Team Manager

Squadron Leader

Liz Parker

Age - 43

Education - Trent College, Long Eaton in Nottingham.

Career - Liz joined the Royal Air Force in 1991 after starting her career with the Army. After completing the Joint Air Traffic Control Course she was posted to Royal Air Force Cranwell Air Traffic Control where she gained all her ATC operating endorsements prior to be detached firstly to Hungary on Op DENY FLIGHT controlling NATO E-3 assets over Bosnia, and then to Mount Pleasant, Falkland Islands. Posted then to Royal Air Force Benson ATC in 1996, she was appointed as the Local Examining Officer (LEO) before being detached once again to the Falkland Islands as the Deputy Senior Air Traffic Control Officer (DSATCO). On her return, she completed the Area Radar Training Course and was posted to the London Air Traffic Control Centre (Military) at West Drayton where she was ultimately appointed as a Senior Military Supervisor. Taking a break from controlling duties in 2003, Liz was posted to the Royal Air Force College Cranwell as a Flight Commander at the Officer and Aircrew Cadet Training Unit for both Initial Officer Training and later for the Short Courses (Specialist Entrant, Re-Entrant and Reserve Officers). Late 2004 she returned to the ATC environment as DSATCO Royal Air Force Shawbury before being detached to Iraq in support of Op TELIC in 2005/6 as the DSATCO and LEO for Basrah and Al Amarah. On return from Iraq to Royal Air Force Shawbury she was appointed as Acting Senior Air Traffic Control Officer (SATCO). Promoted to Squadron Leader in May 2007, Liz was posted as SATCO Mount Pleasant, Falkland Islands for 12 months. On return to the UK in May 2008 she was appointed as OC East LATCC(Mil) now based at the National Air Traffic Service Centre Swanwick. At very short notice in December 2009, she was detached to Afghanistan in support of Op HERRICK to provide specialist advice and control of the increasingly busy airspace over Helmand Province. Based at 903 Expeditionary Air Wing at Camp Bastion, Liz was the coalition airspace co-ordinator for the largest UK aerial assault since WW2, Op MOSHTARAK. This is her second year as Red Arrows Team Manager.

Background - Orginally from Herefordshire, Liz now lives in Lincoln. She is a keen swimmer and when time permits, enjoys worldwide travel or just simply spending time with friends and family, especially her niece, Eleanor, and godson, Ben to whom she is now ‘the coolest fairy-godmother and Auntie Lizzie ever’!