David Cousins

Air Chief Marshal Sir David Cousins KCB AFC BA RAF is a retired senior Royal Air Force commander.

RAF career
He joined the RAF in 1961 and spent three years at RAF College Cranwell. He then had a number of operational flying tours, initially flying Lightnings in the air defence role in the UK and RAF Germany and then Buccaneers for RAF Germany. In 1983 he became Station Commander at RAF Laarbruch, home to two RAF Squadrons flying Jaguars and Tornados.

Since then he has had a number of staff appointments in air plans, operational requirements and operations. Following attendance at the Royal College of Defence Studies, he held a number of senior air rank positions on the Air Staff at the Ministry of Defence, in the MoD Procurement Executive, as Commandant of the RAF College Cranwell and, from 1994, as Air Officer Commanding No. 38 (Transport) Group. He was appointed Air Member for Personnel on the Air Force Board and Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Personnel and Training Command in May 1995 and served in that role until he retired in August 1998.

Since he retired he has served as Honorary Air Commodore of No 7630 (Volunteer Reserve) Intelligence Squadron, Royal Auxiliary Air Force since August 2008: the unit provides support for intelligence analysis and briefings. He has also served as the controller of the RAF Benevolent Fund.

Family
He is married to Maggie. He has three children.