Lt Cdr Mike Curd RN graduated from the University of Leeds with degrees in Communications and Psychology before entering the Royal Navy in 2003. He has served as a Flight Observer on Lynx helicopters with 815 Squadron, including deployments to the Caribbean, Pacific, South Atlantic, and off the coasts of South and North America. Mike has also served as an Observer Instructor and as the Operations Officer for the Royal Navy Helicopter Display Team. Currently stationed in France as the sole Royal Navy Exchange Officer, he provides military training to French naval cadets and looks forward to returning to the Fleet Air Arm in 2017.

1. Lt Cdr Mike Curd RN
Mike was born in Portsmouth and went to school in Yorkshire. He read for a degree in
Communications and Psychology at the University of Leeds before entering the Royal Navy at
Britannia Royal Naval College in 2003. On completion of Observer training on the Jetstream T2 and
Lynx HAS 3, Mike joined 815 Squadron and served in a variety of Type 42 destroyers and Type 23
Frigates as the Flight Observer. A particular highlight was an extended deployment in HMS
Southampton, including operations in the Caribbean, Pacific and South Atlantic, and visits to both
coasts of South America and the West coast of Africa.
In 2009 Mike qualifiedasanObserverInstructorand,afterconversiontothe Lynx HMA 8, completed
a thoroughlyenjoyable andrewardingtourinstructing Advanced and Operational Conversion Phase
students on both marks of Maritime Lynx at 702 Squadron. There, Mike was also the Operations
Officerforthe Royal NavyHelicopterDisplayTeam, the “Black Cats”, during the extremely busy and
successful 2011 season.
Returningto 815 Squadron as 217 FlightCommander in 2012, Mike took up the challenge of leading
his team during an anti-piracy deployment in the French Frigate FLF Surcouf. The Flight joined the
shipin Toulon and sailed with her to the Horn of Africa to take part in Operation Atalanta as part of
the EU Naval Force. The successful mission resulted not only in the apprehension and eventual
prosecution of a number of pirates, but in furthering cooperation between the two navies, in
particular shared procedures for small-ship helicopter operations.
Mike then returned to 815 Squadron as its Operations Officer, responsible for the output of Lynx
Flightoperationsduringa difficultperiodinwhichreducingLynx numbershadnot yet been matched
by a correspondingincreaseinoutputby itsreplacement,the Wildcat. Againstthe background of an
extremelytaughtFleetprogramme, the Ops Officer position was exceptionally challenging but also
an excellentopportunity tosee the bestqualitiesof the FleetAirArmattitude andethoscome to the
fore.
In the summer of 2014, Mike returned to France and the French Naval Academy, École Navale, in
Lanvéoc,Brittany. Here,he isthe sole RN Exchange Officer,andservesinthe MilitaryandLeadership
training department, providing theoretical and practical instruction to French officer cadets.
Looking forward to returning to the Fleet Air Arm as Senior Observer 750 Squadron in 2017, Mike is
makingthe mostof hisremainingmonths inabeautiful partof France,withhiswife Joandson Oliver
(1), and can frequently be found surfing at one or other of the excellent beaches on the Crozon
Peninsula.