NAVY NEWS, AUGUST 2009 19
● An Apache and an arctic-camoufl aged Sea King HC4
● A Douglas Sky Raider against the grey skies on Yeovilton Air Day
Pictures: HMS Heron Phot Section
● The Commando Assault
is always a blast...
B
OOM. roar of aircraft overhead just kept
The fiery ball rends the coming.
grey sky; small children start The French Rafale drew the
to wail; bigger children grin; gunfire crowd’s attention – the first time
and Marines (that natural combina- a French Air Force Rafale has
tion) spring into action; and the performed at a British airshow, as did
sound of rotor blades fills the sky. the vibrant Red Arrows (although
It’s Yeovilton Air Day. their aerobatic aims were cut short
The low-lying grey cloud and by that dull grey cloud), the Navy’s
threat of imminent drizzle through- agile Black Cats, and through to
out the day did not deter the crowds, the cheerful routines of the Royal
with 32,000 people rushing into the Jordanian Falcons.
Naval Air Station to get up close A quiet chat later in the day to a
and personal with the airmen of the recently-retired RAF man, himself
Senior Service. a veteran safety officer of many an
Indeed it was only late in the day RAF air show, revealed admiration
when the threatening clouds broke for the many aircraft that still took to
into downpour, but by that point the skies, pushing close to their limits
the Commando Assault display was in the challenging grey conditions.
under way – and who was going to But there was plenty to see on the
miss the junglie Sea Kings, the green ground, even if an airborne spectacle
Lynx and the sinister Apache? Not to or two got cut short. Static displays
mention those explosions... of aircraft old and new, a wealth
Although the crowds were not of pilots, aircrew, airmen, of many
put off by the cloud, sadly a few nationalities, and stands touting
of the displays had to be cut short wares of many shapes and flavours.
or cancelled due to those low grey Of course, Yeovilton’s own grey
skies. And the Vulcan, awaited with Lynxes were undeterred by any
anxious breath after a 17-year hint of bad weather. The shipborne
absence, sadly drew a blank, kept Lynx blasted into action, showing
on the ground by issues mechanical just how swiftly and effectively the
rather than meteorological. actions of privateers and racketeers
But from the opening parade are brought to a halt in the aircraft’s
of current Naval Lynx, Sea King, global anti-piracy and counter-drugs
Merlin, Squirrel, and more, to the operations.
historic drama of that Sea Vixen the A centenary celebrated in style...
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