It all started when…
At the conclusion of the 18 and 27 Squadron projects in 2015, the newly formed 28 Squadron had just reformed at RAF Benson, becoming the joint Chinook and Puma Operational Conversion Unit (OCU). All trainee pilots and crewmen had previously been taken through the Chinook course under C Flight of 18(B) Squadron at RAF Odiham but, with the transfer of the Merlin HC Mk.3 to the Fleet Air Arm, spare capacity was seen at their previous Oxfordshire base, alongside the Pumas of 33 and 230 Squadrons. Wing Commander Marty Lock became the new Officer Commanding (OC) of 28 Squadron and saw fit to celebrate its 100th anniversary in style…despite it occurring only a few weeks after its reformation!
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.
Image by Tom Mercer.
The decision was made quickly to pause on the centenary celebrations and mark them with only a small ceremony on 7th November 2015 as the efforts involved in re-establishing the Squadron had to take precedence. 28 Squadron had previously existed as a Merlin unit at Benson but its hangar was now part-way through a multi-million pound refit to create a state-of-the-art training facility for Chinook and Puma Force students. It would be several more months before its floor was ready to receive the aircraft and a parade celebrating its reopening and 100 years of the Squadron - the date was set however, for 7th April 2016…and OC 28 Squadron was more than keen to have two aircraft suitably adorned to mark the Squadron’s remarkable history.
Bouncing ideas off other creative people can be a lot of fun so it was pleasing to be able to work closely alongside Adam Johnson of Evolution Media Design, with whom the idea of utilising the crossed kukri machetes associated with the Brigade of Gurkhas was settled upon. The Kukri Flash had remained a part of 28 Squadron’s associated symbology, having been presented by the Gurkhas during their forty year association which ended in 1994. The distinct recurve in the blade of the weapons offered a pleasing and poignant centrepiece, which eventually remained subtle in outline adjacent to a prominent white pegasus, as featured on the Squadron’s official badge.
The industry partners to the RAF who delivered in 2016 were once again the fantastic Serco team based at RAF Odiham, where the selected airframe (ZH777) was transferred for painting. Seeing value in the project to their customer, the company agreed to once again produce the design from work hours already budgeted to the Royal Air Force, meaning it was produced for no additional cost to the Service.
The resplendent royal blue and yellow combination was great to work with and it was a joy for the team to see it fly for the first time as it made the trip home to RAF Benson in perfect weather. Notably it was flown back by OC 28 Squadron, Wing Commander Marty Lock, and one of our partners at Rotorheads.blog - Flt Lt Andrew Waldron - with Flt Sgt Andy Rutter managing the cabin.
The Royal Air Force rotary wing (helicopter) squadrons are extremely busy places to be and this was as true as ever in 2015 as Operation TORAL passed from the Chinook Force to their Puma colleagues. The Pumas would maintain that commitment for many years to come, whereas the Chinook crews passing off of the OCU found themselves submersed into a busy routine of exercises, supporting the Falkland islanders in the South Atlantic and also deployments onto Operation NEWCOMBE. Both types also responded to the relief and aid effort in the Caribbean during Operation RUMAN in September 2017.
It was impressive to see ZH777 parked tail-to-tail with the centenary Puma which, whilst it didn’t receive quite the same treatment, benefitted from one of the same graphics and had been another very important type for the Royal Air Force during its 44-year service span up to 2015.
Image by Tom Mercer.
It would have been great to provide decadent markings for the Puma HC.2 assigned to the centenary celebrations as the people involved undoubtedly deserved the recognition. Unfortunately the airframes were still ‘pooled’ at the time and so shared amongst all Puma operators. Not one ‘belonged’ solely to the Puma Operational Conversion Flight (OCF) so could have been used in a front-line role too. The restrained appearance was therefore solely a result of business as usual on the Puma Force and the aircraft lost its colours soon after.
Image by Tom Mercer.
The last in a line of three Chinook liveries produced to celebrate 100 years of its squadrons, this was a favourite to work on. The level of engagement by OC 28 Squadron was exceptional and made the project run very smoothly. In collaboration with Evolution Media Design’s Adam Johnson a number of concepts were developed, which came together and evolved into the final artistic renders, which were accepted by the Royal Air Force after minor amendments. The degree of co-operation and shared ideas on this project made it really enjoyable and new application techniques enabled so much more.
ZH777 was instantly back into the fold of training new aircrew on 28 Squadron; standing proud at RAF Benson as it conveyed the message of 100 years of history to all who saw it. Almost a year later it was rotated onto the ‘books’ of 18(B) Squadron, as airframes move intermittently, to allow available flying hours between maintenance cycles to be used most efficiently. This image was taken just prior to its entry into depth maintenance with Vector Aerospace at Fleetlands near Portsmouth, UK. All three Chinook airframes used for the centenary projects were selected to provide a year to 18 months worth of flying hours before they were due deep maintenance and a full repaint. Combined with Serco’s delivery method, none incurred a charge to paint or recover to original specification.
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