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Mainpoint Autumn 2015 1

Mainpoint

S t a t i o n S n i p p e t S | c o M M U n i t Y a n D c H a R i t Y | S p t W g S p e c i a l

The Official Magazine of RAF Halton Autumn 2015

SupportWing Special

Air cadetGraduation link

Families

Television personality and Air Cadet Ambassador, Honorary Group Captain Carol Vorderman, attended the latest graduation parade at RAF Halton

An opportunity for the Station to give something back to the families who provide such wonderful support to its personnel

Day The grand opening of the Halton

Lodge eight berth welfare caravan took place at Pagham near

Chichester in Sussex

Welfare caravan opens

Mainpoint Autumn 20152

One team, training people for Defence

Group Captain A S Burns MSc MA BSc RAF

Publishing TeamPublished

Lance Publishing Limited, 1st Floor, Tailby House, Bath Road, Kettering,

Northants, NN16 8NLtel: 01536 512624

email: [email protected]: www.lancepublishing.co.uk

AdvertisingTammie Ridler

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DesignedLance Publishing Ltd

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Foreword

Editor FS Greg Saunders IMLC DS

Airmen’s Command Squadrontel: 01296 656380

email: [email protected]

Deputy Editor Cpl Laura Taylor

Welfare and Support Personneltel: 01296 656929

email: [email protected]

DistributionCourtesy of the Central Registry

and Fire Section

Photography SupportKate Rutherford, Chris Yarrow

& Luka Waycott.tel: 01296 656117

Editorial Team

Disclaimer:This publication is copyright Lance Publishing Limited and may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form in whole or in part without prior written permission of Lance Publishing Limited. While every care has been taken during the preparation of this magazine, Lance Publishing Limited cannot be held responsible for accuracy of the information herein or for any consequence arising from it. Views Expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the Royal Air Force or the Ministry of Defence. All images © Crown Copyright unless otherwise stated.

Station Commander’s Foreword


Mainpoint

S t a t i o n S n i p p e t S | c o M M U n i t Y a n D c H a R i t Y | a R M e D F o R c e S D a Y

The Official Magazine of RAF Halton Autumn 2015

OC SupportWing Special

Air cadetGraduation link

Families

Television personality and Air Cadet Ambassador, Honorary Group Captain Carol Vorderman, attended the latest graduation parade at RAF Halton

An opportunity for the Station to give something back to the families who provide such wonderful support to its personnel

Day The grand opening of the Halton

Lodge eight berth welfare caravan took place at Pagham near

Chichester in Sussex

Welfare caravan opens

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And then it was Autumn! Looking through this edition it reaffirms my recollection that we had a true mix of brilliant sunshine and truly horrendous weather.

Indeed, our Families Day, which takes place every 2 years, was a prime example of the

latter. That said, and as I would expect it was a great success story and I left feeling uplifted and inspired by the dedication and enthusiasm of our volunteers who are so committed to delivering for our Station. This was all the more so as it included all elements of the Stn (Tri-Service Regular & Reserve, Civil Service, Contractor, Familes and local organisations).

That sense of pride and ownership is evident in large areas of the Station and something that I genuinely wish we could bottle. We would make a fortune. It is certainly the reason why so many people want to live and work at Halton and

why we have such an excellent reputation across the 3 Services.

My personal desire to live up to such high ideals has been key in me working to deliver the resources and processes you have asked for in order to deliver for the Station. I believe we are almost there and it has been rewarding to see the number of initiatves people are wishing and willing to do when we allocate relatively small amounts of money to them. From self-help, through to non-invasive self-help, initiatives and innovations are everywhere and I would encourage you all to take ownership of your workplaces and get involved. Continuing to invest time and effort into these small improvements will make a marked improvement in work life and Station life as a whole.

Officer Commanding Support Wing, Wing Commander Stacey and her team have taken the lead with this Edition, raising awareness of the valuable support they offer RAF Halton. From the vital administrative and medical support offered day in and day out, to the generation of income from our valuable assets, which helps funds our initaives. As a team they are indispensable and the work they do - often behind the scenes - helps to make RAF Halton the success it is.

As important as it is to continually strive for marginal gains in our enviroment and working practices, it is even more important to celebrate the successes we achieve as individuals and as a team. I encourage and challenge you to find ways to do this for yourselves and for your staff. If we look for and celebrate success, we will see more of it! Mainpoint is a great tool for this; it is your magazine, and by putting forward your news and stories we will all be informed as to how you and your team contribute across the spectrum of Halton life.


STATIOn SnIPPETS

6 RAF Halton chefs win awards at RAF competition

6 AOC22 (Trg) Gp visits Airmen’s Command Squadron

7 The Padre and the pigeon

7 Raf Halton Police supporting RSPCA

8 Annual Reception success

8 Sky’s the limit for the Chief Executive

9 Families Day

12 Air Cadet Graduation link

13 Halton splice the Mainbrace

13 Joan returns to RAF Halton

14 RAF cycling downhill team pedal their way to success

14 Top Dog

Autumn 2015contents

15 Top Guns go solo

16 Meet the new OC PSF and OC P1

17 Inter-station Tennis champs

18 OC Support Wing

COMMunITy & CHARITy

24 RAF Halton Flying Club host young flyers

25 Welfare caravan opens

26 RAF Halton in Armed Forces Day flag raising ceremonies

27 Gurkhas collect for nepalese people

29 RAF logistics students visit Chilterns MS Centre

30 Continuing conservation

31 Summer activities 2015

Mainpoint Autumn 2015Mainpoint Autumn 20156 7

Station snippetsStation snippets

Aylesbury and Halton branch RAFA clubs remember D Day

On 6th June the Aylesbury and Halton Royal Air Force Association Branches

held a commemorative dinner to remember D Day. The club

AOC 22 (Trg) Gp Visits Airmen’s Command SquadronAOC 22 (Trg) Gp visited

Airmen’s Command Squadron (ACS) on Wed

1 Jul 15. The visit showcased Ex CONFIDENT COMMAND, a collaborative training event designed to improve the realism and quality of leadership training delivered on both the Junior Management Leadership Course (JMLC) and Intermediate Management Leadership Course (IMLC).

The AOC was briefed by the Sqn OC on how training methods had been modernised and adapted to suit adult learners, who are motivated enthusiastic students. He then observed the Sgts on their IMLC

course briefing a mission to their Cpl counterparts on the JMLC course. One of several interactions between the courses as part of the Exercise. These interactions are designed to add realism and better reflect the relationships between the ranks in the modern RAF whilst better challenging SNCOs.

The AOC opened the ‘Hub’ a former media studio developed with extensive, expert support from RAF Halton’s C4I section. This facility allows real time CCTV feeds from syndicate rooms to be monitored by course instructors. Injects designed to test personnel in a safe training enviroment

are delivered to students via a range of media. Their reactions and solutions are monitored by DS who provide feedback on performance.

As part of an inject the AOC played the British Detachment Commander and received a brief on the current situation within the scenario from students. Injects are drawn from all material taught on

the course including welfare and disciplinary interviews, SJAR debrief and dealing with various emergencies.

Ex Confident Command has successfully enhanced the training that ACS provides to SNCOs and the Sqn will now look to further develop the exercise to increase interactions or ‘touch points’ between the courses to further enhanc e the training experience .

house was turned into a bunker with camouflage netting over the entrance as part of the Atlantic wall complete with gun emplacement. Maps of the D-day coast showing the defences in minute detail were hung on the walls inside.

Chairman of the Halton Club, Derf Mockford, said: “The tickets for the dinner were replica ration books entitling the holder to one meal in the naafi bunker

Two civilian ESS contract chefs from RAF Halton entered the Royal Air Force culinary

competition held at the Food Service Wing at Worthy Down. This was the first entry from RAF Halton since the catering training squadron was moved to Worthy Down at the end of 2011.

Mark Bucket, Head Chef at Halton House Officers’ Mess and Damien Mankowski, Head Chef at the Maitland Mess, both competed in the open pasta competition. As first time competitors, they were both well prepared but very nervous, being the only civilian competitors.

The standard on the day was extremely high in all classes, and both Mark and Damien were very impressed and a little bit anxious at seeing so many well executed dishes. However, when the time came for their class, they both quickly set to work on the dishes they had devised and developed. With attentiveness and care they both produced their dishes on time and to a high standard.

Both were immensely proud of their achievements’ and when

RAF Halton chefs win awards at RAF competition

the awards were called out at the ceremony, Damien had achieved a bronze medal for his Ravioli filled with pancetta and soft egg yolk, on a bed of creamed spinach served with a hollandaise sauce, while Mark received a silver medal for his braised beef tortellini with seasonal vegetables and a clear beef broth.

An excellent result for their first time, and both are now looking forward to competing at the Joint Caterer competition at Shrivenham.

and 40 sat down for the meal dressed in period costume. An air raid warden sounded an original hand operated siren from WW2 to signal an air raid so the doors were closed to stop the food being contaminated by dust from the bomb blast. After the meal there was a raffle with the main prize being a duplicate Red Cross prisoner of war parcel, complete with a false bottom containing escape gear.”

The Padre and the pigeon

I love running! I know its not everyone’s thing. I know its not my wife’s thing, but I

love running and not just for the physical benefits it brings. I love the freedom I enjoy when running; I love the music I listen to; I love the time and ‘space’ I get to think, or not think! And when you are new to an area it’s a great way to explore and get to know new surroundings as you never really know what you might find around the corner.

At the start of a recent run I came across a flurry of white and grey feathers. Feathers that suggested something feathery had lost an argument with a motor vehicle! Sure enough I noticed a rather poor looking pigeon attempting (with its one good wing) to shuffle its way across the verge. I’m no expert, but it didn’t look good. Now I must confess when I’m on a training run I don’t tend to stop, for anyone or anything and so I didn’t! In effect I ran by ‘on the other side’. But as is often the case when you try to avoid something or duck a decision, it niggled and so throughout the run I just kept thinking about this pigeon!

All manner of thoughts and questions ensued. What to do? Is there someone you can take an injured pigeon to? Would a vet be interested? Perhaps I should just leave it and let nature takes its course? Inevitably I began to think that the kindest thing to do (the right thing?) might be to ‘put it out of its misery’. Which was all well and good, but the question was how? How do you kill a pigeon? Bare hands or use a weapon? Padres are non-combatants for goodness sake! As you can probably tell the plight of this pigeon was ruining my run!

Ultimately I knew something had to be done even if I wasn’t quite sure what or how, but of course my ornithological dilema is nothing new. Life is full of moments, of choices, when we must decide what to do for the best; what to say and when to say it; whether or when to get involved. And while it is all too easy to leave it to someone else, to walk by ‘on the other side’ there are times when we know, deep down, if not us then who? There are times we must choose to act.

As I headed back to my injured feathered friend, resolved to do something I was reminded that moral courage isn’t just knowing what needs to be done, but being ready, willing and able, even when its hard, unpleasant or unpopular to do it. To my relief by the time I returned nature had taken its course and my exterminating efforts (thankfully) were no longer needed but my hope for all of us is that if and when we face such moments in life we not only know what the right thing to do is but that we will find the moral courage to do it.

RAF Halton Police supporting RSPCAS TAFF at the RAF Halton

Police Flight have been busy supporting local

charities as they carried out a series of collections on the main gates of RAF Halton in aid of the RSPCA. The National RSPCA week ran from 1st June and included collections throughout the county where donations of food and money were also welcomed from the general public.

Corporal Dan Hill and his retired RAF Police Dog, Frisco, collected at the main gate along with Corporal James Bowers. Another RAF Police team consisted of Flight Sergeant Dawn Bellingham and her labrador, Charlie and Sergeant “Dally” Pollard and her border collie, Dylan, who collected on the Swann Road gate.

The dogs worked very hard and it was noticeable how much the RAF Halton staff appreciated the sight of these animals on arrival at the gates. The aim was to raise £100 for the charity and in the early morning sunshine, the collection teams were well received with many donating loose change down the back of their passenger seat, or gave up their dinner money to go towards this worthy cause.

RSPCA Blackberry Farm in Aylesbury opened in 1997 and is a Head Office run centre. This means that the running costs are paid for by the main RSPCA but they also have a local fund raising group, made up of staff and volunteers, who raise funds for projects and items directly for the centre - such as the K9 Sensory Garden.

This is where the money raised by the collection at RAF Halton is going to be used and give the dogs in their care

new areas to exercise, relax and carry out their normal instincts away from the kennel environments. The majority of their animals come in via their Inspectorate - those animals that have been treated cruelly or neglected.

The RSPCA spend time rehabilitating them, behaviourally and with veterinary treatment until they are ready to be put up for adoption. Blackberry Farm can hold up to 57 dogs, 96 cats and various small animals - such as rabbits, ferrets, guinea pigs, hamsters, gerbils, degas, chinchillas, goats, chickens and ducks. They can take a maximum of 200 animals, depending on the small animal species but on average, they have around 130 animals on site, at any one time.

After the gate collections at RAF Halton, Dan Hill and Will Hughes, with his RAF Vehicle Search Dog, Sweep, carried out a walk around areas of the Station so that personnel who had missed the gate collections could donate – in exchange for a cuddle with Sweep! Many of the personnel were only too happy to take time away from their work and talk about dogs and the animals in care at Blackberry Farm.

On Thursday 11th June, the RAF Police took a trip to Blackberry Farm with their dogs in order to meet the Centre Manager Julie Allen, and to hand over a cheque for £207.08 – over double the amount initially hoped to raise. The Centre Manager was extremely grateful with the fund raising and sent her appreciation to all the staff at RAF Halton who donated.


Station snippets Station snippetsFamilies DayT he RAF Halton Families Day,

which takes place every two years, is an opportunity

for the Station to give something back to the families who provide such wonderful support to its personnel throughout their time at RAF Halton. Despite a very rainy day, the Station community of RAF, RN, Army Regulars, Reserves, Civil Service, Contractors and families were treated to an afternoon of family entertainment.

While the weather was not good enough for the air displays and some of the Queen’s Birthday fly past aircraft that were booked, the community enjoyed performances by the RAF Halton Pipes and Drums band, the

Sky’s the limit

T he Chief Executive of Buckinghamshire County Council, Chris Williams,

was invited to the airfield at RAF Halton this week for an air experience flight with Officer Commanding Operations Wing, Squadron Leader Gary Coleman. The Station Commander offered Chris the chance to go on a training sortie earlier on in the month and so the date was set.

Squadron Leader Coleman said: “I will be taking Chris over the Vale of Aylesbury, Chequers, Waddesdon, Milton Keynes and Thame. He’ll be able to see the planned route for High Speed 2 (HS2).”

After the flight Chris thanked Squadron Leader Coleman, saying: “Thank you so much for flying me over Buckinghamshire, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. It was a real treat for me to see my county from the air and to fly over so many of my current projects (HS2. Calvert incinerator, Silverstone and East-West Rail to name but a few).”

Military Wives Choir, birds of prey displays and a model aircraft display in addition to motor stands which included Ferraris, Harley Davidson motorcycles and vintage motors.

The RAF Police Dogs provided a dynamic display along with other sideshows and events which entertained everyone and raised hundreds of pounds for charity.

Wing Commander Ray Morley, event organiser, said: “The families’ day was a great success for hundreds of visitors, despite the constant rain and lack of flying. This is an appropriate reflection of the hard work of the organising committee, for which the Station is very grateful”.

L ocal dignitaries, business people and other county VIP’s have attended the Annual

Reception at RAF Halton House Officers’ Mess. After arriving at the House the guests chatted to Station executives before joining the Station Commander, Group Captain Adrian Burns on the patio for a Sunset Ceremony. A Station honour guard lowered the ensign to the accompaniment of the RAF Halton Pipes and Drums and a fly past by a Spitfire from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.

Group Captain Burns addressed the guests and expressed his: “Heartfelt thanks to everyone in attendance for their continued support for the Station and the hard work of his personnel for making the Annual Reception the success it was.”

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Station snippets Station snippets

Air cadet

Television personality and Air Cadet Ambassador, Honorary Group Captain

Carol Vorderman, attended the latest graduation parade at RAF Halton as the guest of the Reviewing Officer and Officer Commanding the Air Cadet Organisation; Air Commodore Dawn McCafferty.

With no less than twelve ex-Air Cadets graduating on the regular RAF recruit graduation parade, Air Commodore McCafferty expressed great pride

and welcomed all on parade into the Royal Air Force family.

As a pilot herself, with two sons who were Air Cadets and a daughter having just spent four years on a University Air Squadron learning to fly; Group Caption Carol Vorderman said she was thrilled to be asked to be a spokesperson for the organisation. Both Air Commodore McCafferty and Group Captain Vorderman spent time after the parade meeting with the graduating RAF personnel and their families along

S tation Commander, Group Captain Adrian Burns, joined Halton House President of

the Mess Committee, Squadron Leader Andrew Crabtree, and a number of mixed naval ranks and rates, to ‘Splice The Mainbrace’ recently in celebration of the birth of HRH Princess Charlotte of Cambridge.

In Naval tradition, each consumed a ‘tot’ of rum to toast the new royal baby.

Leading Writer Lynn Westhead, who attended the ceremony, said: “I have ‘Spliced the Mainbrace’ on ships a few times in my Royal Navy career, and there can’t be many Royal Naval personnel who have ‘Spliced’ in an RAF establishment so it was something a bit special. There is only a handful of Royal Naval and Royal Marine personnel based here at Halton so it was

Halton splice the mainbrace

graduation linkwith Air Cadets on their summer camp at RAF Halton.

Although the Air Cadet Organisation is not a recruitment organisation for the RAF, approximately 50% of the RAF officer intake comprises of former Air Cadets with around 30% of airmen and airwomen also former cadets and at least half of the Red Arrows.

Chief of the Air Staff, Sir Andrew Pulford is also a former Air Cadet along with former 007 actor Timothy Dalton, late actor Richard

Burton and actor Robson Green to name but a few.

The RAF Air Cadet Organisation comprises the Air Training Corps and the Combined Cadet Force (RAF) and has approximately 1,200 squadrons and sections across the UK in communities and schools.

The aim is to promote and encourage among young people a practical interest in aviation and the RAF; provide training useful in the Services and in civilian life, to foster a spirit of adventure and to develop qualities of leadership and citizenship.

The RAF Air Cadets is one of the finest youth organisations in the UK and held in very high regard by foreign cadet forces. Creating good citizens of the future is their business.

nice that we all got together to take part in a Naval tradition.”

‘Splice the Mainbrace’ is an order given aboard naval vessels to issue the crew with a drink. Originally an order for one of the most difficult emergency repair jobs aboard a sailing ship, it became a euphemism for authorized celebratory drinking afterward, and then the name of an order to grant the crew an extra ration of rum or grog.Eventually the order to “Splice the Mainbrace” came to mean that the crew would receive an extra ration of rum, and was issued on special occasions: after victory in battle, the change of a monarch, a royal birth, a royal wedding or an inspection of the fleet. In cases where the whole fleet was to receive the signal, it would be run up with a lift of flags or signalled by semaphore.

Joan returns to RAF Halton

Joan Herbert, aged 95, from Beaconsfield returned to visit RAF Halton 74 years

after being trained there as one of the first women aircraft fitters during the second world war. Her father Archibald Osbourne also joined the Royal Flying Corps and worked as the technical equipment officer in the old workshops at Halton during WW1.

Joan joined the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) just after the Battle of Britain in 1941 and did her initial flight mechanic training at No.6 School of Technical Training at RAF Hednesford near Cannock. She was posted to No.20 Maintenance Unit at RAF Aston Down in Gloucester where she joined a fitters team in the maintenance hangar, her first job she recalls, removing wing inspection plates on a Fairey Battle aircraft.

After six months her superiors felt she was ready for

more technical training and she arrived at RAF Halton for fitters course No. 2A alongside the apprentice airmen of the RAF, before returning to RAF Aston Down as an ACW 1 (Aircraftwoman 1st class) airframe fitter.

Joan recalls that her petite stature had benefits when working on aircraft, she said: “I had an advantage over the bigger chaps as I could squeeze into the tail of the fuselage to unbolt the entire tail section.”

Her unit was soon on the move to the Operational Training Unit at RAF Milfield in Northumberland, carrying out major inspections on Spitfires and Hurricanes. Her war service ended at the Central Fighter Establishment at RAF Tangmere in December 1945 where Joan was demobilised, became a secretary, married her boss and settled down to raise a family.



Mainpoint Summer 2015 15

Iron Maiden lands at HaltonE arlier this month a Fokker

Triplane landed at RAF Halton airfield, the same

aircraft type as flown by the famous Red Baron. The visit by the Fokker Triplane was unplanned, and the pilot was a gentleman called Bruce Dickinson; whom some might know as the lead singer of the world-famous rock band ‘Iron Maiden’.

Mr Dickinson is a very experienced pilot who holds the coveted Air Transport Pilots’ Licence with some 7000 flying hours under his belt. Until recently he was a Boeing 737 pilot and now owns Cardiff Aviation at RAF St Athan. Mr

Top guns go soloT he Junior Ranks’ Pilot

Scholarship Scheme 2015, which has been funded by

the Royal Air Force Charitable Trust (RAFCT) in partnership with the RAF Flying Clubs Association (RAFFCA), selected 16 lucky applicants from the 100 who had applied during early 2015. The aim was to provide training to achieve solo standard in a light aircraft at one of the RAF Flying Clubs around the UK and the first three to fly solo were SAC Daniel Mumford (RAF Marham), Cpl Daniel Gibbons (RAF Leeming) and Cpl Amy Foster (RAF Brize Norton).

All of the flying undertaken can be logged towards the award of a full flying licence such as the National Private Pilot’s Licence (NPPL). The training took place at flying clubs based at RAF Halton, RAF Cosford, RAF Waddington, RAF Leuchars and Kinloss Barracks. At RAF Halton three scholars worked hard over a three-week period to fly solo in the Club’s Tecnam Sierra aircraft – itself, part funded by the RAF Benevolent Fund, RAF Central Funds and the RAF Sports Board.

Chairman of the RAF Halton Aero Club, Group Captain Mark Manwaring, said “Providing this training was a great opportunity for the Halton Aero Club to help our junior ranks achieve their dream of flying solo. Our students went solo in record time and by continuing to use our low-cost training, they plan to go on to achieve their pilot’s licences.” All 3 students have made arrangements to continue flying training and hope to use their licences to participate in competition and instructional flying at RAF flying clubs.

RAF Cycling Downhill

Team pedal their way to success

The RAF Cycling Downhill Team are set to make a strong start to the 2015

season. The aim is to maximise success by optimising the bike and the rider. In order to achieve this, the team is working in partnership with UK bike company Saracen to ensure that team riders are on the World Cup and World Championship winning Saracen Myst downhill bike. The bike, which is built from a mix of aluminium and carbon fibre, features the latest downhill specific geometry and suspension, and has the new faster rolling 27.5” wheels.

In order to unlock the potential of the RAF riders, the team has taken a structured approach to training by working in conjunction with Ian Warby, a Mountain Bike Consultant from the newly formed ‘B1ke’. Ian’s track record of success with riders at the very highest level paid

dividends at the team’s recent training week at Aston Hill Bike Park near RAF Halton where, also competing, was Cpl James Harvey from the RAF Regiment based at RAF Halton..

Flight Lieutenant Baz Fenton from Linton On Ouse said: “After explaining the training process, Ian coached the team in the techniques necessary to improve race results. Measuring improvement in downhill racing is very difficult without extremely accurate timings systems. Fortunately, through funding obtained from the RAF Sports Board, the team have recently taken delivery of a custom Freelap Timing Kit. Using sensors fitted to special watches, each rider was able to time themselves to one hundredth of a second through the different sections of the track. The results were startling and by employing the correct techniques, riders

were able to shave vital seconds off their time. Using this incremental approach over the full length of a downhill course the racers recorded much improved times.”

Cpl Harvey admitted before the training that he: “Struggled to achieve good race results but surprised everyone by consistently recording the fastest sector times.” LAC Luke Yelland, RAF Brize Norton, is the newest member of the team and demonstrated some real potential with his flowing style and ability. Cpl Andy Lochhead, RAF Lossiemouth, applied the coaching techniques to excellent effect by achieving his best ever result at the first round of the British Downhill Series with a 7th place in The Masters.

The team is always on the look-out for new riders so please contact DH Team Manager Flt Lt Baz Fenton at [email protected]

Dickinson believed that he did not have enough fuel to complete his journey to White Waltham airfield, so made the correct decision to divert into RAF Halton to take more fuel for which the MOD make no charge under the ‘Strasser Scheme’ - this is a scheme where a diverting aircraft is not charged by the aerodrome operator for diverting with a real emergency. All MOD airfields as well as 99% of the UK’s civilian airfields, are signatory to the scheme.

RAF Halton provided Mr Dickinson with enough fuel to see him on his way when the weather improved.

Squadron Leader Gary Coleman, Officer Commanding Operations Squadron at RAF Halton, said “We applaud Bruce Dickinson’s decision to divert into RAF Halton rather than press to his destination with potentially low fuel. To see such a well-regarded pilot, and world-renowned rock singer, make this decision is great for our student pilots to see – it makes them realise that anyone can find themselves low on fuel due to unforeseen circumstances and that the right decision is to divert. He really does have a magnificent Fokker Triplane so it was a pleasure to provide it with a home for a few nights

until we sent him on his way. This happy outcome is thanks to the work of Charles Strasser, the Vice President of the Aircraft Operators’ and Pilots’ Association (AOPA), in getting the ‘Strasser Scheme’ up and running several years back for the benefit of all.”

RAF Halton is the oldest flying establishment still left in RAF service, going back to Sep 1913. Later, the current airfield on Royal Flying Corps, Halton Park was established around 1916. The airfield was used in the 2006 Hollywood-Blockbuster ‘Flyboys’ starring James Franco and Jean Reno. So RAF Halton’s WWI aviation heritage is well proven.

SAC Mumford said: “I had a few flying hours to my name before arriving at RAF Halton and the first challenge was to get to grips with the Tecnam aircraft. After a handful of circuit sessions the instructor hopped out of the aircraft and I was left on my own. During the take-off and downwind leg of my first solo I was busy going through my checks and it wasn’t until I was on the final leg that it really sunk in that the instructor wasn’t there. Moments later I was back on the ground after a successful first solo. It was a great experience and the JRPSS has put me in a great position to carry on with my progression towards getting my PPL.

SAC Foster said: “Arriving at Halton Aeroplane Club on the first day, one of our briefs included the fact we could expect to do a solo flight in 10-15 hours! The puzzled expression on my face caused my instructor to laugh. Reaching 12.5 hours I knew the big event was fast approaching. After a good circuit session Lucas my instructor, suggested we go in for a break, we landed, he took control and taxied back to the end of the runway, looked at me and said: “It’s your turn now” and jumped out. I can honestly say I’ve never felt such fear and excitement all in one! It was such an amazing day that I’ll always remember.”

With the kind assistance of the RAFCT, the number of scholarships for 2016 has been increased to 24 places – details will be made available on the RAFFCA website (www.raf.mod.uk/rafflyingclubs) in the Autumn.

RAF Halton dog handler, Corporal Will Hughes and his military working dog (MWD)

Sadie, won the ‘Wind Scent Trial’ in the RAF Police Dog trials at RAF Cranwell by a significant margin. Will was also awarded the Provost Marshal’s Dog Inspectors’ Award during the event.

The trials are the culmination of months of technical evaluation carried out across the UK by the Provost Marshal’s Dog Inspectors, with only 12 patrol dogs and their handlers making the grade to compete at these national finals. Flight Sergeant Steven Hancox, the Provost Marshal Dog Inspector, has been up and down the country since February leading the technical evaluations, he said: “This year is particularly special as we haven’t had the trials for a long time. It takes a lot of hard work to be selected to compete so this event means an

Top Dog

awful lot to everyone taking part. To win it is truly special.”

Corporal Hughes reflected on the heats and said: “It’s been a good trials this week and as one of the more experienced handlers here, I’ve been helping the younger competitors. My dog Sadie is eight years old now and she did suffer with the weather a little this week. I’ve worked with her for four years so she’s like my little girl.”

The event sees fierce competition from all RAF Police dog sections and despite the heat, which had affected the dogs, they were all clearly keen, alert and professional. The competitors were joined on the Saturday by the Chief of the Air Staff, Sir Andrew Pulford, most Provost Officers and their families, and the retired RAF Police Dog celebrity ‘Buster’; the official lifetime mascot of the RAF Police, who won the Crufts Friends for Life Award

and was nominated for the prestigious Sun Military Award and holder of at least three operational medals.

The trials were the first to be run for five years due to the previous demands of protracted deployed operations and they are a culmination of testing and evaluation over several months, which result in the best dog teams in the RAF Police competing for top spots during the week culminating on Saturday. The first MWD trial took place at the RAF Police Depot, RAF Netheravon in May 1957. The purpose of the trials was to improve standards across the RAF Police Force and encourage handlers to take an active part in improving their team’s standards of efficiency; the same as it is today.

The RAF Police have a long and impressive history in the use of dogs to support our law enforcement, Counter Intelligence and Protective Security outputs. MWDs have been a significant security enabler since the Second World War and have operated worldwide to support the delivery of air power and wider defence activity. Recently, RAF Police dog teams have performed with distinction in Iraq and Afghanistan utilising a range of capabilities including security patrolling, tracking, drug detection and most significantly, explosive detection. MWD capability is inherently flexible and has been developed to meet a wide range of operational requirements. These generally fall into the categories of protection and detection and may be employed in an overt or covert manner. MWD capability is a Force Protection force multiplier that provides deterrent, but is also able to detect and detain using less than lethal force through a range of capabilities including arms and explosives search, drugs detection, tracking and patrolling.

RAF Police dog teams continue to operate in Diego Garcia, Cyprus, Northern Ireland and the Falkland Islands supporting current operations and defending our overseas territories. Moreover, they continue to protect the RAF’s critical assets in all weathers every day.

“”

The RAF Police have a long and impressive history in the use of dogs to support our

law enforcement, Counter Intelligence

and Protective Security outputs.

Top Dog



Inter-Station Tennis ChampsThe RAF Halton Tennis

Centre hosted the largest turnout in over 10 years as

14 stations and 72 competitors battled it out in the Inter-Station Tennis Championships last week.

Day one of the hotly contested competition saw 24 matches split over 4 groups, consisting of singles and doubles playing 9 games. The aim of the day was simply to win as many matches as possible as every game counted. It was a full day in the glorious sunshine for the competitors, with matches beginning at 9.30am and continuing until 8pm.

Men’s a cupRAF Coningsby, led by the Men’s A team captain, Flt Lt Jon Bond, topped the leaderboard with 100 games won. RAF Benson also fielded a very strong side with 2 A team players, Flt Lt Chris Evans and Fg Off Phil Corral, achieved 99 points and RAF High Wycombe, who saw the return of Flt Lt James Treweek and A team player Flt Lt Andy Keeley, achieved 98 points. The surprise contenders came from RAF Marham where Cpl Leon Morris helped his side rack up 93 games. These four tennis giants had earned the privilege of progressing to the A Cup Semi-Finals.

The Men’s A Cup semi-finals began with a fantastic battle between RAF High Wycombe and RAF Benson, with RAF High Wycombe edging out on top 3-2 and progressing to the final. In the second semi-final, RAF Marham took a small lead against RAF Coningsby before they turned it around, with RAF Coningsby eventually winning the match 4-1 and setting up an extremely interesting final.

The Men’s A Cup came down to the final match with RAF High Wycombe just able to

Meet the new OC PSF and OC P1The last few months

has seen the arrival of a couple of new faces

within Personnel Management Squadron. In May this year Flt Lt Paul Woodhouse arrived from Defence Intelligence, MOD Main Building and quickly settled into the role of OC PSF. More recently, the Sqn also welcomed Flt Lt Meg Henderson who

has taken over as OC P1. Meg arrived at the beginning of August following a six month deployment as SO3 Media Operations for 83 Expeditionary Air Group, covering media output for Iraq, Afghanistan and the Broader Middle East.

So let’s find out a bit about them…

Full name?Megan (Meg) Cara Elizabeth Henderson

Which three words best describe you?Loyal, Enthusiastic, Approachable

What is your focus for this tour?My last two roles have been out of branch media jobs so I’m looking forward to being back in a core Personnel Officer role. This is also my first exposure to a training base (since my own Phase one training) so although the Station’s focus is different to the flying stations where I’ve been posted previously, I expect to be equally busy.

if you had to emigrate, where would you go?I’ve been lucky enough to travel to some incredible places but my favourite so far has to be New Zealand. I hired a campervan with some RAF friends and we drove from Queenstown (South Island) to Auckland (North Island) in two weeks. The scenery was breath taking and there is such a contrast between the two islands. It really was an action packed holiday but crucially we managed to squeeze in a couple of vineyard tours!

What do you think the challenges/rewards of this tour will be?I’ve been warned that no two days are the same in P1 and I have no doubt that some days will be more draining that others but I’m looking forward to the challenge. I didn’t have any staff in my last tour so I’ll be good to be part of a team again.

What do you like doing in your spare time?My fiancé, Joel and I are currently planning our wedding which is taking up an inordinate amount of our free time but when we’re not thumbing through wedding magazines we’re looking forward to exploring the local area with our Beagle Isla. We both enjoy playing sport and running to keep fit. I hate the cold so we also try to escape on as many holidays as we can when the weather gets a bit grim in the UK.

Who inspires you?Flt Lt (Ret’d) Ian Forbes - my maternal grandfather. He was a Halifax pilot during WWII and he is one of the reasons I joined the RAF. He’s 93 now but he still drives, tows his caravan up and down the UK, surfs the internet and plays on his flight simulator!

Full name?Paul Michael Woodhouse

Which three words best describe you?Hard-working, Motivated, Team-player

What is your focus for this tour?Having spent the past four years working in various tri-Service environments, the experience gained has been massively eye-opening. Getting back into the light blue arena will be a good opportunity to focus on the RAF and Personnel Branch, but it will also be a chance to apply some of the good stuff I have picked up along the way!

if you had to emigrate, where would you go?Not really sure to be honest; there’s so many amazing places in the world. Canada or the US would be right up there, but if it had to come down to the best food, then it would definitely have to be Italy. Wow, what great food; pasta, pizza – love it!!

What do you think the challenges/rewards of this tour will be?There are massive rewards on offer here: the chance to work with people, support the community and look after the welfare of everyone and their families. This in itself will present an equally massive challenge, but one that is well worth it.

What do you like doing in your spare time?Spare time? I wish I had more of it! Any time I have is spent with my family (my fiancée Lucy and my 1 year old son Daniel). They’re great and keep me motivated in life. I love watching movies and TV shows, and also the mighty Arsenal (I’ll watch pretty much any sport on TV!). Can’t beat a good bit of gaming to unwind too!

Who inspires you?Thierry Henry. Enough said – the man’s a legend. Aside from him, it absolutely has to be my little boy Daniel. Best thing to ever happen to me – he’s always happy and full of enthusiasm for life. Simply put: he’s awesome!!

tip the balance 3-2 against RAF Coningsby with some excellent exhibition tennis.

Men’s B cupThe Men’s B Cup saw RAF Linton-on-Ouse (captained by A team member Flt Lt Ali Johnson) face RAF Benson in the first semi-final. The contest of the hard fought day was between Flt Lt Andy De Gier and Sgt Mark Malpas, with Linton-on-Ouse progressing to the final after a massive 13-11 tie break in a match lasting over 2 hours. The second semi-final saw RAF Northolt (led by B team member Cpl Luke James) take

on RAF Boulmer. RAF Northolt came out on top with a 4-1 win and moved into the final.

The Men’s B Cup was a hotly contested final which, after 3 ½ hours finally saw RAF Northolt beat RAF Linton-on-Ouse 3-2.

ladies’ cupThe Ladies’ draw saw RAF Brize Norton (driven on by FS Hilary Dimeck) come out on top of the group with RAF Northolt A and B (led by Flt Lt Louise Waterhouse and Sqn Ldr Nikki Lofthouse) in hot pursuit, followed by RAF High Wycombe and a mix of RAF Boulmer and RAF Coningsby. The top 4 would again pit their skills on day two in a 1st v 2nd and 3rd v 4th semi-final play-off.

The Ladies finals saw RAF Brize Norton beat Northolt A 2-1 giving them 1st and 2nd respectively and Northolt B beating RAF High Wycombe 2-1 placing them 3rd and 4th respectively.

Members of the RAF from all branches and trades came together to compete with and against each other promoting a fantastic level of determination, team work and esprit de corps under the banner of RAF Tennis.



W elcome to our Support Wing feature! It’s great to have the

opportunity to show the achievements and efforts of Support Wing staff, and hopefully give you an insight into the huge variety of essential services and functions my team deliver to personnel and families here at RAF Halton. There has been a big turnaround of staff in the Wing

WingWing commander niki Stacey

this summer, and even though I only arrived at in July myself, I have welcomed several new team members already. My first impressions of RAF Halton are that this is an amazingly focussed and motivated Station. People are positive, welcoming and rightly proud of the training we deliver to Defence.

Our feature includes profiles of some of the newcomers to the Wing, good news on many of the projects that we have delivered for the Station, and celebrates a variety of charitable and sporting successes. This is but a sample of the hugely diverse, challenging and important work Support Wing delivers to all of RAF Halton, including Personnel, Infrastructure, Security, Physical Education, Force Development and Training, Medical and Dental services and Community Support. We are here to support and proud to do so.

Julie Smith – pa to oc Spt Wg and RaF Halton SSaFa Service committee chairAs PA to OC Spt Wg my day to day role involves managing diaries, planning meetings and acting as a focal point for OC Spt Wg. However, in addition to my primary role I am a volunteer for SSAFA and am the Chair for the Service Committee at RAF Halton.

We are a small team of volunteers raising both funds and awareness of SSAFA at RAF Halton whilst also providing practical help for families in

their homes when required. We receive full training from SSAFA Central Office which allows us to support, both practically and financially, those members that are serving or have previously served together with their families.

Many of you may already be aware of SSAFA having come across one of our fundraising events including the SSAFA ‘Big Brew Up’ and Krispy Kreme Fundraising Day. What many of you won’t be aware of is that the monies raised is managed by the Committee and remains at RAF Halton for support to the military families and improvement of the welfare facilities.

We are constantly looking for small projects that we are able support across the Station. Previously we have donated funds to the welfare houses, providing toys for use by the younger members of the Service community, funds to help the setting up of the RAF Halton Cycle Club, a donation towards the purchase of the Halton Lodge at Haven Church Farm and monies given to Halton Community Combined School to support children whilst a parent is deployed on Operations.

To apply for money there are no lengthy application forms to complete and funds can be available at short notice. All we require is that there is a welfare need and then an email is sent to myself explaining the amount needed and what the

donation would be used for. Monies are also available for individuals in times of hardship and are usually given by Mr Paul Moore, the SSAFA social worker, after the qualifying criteria has been established.

If you have a project that you believe the RAF Halton SSAFA Committee can support or if you would like to become involved as a volunteer please email [email protected].

commercial Business at RaF HaltonAt RAF Halton there is a Commercial Business Manager (Mrs Debra Gower) and Commercial Business Assistant (Miss Jane Watson) who are responsible for generating income from Station assets – whether that be sports facilities, buildings, and land. Income Generation put simply is commercialisation – the commercial exploitation, for revenue, of MOD assets which need to be retained but are not fully used. The benefits from Income Generation are generally better use of public sector ie taxpayer assets; extra resources to meet Departmental objectives, and for the MOD in particular extra resources for Defence and an aid to cost effective recruitment, training and public relations.

So what does that mean for RAF Halton? My role is look at spare capacity of the estate at RAF Halton and exploit it to make money which can then be used by the Station Commander to fund all manner of initiatives

Recruits PSF (RPSF) can be found in Building 25 which is located at the ‘top of the hill’ on the RTS site. The core RPSF remit is to ensure that all necessary administrative procedures for recruits are conducted efficiently and effectively. This is achieved via a twofold approach; firstly, through the preparation of any essential paperwork in advance of the arrival of recruits at Halton and secondly, by ensuring that they are properly administered from their first day in the RAF and onwards! In order to do this, RPSF is spilt into two key areas.

The first area is the Personnel Services Computer System (PSCS)

Recruits PSF cell. PSCS is responsible for engaging directly with the various Armed Forces Careers Offices (AFCOs) located throughout the UK, whilst also liaising with Recruiting Control (RecCon) at RAF Cranwell. The PSCS team work hard to create the contracts for potential recruits by utilising the personal data imputed on TAFMIS (the computer system used by the AFCOs and RecCon).

The second area in RPSF comprises the Recruits Personnel Documentation (Rec PD) points. The RecPD clerks conduct the administrative procedures for all recruits once they have arrived at RAF Halton for the start their Phase 1 Basic Recruits Training Course (BRTC). This activity

commences with effect from Day 1. Members of the RPSF team sit with each recruit individually to verify that their vital details (such as their next of kin, bank details and contract) have been captured correctly, and to ensure that all necessary information is present and account

Later that day, the team help the recruits to prepare for their (legally required) attestation into the Royal Air Force. They are then provided with an in-depth brief that outlines their pay, leave and allowance entitlements, as well as providing detail on other key areas. Throughout a recruit’s time on RTS, RPSF will action their leave passes, book their travel home on weekends and prepare their

Works were also completed in August 2015 to bring the Station’s Obstacle Course (adjacent to the High Ropes) back into use. Gymnasium Searchfield Maintenance Ltd were engaged to carry out a range of repair works and enhancements to the course to bring it back into safe use. WO Trevor Lloyd (WO RTS PEd) has overseen the work and it is planned that Phase 1 recruits will recommence using the course as part of their Phase 1 training in September. Before this, the Recruit Training Squadron Physical Training Instructors will spend several days familiarising themselves with the course and the training it can provide. The course will eventually be opened up to the wider Station and RAF community. As with the Astro Turf, it may be possible that the course could generate further income for the Station from other potential civilian users.

on the Station. The role requires engagement with the local community and a wide range of subject matter experts from the Commercial, Communications, DIO, Safety and Security arena. There are over-riding aims when agreeing to private use of the estate which focus on risk assessments being conducted; the MOD is indemnified by the user against potential claims from 3rd parties or losses/damage to property via insurance cover; the MOD’s costs are fully recovered and that we do not undercut the private sector. The Station Commander has the final say on who can use the facilities as part of the Station Approvals procedure.

There is policy on who can use the estate at RAF Halton and for Income Generation purposes the primary area is the occasional use for private or non-entitled purposes ie local sports clubs, filming companies, charity and local community organisations. Anyone wishing to use MOD facilities are required to have a Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) Licence which at RAF Halton is issued by the Commercial Business Office who have been given delegated authority.

FilmingAccess to Halton House Officers’ Mess was provided to Mammouth Screen (End3) Ltd during the period 3-10 April 2015 to enable them to prepare and film a scene for the TV Drama “Endeavour” during the period 3-10 April 2015. The main entrance, Salon, Balcony and Function Room were the primary areas used, with Shaun Evans who played the part of a young Inspector Morse in the key role, and Roger Allam in the role of DI Fred Thursday. Halton House was used based on a scene from the film “The Great Gatsby” which required a grand house. The filming will form part of Series 3 of Endeavour, which to date has been a successful ITV crime drama and prequel to Inspector Morse.

Halton House was used again during the period 22-30 July 2015 for Leftbank Pictures Ltd to prepare and film for a new Netflix drama – “The Crown” – which is intended to be an ambitious, dramatic account of the post war history of our country told from the perspectives of The Queen and her Prime Ministers. The filming in July covered the period 1952-1958. The filming company used an attic room which became a bedroom in a French Villa, and the Function Room which was the Downing Street dining room. Scenes were also shot in the rear garden and terrace areas. John Lithgow, Matt Smith and Claire Foy were the main actors.

licences for occasional use of the MoD estate for private or non-entitled purposesThe DIO have delegated responsibility for issuing Licences covering events and activities to the Commercial Business Office at RAF Halton, however they still retain an underlying responsibility to ensure Licences are being issued correctly and for assessing the appropriate charges. A Licence is required when hosting any event or use of MOD premises is requested by a civilian organisation or individual, or by military personnel, civil servants and their dependants in an entirely private (ie personal) and unofficial capacity. There is a Guide entitled “DE Occasional Use of the MOD Estate for Private or Non-Entitled Purposes, Practitioner Guide 06/09” which details the general policy. There is a fee for a Licence which includes Departmental insurance with a requirement that evidence of insurance (third party public liability) must be in place.

Station’s Hard Facilities Management team(Mark Morrissey and Flt Lt Dave Falkner,) which forms part of Support Wing, have been to bring two Station assets back into full use for all at RAF Halton and for the wider RAF.

astro turfThe RAF Halton Astro Turf pitch will shortly be back in play. Over recent years the pitch has suffered from a lack of maintenance and, in 2013, was declared unsafe to play on for its primary sport (hockey). The Station has now engaged Replay Maintenance Ltd to completely re-sand and repair the pitch and this work was completed in mid-August. This work has been checked by an independent company recognised by the International Hockey Federation and the pitch has been declared fully playable. A full maintenance programme for the next 5 years has also now been put in place. We fully expect RAF Hockey to return to RAF Halton (its Home for Sport) to train for the 2015/2016 winter season. The pitch will also be at the disposal of any other service teams (bookable through Home For Sport) with local RAF Halton and High Wycombe players expected to commence training on the pitch in September. In addition, a range of local civilian teams are keenly interested in using the pitch and it is anticipated that the income from these teams (managed by the RAF Halton Commercial Business Manager – Debra Gower) will have paid for the re-sanding, repair and maintenance works within the next 2 years.

documentation for graduation. This is all achieved whilst providing a service to assist with any general queries from the recruits during their time at RAF Halton.

Once the recruits have graduated from their BRTC, the PSCS cell will load them onto their various Phase 2 training courses as required. If, however, any recruits need to hold until the start of their next course, then RPSF will continue to provide administrative support for them until they leave the Station. Recruits undertake a journey in their time at RAF Halton, arriving as civilians yet leaving as members of the Royal Air Force – RPSF plays a crucial role in making this happen.

Obstacle Course

OC Support


Halton Dental Centre is dedicated to improving the dental fitness of our personnel, ensuring they are “Fit to Fight”. But keeping station staff dentally fit for deployment is just one element of our busy schedule. Every two weeks we review a new intake of recruits from RTS, undertaking dental inspections and treatments, and delivering oral health briefs to help them maintain their dental fitness in the future. We also take part in oral health promotions and promote national campaigns such as No Smoking Day and Oral Cancer Awareness Day. It is safe to say there is never a dull moment in the Dental Centre!

On 1st September Sqn Ldr Emma Marsh will join us as the new Station Dental Officer. She

Dental Centre update

comes to us from RAF Leeming but has recently been stationed at RAF High Wycombe so may well be a familiar face to some Halton staff.

A new Practice Manager is also joining the team in October. Sgt Jackie Newband is posted in from the DPHC Regional Headquarters at Cosford.

The Dental Team will have a stand at the forthcoming Station Health and Wellbeing Day on the 17 Sept 15 so why not pop along and see us?


W e have had some new people join the Station Management

Squadron, and one of the areas we are responsible for is the accommodation. We had struggled with manning in this area; however, now we have Mr Clyde Booth in the Accommodation Cell, as the new Accommodation Manager. Clyde has made significant changes and continues to do an outstanding job.

He is being assisted at present by another new face, Ms Matilda Ruhle; she has been providing agency worker support to the Accommodation Cell since 25 Jun 15, whilst we undergo recruitment for a permanent E1.

Another area in the SMS arena is typing; Mrs Elaine Bird moved from working in the Accommodation Cell for the past two years, to working as the Station Typist/ Travel Cell Manager in Feb 15; she also received a Station Commander’s Good Show Award in July for the dedication she has shown to

All regular Service personnel posted to RAF Halton strength are expected to register as patients with the RMC. Dependants living in any of the RAF Halton SFA, regardless of where the Service spouse is serving, may also register with us. In addition, dependants living within 5 miles of the RMC in private accommodation are also welcome.

In line with NHS best practice, we are currently offering free health checks to all those aged 40 and over. The aim is to identify potential problems before they do real damage. This health check will assess your risk of developing these health problems and give you personalised advice on how to reduce it. For more information, please phone our reception on 01296 656317 or 952376317.

SMS good news stories for Mainpoint

the Station. Elaine has worked tirelessly in the Accommodation Cell, often under great pressure and with very tight deadlines, particularly between the period of October 14 - April 15, when she ran the cell alone.

Most of you around the unit will know WO Fellows as covering for the SWO. WO Fellows had some good news this year as he was awarded with an AOC 22 (Trg) Gp Commendation, for his unwavering commitment to duty at RAF Halton. He covered the SWO’s role in 2013 for 7 months, then again in 2015 for a further two months whilst remaining responsible for his primary role as Station Catering Liaison Officer. Furthermore, WO Fellows sizeable contribution to the Station in his other guises has been to the good and benefit of both service and civilian personnel. As Development Officer for the Station Saddle Club, he spent many hours outside of his working day improving the look and feel of the facilities, including fixing a vast amount

of fencing himself, repainting parts of the yard to provide much needed rejuvenation and general maintenance. As a trained instructor for ‘Spin’ sessions in the gym, WO Fellows has covered Station classes and also volunteers on a regular basis to usher for major running events; this year this has included road races in London and at Silverstone. Mr Fellows deployed OOA December 14 - April 15 as detachment WO at Al Minhad Air Base, United Arab Emirates.

The Station Support Services Liaison Team has worked continuously on the new contract re-let for 2017. Their work is fundamental to the quality of the services the Station will receive in the future. Their relationship with the onsite contractors remains positive and they have moved forward several business cases, including one to support a manpower uplift in MT, in order to monitor the Trimble Telematics system, fundamental to regulatory policy directed by AIR and for wider Road Safety.

2IC SMS, Flight Lieutenant Rosie Brooks, has been made OIC Road Safety Committee, holding the inaugural meeting in April 15, this is a key position, which has not existed for the last couple of years. The Road

Safety Committee has been well attended by personnel throughout the Station.

SMS provided the Project Officer for the Command Circulation visit 2015, where Air Officer Commanding 22 (Training) Group, Air-Vice Marshal Turner, conducted his annual inspection of RAF Halton. Flt Lt Rosie Brooks covered the Station Commander’s intent and the visit content demonstrated the reputation and security elements of RAF Halton. The AOC was escorted throughout the day by airmen and women to the sections he was visiting, which included the Contact House, the Trinity Community Centre and Co-Responders before travelling to the airfield to see Exercise PURPLE GRIFFIN, a security demonstration organised by Sgt Russ Barber, SNCO MPGS. Here, the AOC saw the MPGS and RAFP Dog Handlers demonstrating their ability to work together in support of security. The AOC also got to see how the Quick Reaction Force and Remote Pilot Air System (Drone) capability could be coordinated to provide wider awareness for the RAFP on the ground and for use post-incident. Before departing the Airfield, the AOC was treated to a field BBQ and traditional Gurkha

curry, which he thoroughly enjoyed. FS Bellingham took this opportunity to give AVM Turner a tour of the Dog Kennels. Finally, he was escorted to HHOM to be the Guest of Honour for the Honours & Awards Ceremony, where he presented 10 awards to RAF Halton service and civilian personnel.

When we have events such as this, the engagement and media team are fully involved; Jane Reilly who is Media and Communications assistant, deals with engagement from the Station Commander’s dinner parties, to Graduation Parades, to stories in the local news. However, sometimes the smallest story can make a half page in the local press and a big story may be overlooked.

A recent story about a lady of 95 years who was an RAF mechanic 74 years ago was a big story in the local paper but the Gurkhas Nepal earthquake relief story only made a few lines.

When Bruce Dickinson, front man for ‘Iron Maiden’ landed his Fokker aircraft at the airfield after running short on fuel, a short story went out about him landing for a cup of tea and some fuel, good publicity for the Strasser Scheme, whereby an aircraft in trouble can land at any airfield and not be charged landing fees or for the petrol, all MOD airfields are signed up to the scheme. Within 24 hours this story had gone viral, it was covered in the New York News, papers in Japan, our Times, Telegraph, Mail and Express newspapers and music magazines around the world. Mr Dickinson was thrilled with the coverage with a new album coming out a week later.

Work in the MCO’s office is hugely diverse with people ringing up or emailing for information about a friend they had 50 years ago when in training here, called Steve or Donald, do I know him or where he is now?? We politely say we can’t help. At the other end of the scale is a royal visit by Camilla, our Honorary Air Commodore, who brought the world press with her, or Carol Vorderman, Honourary Group Captain of the Air Training Corps visiting a Graduation Parade. Our people are of course what it is all about and our regular Home Town Stories about recruits who receive a trophy at Graduation or personnel receiving Honours & Awards are very important. Roughly two thirds of our home town stories are printed in local papers, some get as far and wide as Ghana and Italy. Parents of trophy winners send us what they see which is used for recruitment purposes and civilian education visits.

Medical Centre

Away from the medical centre itself, our RMC staff members are leading the way in pursuing healthy lifestyles. Cpl Steve Dickson, Cpl Nathan Newbrooke, and SAC Mike Robson all competed in the recent RAF Halton triathlon. Our stand out performer is Cpl Bethan Morgan, who secured the Gold Medal at the European Middle Distance Triathlon Championships in Italy in May, which means she is the current European Age Group Champion. As a nurse performing health checks at the RMC, we feel that she is more than qualified to be giving out healthy lifestyle advice!

We look forward to seeing you at the Station Health and Well Being Day at the Burnett Gym on Thursday 17 Sep 15 from 1100-1400.

Tri A Tri Triathlon

RAF Halton also has a Social Media Facebook page on which, we continue to have a massive following.

All of our media releases are posted to Facebook and we try to put something new up every week. Splice the Mainbrace, our Naval personnel’s tot of rum ceremony on the announcement of the latest royal baby’s birth, and the Junior Ranks Flying Scholarship, where three personnel flew solo for the first time in a glider, were two of the latest stories to receive local papers and FB coverage.

So from this, you can see what a diverse range of activities SMS covers, in essence the glue that helps the station run.

Jewellery designed and produced to your specifications, or choose from our extensive range of new, secondhand and antique pieces.

Servicing of Rolex, Tag, Omega, Raymond Weil, Gucci etc. Batteries fitted and waterproof

testing carried out on the premises.

Top prices paid in cash for antique and modern jewellery, watches (especially Rolex), coins, gold, silver, platinum and

scrap precious metals.Part exchange available.


Community and Charity

RAF Halton flying club host young flyersThe global ‘Young Eagles’

initiative was set-up in the late 1990s with the

aim of flying 1 million children before the Centenary of Flight in 2003. Although this was achieved in 2002, the RAF Halton Young Flyers event has been so successful, that it continues as an annual event.

The RAF Halton initiative is open to predominantly Service children from the age of eight and the Halton Aero Club has now flown in excess of 30% of all UK children in the programme. The Club is part of the RAF Flying Clubs’ Association which was formed on 1st April 2001 with the aim of affording Service personnel the opportunity to learn to fly at the lowest cost and supports initiatives like the Young Flyers scheme to introduce youngsters to the experience of flight.

Over 100 children enjoyed a free 20 minute flight during the annual event, taking off in sunny but blustery conditions from the grass airfield of the RAF Halton Aero Club. A variety of light aircraft, motor gliders and visiting planes with their volunteer pilots, provided a thrilling experience for the local youngsters.

The oldest aircraft was a 1944 L4 Piper Cub of the USAF which was used almost exactly

Welfare caravan

The grand opening of the Halton Lodge eight berth welfare caravan took place

at Pagham near Chichester in Sussex. Wing Commander Marie-Clare Allen was there to cut the ribbon with Chaz Cross of the Haven Sales Team and DJ Ned, a Haven character from the park.

The £52,500 welfare caravan was purchased with money from Central Funds, the Local Investment Grant and Welfare funds. Eurest Services, Service Institute Funds, SERCO, SSAFA, Sgts’ Mess and Officers’ Mess all contributed to the luxury decking and a disability ramp.

It will be used primarily by RAF Halton families then High Wycombe and then other stations subject to availability. The maximum cost will be £425 for Peak Summer Season which also includes Exclusive Owners Passes which give a 15% discount off everything

bought in restaurant, bar and Spar Shop on site, plus 50% off outdoor activities.

Wing Commander Allen said: “It was a great pleasure to finally open the caravan after all the hard work of the welfare team getting funding. It is a welcome addition to the welfare facilities at RAF Halton.”

Flight Sergeant Ellie Wileen, Station Community Support Officer at RAF Halton, said: “We had a fantastic buffet lunch in the restaurant on site in beautiful sunshine. The caravan is in a lovely area, you can walk to Pagham nature reserve and Pagham beach or drive to Brighton, Bognor Regis or Wittering Beach.

The upkeep of the van will be done by Haven, however it


opens

will be the booking individual’s responsibility to clean ready for next occupant.” The caravan can be booked through the welfare staff at the Trinity Community Centre.

71 years ago during D-Day and then on through France, Belgium and Germany. It has been based at RAF Halton since 1980 and pilot Alan Vogel took 14-year old, John Colet School boy Liam Bell, on his first flying sortie in the historical aircraft.

Liam said after his flight: ‘It was really good fun but a bit windy, the best bit was when a faster plane overtook us and we had to waggle our wings so he could plainly see us. It has really inspired me to be a pilot and given me a focus to work hard at school.’

Liam’s dad Adam commented that: ‘Liam has always been interested in flying and has mentioned joining Air Cadets a number of times this year. We hope it will ignite a passion which will help him academically and give him the discipline for self-improvement.’



Gurkhas collect for nepalese peopleGurkhas from the Military

Provost Guard Service (MPGS) at RAF Halton

have been collecting clothing and cash to support the people of Nepal after the devestating earthquakes there. Two of them have family who have been directly affected by the tragedy.

They initially started collecting clothing but such was the response from Great Britain and the massive amount of clothing collected, the decision was made to sell the clothing instead of storing it at RAF Brize Norton until transport became available.

Lance Corporal Bijay Gurung, (MPGS) said: “We were all shocked to hear of the super earthquake that hit Nepal, killing thousands of people with hundreds still missing and thousands homeless. We decided to do something to support those people who were affected, so my team from RAF Halton MPGS launched two different initiatives to raise funds.”

“We immediately did a bucket collection on the main gate of the station, which amounted to £446.21, then collected clothing from the married quarters and charity shops. Approximately 675 kgs was collected and due to

transportation problems we sold the clothing and got £425. I would like to thank all the members of the Gurkha Society who supported the collections and helped to launch those events, and those who donated the clothes and money, without your help and support we could not have successfully raised such an amount of money.”

RAF Halton’s Station Commander, Group Captain Adrian Burns, presented Lieutenant Mekh Gurung, Chairman of the Gurkha Society, ‘Tin Dobhan Samaj UK’ with a cheque for £871.21 and Lt Gurung said: “I cannot comprehend the amount of worry and stress that the MPGS personnel here have been through with their families back home suffering, two of their families being directly involved with damage to their homes. What you and RAF Halton personnel have done pays testament to your strength and determination. I also thank the RAF Halton community for their generous donations which will reach the worst hit places in the west of Nepal where help is still needed for basic living needs. If you go on the Tin Dobhan Samaj UK website you can see how and where the money will be spent.”

The Wendover Society

The Station has a subscription to The Wendover Society. This

enables all RAF Halton staff, Service, Civilian and Contractors to attend any of their events subject to the same rationing that they apply to all their members.

The link to their webpage and events is www.wendoversociety.org.uk

RAF Halton in Armed Forces Day flag raising ceremoniesRAF Halton have been

involved in local Armed Forces Day Flag Raising

Ceremonies in Aylesbury and Hemel Hempstead. Lining parties provided a uniformed backdrop to the civic events and senior RAF officers represented the RAF Halton Station Commander at both venues.

Lord Lieutenant’s cadet Warrant Officer Sarah Aspland and Company Serjeant Major

Georgia James had the honour of raising the Armed Forces Day Flag outside the civic offices in Aylesbury town centre.

Armed Forces Day flags were raised across the country, including No 10 Downing Street, to mark the start of Armed Forces Week and culminated locally on Saturday 27th June with the a huge Buckinghamshire & Milton Keynes Armed Forces Day event at Aylesbury Rugby Club.



RAF logistics students visit Chilterns MS CentreA s part of the Logistics

(Supply) Basic Training course, the RAF Halton

based students are encouraged to get involved in local community projects. As a result, the students currently on course were invited to the Chilterns Multiple Sclerosis Centre to have a look around the facilities and help maintain the grounds of the centre.

Aircraftman Lynch describes his experience; ‘During the visit we got an insight into what the facility can provide for MS patients. We were shown the oxygen chamber and informed of the benefits this type of treatment has for the patients. We were also shown the fitness suites where patients receive one to one sessions with trained physiotherapists.’

Aircraftman Turner said: ‘After the tour we started outside doing some weeding and general tidying up of the grounds. We all felt proud to provide this service to a charitable organisation that helps those in need. Finally we had a group photo taken with some of the patients to illustrate the work that we did.’


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When we deliver our youth work At RAF Halton our aims are to enable young

people learn about themselves, others and society, through informal educational activities which combine enjoyment, challenge and learning.

This years Summer of activities started with a week long Poppy Break Adventure for some of our Young People at St Briavels Castle near the Forest of Dean sponsored by the British Legion. From 7am until 10pm the young people were kept busy by volunteers from all over the world. Every day the young people went out for some kind of adventure whether it was mine caving, raft building, trips along the river and team building games. If anyone has ever stayed at St Briavels Castle they will know that some of the rooms still have ‘the original carved

Continuing

O ver the last year, the Conservation Committee at Halton have been

overjoyed at a number of successes, which are all thanks to the hard working and committed volunteers that keep driving and promoting conservation. So much so it was difficult to note all the Station’s achievements in such a small article, nevertheless, here is a snapshot of some of the activities that have gone on in the previous year .

The Station was fortunate to retain its former Grounds Site Manager through the Carillion-Amey transition, which has resulted in a maintenance of care for the sympathetic land use management techniques formally employed. The Chalk Grassland known as ‘Happy Valley’ goes from strength to strength, having seen an impressive array of orchids again this year.

In June, the Station hosted its Families’ Day at the Airfield. Wanting to promote conservation to families and friends alike, a conservation stand was set up by Committee Member Dave Short, who was supported by Lily the Barn Owl. This was a great opportunity for children and parents alike to learn more about Owls in particular and learn about their behaviours. The Wheatley Birds of Prey from Oxford generously supported this event, extending the scope to a range of Birds of Prey including a Peregrine Falcon.

This year has also seen an increase in Dormice habitats adjacent to Halton fields and the woodland areas. The Conservation Committee have been placing Dormice tubes across these areas to encourage their breeding.

This year also saw a surge in interest over the Neolithic Long Barrow which sits nestled in the

conservation


Chiltern Hills with an impressive view over the Vale of Aylesbury. To the unknown footpath walker, the obvious sign indicating the ‘Ancient Monument,’ is misleading as it was put in the wrong location, however what was a mistake actually affords the real monument an extra level of protection! In the recent past, the Barrow had not received any attention, however this year we were able to round up a group of Servicemen Awaiting Trade Training to help clear it of scrub and weeds. After a gruelling afternoon, the contours of the Barrow became much clearer. Since, DIO Archaeologist Guy Salkeld has been to site to conduct some surveying to reveal the extent of the Barrow.

During the months of April and May, a small team were able to go out and survey for newts, after a period of about two years without. Lo and behold, on the first trip out, 22 adult Great Crested Newts were found alongside a handful of Palmate Newts living in old training bund which after a number of years of non use had naturally turned into a hub for conservation. Night cameras were set up by the Committee to monitor activity in and around the facility, and revealed other visitors to the site, including ducks and deer.

As the outgoing Conservation Officer, I wish to thank the whole team for all their hard work, dedication and commitment to the Halton Conservation Group. I have enjoyed working alongside everyone from the Bird Surveyors to ‘Batman’ and even the enthusiams of the Conservation Operations team. I know I leave Halton with conservation in a good place.


out pleas of innocence on the walls (the castle used to keep prisoners) and the throne chair within the wall’ that kept many of us awake at night by its shear menacing presence which all made the experience of staying in a castle authentic. A banquet was held in the banqueting room complete with a story teller giving us the history of the castle itself. Everyone said, “they had had a great time and can’t wait for next year.”

The rest of the holidays bought us into August and the Airplay team went into action with the help of various personalities across the Station.

Mal Goodes stepped up to organise High Ropes whilst Ken Li took some of our young people through their paces at badminton in the Burnett gym. Proving popular was the Saddle Club’s pony club days. This year everyone

managed to get on a horse and the new menage was perfect for a safe place to canter. Steve Carnie and Mike Thay came forward to give the young people a chance to learn the basic principles of golf with the challenges of pitching and putting along the way.

We utilised the facilities of Caldecotte Xperience and went raft building, canoeing, sailing, kayaking, sword fighting, archery, caving. Canoeing for the day culminated in meeting everyone along the way for a BBQ and a play in the park. We promised them a pizza session, because our pizza had not turned up for the end of term party, so that’s what we did to the envy of all other groups at Cauldecotte Xperience but we shared with those around us!

When it rained we stayed dry when we wanted to, but the best part was jumping in the lake!

Summer Activities

2015


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