Tim Anderson ( RAF officer ) Air Marshal Sir Timothy Michael Anderson KCB DSO ( born 2 February 1957 ) is a senior Royal Air Force officer , currently serving as the first Director - General of the UK Military Aviation Authority ( MAA ) , following an appointment as Assistant Chief of the Air Staff . Previously he was a fast jet pilot , primarily flying the Tornado Ground Attack aircraft , and as Officer Commanding 14 Squadron led the UK Tornado commitment to Operation Allied Force , the air campaign over Kosovo in 1999 , for which he was admitted to the Distinguished Service Order . He was appointed to his current position in April 2010 to set up the MAA , which was in response to the Haddon - Cave Review into the issues surrounding the loss of an RAF Nimrod over Afghanistan in September 2006 . He was knighted in the 2013 New Year Honours List and is due to relinquish his appointment in April 2013 . Service career . Anderson was born in Belfast , Northern Ireland and was educated at the Belfast Royal Academy and King ' s College London ( MA ) . He was commissioned as an Acting Pilot Officer in July 1979 , being regraded to Pilot Officer in July 1980 following Initial Officer Training , and then promoted to Flying Officer in July 1981 . He began his operational flying career in 1983 on the Tornado Ground Attack aircraft and served successively on front - line squadrons , including an exchange tour with the Royal Australian Air Force flying the F111 , and operational deployments to the Middle East ; being promoted to Flight Lieutenant in July 1984 and Squadron Leader in July 1989 . In January 1997 he was promoted to Wing Commander and , in 1999 , as Officer Commanding 14 Squadron , Anderson led the RAF Tornado commitment to the NATO Operation Allied Force over Kosovo , for which he was admitted to the Distinguished Service Order . Promotion to Group Captain in July 2000 was accompanied by appointment as the Station Commander of RAF Brüggen in Germany , in which role he oversaw the closure of the RAF ' s last overseas Main Operating Base and the return of its personnel to the United Kingdom . In September 2003 Anderson was appointed as Head of Deep Theatre Attack Capability , a 1 - star appointment at the Ministry of Defence , his promotion to Air Commodore following in July of the following year . After the Higher Command and Staff Course in 2005 , he was appointed Commandant of the Air Warfare Centre ( and Assistant Chief of Staff - Intelligence at Strike Command ) in August of that year . In March 2007 Anderson was promoted to Air Vice Marshal , moving to the Ministry of Defence as Assistant Chief of the Air Staff . In the 2009 Birthday Honours List he was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath ( CB ) and in 2010 was the recipient of the Curtis Sword , awarded by " Aviation Week and Space Technology " for leadership and cooperation in transatlantic relations . Anderson was promoted to Air Marshal in April 2010 , his initially announced appointment being as Deputy Commander - in - Chief - Operations at Air Command , but this was cancelled in order for him to be appointed the first Director - General of the new Military Aviaton Authority , an independent organisation responsible for regulating and assuring operational and technical air safety within the UK military . Anderson was promoted to Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath ( KCB ) in the 2013 New Year Honours List and is due to relinquish his appointment in April 2013 . Personal . Anderson is the President of the RAF Rugby Union and President of the Northern Ireland Wing of the Air Training Corps . He is also a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society . He is married with two adult daughters ; other interests include cycling , golf , motor racing , leisure flying and cooking .