14 October 2025
Mark ‘Greeners’ Greenfield, founder and boss of Ultimate High and occasional contributor to FLYER, has won The Cumberbatch Trophy for an outstanding contribution to aviation safety.
The award is one of several announced by the Honourable Company of Air Pilots (HCAP), the London-based livery company for professional and private pilots. Greeners was recognised as ‘a masterful instructor in Upset Prevention and Recovery Training (UPRT)’.
“Greenfield’s reputation is not only built on technical knowledge but an outstanding ability to teach, with an instinctive understanding of how people learn under pressure,” says the award citation.
“What makes Greenfield exceptional is his ability to translate high-risk, high-stress flying scenarios into simple, practical steps that pilots can understand, recall and apply – particularly when it matters most.
“He’s widely described as not just an expert instructor but someone who genuinely connects with his students, redefining what world-class flight instruction looks like. His impact on pilot safety, confidence and skill is lasting and profound.”
Greeners said on LinkedIn: Honoured (and rather chuffed!) to share that I’ve been awarded the Cumberbatch Trophy for Services to Flight Safety by the Honourable Company of Air Pilots for 2025.
“This recognition means a lot – not just for me, but for the whole Ultimate High team and everyone who believes in making aviation safer for all. Proud to champion UPRT and work alongside so many passionate pilots and partners.”
Mark has made several contributions to FLYER including a recent webinar for FLYER Club members on Successful Forced Landings. Other articles by Greeners:
Another award winner Jon Gowdy, this year’s recipient of The Hanna Trophy for the art of displaying fighter aircraft, named in memory of distinguished father and son display pilots Ray and Mark Hanna.
Gowdy started gliding aged 14, later joining Air Atlantique at Coventry where he flew various aircraft including the DC-3 Dakota. His day job flying with British Airways supported his life in the display world, with his skill and maturity as an exceptional aerobatic and formation pilot being rewarded with being invited to fly warbird aircraft, starting with the Spitfire.
Gowdy is now Chief Pilot for the Aircraft Restoration Company at Duxford, where he is responsible for overseeing all flying operations including film and TV work, pilot selection, training and test flying.
HM Coastguard Rescue 936
Blizzard conditions, low cloud and fading light, visibility dropping only a few metres… who would be out flying in that weather?
The Coastguard, that’s who and HCAP’s Prince Philip Helicopter Rescue Award goes for the second year running to the crew of HM Coastguard’s Rescue 936 for their exceptional courage and professionalism during a life-saving mountain rescue on Yr Wyddfa in severe winter weather.
Captain David Kenyon, Co-pilot Charlie Brown, Winch Operator Mark Tomblin, Winch Paramedic Neil Cooper and Winch Operator Under Training Geraint Morris were tasked to assist Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team with a casualty suffering critical head and spinal injuries.
Displaying remarkable skill and teamwork, they navigated steep slopes in near-zero visibility to insert their Winch-Paramedic and safely recover both patient and rescuer.
As conditions worsened and fuel levels fell, the crew calmly executed a controlled descent and improvised landing in a remote valley, continuing to provide vital care until medical teams arrived. Their decisive actions, teamwork and composure under extreme pressure directly saved a life.
From recognising talented young engineers, to meeting Scouts, Guides, school children and cadets and getting to see some amazing aircraft both in the air and on the ground – @airtattoo 2025 you delivered!
Thank you to everyone involved who puts so much hard work into the… pic.twitter.com/i9W9FOkGYH
— Tim Peake (@astro_timpeake) July 21, 2025
British astronaut Tim Peake is this year’s recipient of the Award of Honour for his outstanding and enduring contribution to aviation.
Peake passed out from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst as an Army officer, before training as a helicopter pilot and instructor. He later graduated from the Empire Test Pilots’ School, Boscombe Down, and was accepted into the European Space Agency programme in 2009 in preparation for a mission to the International Space Station, becoming in 2016 the first official British astronaut to walk in space.
The full list of award winners is available here.
