A decorated pilot visited his old South Ribble stomping ground to deliver a talk.
Wellfield Academy in Leyland, part of the Endeavour Learning Trust, has welcomed Red Arrow pilot Chris McCann back to his old school in an educational visit for pupils.
Chris, who is currently in his third season as a Red Arrow, visited Wellfield Academy after the Headteacher, Mr Lewis, reached out to him after reading about Chris in the local press.
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He spoke to over 330 pupils from Years 7, 8 and 9 about his time at Wellfield, his career and what it meant to him to achieve his professional dream of becoming a Red Arrow pilot.
Born and raised in Lancashire, Chris attended Wellfield High School, as it was known at the time, and Runshaw College.
He studied aerospace engineering at the University of Liverpool, where he was a member of Liverpool University Air Squadron.
Chris said: “I thoroughly enjoyed returning to Wellfield Academy to pass on my experiences in the RAF and the Red Arrows. The warm welcome I received from both staff and students made the visit truly special.
“The students were incredibly engaged, asking thoughtful questions and showing genuine interest throughout the session.
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“I was equally impressed by the professionalism and dedication of the staff. It was a privilege to share my story with such an enthusiastic audience from my hometown.”
Chris completed flying training at RAF Woodvale, RAF Linton-on-Ouse and RAF Valley. He was then selected to be a “Creamie” flying instructor, teaching the next generation of fast-jet pilots on the Tucano.
The term Creamie is traditionally given to pilots who are selected to become flying instructors due to being above average through their advanced flying training.
Upon posting to the frontline, Chris flew the Tornado GR4 at RAF Lossiemouth and RAF Marham.
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He flew on numerous operational tours around the world, being awarded the Air Force Cross during his final tour.
At the school, Chris was given a tour of the facilities by Year 10 student, Jake, who hopes to join the RAF himself once he leaves school.
Jake said: “I was thrilled to be a part of a visit from our former student and now red arrows pilot on Monday.
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“I had an amazing opportunity to show Chris around the school, assist during his visit and learn from his experience as a pilot- further strengthening my own life-long dream to be a RAF pilot.”
Jamie Lewis, Headteacher at Wellfield Academy, said:
“We’re always delighted to welcome former pupils back to Wellfield and it was a dream come true for lots of our pupils to meet a real life Red Arrows pilot.
“I’m very proud of our pupils and their incisive, fascinating questions about Chris’ life, from Lancashire to the RAF.”
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