Pumas learn to cope with the snow

[Anth]

The RAF have been conducting a series of training exercises in northern Norway aimed at helping personnel learn to operate in the most harsh and austere conditions. In the second of our articles about Exercise Clockwork 06, we look at flying training arctic-style.

Up in the mountains: A 33 Sqn Puma conducting winter training, including snow landings and underslung loads, in the mountainous region above Bardufoss, Norway.
[Picture: Cpl Scott Robertson RAF].

After completing the initial Arctic survival course, aircrews deployed on Exercise Clockwork 06 begin their flying training in earnest. Squadron Leader Liam Taylor, Officer Commanding A Flight 33 Squadron, is the Squadron Detachment Commander. He explained how the exercise works:

"There are three phases to this exercise. The first stage is a series of lectures on cold weather survival techniques, including keeping warm, putting up shelters, digging snow holes, treating injuries, and on how to fly in deep snow conditions.

"The next two stages are practical. Four days are spent in the mountains above Bardufoss living in tents and snow holes, and carrying out personal admin in temperatures well below freezing. And the final phase is practising flying techniques: landing and taking off in deep powder snow, and flying over snow covered terrain above and below the tree line."

Puma pilot Flight Lieutenant Adrian Pickard during Exercise Clockwork 06.
[Picture: Cpl Scott Robertson RAF]

The flying programme aims to familiarise crews with operating in snow conditions by day and by night. Pilots need to learn the correct techniques for landing and taking off in powder snow. In northern Norway the RAF find the 'right' type of snow in abundance.

When landing on powdery snow, visibility is the issue for the last fifty feet on approach. A huge snow cloud is created by the down thrust of the rotor blades, causing a complete white-out. The same phenomenon takes place when picking up and putting down underslung loads. Flying and navigating in snow-covered mountains brings its own problems: there are fewer reference points on snow, and the white features can cause visual illusions for pilots.

This training has a direct impact for aircrew who deploy on operations; the skills learned in Norway are transferable to snowy conditions found in the Balkans and the mountainous regions of Afghanistan.

Just hold it there; ground crews from 33 Squadron watch as a Puma takes off with its load.
[Picture: Cpl Scott Robertson RAF]

Squadron Leader Taylor is quick to stress the value of this deployment:

"This training is vital. Sadly there have been fatal crashes in Germany and the Balkans in the last ten years."

One of the aims of the exercise is for the Squadron to build up a core of people with a pool of knowledge and skills that can be passed on to less experienced pilots. Some of the training can be done back in the UK, in a simulator designed for practising basic techniques for snow landings. However it is not an exact replica.

Flight Lieutenant Adrian Pickard is a reservist pilot with 33 Squadron. In civilian life he is an airline pilot with First Choice Airways. On Exercise Clockwork he is one of the flying instructors.

He has considerable flying experience. Before becoming a reservist he spent sixteen years in the Royal Air Force, serving with 33 Squadron. He also did an exchange with the Royal Air Force of Oman and was an instructor at RAF Shawbury. He has flown helicopters in Belize and took part in the First Gulf War. He served in Kosovo and on Operation Telic.

Can you tell what it is yet? Senior Aircraftsman Alex Thorpe inspects the rotor system on a 33 Sqn Puma.
[Picture: Cpl Scott Robertson RAF]

While helping the pilots to acquire the knowledge and skills that they need to fly in these conditions, he also aims to ensure that they are aware of the situations that they should try and avoid.

“That comes with, sadly, age and experience. I teach them technically the approaches that we do, passing on the experience of a number of years of where they should be much more careful or not go at all,” he said.

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[freund]

The helicopter is called a "Puma"? Why didn't they come up with another imaginary animal to name it? There are only a couple people that might get this joke (lame as it is). The rest of you should check out www.redvsblue.com. Very funny cartoon!

[Snowden]

Originally Posted by freund

The helicopter is called a "Puma"? Why didn't they come up with another imaginary animal to name it? There are only a couple people that might get this joke (lame as it is). The rest of you should check out www.redvsblue.com. Very funny cartoon!

To me a puma is a mountain lion such as we may find in the Appalachian Mountains, sometimes even here in Maryland. So I'm in that category.

[freund]

Red vs Blue is this extremely funny cartoon using the videogame Halo for characters. I'm not even going to try to explain the Puma joke b/c it wouldn't be funny out of context. But anyway, I laughed