Awarded to an individual, a group, team or organisation, which has made an outstanding, original and practical contribution leading to the safer operation of aircraft or the survival of aircrew or passengers.

2011 - 2012 Awarded to: Major K E Bryan AAC

Major Keith Bryan is a Rotary Wing Standards officer, of 29 years flying experience, responsible for the testing and standardisation of Lynx Mk7 and Mk9 aircrew, and for the provision of User Authenticator advice to the Lynx Mk9A community including the DE&S Lynx Project Team. As such he is the primary link between the aircraft manufacturers and the Army aircrew who operate these aircraft. He is charged with ensuring that all modifications are properly thought out and safely embodied in the aircraft, in order to prevent technical alterations and enhancements having unforeseen effects on the aircrews’ ability to operate the aircraft. As the Standards officer, he is responsible for maintaining the highest level of flying skills across all Army Lynx squadrons. Major Bryan also supports operational training on Lynx Mk9A for Op HERRICK bound aircrew, including UK and Germany based Army Air Corps and Royal Navy/Marine Lynx units. 

The Lynx Mk9A is the result of an Urgent Operational Requirement to provide a year round RW capability in the Hot and High environment of Afghanistan. It provides an escort, surveillance, and armed support capability to off-load the hard pressed Apache Force. As an UOR, it utilises a Lynx Mk9 donor airframe, and engines procured for the new Army Wildcat helicopter (which will replace all marks of Lynx) to give enhanced performance. In order to minimise costs the current Lynx simulator, a vital piece of equipment in providing emergency and operationally realistic environmental training, was not upgraded to replicate the Lynx Mk9A systems, engines or performance, meaning that crews are not able to practice all the likely emergencies before flying the helicopter in the testing environment of operations in Afghanistan.

In 2011, a Lynx Mk9A carried out a successful emergency landing in Afghanistan, due to an engine control unit fault, which resulted in a frozen fuel flow problem and single engine torque freeze. Such a landing, in a hostile environment, is highly undesirable and, in this case, was not in fact necessary. However, given the lack of understanding of the nature of the engine control unit problem and resultant torque freeze, and coupled with insufficient and confusing information in the aircrew Flight Reference Cards, the aircrew involved were not equipped to do otherwise. On investigation it became obvious to Major Bryan that the training package procured by the Project Team neither covered all possible engine control unit faults, nor replicated the ensuing visual indications on the aircraft instruments. The lack of detailed training on simulators, and confusing instrumentation displays, were not replicated in a lap-top based, systems configuration trainer procured by the PT. Major Bryan took it upon himself to investigate the engine control problem; understand the technicalities behind the issue, and its likely manifestation; and examine the inadequacies of the laptop based training aid. During the investigation over some weeks, he comprehensively detailed a series of other potential engine control problems which might occur during aircraft operation. He then designed and developed a fix, utilising the Lynx Mk 7 simulator, to allow practice of these potentially serious Lynx Mk9A engine problems, all without costly Project Team or manufacturer assistance. His efforts have resulted in a significantly improved understanding of the system and its problems, and a change to training procedure, making this Urgent Operational Requirement aircraft much safer to fly. 

Major Bryan continues to give his all for the Corps, where his enthusiasm, expertise, and character, have an immeasurably positive impact on Lynx Mk9A operational capability, and the safety of its aircrew and passengers.

For his diligence, willingness to work long hours completely outside the scope of his job description; and for his work in raising awareness of potential failure modes of the Lynx Mk9A engine control unit, through the provision of a first class method of replicating these failure modes in another aircraft simulator; Major Keith Bryan is awarded the Sir James Martin Award.

Previous Winners

1968 Lt Cdr Tarver

1969 Flt Lt R C Shuster

1970 Not Awarded

1971 Group Captain J K Mason

1972 Not Awarded

1973 Col W P Schane

1974 Not Awarded

1975 Group Captain A J Barwood

1976 E L Ripley Esq

1977 Flt Sgt D J Jones

1978 D Johnson Esq

1979 1 t Gommander D R Tay!or MBE

1980 Master Air Loadmaster David Bullock G C (posthumously)

1981 Geoffrey Harrison Esq

1982 Not Awarded

1983 Clifford Gaskell Esq

1984 Not Awarded

1985 Wg CdrR McCluskey AFC RAF

1986 Not Awarded

1987 AVM P H Howard

1988 Not Awarded

1989 Lt Cdr Paul Barton RN

1990-91 Not Awarded

1992 John W Chappelow Esq

1993 Not Awarded

1994 Flt. Lt. Kevin A Brooks

1995 Lieutenant Commander Paul Haywood RN

1996 Not Awarded

1997 Major J Norman Ryan MC

1998 Dr. Christopher Brooks, OMM,OstJ,CD,MBChB,DavMed,FFOM

1999 Air Accidents Investigation Branch Lockerbie Team

2000 CPO Terrence Allison

2001 Lieutenant Commander Clive Rawson RN

2002 Not Awarded

2003 Squadron Leader Jonathan James Harrison RAF

2004 Prof Helen Christine Muir OBE MA PhD CPsychol FRAeS

2005 John Freeman

2006 Captain John Cox

2007 Not Awarded

2008 Flight Lieutenant Emily Rickards RAF

2009 David Cockburn

2010  Captain Linc Alexander

2011 Major K E Bryan AAC