Den Harkin, BA Hons, is a long-haul Captain on the Boeing 777 with British Airways.
He started his flying career in 1971 when he joined the RAF and began flying Chipmunks, before moving on to Jet Provost, Gnat and the Hunter. After completing the Jaguar Operational Conversion Unit (OCU), he joined his squadron at RAF Lossimouth, where he flew the aircraft in strike and attack roles before becoming a weapons instructor on the OCU. He met his wife Gill, who was a WRAF officer Air Traffic Controller in the RAF. He married Gill in 1983.
Den was chosen as the NATO Exchange Officer to fly F16 Fighting Falcons with the Royal Netherlands Air Force in air defence and attack roles, at the RNAF base Leeuwarden in the north of the Netherlands.
After leaving the RAF in 1990, Den joined British Airways flying Tri-Star’s, Boeing 747 and 777, before becoming a captain on the Airbus 319/320 in 2003. He returned to flying the 777 as captain in 2006. He has been flying with the Yakovlevs since 2002, where he flies in position Yak 3, having now flown in more than 60 team displays.
Den and Gill have two grown-up children – James, who is has followed in his father’s footsteps and joined the RAF as a pilot, is just completing his Initial Officer Training (IOT) at RAF College Cranwell graduating as a Flying Officer. Their daughter Lucy is just completing her A Levels before going off to University.
During his time in the RAF, Den was captain and manager of the RAF Cresta Run team, competing for many years on the run in St Moritz, Switzerland, where he also developed his love of skiing. His hobbies nowadays include skiing, jogging, rugby, reading and Russian Folk Dancing.