RNAS Yeovilton

Royal Naval Air Station (RNAS) Yeovilton and RAF Middle Wallop

Royal Naval Air Station (RNAS) Yeovilton is a large multi-role air station with an annual budget of some £61 million.

It is home to Royal Navy (RN) Lynx Helicopters and RN Commando Helicopter Force. RNAS Yeovilton operates over 100 aircraft in four different categories and is manned by around 1675 service and 2000 civilian personnel including MoD employees and permanent contractors.

Training of aircrew and engineers of resident aircraft types is also carried out at Yeovilton. It is also the location for the RN Fighter Controller School, training surface based aircraft controllers.

Established over 60 years ago, HMS Heron is the only Royal Naval establishment in this beautiful part of the country, and over the years has developed a very close liaison with the local community.

Including this visit in the Armed Forces scheme is a bit of a cheat as I visited as part of the Defence Select committee report into helicopters.

I found the visit interesting because it highlighted the cross service training of pilots; it is easy to think that only the RAF trains them. On each of the RAF stations I have visited there have been army and navy personnel working on a tri service basis.

There have been some frustrations voiced that skills in one service are paid at a higher rate than in another service and of course that the army and navy require people to retire earlier than the RAF.

I have met people in the RAF who were undergoing basic training to join having served for many years in the navy and army and reached their retirement age but still wanted to serve so re-enlisted in the RAF. This option can only be taken up by those with niche skills but it is still an option.