Wing Commander Andy Green OBE

Wing Commander Andy Green is the current holder of the land speed record and the first person to break the sound barrier on land. In ThrustSSC he reached 763.035 mph (1227.99 km/h), the first supersonic record (Mach 1.016). He is aiming to break that record with the first 1,000mph car, the BloodhoundSSC.

Andy was sponsored through university by the RAF and joined as a junior office on graduation. He became a frontline fighter pilot and manned F4 Phantoms and Tornado F3s in Germany, Bosnia, Iraq, and the Falklands. He has also worked on operations in Iraq and Afghanistan including a period as Commander of the RAF detachment in Kandahar.

Whilst piloting jets during the day, Andy has what he describes as the World’s Best holiday job, being a key part of the Land Speed Record team. After reading a newspaper article by the team’s project director (and former record holder himself) Richard Noble, he applied to pilot the ThrustSSC - an attempt to build the world’s first supersonic car. He was given the role and steered the jet-powered vehicle to over 750mph.

As well as conventional land speed records, Andy took on the JCB Dieselmax challenge, attempting to take the Diesel Land Speed Record with a vehicle powered by two JCB digger engines. The record was smashed with an impressive top speed of 350.092mph.

Andy is no longer an RAF pilot, but continues to fly aerobatic flights, he also skydives, sails, and captains the RAF Cresta Run team.