RAF’S TOP HONOUR FOR HERO NUNEATON PILOT
HE TOOK CONTROL OF STRICKEN AIRCRAFT SAVING LIFE OF ALL CREW ONBOARD
A HERO Nuneaton pilot will receive the RAF’s most celebrated honour after taking control of a stricken aircraft, saving the lives of all of the crew onboard.
Ben Wallis’ courage saved the entire student crew following the mid-air drama while he was on exchange as an instructor with the Royal Danish Air Force (RDAF).
For his bravery, the 35-year-old, whose family still live in the town, is just one of two people in the whole country to receive the Air Force Cross (AFC) in the Queen’s Operational Honours and Awards List 2018.
But the humble Flight Lieutenant says that he was simply “doing his job” and is amazed at the news he is to receive an AFC - which is the highest honour that can be bestowed outside of combat.
He bravely stepped into action when the RDAF Merlin suffered total mechanical failure while training at night in a confined area in the middle of a forest.
Just moments after lifting off and with the helicopter just 120ft above the trees, a catastrophic emergency situation developed with no power going to the engines, the rotors slowing to a stop and a student at the controls.
F/L Wallis quickly took control of the stricken aircraft, calmly steered it to a clear area while issuing warnings to his crew and completed an engine-off landing, saving the lives of all the crew on board - all in just 15 seconds.
“I am extremely fortunate that my training and experience allowed me to react quickly enough to deal with such a catastrophic aircraft malfunction,” he said.
“To be awarded the Air Force Cross is a huge honour and I am humbled to think that my actions on that night are sufficient to receive such recognition.”
While he may be modest about his actions, his family are bursting with pride according to his older sister Nicola.
“He is so humble about it, he keeps saying ‘I was just doing my job, it is what I get paid for’ but I said ‘Ok Ben but you saved other people’s lives.’ It is amazing.”
The actual incident happened back in 2016 but it was only a few weeks ago he received the news that he had been named in the Queen’s Operational Honours and Awards List 2018. “He phoned my mum and told her, my mum couldn’t believe it, she was in shock, she cried, she was just so happy for him,” Nicola said. “We are all so proud of him.” Ben started off in the Navy cadets: “When he was at KEGs (King Edward VI College) he was offered a scholarship in the RAF and he jumped at the chance,” Nicola said.
“We are just so proud of him, he has done tours of Iraq and Afghanistan and is now based at RAF Benson and lives in London but he still comes home, in fact he was up at the weekend. We just want to tell everyone just how proud we are of him.”
Colleagues at RAF Benson have paid tribute to his actions, which “highlights Ben’s exceptional skill as a pilot, instructor and aircraft captain”.
The Air Force Cross (AFC) is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom Armed Forces, and formerly also to officers of the other Commonwealth countries, for “an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying, though not in active operations against the enemy”.