Friday 30 November 2012

If you go down to the woods today….




Fg Off Lis Foster
 For the November training weekend, Ops Flt relocated to woods on Hankley Common, part of the Longmoor Training Area, where scenes from the recent James Bond film, Skyfall, were shot.  Here we were to undertake a field ops Exercise, alongside other Flts from 606 Sqn.
With an advance party of SAC Stu Taylor, and ACs Roper, Butwell, Church and Carlyle, I travelled to the training area on the Friday afternoon, where we were able to erect 3 of the 4 tents required for the exercise before nightfall.  The remainder of the equipment was then set up the following morning in time for the arrival of the rest of the Flt.
The main training for the weekend was an exercise put together by SAC Stu Taylor and Cpl Les Birch – who has now left the Sqn – using their years of experience from working in Ops rooms in theatre and on live JHC exercises.


 
For the Exercise, Ops Flt was split into 3 groups, plus an Exercise Control (ExCon) team.  Each group had a mentor (Fg Off Cooper, Cpl Wallington and myself) whose job it was to subtly guide, while letting them run the exercise in their own way.  After allowing for time to set up the Ops rooms with maps, flying programmes, ‘Pilots to See’ boards and meteorology, the Exercise  then went on to run for some 8 hours, until 2000hrs. Each group had the same injects, but dealt with them in their own way – from General Whinge demanding a helicopter to take him into a danger area with no notice, to arranging casualty evacuations for a convoy that came under fire.  The pace of injects was good and allowed everyone to experience something of the life in an Ops Room.



During the day there was a visit from the HAC, Air Marshal  Macfadyen and Lt Col Natrass from Reserves JHC. The VIPs talked to us all individually and seemed genuinely interested in the training taking place.
The 606 Sqn chefs provided a cook tent with a communal facility for boiling ration packs, as well as tea and coffee, and this became a focal point for people to congregate in the evening.  With the generator being switched off at 2200 we all settled down to an early night.
The weather throughout Friday and Saturday had been beautiful, however, we were woken in the early hours of Sunday morning by an enormous clap of thunder – the heavens opened and when I turned on my torch just before 0700 I found I was lying in a large, quickly growing puddle.  Luckily the all-weather sleeping system had worked and I was at least warm and dry inside my bivvy bag.
After getting up and moving the kit out of the floodwater I took my packet of ration-pack porridge over to the cook tent, only to find that the chefs had worked their magic and bacon, sausage, eggs and beans were just about ready for breakfast.  Amazing!  Ops Flt had slept in the tents we had been using for the Exercise, but much of the Sqn had slept in bashas in the wooded area.  I’m sure the cooked breakfast was doubly welcome for them.

Unfortunately the torrential rain did not abate and it was decided that it would be best to pack up our kit and return to Benson, where the tents would need to be unpacked and hung up to dry.  It was a good job we had managed to have such a good run of Stu and Les’s excellent exercise on the Saturday.  The weekend had been a real success and many thanks have to go to Stu for organising such high quality and imaginative training.




Monday 12 November 2012

It's more than just a hobby...sometimes..


As a serving member of 606 (Chiltern) Squadron I get to do some pretty cool things and sometimes, the opportunity to combine some of my many other hobbies rears it head .....

For instance; last month a group of squadron members and I participated in some adventurous training which happened to include hobby number one: Mountain Biking. This took the form of a challenging (read muddy, cold and wet) pedal along the South Downs Way over a long weekend. Good stuff..

This month The Squadron asked me to support a small exercise on the Longmoor training area providing lights and power for the Chef's. Opportunity number two: photography. I normally concentrate on sports/action myself but recently have been experimenting on the more creative side of the of the hobby and saw this as a way to try some things i'd seen others do.


 
Wide Angle SV



First, using a ultra-wide angle lens (Sigma 10-20mm) and a handy SV I got this.




















Later on that evening i'd started to lose the light and ended up experimenting with my mini tripod and some ever increasing exposure times, coming up with this:

Chef's by Tent Light

For those interested in such stuff this was 43sec/f22 @ ISO400 using the light from a distant spotlight, the fluorescent light from the tent and my torch (shining on the number plate)

I think it was around 11pm and the light had well and truly gone when the cloud cleared and it started getting cold - so I took the opportunity for a long exposure of a DAF and a Land Rover lit only by the Moon:

DAF by Moonight

You can tell how long I had the shutter open: the stars have moved.... well technically we moved, but you know what I mean. Again, for those wanting to know 109sec/f14 @ ISO1000. Not long after this it clouded over again and the heavens opened.... but that's another post..

Phil Duley.
CPL
606 Eng



Friday 9 November 2012

Day 5 at Queens Colour Sqn

Day 5
9am what a lie in! Though we would be needing it as the next two days would be pretty early starts. The day started straight into mustering at QCS again with a few more attempts at the stairs and the square again. Mastering both with a few minor niggles it was off to lunch and then on the coaches to head for the Royal Albert Hall for our first rehearsals. The feeling we all got as we pulled outside the Hall was out of this world, it was actually becoming a little bit real as we all got our passes and entered. What an unbelievable sight! What an incredible feeling! Everyone now was starting to feel the pride and the nerves.




Even though we had to wait around for quite a long time we got to watch Alexandra Burke rehearse and some of the bands which was a great sight to see. Suddenly we were all called up and sent to our required positions. A few more practises down some flights of stairs and we were good to go... To wait around for a little longer. With the anticipation building we were all very eager to get down the actual stairs to see what they would really be like. Our time came and we were off! Everyone was trying to keep in time and concentrate so hard that I think it threw us a little. As soon as we were down onto the floor our short march started then we were stood to attention together as one. We waited for the others to join with more music as a video being played on the tv screens. I could instantly feel my eyes starting to well with the immense pride I felt and I'm sure everyone else did as well. A couple of sore feet later it started to get very hot and bless one of the medics and to take a seat. It was very hot and this was only practise what was it going to be like Saturday?! Only tomorrow would tell.
Everyone will be feeling nervous tonight lets hope we all get some sleep as tomorrow would be the proudest day of our lives.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Day 3 and 4 of training for Festival of Remembrance

Day 3

Another 8.30 start and it was straight into training down the stairs for the Royal Albert Hall. Everyone at this point are looking pretty good,in the words of the SGT 'no point flogging a dead horse'. Everything going well suddenly we were struck with a dilemma where a VR officer had turned up as part of the university air squadron and one person would be taken from the auxiliaries to be placed next to him. Emma had been pick which left me by myself at the back of the lines. More confusing and of course muster training later we went for lunch and more pasta bake. So much pasta! This week seems to be more about pasta and doughnuts than march and drill!





Faced with the prospect of losing one of us, we all at this point put our absolutely best foot forward as to not be dropped. Luckily a couple of hours later a surprise came in the form of a VRT officer who filled the gap. Even though we had to stay a little longer to practise with him none of us minded as it ment we would now all marching together.

Stood down at 4.30 ready to eat and bull some shoes it was a defiantly a team effort in the lounge. 8 o'clock came and we were all ready to head to the bar for an interesting night ahead.





Day 4

Ah day 4 arrives and everyone's up with slightly sore heads after a very good night thrown by the QCS lads. First things first and the WO gives us a quick brief on the Cenotaph parade as today will be practising for the parade in London. 25 min later and everyone is out on the parade square ready to get their marching heads on. With over 50 of us in the parade is was soon noticed that it would be hard for all of us to keep in step as the QCS weren't quite used to having such small legs marching with them. A few more attempts and we were pretty much sorted, now everyone was getting quite excited knowing where we were all going to be in a couple of days time!

After lunch it was our last inspection for No.1s and more training for the Royal Albert Hall and marching with greatcoats which was a rather interesting task! The 'no point flogging a dead horse' phrase came out again so we were all given an early stack.

Seeing the QCS lads march in front of us today was such a sight. The lads really do work hard and for it, they look the absolute part. To be here this week has made us all feel so proud to be part of the military and part of 606. 

Day 2 of training....

Day 2

So our day started at 8.30 with a quick joke from the FS and another check of who was here, then if was off outside to the parade square for a 'refresh' of marching, shun and turning. As the cold nipped at our fingers I think the majority of us wish we had warn our gloves! It was defiantly good to shake off the cobwebs from basic but I think we impressed the SGT after being told we were the best oggies he had seen in years.

A few rest bites later and we were on the up, literally! To the fire escapes we went on the other side of the parade square to practise coming down the stairs at the Royal Albert Hall. After a few quick 1, 2, steps DOWN! We were all pretty good to go though I'm sure Mandy is hoping for railings when we get there Friday after a slight fumble.




After lunch is was another joke from the FS to keep us all in good spirits and a greatcoat check which of course was a disaster as the tailors at Northolt had now refused to do anything with them. A decision was made that everyone that wasn't sorted would be heading to Halton to be kitted properly which included Emma, Mandy and myself, again. So as we all go on the bus one thought went though all our minds, when do we get off, as a collision on the M40 was about to make our journey that little bit longer. 16.50 arrived and with only 10min to spare, in the nick of time we had arrived to Halton where some very unimpressed civvies awaited to great us. Finally sorted we returned to Northolt with our greatcoats and an unusual new passenger with no trousers??

Dinner miss so it was off to Sainsburys for sarnies and a much needed drink down the bar? I'm sure there was a joke in there some where about Emma's muffin?  

Tuesday 6 November 2012

Festival of Remembrance

Updates from our team preparing for the weekend. 

Day 1

Well the big week is here, some of us slightly more exciting than others as Mandy shouts Tigger over at me! 


We where ready and willing to go but it seems that RAF Northolt had other plans. After arriving at the guard room to find out that some of us didn't have accommodation a slight panic set over the camp. Though no doubt in true RAF style it would be sorted.

We started off in the QCS lecture hall for our intial brief with the WO and FS who weren't as scary as you'd might think. Telling us our fire exits where here, here and here We were all told which ceremonies we were doing and when, meal times, training times and of course where the bar was. After everyone was told what they would be doing we all set about organising ourselves for greatcoat and No.1 inspection. Emma and Andrew were given the all clear, few minor things with Mandy's and mine but all in all No.1 were all in tip top shape, it's a shame the same couldn't be said for the greatcoats which nearly all have to be altered! The Taylor's will have fun with these demands I'm sure.




More faffing over it was off to collect keys for rooms and dinner! Pasta bake anyone?


Enjoying every minute of it