British pilot soars among Yankees

From US Air Force:

Royal Air Force Flight Lieutenant Benjamin Cable sits in the cockpit of an F-16CM Fighting Falcon Aug. 27, 2014, at Shaw Air Force Base, S.C. Cable will be stationed at Shaw for three years, where he will learn from and teach members of the 79th FS. Cable is a 79th Fighter Squadron assistant director of operations. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Michael Cossaboom)

By Airman 1st Class Michael Cossaboom, 20th Fighter Wing Public Affairs / September 09, 2014 

SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. (AFNS) -- (This feature is part of the "Through Airmen's Eyes" series on AF.mil. These stories focus on a single Airman, highlighting their Air Force story.)

As they gather for a routine flight briefing they appear the same: same flight suit, same gear, same mission. Upon further inspection it becomes clear that one of these pilots is not exactly like the others.

A small multicolored camouflage pack, with a British flag patch sewn on, swings from the left arm of Royal Air Force Flight Lieutenant Benjamin Cable, a British fighter pilot currently assigned to the 79th Fighter Squadron here. That small flag and the two patches on his uniform are the only designators that separate him from the rest.

As the briefing ends, the pilots gather their gear and break for the door toward their parked aircraft. For the 6-foot tall, light-haired British man, his pride can be seen as he preps for another day of flying with the 79th fighter squadron here.

Cable spent several years of his childhood growing up near Royal Air Force Biggin Hill, England, one of the major bases in the Battle of Britain, during World War II. He began to admire the military lifestyle and later decided to serve his country, he explained.

"Growing up I lived in a rich military area," he continued. "During World War II, you would have been able to see planes fighting overhead and even aircraft that had been shot down in the field just down the road from where I lived."

The influence of World War II left deep military roots in the community where Cable grew up in the 1980s and 1990s. His close proximity to the base allowed the Brit to witness the evolution of U.K. military aviation, he explained.

"I loved watching the planes fly by and going to the air shows," Cable said. "I was one of the few children who wouldn't cry when planes would fly by." ...

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