SIR MICHAEL KNIGHT INTERVIEW
During his four years as Chairman of the Royal Air Force Charitable Trust, Air Chief Marshal Sir Michael Knight saw it blossom from a fledgling charity to a valuable member of the RAF family. Having handed over the baton to Air Chief Marshal Sir John Cheshire in July, Sir Michael looks back on what’s been achieved so far
Looking back on your four years as Chairman of the Royal Air Force Charitable Trust (RAFCT), what do you think has been its biggest achievement? 
I was surprised and delighted to see how quickly the charity was able to make a difference to people’s lives. By funding flying scholarships, expedition training and bursaries for the Air Cadets, I hope we have given young people opportunities they might not otherwise have had. Our prime remit is to promote recruitment to and the general efficiency of the Royal Air Force; and, to a great degree, we have interpreted this as focusing on youth. Our second aim is to support the work of established Royal Air Force charities such as the Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund, RAFA, the RAF and Dependants’ Disabled Holiday Trust and others. We are more than happy to work with and alongside them. I believe the Trust has already enhanced the lives of many people; and it is playing a significant role in the development of our young Air Cadets through sponsorship of a wide variety of initiatives. We are fortunate that our commercial company, Royal Air Force Charitable Trust Enterprises, organises the wonderful Royal International Air Tattoo. Where better to inspire youngsters to become ‘air-minded’ than at the world’s biggest and most exciting airshow? In fact, it offers everything one would wish in terms of inspiring people of all ages to engage and develop an interest in aviation in all its aspects.
And what has been the Trust’s biggest challenge?
Oddly enough, the biggest challenge has been to encourage eligible organisations to 
think creatively and to ‘think big’ when making their grant applications. We’re very keen to attract bids, particularly for new initiatives, rather than merely providing an alternative revenue stream for charities and groups that support established activities. That’s why, when we were approached by Commandant Air Cadets to fund the £60,000 cost of six flight simulators for newly-established Regional Activity Centres, we jumped at the opportunity. This is a very exciting project – and one of many Air Cadet projects that we continue to support.
How important has the role of chairman been to you personally?
It’s strengthened my belief in the concept of the Royal Air Force as a genuine family affair, with the need for us to help a whole variety of causes. Youth is very important; but we are equally keen to support the families of those who are deployed overseas or who are preparing for that inevitably demanding experience. An example is our support for internet cafes at RAF stations, where families can remain in touch with their loved ones. We’ve also helped fund a refurbishment of RAF Odiham’s Families Club, and the Breckland Club at RAF Honington, which is used as a welfare facility for personnel being trained for deployed operations; and we offer grants to support the excellent work being carried out by the charity, Combat Stress. It is important that, in looking to the Royal Air Force’s future, we do not lose sight of the men and women who deserve our support now.
The Trust has helped with the refurbishment of welfare facilities at RAF stations, such as No 99 Squadron’s ‘Puma’ Room at Brize Norton. Where does the RAF’s responsibility to provide facilities end and the Trust’s begin?
There are always going to be RAF-related welfare initiatives that, for one reason or another, do not qualify for public funding and which may not succeed without additional support. That’s where we come in. To anyone who’d say ‘Why would you support what is essentially a crewroom bar at Brize?’, the answer is that the Squadron’s C-17s are flying into Kandahar, Kabul, Basra and Baghdad on 24-hour-a-day seven-day-a-week operations; and this is a facility where air and ground crew can just relax at the end of a strenuous day. That is one of the ways we have found we can offer our support to ‘the sharp end’.
Finally, is there anyone you’d like to thank for their help during your role as Chairman?
First, I am grateful to the members of the Air Force Board who gave us their wholehearted support when we went to them with our idea to establish the Trust. I’d also like to thank ACAS, Air Vice Marshal Tim Anderson and, before him, Air Marshal Chris Moran for making the time to attend as many of our Board meetings as their extremely busy appointments allow. They have contributed a great deal by adding an operational overview to our deliberations. I cannot possibly overlook the immense support we receive from the US Air Force in staging the Air Tattoo each year – from successive Chiefs of that great Service, right down to the men and women of the 420th Air Base Group at RAF Fairford. I can justifiably claim that we’ve never enjoyed stronger relations than those that exist now. Then there is, of course that tremendous supporter of ‘all things RIAT’, Fred Crawley – my deputy as Chairman of the Trust and, even more significantly, Chairman of our trading company, RAFCT Enterprises, which raises the funds that we can then disburse. My colleagues as Trustees of RAFCT and the Board members of Enterprises work hard, long and always willingly for ‘the cause’. And at the heart and soul of everything we do are
Do you have any advice to offer Air Chief Marshal Sir John Cheshire who recently took over your role as Chairman of RAFCT? 
My only advice would be to enjoy it. I was fortunate in having had a formidable body of Trustees behind me; and Sir John will benefit from their experience, as they will from his. All those who have met John Cheshire know him as an immensely personable and extremely capable character; and I can think of no one better to whom to entrust the future of RAFCT. I am confident that he will continue the excellent growth the charity has achieved during the past four exciting years. But I will certainly miss it!
