A FORMER RAF pilot, who twice served the Royal Family, got back in the cockpit to celebrate his 90th birthday.

Retired air vice-marshal Sir John Severne took off in the de Havilland Tiger Moth at Compton Abbas Airfield this month. The experienced pilot, who joined the RAF in 1944 and has flown aircraft including a Lancaster, Spitfire and Vampire, flew the Tiger “as though he had last been in it yesterday”, according to instructor Nick Robinson.

He said: “I took it off and as soon as we were at a safe flight, he took over. He was spot on – he didn’t have to be told a thing, and it’s not an easy plane to fly well.

“He was calm, collected and very professional. He followed me through on the controls on landing.

“It was a privilege and an honour to fly with him,” he added.

Sir John gained his wings two months after the end of WW2 and his first posting was to No.264 Night Fighter Squadron flying the de Havilland Mosquito. Posted to Germany as a flight commander on a Venom squadron, he was awarded an Air Force Cross for landing an aircraft that had caught fire.

As a squadron leader, he became an equerry to the Duke of Edinburgh. Following this he was chief instructor on Britain’s first supersonic fighter, the English Electric Lightning.

As station commander of RAF Kinloss, he was responsible for the introduction of the Nimrod in 1971, a vital part of Britain’s defence during the Cold War.

And in 1988, he became Captain of the Queen’s Flight and was also a winner of the King’s Cup Air Race.

Family and friends gathered to watch Sir John, who lives in Shepton Mallet, take off including members of the mid-Somerset branch of the Royal Air Force Association. Vice Chairman John Hawkins said: “He’s flown more aircraft than anybody I know – propeller planes, jets. He thoroughly enjoyed the experience and seemed quite stirred up afterwards – it was lovely to see.”