Wing Commander Neil Meadows was born in Meriden, Warwickshire on 16 September 1961, he went to the Headlands School, Swindon, then joined the Royal Air Force in August 1980 on a University Cadetship to read Aeronautical Engineering at Bristol University. He graduated in 1983 with a First Class Honours Degree winning both the Royal Aeronautical Society Prize for Aeronautics, and the Albert Fry Prize for Academic Distinction, Without Regard to Department. At Bristol UAS, he was awarded the Langley Challenge Trophy for the Best Student Contribution to the Squadron in 1982 and 1984, as well as the Ewins Trophy for the Best All-Round Student in 1984. Neil joined the Royal Air Force ‘proper’ in October 1983, remaining at Cranwell for Basic Flying Training on the Jet Provost. He won the Hicks Memorial Trophy for the Highest Aggregate Marks in Ground School, then joined No 128 Hawk Course at Valley in September 1985, winning both the Vafeas Trophy for Ground School and the Paul Gay Trophy for Outstanding Leadership Officer Qualities. Shortly afterwards, he married Ingrid at Castle Combe in Wiltshire and, after a short honeymoon, joined No 43 Course at Brawdy where he won the Weapons Trophy for the Best Student Weaponeer. Following his Tactical Weapons Course, he moved to an operational tour with No 17(F) Squadron’s Tornados at RAF Bruggen in Germany, which was foreshortened by an internal move to 14 Squadron. ln August 1990, Neil was posted to No 346 Course at CFS at Scampton to train as a QFI on the Jet Provost, graduating with a Distinguished Pass and winning both the Gross Trophy and the CFS Trophy. His first instructional tour began at Cranwell in January 1991 with No 1 Squadron where he recategorised as a ‘B1’ instructor in June 1991 after only 5 months in post. ln September 1991, He took a brief sabbatical as the Course Lecturer for the Flying Authorisers’ and Flying Supervisors’ courses at the Department of Air Warfare. Returning to flying in January 1992, he converted to the Tucano and was appointed Flight Commander of ‘A’ Flight of No 1 Squadron. In the busy year that followed, he qualified as both an Instrument Rating Examiner and as an ‘A2’ Qualified Flying instructor. In February 1993, Flight Lieutenant Meadows "flew a desk" as the Flight Lieutenant Flying Training Desk Officer at HQ RAF Support Command at Brampton and, in February 1994, was promoted Acting Squadron Leader to become both Tucano Fleet Manager and Flying Training Desk Officer responsible for all RAF Basic Flying Training at the newly-formed HQ Personnel and Training Command at RAF Innsworth. Sqn Ldr Meadows was appointed OC No 1 Squadron at Cranwell when the post suddenly became vacant in July 1994, though as a result of the Defence Costs Study, No 1 Squadron was disbanded in December 1994 and he was transferred to RAF Linton-on-Ouse to complete his squadron leader flying tour in 3 appointments: firstly as Project Officer for the implementation of the Defence Cost Study recommendations for Basic Flying Training; secondly as CO of No 1 Squadron and, latterly, as the Deputy Chief Instructor. It was during these 2 extremely enjoyable years that his 2 children were born: Andrew on 9 April 1995 and Jennifer on 20 December 1996, thus completing the family. This tour was foreshortened by a posting to the Plans Branch at Headquarters Strike Command, as Plans 3c, the Desk Officer responsible for policy relating to resources for Royal Air Force Tornado and Canberra Ground Attack and Reconnaissance units, for associated non-flying units, and for the introduction of the Airborne Stand-Off Radar System. Just 15 months later, he was on the move again, this time to the Advanced Command and Staff Course at the Joint Services Command and Staff College, Bracknell where, in addition to his military studies, he also completed a Master of Arts Degree in Defence Studies, including a sub-specialisation in Media-Military Relations. On completion of the Staff Course, he was posted to the Ministry of Defence to lead the External Communication branch of the Directorate of Corporate Communication (Royal Air Force). In this extremely high-pressure ground appointment, he was responsible for several major projects, including the 2000 series of BBC 2’s ‘The Air Show’ on Military Air Power, the Low Flying Public information Video ‘An Essential Skill,’ and several episodes of ‘Blue Peter.’ Wing Commander Meadows took up his current appointment as the Officer Commanding No 208(Reserve) Squadron on 5th March 2001. Outside the RAF, Wing Commander Meadows' interests tend towards the cerebral, rather than the physical, although he is a Class 3 Association Football Referee, currently inactive due to pressure of work, and is a strong supporter of Bath Rugby. ln addition to his family and a black Labrador named Lucy, he supports 3 computers, a brace of peripherals and an almost compulsive information Technology habit. He is extremely keen on plastic aircraft model making although, since the arrival of his children, he has concentrated his practical skills on the construction of a fully-electrified model railway layout for his son and a twelfth-scale dolls house for his daughter. Neil is, albeit reluctant to admit, an aficionado of the Star Trek series and, in his very limited spare time, likes to read for relaxation, particularly the works of Tom Clancy and Bernard Cornwell.
