John Ponsonby (RAF officer)

Air Vice Marshal John Maurice Maynard Ponsonby, OBE is a British businessman and a retired senior officer of the Royal Air Force.

British Army
After graduating from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, he was commissioned into the Royal Green Jackets as a Second Lieutenant on 8 March 1975. He was promoted to Lieutenant on 8 March 1977, and to Captain on 8 September 1981. He relinquished his commission on 7 March 1983, therefore retiring from the British Army.

Royal Air Force
Ponsonby was commissioned into the Royal Air Force in April 1983, after 9 years service in the British Army. On 10 April 1983, he was appointed to a permanent commission and promoted to Flight Lieutenant with seniority from 10 March 1980. On 1 July 1988, he was promoted to Squadron Leader, and then to Wing Commander on 1 January 1994. He was promoted to Air Commodore on 1 July 2002. He was promoted to his final rank of Air Vice-Marshal on 4 January 2005.

He has served as a support helicopter pilot throughout his career, and as a helicopter and tactics instructor. He commanded 78 Squadron in the Falkland Islands, 27 Squadron in the UK, the Support Helicopter Force in Bosnia and RAF Aldergrove/Joint Helicopter Force in Northern Ireland.

He has held staff appointments at Group, Command and MOD level, including as Deputy Principal Staff Officer to the Chief of the Defence Staff (General Sir Charles Guthrie), and most recently as Air Officer Plans at Headquarters Strike Command.

He is a graduate of the RAF Staff College and the Joint Service Command and Staff College.

He was appointed Air Officer Commanding Training Group on 4 January 2005 and became Air Officer Commanding No 22 (Training) Group on 30 October 2006.

Awards and decorations
As a Group Captain, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 1998 New Year Honours List.

He was made an Aide-de-camp to Queen Elizabeth II on 1 August 2001. He relinquished this appointment on 3 May 2002.

He received the Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service in the 2002 Operational Honours List "in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in Northern Ireland during the period 1 October 2001 to 31 March 2002".

Later career
It was announced on 16 Jan 07 that Air Vice-Marshal Ponsonby was to be Chief of Staff Operations, Headquarters Air Command from July 2007. He chose instead to leave military service to take a commercial role as Senior Vice President Training, AgustaWestland.