Group Captain Emily Flynn OBE | Station Commander, Royal Air Force Brize Norton
Group Captain Emily Flynn took command of RAF Brize Norton on 31 July 2020.
She commissioned into the RAF in 2000 through the RAF Cadetship scheme whilst reading for an MEng in Electrical and Electronic Engineering at the University of Bath. She completed Engineer Specialist training in 2002 before undertaking a range of staff and Command appointments at RAF Kinloss, HQ Air Command, Joint Forces Command, and RAF Coningsby as well as two operational deployments on Operation HERRICK in Afghanistan and a short tour in the Ministry of Defence as a Military Assistant to Assistant Chief of Defence Staff (Military Strategy).
She was the Principal Engineer on 90 Signals Unit between 2015 and 2017 and was awarded an OBE for her work over this period. Promoted to Group Captain in 2017, she has completed tours as Group Captain Air Resources and Plans in HQ Air Command and, most recently, as the Military Assistant to the Vice Chief of Defence Staff.
She is passionate about STEM opportunities and was shortlisted for the Institution of Engineering and Technology’s Young Woman Engineer of the Year award in 2008. She is a member of the Institution’s Apprentice and Technician Awards Panel and has participated in many events to promote careers in STEM, hoping to inspire the next generation.
Emily is married to Stu, also a serving RAF officer. Both are keen mountaineers and holders of the coveted RAF Mountain Rescue Service badge. Emily spent 5 years as chairperson of the RAF Mountaineering Association and has participated in expeditions all over the world as well as representing the RAF at indoor climbing competitions. She and Stu spend most of their spare time in the mountains where they can usually be found hanging from a rock face. Emily’s other great passion is hockey, and she has represented the RAF, UK Armed Forces and Scotland Under 18s.
