include former British test pilots Alex Henshaw and Neville Duke and explorer David Hempleman-Adams.
Mr Prince, who is Director of the Air Tattoo, said: I am delighted that the efforts of the thousands of people who have helped organise the Air Tattoo over the years many as volunteers have been recognised in this way.
For the Air Tattoo to receive an award for helping develop airmindedness in Britain's youth is particularly pleasing as this is one of the key aims of our Charitable Trust. My team will be delighted.
Jeffrey Quill, who died in 1996, was an exceptional test pilot, who took charge of some of the most important military aircraft of his time, in particular, the immortal Spitfire from its experimental, prototype stage in 1936 to the end of its production in 1948. He used his first-hand experience of combat conditions fighting with 65 Squadron at the height of the Battle of Britain to help turn this elegant flying machine into a deadly fighter aeroplane.
