Cold War 'Top Gun': A Career Flying Fast-Jets With the USAF, GAF and the RAF

Follows RAF pilot Alan Dyer-Perry’s distinguished career, from flying iconic aircraft to high-level NATO leadership.

In November 1981, Alan Dyer-Perry returned to the UK after a successful exchange tour with the USAF, having flown 2,900 hours on iconic British and American strike/attack aircraft, including the English Electric Canberra, Blackburn Buccaneer, and General Dynamics F-111A. Praised for his cool and unassuming approach to aviation, Dyer-Perry was optimistic about his future, expecting a rapid rise in rank.

He then took on a new challenge as flight commander of the RAF’s prestigious 617 Squadron, the Dambusters, where he managed a team flying the Tornado GR 1. Despite his earlier success, he quickly learned to set aside his assumed superiority and adapt to the squadron's unique culture. Under his leadership, the squadron won both the Curtis E. LeMay and John C. Meyer trophies in a USAF bombing competition.

Later, as a NATO tactics instructor and operations wing commander at RAF Cottesmore, Dyer-Perry honed his tactical skills and gained insight into high command challenges. His career culminated as the Senior RAF Liaison Officer at HQ 3 Air Force, USAF, where he worked on various issues, including during the Balkans War and after the 9/11 attacks. This autobiography chronicles the journey of a dedicated aviator who flew nearly 4,000 hours in some of the world’s best aircraft.

ALAN DYER-PERRY joined the Royal Air Force following a brief period in civilian life working for the Meteorological Office and Shell-Mex and BP. He trained as a navigator and went on to serve on a variety of flying units in the fast jet world. He has 4,000 flying hours and has flown operationally the Canberra B(I)8, the Buccaneer S Mk 2B, the F-111A with the United States Air Force, and the Tornado GR1 with both the RAF and the German Air Force. He accomplished a variety of command tours both in the UK and overseas, notably in the Middle East. Later Staff tours included appointments at HQ Strike Command where he represented RAF interests in the establishment of a new NATO Reaction Force Air Staff. Finally, he completed his career as the Senior RAF Liaison Officer with United States Air Force HQ Third Air Force.