Visits RAF Brize Norton
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GLOBAL GATEWAY NewsGLOBAL GATEWAY In September’s issue News 24 Cirque du Brize 4 From the Station Commander 4 From the Editor 5 Brize Norton personnel involved in London 2012 Olympics 26 DSMC Pharmacy 34 RAF Brize Norton Photography Competition 38 10 Squadron 6 The Chief of the Air Staff’s Global Air Chiefs’ Conference 10 RAF Brize Norton flying Club News 10 RAF Falcons parachute Front Cover display for Olympic Mountain Biking 30 Squadron Editorial Team at Hadleigh Farm Community Focus 01993 89 then Ext for external callers: 11 RAF Brize Norton Sqn Ldr Jim Rycroft Ext 6919 Serviceman honoured to 30 Community Matters lift the FA Community 30 Families Consultative Flt Lt Mike Udall Ext 6812 Shield at Villa Park Group Sgt Steve Vernon Ext 7300 30 New Benefits Advice The Team Service in Carterton Editorial Correspondence 31 Carterton Neighbourhood The ‘Global Gateway’ Editor 14 Training for the Team update - August unthinkable… 31 Carterton Children’s 30 Sqn, RAF Brize Norton, Carterton, 18 Families’ Day presents Centre Oxfordshire OX18 3LX Brizefest 2012 31 Events at Carterton Email: [email protected] 22 30 Squadron Community Centre 23 Olympic Torch visits RAF 44 Airplay Brize Norton 45 Padre’s Peace Distribution Sgt Hayley Crame Ext 7095 Cpl Pete Forrest 01993 873321 Submitting Articles SAC Byerley Ext 5873 Thanks to all of you who took time to write the variety of articles in this issue. To send submissions SAC Bailey Ext 5873 to the Global Gateway, email [email protected] and any articles that we receive SAC Gorrod Ext 5873 by the 16th of each month will be in the following month’s magazine. When you submit articles, remember that accompanying them with high resolution images really makes a difference. Please SAC Gilbert Ext 5873 send a maximum of 2 images per email to work around our DII email size limitations. We very much look forward to reading about your endeavours this month! © No responsibility for the quality of goods or services advertised in this magazine can be accepted by the publishers or printers. Advertisements are included in good faith. Published by Forces and Corporate Publishing Ltd, Hamblin House, Hamblin Court, Rushden, Northamptonshire NN10 0RU. Tel: 01933 419994 email: [email protected] Although advertisements are included in good faith, the Editor hereby declares that the publication of any advertisement in the ‘Gateway’ in no way implies endorsements or responsibility, by the ‘Gateway’. The MOD or any Service Establishment - including RAF Brize Norton, for the advertiser or its advertised product or service. Furthermore, neither the Editor nor any Service authority will become involved in any dispute arising out of any advertisement appearing in the ‘Gateway’.The ‘Gateway’ is not an official publication; unless specifically stated otherwise, all views expressed in the ‘Gateway’ are those of the authors alone and do not necessarily reflect official MOD or Service policy. © No part of the ‘Gateway’ may be reproduced in part or full without the written permission of the Editor or publisher. Photographs are Crown Copyright - all rights reserved - unless credited to an individual photographer. The ‘Gateway’ is the magazine of RAF Brize Norton and is published monthly by kind permission of the Station Commander - Gp Capt Lushington Managing director: Ron Pearson • Sub editor: Kerry Wells • Sales managers: Sally Haynes/Amanda Mains Global Gateway - www.raf.mod.uk/rafbrizenorton 3 News S W E N FROM THE STATION COMMANDER Gp Capt Steve Lushington The Olympics is over and we can breathe a sigh of relief and enjoy a brief respite until the Paralympics begins in a few weeks time. The Olympics have gone extremely well and there have been numerous comments regarding the military presence. Those personnel involved have received plaudits from both politicians and athletes and you have excelled as ambassadors for the Service. I would like to extend my thanks to all of you who have sacrificed your time over the summer to support, often at short notice, this extremely high profile event. I would also like to thank those personnel who remained at Brize Norton and covered shifts and filled in for those personnel who were seconded to the Olympic support. I do hope that you can all enjoy some Leave with your families when you are able. As the summer period starts to move into autumn the next RiP will soon be upon us. Voyager crews have been undertaking numerous training sorties and I hope that they can alleviate some of the pressure on other fleets during this busy period. The last RiP went particularly well and I hope that, despite the ageing fleets, the Stn can match if not better our previous efforts. Away from the operational focus, I would like to promote Families’ Day and ‘Brize Fest’ on 15 September. This is the Station’s opportunity to thank the families of our personnel who are equally impacted by the operational pace and demands placed on our people. The day looks set to be a great event and I hope the weather holds to ensure the day is a real success. It has been a busy couple of months for the Station and the RiP will be our next major operational focus. I hope that you have had a good summer, and for those of you who were working at the Olympic village I hope you get to have some time off with your families. As always at Brize Norton, you never know what is around the corner and so I hope you are ready for what will be a challenging autumn ahead. FROM THE EDITOR Welcome again to another edition of the Global Gateway. August has been a particularly busy month with Station personnel tasked to support the Olympics as well as providing support to operations both at home and abroad. Whilst some personnel are required to help at the Paralympics I do hope that you and your families can enjoy Brize Fest on 15 September. As the home of Air Transport and Air-to-Air Refuelling, RAF Brize Norton is in the limelight as always and the article on the Global Air Chiefs Conference highlights the importance placed on the fleets based at the Station. Last month we focussed on the A400M Atlas which will be a welcome addition to the AT fleet, this month there is an update on the progress of Voyager which has been gracing the skies of Oxfordshire over the past few months. As always, the magazine needs your articles in order to be successful. Please ensure that they are sent, along with photos, to the BZN-GLOBALGATEWAY-EDITOR@MOD. UK. The articles need to be submitted by the 16th of each month to enable the compilation of the magazine. Therefore to get an article in the October magazine, the article needs to be received by 16 September. The team is also searching for volunteers to help distribute the magazine among the Fairford, Faringdon and Shrivenham Married Quarters. If you are interested, please email the above address or contact the team on the telephone numbers above and left. I hope you enjoy this month’s edition. 4 Global Gateway - www.raf.mod.uk/rafbrizenorton Brize Norton Personnel involved FROM THE STATION COMMANDER in London 2012 Olympics Specially selected service personnel from the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force raised the Union and Olympic flags at the spectacular London 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony on Friday 27 July. A select team of 16 tri-service personnel, including two servicemen from RAF Brize Norton raised the flags before a global audience of four billion people. Sqn Ldr Tal Lambert from RAF Brize Norton heads up some of his team of 16 Flag bearers and raisers for the Olympic Opening Ceremony. Meticulous preparations for this prestigious honour took place from the 3 Services. at HMS Collingwood in Hampshire earlier this month. The personnel were selected for the role due to their Personnel from all three Services were trained in sporting backgrounds and charity work. Sqn Ldr the delicate art of flag raising, as well as drill Lambert has represented the county, the RAF refresher training and underwent rigorous and Combined Service at Badminton as inspections of their ceremonial uniform. ‘‘The whole team is well as winning the RAF Lord Wakefields Sgt Gary Main, Air Movements Sqn immensely proud and Boxing Title. Supporting charity, he is at RAF Brize Norton was one of the a founder trustee of the Soldiering excited to be part of an seven Union Flag raisers at the Opening On Through Life Trust, established to Ceremony, while Sqn Ldr Lambert, event that signals the recognise remarkable people, with an OC C4i Sqn at RAF Brize Norton, was start of the 2012 Olympic annual awards ceremony in March, appointed Opening Ceremony Team Games live in front of who support the ‘military family’ as well Leader for the Military and said “It is a an estimated 4 billion as raising funds (over £100,000 to date) privilege to represent the country and people” to assist numerous Military Charities. our respective services to be part of a once Sgt Gary Main has also represented the in a life time opportunity. The whole team RAF in numerous sporting activities including is immensely proud and excited to be part of Triathlons, Cross Country, Road Cycling and an event that signals the start of the 2012 Olympic Swimming in the discipline of Open water. In 2003 Games live in front of an estimated 4 billion people”. Sqn Ldr he was a team member of the RAF Brize Norton English Lambert was responsible for co-ordinating the Flag raising Channel relay team who successfully completed the crossing in ceremony on 27 July, which includes ensigns and personnel 10 hours 7 minutes and raised over £3,500 for local charities.