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An Officer and her Gentleman Wednesday 18th March | 7:30 - 9:00pm

£18.00

Ali Martin will be in conversation with Mandy and Craig Hickson about their dual memoir An Officer and her Gentleman a book about courage, failure, and resilience told by a frontline RAF fast jet pilot and a Royal Navy helicopter pilot. This is a story about thriving under pressure, teamwork, and finding humour through turbulence - in the skies, on the sea, and in life.

Ali Martin will be in conversation with Mandy and Craig Hickson about their dual memoir An Officer and her Gentleman a book about courage, failure, and resilience told by a frontline RAF fast jet pilot and a Royal Navy helicopter pilot. This is a story about thriving under pressure, teamwork, and finding humour through turbulence - in the skies, on the sea, and in life.

An Officer and her Gentleman takes readers on a high-octane journey through fast jet cockpits and carrier decks, revealing what it’s like to live and love in some of the world’s most demanding environments.

Mandy, one of the first women to fly fast jets on the RAF frontline, is brutally honest about her early setbacks — including failing all the initial tests to become a pilot — and how she fought back to earn her place on the frontline.

Craig’s journey is equally inspiring: severely dyslexic, he left school with no qualifications, struggled to read confidently into adulthood, and found his confidence and purpose when he joined the Royal Navy. As he says, “Born in Petersfield, Made in the Royal Navy.”

Together they share parallel paths through fear, setbacks, and eventual triumphs. Structured like a flight — from take-off to landing — their story explores decision-making under pressure, leadership, resilience, and the humour that kept them going.

Mandy Hickson:
Former RAF fast jet pilot and one of the first women to fly the Tornado GR4 on the front line. She has flown operational missions over Iraq and is now a keynote speaker on leadership, teamwork, and resilience under pressure.

Craig Hickson:
Flew anti-submarine and search-and-rescue missions as a Royal Navy helicopter pilot before becoming a commercial airline captain and examiner. Growing up with severe dyslexia, Craig left school with no qualifications but found his confidence and purpose through the Royal Navy.