Top Fun dancer directs jets
The Sun
www.thesun.co.uk
3rd January 2008
By John Kay
Chief Reporter
AN RAF ground crew man has become a video star — break-dancing as he directs £25million Tornado jets. Dean Tabreham, 28, was filmed larking around as he guided Top Gun pilots and their 1,000mph GR4 bombers taxiing on the tarmac during a Nato training exercise.

The five-minute video has zoomed around the Ministry of Defence on email, causing some computers to crash because it takes up a huge slice of memory.

In one sequence, Senior Aircraftman Dean dons gigantic false hands — like those worn by madcap comic Kenny Everett — to marshal the jets. In another, he does a break-dancing routine as one of the Tornado’s red-hot turbo jet engines passes just inches over his head.

Last night RAF top brass insisted Dean would not be disciplined over his antics.

A senior officer said: “The video has become cult viewing and shows great enterprise and sense of humour. There was no danger at all to any RAF personnel.”

Dean, a member of the RAF’s elite 12 Bomber Squadron, was taking part in a Nato tactical leadership exercise at Florennes air base, Belgium. The squadron, which is based at RAF Lossiemouth, Scotland, was being taught how to operate with other Nato airforces as a “mixed attack package”.

The video starts by showing how other nations’ ground crews marshal jets. After the more traditional Americans, Spanish, Germans, Italians and Dutch, dotty Dean hits the tarmac. He kicks off with his Everett-style hands and brings his Tornado out while dancing to the song YMCA, doing all the actions — and fitting in the correct marshal signals at the same time.

After another song he performs a series of backflips and break-dancing moves with the Tornado wingtip passing just over his head.

He next entices a Tornado out of its slot to the backing of Michael Jackson’s Thriller. And finally, dressed like one of the runners in the 118 TV ads, he warms his hands on the exhaust of a passing fighter. Dean is a senior aircraft technician who works on the flight line and he and his team are known as “Lineys”.

A RAF insider said: “The Lineys have a great rapport with the Tornado crews who they see off and see back in on missions. They like to send them off with a smile on their faces to help alleviate combat nerves on missions over Iraq.”

Dean’s antics were turned into a video and a whip-round among Nato squadrons on the exercise raised more than £1,000 for Cancer Research UK.

An MoD spokesman told The Sun: “Dean is a top bloke who has been tearing up the tarmac with his moves. “He’s famous on the unit and proves RAF marshals are the best in the world.”