Jon Herod MBE, is a First Officer on the Boeing 747-400 with Cathay Pacific Airways. He developed his interest in aircraft courtesy of Airfix models and frequent visits to the viewing area at East Midlands Airport. After joining the Air Cadets he was chosen to receive a flying scholarship and obtained his Private Pilots License at age 18.
Jon joined the RAF in 1983, he began pilot training on the Jet Provost Mk3 and Mk5a. At the end of the course Jon was “creamed off" and posted to the RAF Central Flying School to become an instructor. He returned to RAF Church Fenton teaching new students to fly the Jet Provost. After three years he was posted to fly the Hawk T1 and in 1989 he joined the Operational Conversion Unit OCU at RAF Wittering flying the Harrier Jump Jet. On completion of the course he was posted to 4 Squadron at RAF Gutersloh in Germany.
In 1992 he spent 15 months with 1417 Flt, based at RAF Belize in Central America. He returned to RAF Wittering in 1994 as an instructor on the OCU, during this time he flew Harrier reconnaissance missions over the north of Bosnia during the Bosnian conflict.
In 1997, Jon was chosen as the NATO Exchange Officer to fly F-16 Fighting Falcons with the Royal Danish Air Force based at No 730 Squadron at RDAF Skrydstrup in the South of Denmark. He flew more than 30 combat missions over Kosovo during his posting on the F-16. In 2000 he was posted to MOD Boscombe Down to work on software for the Harrier GR7 & GR9. He left the RAF in 2001 and joined Cathay Pacific Airways flying the Boeing 747-400.
Jon married the wonderful Alison in 1991. They have two children, a football-mad son Jack, aged 12, and an aerobatic-obsessed daughter Emily, aged 10. He has been flying with the Yakovlevs since 2003, where he flies at position Yak 3, and has flown in more than 60 team shows. Jon also has a passion for vintage motor-cycles, and can be seen riding his 1960s BSA when the weather is good. He is a very keen snow skier, enjoys sailing, ironing and Russian embroidery & needlework. He was awarded the MBE in 2000 for services to aviation during his posting in Denmark on the F-16.