Chinook Display Team

Royal Air Force Chinook Role Demo Team
Country United Kingdom
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
BranchRoyal Air Force
RoleAerobatic Display Team
Size
  • 6 Air Crew
  • Engineering & Support Staff
Part ofJoint Aviation Command
Home StationRAF Odiham
Websiteraf.mod.uk
Commanders
Officer CommandingAir Vice-Marshal Lee Turner
Team CaptainFlt Lt Matthew Wehrle
Team ManagerFlt Lt Sean Ahearne
Aircraft flown
HelicopterBoeing CH-47 Chinook

The Chinook Role Demo Team is an aerobatics display team in the Royal Air Force based at RAF Odiham. The team flies the UK variant Boeing CH-47 Chinook, and is composed of volunteers from front-line aircrew who train and execute air show performances between day-to-day primary military duties. Their regular performances are popular due to public support for the Chinook's military role, its recognisability, and the variation in display and manoeuvres it provides to air shows.

Background

The Royal Air Force's 60 UK-variant Boeing CH-47 Chinooks are based at RAF Odiham in Hampshire. This is the largest fleet of Chinooks outside those operated by the United States Army. The aircraft is capable of carrying up to 55 troops and 10 tonnes of mixed cargo.

Unlike the RAF's dedicated aerobatic display teams, such as the Red Arrows and Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, the RAF Chinook Role Demo Team is composed of volunteers from front-line aircrew, who continue day-to-day primary military duties whilst training and executing air show appearances. In 2013, the team were serving in Afghanistan, while continuing to provide displays at air shows. Similarly, the aircraft the team fly are operational aircraft first, and are primarily used for training, resupply, trooping, and battlefield casualty evacuation.

In 2018, RAF Odiham received a new £53m Lockheed Martin helicopter training flight simulator, greatly reducing the training costs for Chinook crews, including the Chinook Role Demo Team.

Displays

Chinook HC2 displaying at Kemble Air Day, UK

Solo Chinook shows returned to the UK display circuit in 2004 after a 12-year absence under the name 'Chinook Display Team'. Since then, the team has made regular appearance at air shows, where their manoeuvres include the "Rollercoaster" – a series of steep climbs and dives at an angle of up to 70 degrees.

At the Duxford Air Show in 2019, the team used Chinook ZA708. This was built in 1981 and has had extensive operational service, including overseas deployments in which it saw action and suffered combat damage. Built originally to Helicopter, Cargo Mark 1 (HC1) specification, it has been upgraded to the latest specification. To maintain its life and operational serviceability, the sequence performed at airshows is carefully choreographed and regulated to minimise stress to the airframe.

In 2018 and 2019, the Display Team partnered with Land Rover for support. The vehicle wrap – which was Chinook-themed and was designed by a member of the aircrew. As one site noted: "This project was completed within the Ministry of Defence and not under Dynamic Vectors. It serves only as an illustration of what some of our designers can do."

In 2018, in conjunction with the 100th anniversary of the RAF, the Display Team made a notable appearance at the Battle of Britain Memorial.

In 2023 the team was re-named the 'Chinook Role Demonstration Team' to better reflect the team and aircraft's primary role as an operational unit. Key elements were introduced to showcase the aircraft's full capability, including internal loading, under-slung loads, and trooping. This included partnering with Joint Helicopter Support Squadron, another Joint Aviation Command Unit, based at RAF Benson.

The Team's popularity has been attributed to the Chinook's high-profile role gained from evacuating injured personnel during the Afghanistan conflict, its recognisability, unexpected agility, and the display variation it provides in contrast to smaller, faster aircraft.

Team Members

The team typically comprises 6 aircrew; a captain, two co-pilots, a lead crewman, and two additional crewman, rotating the co-pilot and junior crewmen positions during the season. A significant number of ground crew are also drawn to support, including engineering, operations, survival equipment, and media personnel.

In recent years the team has been captained by the following pilots:

See also

References

Notes

  1. ↑ One Chinook, with air and ground crews from Nos 7, 18 and 27 Squadrons is also operated from Mount Pleasant in the Falkland Islands in support of the chopper.

Citations

  1. ↑ Perry, Dominic (December 10, 2015). "Final new-build Chinook HC6s delivered to UK RAF". BBC News. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  2. ↑ Slessor 2004, p. 153.
  3. ↑ Marshall, Andrew (August 26, 2019). "What is the RAF Chinook Display Team". Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  4. ↑ "RAF Odiham Royal Air Force". Royal Air Force. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  5. ↑ "RAF Odiham – Who's Based Here". Royal Air Force. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
  6. 1 2 3 "The 2006 RAF Chinook HC Mk2 (25th Anniversary of Chinook Ops at RAF Odiham)". A guide to military airshows in the UK. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
  7. 1 2 "Chinook Display Team". Royal Air Force. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  8. 1 2 Mercer 2019.
  9. ↑ Place, Clarissa (August 21, 2019). "First look at Chinook display team heading to Sidmouth air display". Sidmouth Herald. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  10. 1 2 "Interview – Chinook Display Team". airshowinfo.eu. April 5, 2018. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
  11. ↑ Allen, Patrick (January 27, 2014). "Royal Air Force, Chinook HC.2 Display Team 2013" (Video). Jane's Defence Weekly. Retrieved March 31, 2021 – via YouTube.
  12. ↑ "RAF Odiham Chinook helicopter crews train on new £53m simulator". BBC News. November 22, 2018. Retrieved March 31, 2021. The RAF said it delivers virtual reality battlefield training to pilots and rear crew at a fraction of the cost of flying.
  13. ↑ "Chinook H2C Display 2004". A guide to military airshows in the UK. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
  14. ↑ "Trouble in the air", Britain's Ultimate Pilots, BBC, October 23, 2015
  15. ↑ "Britain's Ultimate Pilots: Inside the RAF, Episode 3". BBC. October 27, 2018.
  16. ↑ "RAF Chinook in Duxford display debut", Aerodrome, Hornby Hobbies, 2019
  17. ↑ "Land Rover partners with RAF Chinook display team" (Press release). www.automotiveworld.com Automotive World. September 13, 2018. Retrieved March 31, 2021. Land Rover will be assisting the famous RAF Chinook Display Team with ground support throughout the remainder of 2018 and 2019
  18. 1 2 "It all started when ..." Landrover. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  19. 1 2 Healy, Jack (September 24, 2018). "Land Rover to provide support for RAF Chinook Display team". www.carkeys.co.uk. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  20. 1 2 Fossdyke, James (September 3, 2018). "Land Rover gift wraps Discovery for RAF Chinook Display Team". motor1.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  21. ↑ Scull, Olivia (August 17, 2018). "A Battle of Britain first…". Battle of Britain Memorial. Retrieved March 31, 2021.[permanent dead link]
  22. ↑ "Chinook Role Demo Team". Royal Air Force. 2026. Retrieved September 4, 2026.

Bibliography

Further reading