…... to date. Flt Lt Diacon was awarded the Sir Geoffrey Bromet Trophy, and he was also commended by the Commander-in-Chief in the New Year Honours List for his splendid work as the 208 Squadron 2005 Display Pilot.
The highlight for many in this period was undoubtedly the visit by HRH The Prince of Wales, Prince Charles to RAF Valley in May. The Prince visited the Station, presented Honours and Awards to Station personnel and met and
chatted to many Squadron members during his tour. He was particularly impressed with the quality of the personnel who in his words “achieve so much when faced with many difficulties”.
In March 2005 Wg Cdr Nigel Clifford handed over to
Wg Cdr Gary Kelly (5). In the 8 months between July 2005 and February 2006 the Squadron flew 5,791 sorties - a total of 6,153 flying hours. They trained 78 pilots; of these 35 were Royal Air Force and Royal Navy ab initio students, and 18 members of the Indian Air Force. Additionally, 25 other pilots converted to the Hawk, ranging from basic QFI, the RAFAT conversion and Senior Officers on work-up training prior to taking command.
Flight Lieutenant 
Martin (Perty) Pert began his work up as the 2006 Hawk Display Pilot (6) on 01 Feb 2006. At 25, he was believed to be the youngest pilot to ever display the aircraft.
The Squadron received many requests to take part in flypasts during the year. Having flown a 7-ship ‘V over Cardiff to celebrate the end of World War II, the Squadron was in demand again and were invited to conduct the flypast in honour of the opening of the Welsh National Assembly Building (the Senedd). Members of The Royal Family present, including HM The Queen and HRH Prince Charles, passed very favourable comments on the timeliness (to the second) and the positions of the formation. The Squadron also flew over Llandudno and Holyhead to support local events, Amlwch and Llandudno in support of the RAF Valley Freedom Parades, Torquay to commemorate the inauguration of a Royal Observer Corps Memorial, and a Graduation Ceremony at RAF College Cranwell. The Valley Aviation Society organised their annual photo shoot in the summer and several aircraft flew to Valley to act as static displays. The Squadron provided their display aircraft, which was very well received.
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