Gary Waterfall

Gary Waterfall
Born	7 January 1967
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	Royal Air Force
Rank	Air Vice Marshal
Commands held	No. 1 Group (2014–2016) No. 41 Squadron RAF (2006–07)
Awards	Commander of the Order of the British Empire

Air Vice Marshal Gary Martin Waterfall CBE (born 7 January 1967) is a senior Royal Air Force officer. From July 2014 to April 2016, he was Air Officer Commanding No. 1 Group.

RAF career

Waterfall was previously a Harrier pilot and a member of the Red Arrows display team.^[1] He was Officer Commanding No. 41 Squadron RAF from 1 April 2006 to 8 June 2007.

On 15 December 2010, Waterfall led the final 16-ship flypast of the Harrier when they were retired from service. On promotion to air commodore in June 2011, he was deployed to NATO’s Combined Air Operations Centre 5 to assume command of the UK air contribution to the liberation of Libya, and was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the Operational Honours List in March 2012.^[2]

From July 2014 to April 2016, he was Air Officer Commanding No. 1 Group. In that role, he is also head of the air defence of the United Kingdom.^[3] On 28 April 2016, Waterfall handed over the command of No. 1 Group to Gerry Mayhew.^[4] Waterfall will be the Chief of Staff (Operations) in the Permanent Joint Headquarters with effect from 16 May 2016.^[5]

References

1. "WATERFALL, Air Vice-Marshal Gary Martin". Who's Who 2015. A & C Black. October 2014. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
2. "Former RAF Cottesmore station commander awarded CBE". Rutland Times. 23 March 2012. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
3. Dearden, Lizzie (1 November 2014). "RAF Typhoons scrambled to intercept Russian bomber 'approaching the UK'". The Independent. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
4. "Senior Appointments". raf.mod.uk. Royal Air Force. 20 April 2016. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
5. http://www.raf.mod.uk/organisation/senior-appointments.cfm