Page 10 - issue03.05.2019
P. 10

Royal Air Force News Friday, May 3, 2019 P10

          News



                                     AIRSHOW PREVIEW
                                     Show down for display ace




                                     TYPHOON VETERAN  Flight  pilot. Every time I get in the jet I  completing a gym workout whilst
                                     Lieutenant Jim Peterson is back for  get that sense of excitement.”  trying  to  play  the  piano  at  the
                                     his second air show season.      This year’s routine features a  same time.”
                                       The Bermuda-born combat  number of new moves including       He will be supported by a team
                                     pilot has been putting in the  a loop from take-off and a gear-  of  more  than  20  volunteers
                                     hours at the RAF’s new High-G  down, slow-speed loop.        from 29 Sqn including
                                     centrifuge to prepare for the    During the routine the aircraft  three squads of engineers
                                     body-crushing forces the swing-  will top 600 knots and Jim will be  who will be working shifts
                                     role fighter will unleash during  pulling  9-G  during some of  the  throughout the  airshow
                                     the show-stopping display.     more extreme manoeuvres.      season.
                                       Jim, 42, started his flying    The Typhoon has the same      Along with wowing
                                     career on the Hawk T1 before  wingspan as a WWII Spitfire and  aviation fans with displays
                                     moving  on  to  the  Tornado  GR4  can go from brakes off to 35,000  across the world, the
                                     and eventually to the Typhoon.  feet, flying at a speed of Mach 1.5,  Typhoon Display team raised
       Sophie joins the              fly. It is a privilege to be the display   Jim  added:  “Imagine  more than £15,000 for good
                                       He said: “Typhoon is a dream to  in two minutes.
                                                                                                  causes last year.
       village people

         The revamped facilities, which  UK Chinook teams
       THE COUNTESS of Wessex joined
       local school pupils as she opened
       the new RAF-funded play parks in
       Wittering.
       include a climbing frame and zip
       Air Cdre at RAF Wittering and a  target Mali terror
       wire, were funded by a £196,000
       grant from the RAF Benevolent
       Fund.
         The Countess is an Honorary

       regular visitor to the station.
       Boscombe boost


















       THE RAF test and evaluation centre
       at Boscombe Down is to receive a
       funding boost under a £1.3 billion
       MoD investment programme.
         Defence   Secretary  Gavin
       Williamson said: “Ensuring our
       cutting-edge equipment is tried
       and  tested  before  it  is  sent  to  the
       frontline is crucial to our military’s
       capability.”
       Andy marks date
                                                                                                                                          GLOBAL REACH: Atlas
       AN AIRMAN  who met his future                                                                                                      lands at Gao to deliver
       wife through  RAF News is looking                                                                                                  supplies to Chinook
       forward to celebrating his twentieth                                                                                               Flight, above right, 27
                                                                                                                                          Sqn take over from 18
       wedding anniversary.                                                                                                               Sqn in Mali
         Back in 1997 Andrew Rogerson,
       then a Sergeant stationed at
       Shawbury, answered an advert that   Staff Reporter              During a six-month tour the   the crisis-stricken country.  looking forward to building on
       trainee nurse Beverley, who was                               heavy  lift  choppers with 1310   The Odiham-based combat  the good work carried out by 18
       based in Norfolk, placed in the Forces’   RAF CHOPPER  crews are   Flight have been used to transport   choppers’ main role is to transport  Sqn in support of the French,
       favourite newspaper seeking a pen   continuing  to  support       troops and kit following a   personnel by air following a  which adds a new page to our
       pal. Andy and Bev then corresponded   French forces battling         series of ambush attacks   number of armed attacks and  history.”
       and swapped photographs.         Islamist terrorists in               on the nation’s roads.  IED strikes targeting military   Formed in 1944 the Flight
         Andy, now a Flt Lt, said: “We   Mali, West Africa.                     The          UK   convoys.                     operated Avro Ansons, Avro
       exchanged letters for quite a long   P e r s o n n e l                 g o v er nm en t       The  latest  deployment  comes  Yorks in Western Australia and
       time, then  I arranged  with  Bev  to   from 27 Sqn flew               committed     three  as 1310 Flight marks 75 years  Westland Whirlwind helicopters
       drive  from  Shawbury  to  Norfolk  to   into the trouble-             RAF Chinooks and    of frontline operations. Sqn  Ldr  in British Guiana, South America.
       meet her.                        stricken  country                     more than 90 RAF    Hilliker, Officer Commanding    RAF    C17    and   Atlas
         “That was a very long drive but   on board an A400                  personnel to support   1310 Flight, said: “I am delighted  transporters are flying monthly
       when we met that was it – my fate was   Atlas transporter to         French-led    counter  to be taking command of this  supply missions into Gao airfield
       sealed.”                         take over from 18 Sqn             terrorism    operations  historic flight as it celebrates 75  and Mali’s capital city Bamako,
         The couple now have two        who  deployed  to  Gao  in    following a surge in attacks on   years of operational success.    600 miles west of the RAF
       daughters Evie, 15, and Isla, 13 and   September last year.   UN  peace  keepers  operating  in   “The  incoming  personnel  are  Chinook deployment.
       will be celebrating their 19th wedding
       anniversary in September.
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