Michael Knight Death, Obituary – It is with deep sorrow that we must inform you of the passing of Air Chief Marshal Sir Michael Knight, who had previously held the position of Chairman of the VTST. Please accept our heartfelt condolences on the passing of a loved one. It is with a great deal of regret that I have to inform you that we will be moving on in this manner.
In 1953, Sir Michael enlisted in the Royal Air Force and was an active member of that branch of the armed forces until 1989, when he took an early retirement from the service. He spent a total of 36 years in the Royal Air Force, during which time he gained expertise in a wide variety of operational and staff capacities. During his service in the RAF, he was also a pilot.
On addition to that, he racked up more than one hundred hours of flight time in a wide range of aircraft, one of which being the Avro Vulcan. These aircraft included everything from Tiger Moths to Tornadoes and everything in between. They even included some biplanes. In 1980, he received a promotion to the position of Air Officer Commanding No. 1 Group, which placed him squarely in the middle of the conflict that was taking place in the Falkland Islands at the time.
During his service in the armed forces, he worked his way up through the ranks to eventually become a combat pilot and a commander. Each and every time, he turned in a stellar performance for his roles. His tenure was brought to a close when he was appointed to the Air Force Board, and beginning in 1986, he served as the Military Representative of the United Kingdom to NATO, a position he held for the entirety of that organization’s three-year term.
His appointment to the Air Force Board was the crowning achievement of his career. The conclusion of his term as president has been reached. After finishing his time in the armed forces, he decided to pursue a career in the civilian sector and accepted a post as the Chairman of the Board for the Air League. In addition, Sir Michael volunteered roughly thirty years of his life to the Royal Air Force Charitable Trust and the Royal International Air Tattoo combined.
These two organisations are both associated with aviation. These two organizations are contributors to many charity initiatives. Following his retirement from the Royal Air Force, he was asked to join the Air Tattoo’s small Vice Patron team in order to assist in the organisation of the RAF’s 75th anniversary celebrations, which were held at RAF Fairford in 1993. This was done in order for him to contribute to the Air Tattoo’s 75th anniversary. During the years that he spent serving in the RAF, he made it a point to go to the Royal Air Force Air Tattoo as many times as he could during his time there.