RAF Halton

RAF Halton 23rd April 2009

Royal Air Force Halton sits in the beautiful, undulating countryside of Buckinghamshire, 30 miles northwest of London. Halton nestles between the Vale of Aylesbury and the start of the Chiltern Hills.

RAF Halton has a long and successful history of training, spanning over eighty years. The Station role is to train personnel for the Air Force of tomorrow. This includes Recruit Training and Basic Trade Training for suppliers and Logistics Officers. The station also provides Initial Specialist Officer training for Logistics Officers and administrators, along with many specialist and further training courses. In line with current government policy, RAF Halton sells spare capacity training and resources to a very broad spectrum of customers and this task is managed by a business development officer.

It was good to visit Halton and see the Phase 1 training provided to new recruits as well as having the opportunity to meet and talk to the young people about their experience so far. I think that anyone who feels negative towards young people should have the opportunity to come and talk to these incredibly focussed and committed young people. No one is anything other than totally engaged with their training which prepares them for the reality of service including dealing with land mines and first aid.

I was also surprised to learn that people retire earlier from the navy and army and some re-enlist in the RAF so that they can continue to serve. They too undergo the initial training here at Halton.

Like most of the stations we visited Halton had a mixture of personnel with
750 from the services; 500 civilians; 400 contractors and 1200-1300 students (24% female and 76% male).

The training facilities were excellent. Gymnasia, Astroturf, swimming pool, shooting ranges and a variety of outdoor/adventure exercise facilities were provided as part of the fitness regime. Workshops, classrooms, briefing rooms and parade grounds met the needs of other aspects of the training. For many of the recruits the presence of the grass airfield was a major attraction with over 16,000 movements taking place each year with gliders, micro lights, planes and balloons using the facilities.

It was good to see how the sports and social facilities were also available for use by the local community and how much employment the station brings locally. Finally, I was impressed with the health and welfare side of the provision from the excellent medical and dental facilities and the attention given to mental health, anti-bullying and extra support for those recruits who were under eighteen.

I have been surprised at how much of a learning organisation the RAF is. The fitness instructors had become aware that some of the students were suffering difficulties because of a lower fitness level. They have introduced a two week pre-conditioning course for all females and for those males who want to build up their fitness levels before the training began. The recruits I spoke to had found this incredibly useful, not only in building up fitness but also in forming friendships which made joint working exercises so much easier.

Halton also provides total force training for reserves prior to going out to theatre.