THE JOHNSTON MEMORIAL TROPHY 2007
For a notable contribution to air navigation
815 NAVAL AIR SQUADRON – TRAINING TEAM
The tactical employment of rotary wing assets in Iraq and Afghanistan led to a
requirement to release Army Air Corps (AAC) and RAF helicopters from Operation
BANNER (Northern Ireland). With the military commitment in the Province
scheduled to continue until late 2007, 815 Naval Air Squadron was tasked in
December 2006 to investigate the feasibility of providing a multi-crew, 24-hour,
all weather capability to fill the gap in aviation support to Headquarters
Northern Ireland (HQNI) from 1 April to 31 July 2007.
Following an intense scoping and assessment period, training commenced in
January 2007 for the instructors responsible for both course design and ongoing
aviation training. This required imaginative and relevant day and night
continuation sorties in order that the training team could replicate the
operational conditions, whilst ensuring that equipment limitations could be
overcome. Crews were to be capable of operating a single pilot aircraft with
maritime-trained crews by day or night in the troop support role, navigating
routinely on 1:50,000 maps and be capable of operating to unprepared landing
sites. This was a new skill for the Royal Navy and one previously the preserve
of specifically role-trained AAC and RAF aircrew operating dual-controlled
aircraft, normally with twin-pilot crews.
Naval Lynx training is optimised toward the maritime environment, with little or
no time allocated to the unique skills-set required for ‘Op Banner’. With input
from the Naval Commando Support Squadrons and AAC units in theatre, a bespoke
training course was designed, drafted and approved in short order, based on both
the task at hand and the limited training period available before deployment.
The course included enhanced low-level navigation, trooping drills to unprepared
sites and Night Vision Goggles (NVG) training as well as the pre-requisite
military training for an operational deployment.
The task faced by the instructors was made doubly difficult as none of the
allocated aircrew had previous experience of NVG flying, a skill essential for
the environment in which they would be operating. Completing the existing
Maritime Lynx NVG course in half the normally allocated time, the crews quickly
moved to the bespoke element of ‘Op Banner’ training. The huge training burden,
coupled with a paucity of both instructors and capable airframes, led to a
protracted period of intensive day and night operations. The core instructors
were typically flying 6-8 times a week, including at least three night serials,
on top of their normal continuation flying and daytime employment. Well in
excess of 60 ‘Op Banner’ training sorties were flown in 6 weeks using only 4
core instructors.
Once deployed, the crews consistently performed to a level above and beyond that
which could be expected, given the nature of the task and the lack of experience
in that environment. This assessment came not only from Naval Flying Standards
Flight but also from RAF and notably Army sources at HQNI. The ability of Naval
aircrews, inexperienced in role, to perform to such a widely recognised high
standard is testament to the training provided and the tenacity and
determination of the crews involved. Furthermore, the skills learned on ‘Op
Banner’ have been retained within the Squadron and have clear applications for
any future land roles where they may be required to operate over land.
Previous Winners
1931 Sir Francis Chichester
1932 Squadron Leader Herbert/ J L Hinkler Esq
1933 J A Mollison Esq
1934 E W Percival Esq
1935 Not Awarded
1936 Miss Jean Batten
1937 A S Wilcockson Esq
1938 D C T Bennett Esq
1939-46 Not Awarded
1947 W H Crowther Esq/ R B Tapp Esq/ L R Ambrose Esq QANTAS
1948 Captain P G Taylor
1949 Not Awarded
1950 Captain P G Taylor
1951 Not Awarded
1952 Captains and Crew of Service Aircraft "Aries"
1953 Pilots and Navigators of Comet Fleet BOAC
1954 Not Awarded
1955 Captain J H Saffery and Pilots and Navigators of Hunting Aero Surveys
on Antartic Expedition
1956 Not Awarded
1957 Squadron Leader J H Lewis, Commanding the RAF Detachment Unit with the
British Commonwealth Trans-Antartic Expedition
1958 Captain and Navigational Crews of the Aircraft and Armament
Experimental Establishment
1959 The Decca Navigator Company Limited
1960 Not Awarded
1961 G E Beck Esq/ M Morgan Esq of Marconi's Wireless Telegraph Co.
1962 Wing Commander D F H Grocott
1963-66 Not Awarded
1967 Wing Commander E W Anderson
1968-72 Not Awarded
1973 Flt Lt R M S Cook / Flt Lt R W Hardisty
1974 Flt Lt E G Candlish/ Flt Lt J Vinales
1975 Not Awarded
1976 W P Robinson Esq
1977 The Royal Air Force Tanker Wing
1978 Not Awarded
1979 Captain G Vette/ M Forsyth Esq
1980-81 Not Awarded
1982 Commander S C Thornwill
1983-84 Not Awarded
1985 The Giotto Space Probe Navigation Team
1986 The Voyager Team
1987 Not Awarded
1988 Wing Commander Raymond L Lomas RAF
1989 Peter Norvill Esq
1990-93 Not Awarded
1994 Flt Lt J W Hendy
1995 Captain Alex Fisher
1996 Captain David Massy-Greene QANTAS
1997 James C Lawson Esq
1998 Jon Johanson
1999 Flight Lieutenant David Wilson RAF
2000 Thomas Beverley Nichols
2001 Flight Lieutenant Timothy Carr
2002 Geoffrey Alan Burtenshaw
2003 Number 33 Squadron RAF
2004 Not Awarded
2005 Sea King Mk7 Trials Team
Lieutenant Commander Tite RN, Lieutenant
Commander Ling RN,
Lieutenant Commander Smith RNR, Lieutenant Commander Richardson RN (retd)
2006 Boeing J0UCAS Programme X-45A
2007 815 Naval Air Squadron Training Team
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