The Derry & Richards Memorial Medal

Awarded to a test pilot who has made an outstanding contribution in advancing the art and science of aviation.

2023 awarded to:  Flight Lieutenant Aaron How RAAF

Flight Lieutenant Aaron How has emerged as the Royal Australian Air Force’s (RAAF) premier junior Flight Tester during his past year at the Aircraft Research and Development Unit (ARDU). His tenacious work ethic, strong airborne aptitude, objective judgement, high proficiency with test processes, ability to lead and mentor junior members and strategic organisational outlook are all of the highest standard. 

Aaron can be relied upon for timely, accurate and objective judgement, flying performance and technical analysis. He has become a senior leader and mentor at ARDU. Aaron often volunteers for difficult or inconvenient tasks and maintains an exceptional flying rate of effort and throughput of flight test tasks. He concurrently maintains a B Category on the FA-18F, C Categories on Hawk-127 and PC-21 categories, as well as his Qualified Test Pilot category.

Aaron has skilfully led and/or flown a substantial number of disparate tasks including scoping for international innovative weapons programs, highly complex integrated test events in large joint exercises for networked Long-Range Strike Weapons, technical tuning of flight model of HOW Aaronthe PC-21 simulator to allow its use for training ab initio pilots, and novel air-to-air refuelling clearances. He provides routine assessment of new Number 82 Wing (F/A-18F and E/A-18G) capabilities and is relentless in ensuring the Squadron maintains its core flying and flight test capabilities such as Flight Test Aircrew selection and development of other aircrew at ARDU. On one occasion he was the Test Pilot on two concurrent PC-21 test programs, seamlessly switching between them despite having flights on the same day. Throughout, Aaron provided briefs to the large test team, reliable results, and detected anomalies in test data and proactively solved several problems allowing the team to achieve its test objectives and improving PC-21 capability for runway performance and datalink trail procedures. Aaron showed his adaptability this year becoming involved in capability development of the MQ-28A Ghost Bat. After providing Flight Test chase for MQ-28A flight trials at Woomera, Aaron was heavily involved in ongoing development of the platform through operational and flight test inputs to “sprint design sessions” with Boeing Defence Australia, as well as several other MQ-28 related trials.

In addition to performing the duties expected of most squadron pilots, Aaron must be across airworthiness regulations, flight test processes and analysis of highly technical test data, operational procedures and tactics for multiple platforms and maintenance of relationships with customers. 

For consistently demonstrating the finest qualities expected of Flight Test Aircrew and RAAF pilots and significantly contributing to the capability development of a broad range of RAAF airborne systems including experimental Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS), experimental weapons and several in-service simulators and aircraft, Flt Lt Aaron How is awarded the Derry and Richards Memorial Medal.

Previous Winners:

1953  Wg Cdr J H Heyworth

1953/54  Wg Cdr R Beamont

1954/55  L P Twiss Esq

1955/56  Sqn Ldr J S Fifield

1956/57  M Randrup Esq

1957/58  T W Brook-Smith Esq

1959/60  A W Bedford Esq

1960/61  M J Lithgow Esq

1961/62  E B Trubshaw Esq

1962/63  H C H Merewether Esq

1963/64  P Bugge Esq

1964/65  E B Trubshaw Esq

1965/66  J Cunningham Esq

1966/67  H Cliff Rogers Esq DFC

1967/68  D G Taylor Esq

1968/69  J L Dell Esq

1969/70  T P Frost Esq

1970/71  W Gellatley Esq

1971/72  Duncan Simpson Esq

1972/73  J Cochrane Esq

1973/74  W P I Fillingham Esq

1975   not awarded

1975/76  Gilbert Defer Esq

1976/77  T M S Ferguson Esq

1978   not awarded

1978/79  Paul Millett Esq

1979/80  John F Farley Esq

1980/81  David Eagles Esq

1982   not awarded

1982/83  H R Radford Esq

1983/84  ChristopherYeo Esq

1984/85  Jeremy Lee Esq AFC

1985/86  Roy Moxham Esq

1986/87  J A Robinson Esq

1987/88  H E Frick Esq

1988/89  Angus M McVitie Esq

1989/90  K P Orme Esq

1991  not awarded

1991/92  P A Sedgwick Esq

1992/93  C F Roberts Esq

1993/94  C W Hague Esq

1995   not awarded

1995/96  D L J Thomas Esq

1996/97  Graham Tomlinson Esq

1997/98  Jeremy P Tracy Esq

1998/99  Sqn Ldr David R Southwood BSc AFC RAF

1999/2000  Keith Hartley

2000/01  Derek Reeh

2001/02  Simon Hargreaves

2002/03  Gordon G (Jock) Reid FRAeS

2003/04  Paul Hopkins

2004/05  John Turner

2006  not awarded

2006/07  Graham M Archer

2007/08  Peter Lawrence Chandler

2008/09  Iain Young MBE BSc FRAeS

2009/10  Graham Tomlinson

2010/11  Edward (Ed) Strongman

2011/12  Andrew Warner MA(Oxon) MRAeS

2012/13  Peter Wilson

2013/14  Mark Bowman

2015  not awarded

2016  Lt Cdr Robert Dowdell RNR

2017  Andrew Strachan

2018   Frank Chapman

2019 - 2020  not awarded

2021  Kelly Latimer

2022  Phillip O'Dell

2023  Flight Lieutenant Aaron How RAAF