A NEW station commander has taken over at RAF Northolt.

Group Captain Andy Bacon replaced Tim O’Brien, who has been posted to Afghanistan to be base commander of Bastion airfield.

Mr Bacon, who is married with a teenage son and daughter, is a pilot with considerable experience of flying different aircrafts and has supported operations and exercises around the world.

In 2001, he was posted to RAF Brize Norton to join the newly reformed 99 Squadron flying the C-17 Globemaster as one of the initial cadre of aircraft captains. Throughout this period he was heavily involved in operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Mr Bacon has also completed an assignment as Senior Advisor to the Chief of the Iraqi Air Force in Baghdad within the Coalition Headquarters responsible for organising, training and equipping Iraqi Security Forces and for developing the institutional capacity of their Defence Ministry.

During his command of XXIV Squadron, the Squadron flew over 7,000 operational sorties in support of operations in Afghanistan and Iraq in a variety of roles.

The captain took charge of both the Afghan National Army Training Centre and Afghan National Defence University Training Advisory Groups at Camps Julien and Qargha in Kabul in July, 2012.

Group Captain Bacon said, “I am delighted to be taking command of RAF Northolt. The Station has a remarkable history but has also repeatedly demonstrated its importance to current operations both overseas and, for example, in support of the Olympics in 2012.

“There is a tangible sense of pride among personnel at Northolt and I look forward to building on what I know is a particularly strong relationship with the local community.”