Puma 2 33 Sqn Marks Its Centenary
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Inside this Issue: Features 28 Sqn Hits The Ground Running Awards Sue Ryder Awards Sport Reading Half Marathon The official quarterly publication of Royal Air Force Benson 10,000 Hours In The Air For Puma 2 33 Sqn Marks its Centenary Exercise Freefall Venture Zero to Hero in 5 days! Spring 2016 Issue 69 www.raf.mod.uk/rafbenson CONTENTS SPRING 2016 of 28 Squadron Chinook 8 Operational Conversion From the Flight as they join their Puma brethren to complete the first conversion courses on Publishing Team Editor… the newly formed unit. The Merlin contingent at RAF Benson is getting PUBLISHER I hope you’ve ever smaller but they are Lion’s Roar is published by Lance still keeping themselves Publishing Ltd, 1st Floor Tailby House, Bath been lucky busy. They will shortly Road, Kettering, Northants NN16 8NL return from Norway where Tel: 01536 512624 enough to they have been conducting Email: [email protected] cold weather training with the Visit: www.lancepublishing.co.uk enjoy a relaxing Royal Marines and then it’ll be Company Registration No.3253372 12 all hands on deck as they prepare to Easter break. move to RNAS Yeovilton this summer. ADVERTISING MANAGER The thought of jumping out of a Jayne Bailey Spring has finally perfectly good aeroplane from 4500 ft Tel: 01536 526677 fills me with dread but that is exactly Email: [email protected] sprung and, with the what a few lucky Benson personnel got up to on Exercise FREEFALL VENTURER. DESIGNER discourteous exception We hear from them after they spent Sherrie Bacarese a week in the California sunshine Tel: 01536 526676 of Storm Katie, the learning how to sky dive in style. Email: [email protected] It is not only Service personnel weather is slowly that benefit from such wonderful PRINTER opportunities. The annual Young Flyer Lance Print Ltd, 29/30 Stapledon Road, starting to improve. event gives the children of Service Orton Southgate, Peterborough PE2 6TD personnel the chance to take to the air Tel: 01733 390564 with the Halton Aero Club. We hear from Email: [email protected] them as they prepare for their biggest Visit: www.lanceprint.co.uk The Puma Force has had no let up year yet, hoping to fly 100 children over the past few months. They have from Service families in the local area. ALL CORRESPONDENCE celebrated some major milestones - 100 Congratulations to the 100 RAF AND FEATURES TO… Years of 33 Squadron and 10,000 flying Benson personnel, dependants and Flt Lt Andy Darge, The Editor hours for Puma Mk 2 - whilst maintaining friends who completed the Reading Half ‘Lions Roar’ RWOETU, RAF Benson, National Standby, Contingency Readiness Marathon recently (some in personal best Wallingford, Oxon OX10 6AA and a deployment in Afghanistan. time!). We’ll hopefully hear more from Tel: 01491827066 I’ve enjoyed walking out onto them and their fantastic fundraising efforts Email: [email protected] the Benson flight line with 3 Support in the next edition. Go #TeamBenson! Helicopter types on display. The sound of the mighty Chinook has become a permanent fixture and there has been no Flt Lt Andy Darge respite for the instructors and students Lion’s Roar Editor 16 SUBMISSION OF ARTICLES: Articles for the Lion’s Roar should be submitted by email, written in Microsoft Word Don’t Forget! (preferably not the latest version format) and pictures should be sent as high quality original jpegs and attached as separate files, not embedded in the text or reduced in size. Look out for the next 8 edition of Lion’s Roar (Summer) which is due out in… Contents… Spring 2016 June 2016 PAGE 33 SQN MARKS ITS CENTENARY PAGE EXERCISE FREEFALL PAGE FLIGHT SAFETY AWARDS 18 33 Sqn celebrates 100 years since VENTURER Two Babcock engineers awarded a its formation with a formal parade. Personnel from RAF Benson formal ‘well done’ by the Stn Cdr. 8 18 attend the Accelerated 27 PAGE PUMA MK2 REACHES Freefall Course in California. PAGE SUE RYDER AWARDS 10000 HOURS FS Emma Rousell wins the The RAF Puma Mk 2 fleet reaches PAGE EXERCISE BERLIN coveted regional award. 12 another major milestone. DISCOVERER 27 DISCLAIMER: 22 Logistics Squadron head to PAGE READING HALF MARATHON This publication is copyright Lance Publishing PAGE 28 SQN HITS THE Berlin to find out more about RAF Benson takes on the Limited and may not be reproduced or transmitted GROUND RUNNING the history of WW2 and the Cold War. 30 Reading Half Marathon for in any form in whole or in part without prior Newly reformed 28 Sqn the second year running. written permission of Lance Publishing Limited. 14 puts students through their PAGE YOUNG FLYERS WANTED While every care has been taken during the paces on their operational phase. The annual RAF Halton PAGE MOTORHOME preparation of this magazine, Lance Publishing Young Flyers event will RAF Benson unveils brand Limited cannot be held responsible for accuracy PAGE WINTER WARRIORS 24 take place at RAF Halton 33 new motorhome. of the information herein or for any consequence 845 NAS drop in on some old Airfield on Friday 10th June 2016. arising from it. Views Expressed in this publication 16 friends on the way to Norway. are not necessarily those of the Royal Air Force or the Ministry of Defence. All images © UK MoD 24 Crown Copyright 2016 unless otherwise stated. 4 LION’S ROAR SPRING 2016 Mission: To deliver Support Helicopter operational capability www.raf.mod.uk/rafbenson SPRING 2016 LION’S ROAR 5 REGULARS STN CDR’S FOREWORD Foreword Editorial Team OIC/EDITOR Flt Lt Andrew Darge from the Station RWOETU, Ext: 7066 DEP EDITOR FS Andy Lyes Commander… RWOETU, Ext: 7062 845 REP Lt Cdr James Coleman RN As ever, the past few months 845 NAS, Ext: 7128 33 SQN REP Flt Lt Dave Rawson have seen a flurry of activity at Benson 28 Sqn, Ext: 8039 230 SQN REP and much has been achieved. Flt Lt Dusko Frost 230 Sqn, Ext: 7159 28 Squadron, the new Puma and Chinook 28 SQN REP Flt Lt Rob Causer Operational Conversion Unit has now 28 Sqn, Ext: TBC LS REP fully integrated into life on the Station Fg Off Becks Causer OC M&T Flt, Ext: 7428 and they continue to deliver excellent EXPEDITION & SPORTS REP Flt Lt Phil Corral, training to the next generation of STO, Ext: 5219 BSW REP front-line helicopter aircrew. Ms Nikki Hamilton MCO AO, Ext: 7245 OPS WG REP Flt Lt Dan Rigby As I write, the final elements of their SHF HQ, Ext: 5184 refurbished hangar are being completed 606 SQN REP and I am very much looking forward Fg Off Will Nolan to attending the 28 Squadron Royal 606 Sqn Media, Ext: 7238 Centenary Parade that will also officially STN CHARITY REP open the new facilities. ‘…The parade was Sgt Louise Muzzlewhite I was also honoured to be a part of ATC, Ext: 7017 the 33 Squadron centenary celebrations. a fitting tribute to a PHOTO & IMAGERY REP The parade was a fitting tribute to a Sgt Mark Moore squadron that has contributed so much squadron that has Photo Section, Ext: 7265 to Defence over the past 100 years. The CARTOONIST remarkable turnout at the dinner in the contributed so much FS Dave McCrindle evening is testament to the regard and 845 NAS, Ext: 7128 fondness with which its current and to Defence over the DISTRIBUTION former members hold for the unit which Mr Tizzard, Mr Cole & Mr Guppy has been based here at Benson for almost past 100 years.’ 20 years. The Puma Force marked another milestone in February when the Puma 2 chalked up 10,000 flying hours in the Service since its introduction. Maintaining a readiness for contingency operations and a national standby while introducing the new aircraft safely into service has for the University Air Squadron and Air been a testimony to the hard work and Experience Flight. Their tenacity and eye dedication of the engineers, aircrew and for detail prevented a potentially serious support staff, including the Project Team incident and their professionalism is to in Abbeywood. their huge credit. People are the vital part of what On top of all this, the Puma Force we do at Benson and it was fantastic has maintained its ongoing commitment to see Flight Sergeant Emma Rousell to Operation TORAL in Afghanistan. 33 win the coveted Sue Ryder Woman of Squadron A Flight will shortly complete Achievement in Services award. Heading their deployment having continued to up the busy catering flight, Emma has deliver more than their fair share of lift shown outstanding leadership and made a capability to NATO forces. They will be huge impact on and off base with a whole replaced by 230 Squadron A Flight and I host of endeavours. She exemplifies the wish them the best of luck as they prepare passion and commitment that makes the to take the reins. Station tick. This weekend we face one of our We also could not enjoy the biggest challenges for the second year success that we do without the valuable running – the Reading Half Marathon. I contribution from the civilian staff either. will be joined by a team of 100 personnel, I recently had the pleasure of presenting dependants and friends as we strive to Flight Safety awards to Adam and beat our fundraising target of £10,000 for Matthew Vinnicombe, Babcock engineers the RAF Benevolent Fund… and hopefully COVER CREDIT: who maintain the Grob Tutor aircraft beat our personal best times too! © RAF Benson Photographic Section 6 LION’S ROAR SPRING 2016 Mission: To deliver Support Helicopter operational capability www.raf.mod.uk/rafbenson SPRING 2016 LION’S ROAR 7 FEATURE 33 SQN MARKS ITS CENTENARY 33 Sqn on display in their hangar lift capabilities for often in your career you can say you’ve been combat, training, part of such a significant event.