Latest Reports
Wiltshire Air Ambulance
- Category: Aircraft In Focus
Wiltshire’s Air Ambulance was the result of an agreement in 1990 between Wiltshire Police and the Great Western Ambulance Service as a way for medical assistance to come faster in rural areas by sharing a helicopter. The annual operating cost of £1.5 Million was provided by 66% of funding by Wiltshire Police and 33% by the Wiltshire Air Ambulance Charitable Trust. This 33% worked out to be around £700,000 required each year which came completely from public donations.
Whirlwind XJ729
- Category: Aircraft In Focus
Whirlwind’s story began in America when the Sikorsky H-19 Chickasaw made it’s maiden flight on 10th November 1949. The aircraft entered service a year later with the US Army and Air Force which took delivery of more than 1000 airframes and later saw action in Vietnam.
RAF's New Chinook HC6
- Category: Aircraft In Focus
Defence minister Philip Hammond today unveiled the first of 14 brand new Boeing Chinook HC6’s for the Royal Air Force. 12 of the 14 are to replace the Westland Merlin’s when they transfer to the Royal Navy and 2 to replace airframes lost in Afghanistan.
Black Peter
- Category: Aircraft In Focus
For 2014, 230 Squadron based at RAF Benson in Oxfordshire have painted a Eurocopter Puma HC2 in a special colour scheme to commemorate their 95th anniversary.
Newly upgraded ZJ955 was painted black and Far East Asia Command roundel and markings applied, similar to a Shorts Sunderland named ‘Black Peter’ from the squadron’s past.
RAF's Puma HC2 Upgrade
- Category: Aircraft In Focus
During the 1960’s, the French Army (Armée de Terre) released a requirement for an all-weather day/night battlefield helicopter. French manufacturer Aérospatiale (Created from a merger of Sud aviation and Nord) proposed the SA330 Puma. The Puma fitted the criteria perfectly, with it’s two large sliding side-doors, narrow streamed line body and retracting undercarriage, it was built for speed and agility in mind.
Whilst the project was working up, the United Kingdom entered talks with Aérospatiale about acquiring a helicopter to fit their requirements for a medium, all weather, battlefield helicopter.
HH-101A Caesar
- Category: Aircraft In Focus
On 23rd January 2014, the first Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) AW101 for Italy made it’s maiden flight at AgustaWestland’s factory in Yeovil, Somerset. Officially named the AgustaWestland HH-101A Caesar, the Italian Air Force has ordered 15 examples to replace the Sikorsky HH-3 Pelican for personnel recovery and special forces operations.
The first aircraft’s UK test registration is ZR352 and it’s sister aircraft shortly to begin test flying will wear ZR353. These first two are set for delivery in the fourth quarter of 2014.
Canberra PR9 XH134
- Category: Aircraft In Focus
On Monday 31st July 2006, Canberra PR.9’s XH134 and XH135 arrived at Kemble Airfield to their new owners and at exactly 11:58hrs, XH131 followed them into Kemble, making it the final flight of the type in RAF service. XH131 and XH135 were both initially purchased by Nigel Spurr who shortly after sold them to XH134’s owner, Mike Davis and were looked after by Delta Jets.
Vickers VC10: End of an era
- Category: Aircraft In Focus
On the 25th September 2013, ZA147/F the last Vickers VC10, made it’s final landing at Bruntingthorpe bringing an end to the type’s 51 years and 3 months in the air.
Originally a ship manufacturer, Vickers eventually moved into aviation producing airships, then a French Monoplane design. But Vickers’s earnt it’s reputation firstly in World War 1 producing more than 4,500 airframes and afterwards converting a Vickers Vimy to cross the North Atlantic non-stop.
Op Herrick 19
- Category: Exercises
The 7th Armoured Brigade, otherwise known as ‘The Desert Rats’ have been taking part in their Final Training Exercise (FTX) on Salisbury Plain before their deployment to Hellmand Province in Afghanistan to take over the role of Task Force Helmand (TFH).
RAF Shawbury
- Category: Airfields
Royal Air Force Shawbury, in Shropshire, is home to the DHFS (Defence Helicopter Flying School). Here, 660 Squadron (Army Air Corps), 705 Naval Air Squadron (Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm) and 60 (R) Squadron (Royal Air Force) train student pilots to fly helicopters using the Eurocopter Squirrel HT1 and Bell 412EP Griffin HT1.
Finnish Hawks at RAF Valley
- Category: Exercises
On Monday 02nd September 2013 six BAe Hawk Mk51’s from the Finnish Air Force arrived at RAF Valley in Wales for a weeks exercise with 4 Sqn.
Armée de Terre at Middle Wallop
- Category: Exercises
As part of an ongoing development of interoperability between the UK and French armed forces, the Army Air Corps invited a contingent of French Helicopters to AAC Middle Wallop.
60 Years of SAR
- Category: Aircraft In Focus
2013 marks the 60th anniversary of Royal Navy Helicopter Search and Rescue (SAR) . Between January and March 2013 alone military Search and Rescue units attended 389 incidents, resulting in 433 callouts and 403 persons being moved which shows just how important SAR is to the United Kingdom. Rick Ingham Photography took a closer look at 771NAS and their life saving work...
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