Draft:Scott Bateman MBE
Comment: In accordance with Wikipedia's Conflict of interest guideline, I disclose that I have a conflict of interest regarding the subject of this article. ScottieBateman (talk) 19:39, 19 July 2026 (UTC)
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Scott Bateman MBE is a British author, television producer and former Royal Air Force pilot. He founded the volunteer emergency medical response charity First Response, was involved in the development of Wiltshire Police's unmanned aircraft capability, produced aviation documentaries including The New Air Force One: Flying Fortress, The Last 747 and Project Artemis: Back to the Moon, and has written the aviation books Hercules and JUMBO.
Aviation career
[edit]Bateman joined the Royal Air Force in 1990, initially serving as an air loadmaster before being selected for pilot training. During an eighteen-year military career he served predominantly as a Hercules pilot, including service with No. 47 Squadron RAF, and later flew the Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander before leaving the Royal Air Force in 2008.[1][2]
Following his departure from the Royal Air Force, Bateman continued his flying career in commercial aviation. His operational experience as a Hercules pilot later formed the basis of his first book, Hercules, and informed much of his subsequent broadcasting, documentary production and aviation writing.[1][3]
First Response
[edit]Following the death of his father from a heart attack while awaiting an ambulance in a rural community, Bateman developed the concept for a volunteer emergency medical response organisation intended to provide life-saving care before the arrival of ambulance services. In 1998, he founded First Response, a volunteer emergency medical response charity that recruited and trained community volunteers to attend medical emergencies, particularly in areas where ambulance response times could be prolonged.[4][5]
Independent reporting documented the organisation's development beyond its original area of operation, with schemes and initiatives associated with First Response reported in both England and Scotland.[5][4]
Bateman was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2000 Birthday Honours.[6]
Wiltshire Police
[edit]Bateman joined Wiltshire Police as a voluntary police officer. He was subsequently appointed Strategic Special Superintendent, becoming the senior officer responsible for the Wiltshire Special Constabulary and the force's volunteer policing capability.[7][8]
During his tenure he was involved in the development of the force's unmanned aircraft capability, including the introduction of operational drone deployment. The unit began operating in 2017 after its pilots had been trained and authorised to operate under Civil Aviation Authority requirements.[8][7]
Bateman wrote the unit's operations manual. In 2018, Wiltshire Police was authorised to train emergency-service drone pilots and became the first British police force permitted to train members of the public as drone pilots. By that point, the volunteer-led unit had supported more than 300 police deployments.[7][9][10]
Television production
[edit]Bateman is a producer of factual aviation and aerospace documentaries. He produced The New Air Force One: Flying Fortress, a 2021 National Geographic documentary about the replacement of the United States presidential aircraft fleet.[2]
Aviation Week reported that he used military and diplomatic contacts to obtain White House approval and access to the Presidential Airlift Group and Boeing's VC-25B conversion programme.[2] The publication also devoted an episode of its Check 6 podcast to an interview with Bateman about the documentary and the programme's access.[11]
Bateman subsequently served as executive producer of The Last 747 and Project Artemis: Back to the Moon.[12][13]
Writing
[edit]Bateman writes narrative works on military and commercial aviation. His first book, Hercules, combines a history of the Lockheed C-130 Hercules with accounts from Bateman's Royal Air Force career. The book was the subject of a feature in The Telegraph and was reviewed by The Naval Review.[14][15]
His second book, JUMBO, a history of the Boeing 747, was published by Penguin in February 2026.[16][17]
Honours
[edit]Bateman was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2000 Birthday Honours.[6]
Bibliography
[edit]- Hercules (Michael Joseph, 2024; paperback, Penguin, 2025), ISBN 978-1-405-95798-4.[3]
- JUMBO (Penguin, 2026), ISBN 978-0-241-67328-7.[17]
Selected filmography
[edit]- The New Air Force One: Flying Fortress (2021) — producer.[2]
- The Last 747 (2023) — executive producer.[12]
- Project Artemis: Back to the Moon (2022) — executive producer.[13]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "SCOTT BATEMAN" (PDF). Penguin Books. 10 April 2025.
- ^ a b c d "Glimpses of the Next Air Force One in New Documentary". Aviation Week Network. 15 February 2021.
- ^ a b "Hercules". Penguin Books. 7 May 2025.
- ^ a b "My Wiltshire Life - Scott Bateman". Wiltshire Times. 9 July 2008.
- ^ a b "When saving time can save lives". The Herald. 29 November 2008.
- ^ a b "Birthday Honours, issue 55879, supplement, page 6". The London Gazette. 19 June 2000.
- ^ a b c "Lift off for Wiltshire Police drone school". Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Wiltshire and Swindon. March 2018.
- ^ a b "Police take crime fighting to the skies with launch of new drone unit". Wiltshire Times. 7 May 2017.
- ^ "Wiltshire Police to start drone school". ITV News. 31 March 2018.
- ^ "Police drone pilot school first able to train public". Swindon Advertiser. 2018.
- ^ "Podcast: Air Force One: Flying Fortress". Aviation Week Network. 16 February 2021.
- ^ a b "The Last 747". Paramount Global Content. 2023.
- ^ a b "Project Artemis". Paramount Global Content. 2022.
- ^ "The astonishing story of the RAF Hercules's most dramatic peacetime adventure". The Telegraph. 20 May 2024.
- ^ "Hercules: The Inside Story of an RAF Legend". The Naval Review. 23 December 2025.
- ^ "Scott Bateman". Penguin Books.
- ^ a b "Jumbo by Scott Bateman". Waterstones. 19 February 2026.