Andrew Hamilton Jones
August 19, 1941 — July 22, 2024

Born August 19, 1941 in Kirkcaldy, Scotland. Andy made his last flight July 22, 2024. He spent 37 years as a Royal Air Force officer flying the renowned Vulcan and performing in air shows throughout the world. He moved into RAF operational leadership and then headed the RAF in Kuwait. He was a hostage in Iraq as a "guest" of Saddam Hussein during the invasion in Kuwait.

He was appointed General Manager in Saudi Arabia for British Aerospace governing bases in Tait and Jeddah. He is survived by his wife, Georgene Wade of Maryville; sons, Ian Jones (Mary) [sic] of Warboys, England, Alasdair Jones (Caroline) [sic] of Brisbane, Australia, grandchildren Poppy Jones, Claudia Jones and Noah Jones of Brisbane Australia. Preceded in death was daughter, Jacqueline Jones of Bath, England. Andy was an active member of the Kiwanis Club in Townsend, Tennessee and was a volunteer driver for SMiles [sic] in Maryville. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St Jude Children's Hospital. Utmost gratitude is extended to the dedicated and compassionate staff at Blount Memorial Hospital. A memorial service was held at 4:00 pm on Saturday July 27th 2024 at Broadway United Methodist Church, 309 E. Broadway Ave, Maryville, TN 37804 with Rev. Ron Fisher officiating. A reception followed in the fellowship hall. 

Vulcan Crew Chiefs owned “their” aircraft and only loaned it to the aircrew with some reluctance! The same Chief was always delighted if we brought back his aircraft relatively unscathed.
 
Steve Honey was the essence of the  ideal Crew Chief: he was not only interested in his Bomber but in the crews who flew it. He was the best  that there was and was admired and respected by all those of us who knew him, flew with him and were lucky enough to borrow his Bomber now and then. Every one of the engineering staffs on the Squadron respected him and his judgement  and would turn to him for advice. 
 
Steve was the Crew Chief Leader. In addition to his 2 aircraft, he was the stand-in Servicing Controller and the NBC Instructor for RAF Waddington. He was particularly understanding at bringing on the youngest engineers on the squadron and did so with an understanding manner. He was never heard to shout: a wise look did it all. One example highlights his foresight as an engineer. During the build-up to the Falklands War, and the reintroduction of in-flight refuelling, Steve, entirely on his own volition, summoned an empty bowser from MT and de-fuelled his aircraft. He then refuelled it through the nozzle - checking the gauges as it filled to ensure that he could be certain they were reflecting accurately the fuel contents. This proved essential in the days ahead and it was his foresight that gave the crews confidence in their kit. Last year, he was too unwell to attend the Royal visit to celebrate the re-vamp of XM607. He asked for a copy of an entry in the aircrafts F700. It said simply:  “Load 21x1000lb bombs.” Below it stated: “21x 1000lb loaded.  Signed S J Honey.”
 
There was a bit more though: he could make us laugh.  And, like all good men he could speak honestly and directly and challenge authority when that was what was required to keep us all safe – air and ground crew alike. He was a fine man and a credit to 44 (Rhodesia) Squadron.