Jim Richards who is currently flying Gazelle No 3  joined the Army straight from school at the age of 18.  He was commissioned into The Royal Artillery in 1991 - the same regiment as his Grandfather, Father and Uncle served in.  He completed the Commando course after his officer training and served with the Royal Marines in 29 Commando Regiment RA during which time he completed tours in Norway, Belize, Kuwait and Cyprus.  He then signed up for the Army Pilots Course, which he completed in 1996 and was posted to 1 Regiment AAC where he served in Germany, Canada, Belize and Kenya.  He was selected to fly with the Blue Eagles Helicopter Display Team in 2000.  With over 1,200 hours on the Gazelle, Jim is now a business man working across Europe and fly's in his spare time.