Bird-strikes, particularly big, fat seagulls, are always a hazard to aircraft flying near the sea; more so when the aircraft is flying at low level in excess of 750 km/h! On one such occasion, the Tornado fast jet was able to divert to another RAF base and landed safely. The radome and fuselage area just forward of the cockpit were quite a mess though…

Graham led a small team of varying aircraft trade technicians to repair the aircraft to a standard to allow it to fly to its parent base for more in-depth repair. The task involved close liaison with engineering authorities at both bases; the adoption of a strictly-disciplined and highly-focused working regime; effective team-building skills and planning and control of scarce assets and resources.

The repairs were completed ahead of the planned schedule and the aircraft itself landed back at its parent base 'Serviceable'; a tribute to the high quality and 'Right 1st Time' approach adopted by the whole Recovery Team.

The work earned Graham official recognition by the host unit's engineering specialist for

"…his outstanding endeavours, as he was the ramrod behind these industrious tradesmen. His dedication, enthusiasm and excellent overall management ensured that vast inroads were made into the complex, lengthy and arduous recovery programme of this aircraft".