goggles are used and, in some cases, with
all external lighting turned off.
Most of the load-lifting practice is carried
out on base, where various items on the
airfield – ranging from fuel drums and
containers to an armoured personnel carrier
and field gun – are used for these activities,
giving the ground logistics crews valuable
training too.
Most of the ‘live’ operations are carried
out on the vast Salisbury Plain Training
area (SPTA), 40 miles (64km) west of RAF
Odiham. This dedicated range, owned by
the MOD, covers 150sq miles (388km²) withclear, low-level air space enabling many
different disciplines to be performed for both
helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. In some
cases, a near-live battlefield experience can
be created. The larger area of the Army
Training Estate Salisbury Plain (ATESP)
takes in 300sq miles (777km²) and covers
much of Wiltshire and parts of Somerset
and Hampshire. This includes some ‘no go’
areas to civilians where there are live firing
ranges. Most of the training for Operation
Herrick (Afghanistan) was undertaken on
the SPTA.
Although under-slung load lifting and
‘circuit bashing’ with a consignment is
carried out back at base, the army also
needs to hone its skills at getting equipment
on board or as a slung load so it deploys
logistics personnel to the SPTA to attach
(hook-up) and detach (un-hook) to a low
hovering Chinook. Forward Arming and
Refuelling Points (FARP) can be set up
in many locations to give the helicopters
rotors-running refuelling as they would in a
live battle zone.
Everyday maintenance is carried out byRAF engineering ground crews, but there
is a detachment of Boeing engineers on
site at Odiham to help with any issues that
may arise. Deep servicing is also done at
Odiham with modifications performed at
Vector Aerospace and QinetiQ.
The longevity of the Chinook fleet is
down to the constant upgrading of avionics
and systems to maintain versatility and
state-of-the-art onboard equipment – the
type has come a long way since the HC1s
of 1981.
The versatile heavy-lift support Chinook
is regarded as the main workhorse of the
RAF rotary-wing fleet. Its capabilities
have been called upon in many and varied
battlefields over almost 40 years and it is set
to serve for many years to come.http://www.aviation-news.co.uk 51A Chinook releases decoy flares whilst flying
over Afghanistan in support of British troops in
Helmand province in 2006. Crown copyright 2006Above left: Chinook HC3 ZH900 during
July 2010, shortly after entering service,
about to land at a FARP on Salisbury Plain
during Exercise Pashtun Dawn, training for
operations in Afghanistan. It is now an HC5
variant.
Above: A Chinook HC5 (right) and HC4 on the
flightline at RAF Odiham.
Above right: On the 27 Sqn flight line in late
October 2017 – Chinook HC6A ZH893 had
been upgraded in August.The author wishes to thank the Centre
of Aviation Photography for arranging
the trips to RAF Odiham and the SPTA,
along with the personnel involved at RAF
Odiham – specifically the MCO and 27
Sqn for their valuable help.48-51_raf_chinooksDC.mfDC.mfDC.mf.indd 51 04/12/2017 14:34