Torpy joined the
Royal Air Force as a
pilot officer on 8 September 1974, and spent his early career undertaking flying duties in
Jaguar aircraft before
qualifying as a weapons instructor on
Hawk aircraft.
flight lieutenant on 8 December 1975, and
squadron leader on 1 July 1983. , a type flown by Torpy in the 1990s Torpy's early commands included a tour as a squadron leader with
No. 41 Squadron flying Jaguar aircraft before being appointed Officer Commanding
No. 13 Squadron in 1989. Torpy saw active service during the
Gulf War with No. 13 Squadron and was subsequently appointed a Companion of the
Distinguished Service Order. He was made personal staff officer to the
Air Officer Commanding RAF Strike Command in 1992. Torpy was appointed station commander at
RAF Bruggen, Germany, in 1995. After promotion to
air commodore on 1 January 1997, he attended the
Royal College of Defence Studies in 1997. and became Assistant Chief of Defence Staff (Operations) at the Ministry of Defence in 2000. and also served as the air component commander for
Operation Telic (British operations in Iraq). He was promoted to
air vice marshal on 1 January 2001, and to
air marshal on 18 July 2003. From 2003 to 2004 Torpy was deputy commander-in-chief at
RAF Strike Command. He was appointed
Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in the
2005 New Year Honours. With promotion to
air chief marshal on 13 April 2006, Torpy became
Chief of the Air Staff and an air
aide-de-camp to
Her Majesty the Queen on 13 April 2006. In July 2008, Torpy hosted the RAF's biggest air display in two decades, as a procession of aircraft flew past the queen to commemorate the service's 90th anniversary. Controversially, in June 2009, he argued for consolidation of all British air power in the hands of the RAF, effectively questioning the future of the
Royal Navy's jet aircraft. Torpy retired from the RAF in July 2009, and became senior military advisor to
BAE Systems. He was also Chairman of the Trustees of the
RAF Museum and a governor of
Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School. ==Personal life==