CHIRP is pleased to announce the appointment of Richard Harrison as its new Director of Aviation. This follows the departure of Nicky Smith from the team at the end of 2025. Rich has joined the CHIRP Aviation team fresh from a full aviation career as a pilot in the Royal Navy’s Fleet Air Arm. Rich commissioned in the Royal Navy in 1994 and over his military career has flown the T67M Firefly, Gazelle HT2 and Sea King Mk4 aircraft. He has also spent time off-duty gliding with the Royal Navy Gliding Club achieving solo standard. As a Sea King pilot he deployed to numerous operational theatres on land and at sea, accumulating 2500 flying hours and undertaking warfare-related instructional duties.
In the later stages of his naval career Rich specialised in aviation safety and led the management and oversight of the Air Safety Management System for the Fleet Air Arm (2020-2022) and then undertook a similar role for the Joint Aviation Command (JAC), Defence’s HQ for UK Battlefield helicopters and drones, between 2022-2026. In this last position Rich and his safety team interacted routinely with the UK FSC, UKAB and CAA on various safety matters. He also managed military aviation safety reporting systems (both open and confidential reporting) and Human Factors safety training for Army, RAF and Navy personnel.
Rich is delighted to have joined the team, following in the footsteps of Steve Forward and Nicky Smith as previous Directors of Aviation. Rich said “I have been thoroughly impressed by the excellent work that Steve and then Nicky achieved in delivering CHIRP’s aviation-related outputs and am looking to continue in the same vein. I’m really excited to have the opportunity to continue specialising in Aviation Safety and Human Factors and am committed to enabling any person involved in professional or recreational aviation activity to confidentially report safety concerns via CHIRP and I will be engaging with aviation organisations and supporting them to ensure people are kept safe.”
Find out more about Rich and his team here: Meet the Team
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