John Downey

Who was John Downey?

Air Vice-Marshal John Downey, CB, DFC, AFC, Deputy Controller of Aircraft, Ministry of Defence, 1974–75, was born on 26 November 1920 in Streatham. He died on 14 February 2010, aged 89.

Downey qualified as a pilot just before his 19th birthday and started the Second World War by flying North Sea patrols. He was also an instructor and a PBY Catalina pilot in the Mediterranean.

After the war he flew Aries III, a modified Lincoln bomber taking off on 20 October 1950 on a round-the-world flight of 29,000 miles. During the flight one leg was from Mauritius to Perth, Western Australia; this was believed to be the first west-to-east non-stop flight across the Indian Ocean. for completing this round the world trip in 28 days Downey was awarded an AFC.

He then went to the RAF Staff College, and in 1960 he became head of the Near East Defence Secretariat in Cyprus.

Various appointments followed including roles at the MoD and NATO. After serving as the Deputy Controller of Aircraft at the MoD, Downey retired from the RAF in December 1975. Six months earlier he had been appointed CB.

Downey, married, in 1941, Diana White.