Moray’s elected leaders swapped the council chambers for the cockpit yesterday when they made history as the first UK civilians to take to the skies in a P8 Poseidon aircraft.
A local authority delegation ventured aboard the US Navy aircraft at RAF Lossiemouth.
Former Prime Minister David Cameron toured one of the Boeing 737 planes in July when he announced the UK Government’s purchase of the new fleet destined for RAF Lossiemouth.
But the Poseidon he entered never left the ground while the then-Tory leader was aboard.
Douglas Ross, who represents Fochabers Lhanbryde as a councillor and is also a Highlands and Islands MSP, described the thrill of the “once in a lifetime” flight after coming back down to earth.
He said: “It was an amazing experience, the plane went 200ft above the sea at one point and then rose sharply into the sky.
“I sat in the cockpit as it returned to base, and observed some stunning views of Moray while learning about the work that goes into landing.
“The range of activities that the aircraft can undertake was stunning.”
Mr Ross was joined for the flight by Moray Council convener, Allan Wright, the authority’s chief executive, Roddy Burns, and the chairman of the Moray Economic Partnership, John Cowe.
Mr Ross added: “I think it’s useful that representatives of Moray understand about these aircraft, and grasp what they can do for the UK’s defence system.”
