Melbourne born and educated Richard De Crespigny got his first taste of a future flying career as a fourteen year old when his father took him on a tour of the RAAD Academy at Point Cook in Victoria.
In 1975, aged seventeen, he joined the RAAF. One year later, he started flying. During his eleven years with the RAAF, he was seconded as Aide-de-Camp to two Australian Governors-General - Sir Zelman Cowen and Sir Ninian Stephen. Richard remained with the RAAF until 1986 when he joined Qantas.