No. 674 Squadron AAC

Last updated

No. 674 Squadron AAC
Active11 July 2003 – 30 April 2021
Country Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom
Branch Flag of the British Army.svg Army Air Corps
RoleFlying Grading
Part of No. 3 Flying Training School RAF
Garrison/HQ Middle Wallop
Motto(s) English: Nothing Is Impossible
March The Lincolnshire Poacher
Anniversaries11 July 2003
Light Fixed Wing Trainer Tutor

674 Squadron AAC is a unit of the British Army Air Corps. It conducts flying grading for potential army pilots as a part of the army flying training selection process. Pre-selected candidates are introduced to the flying training environment on a syllabus which includes basic flying exercises. Candidates' suitability for further training is assessed and graded and this information is used as a part of the overall selection criteria.

Contents

History

Formation

The number 674 was one of several allocated to the RAF AOP Squadrons during the second world war, however no squadron was commissioned before the numbers were transferred to the Army Air Corps in 1957. The number remained unused until the emergence of a distinct army and navy presence at the Defence Elementary Flying Training School necessitated restructuring into two separate squadrons. 674 Squadron was selected because it was the next available unused number.

A formation parade and ceremony was held at RAF Barkston Heath on 11 July 2003, with the Squadron stood up under the first Officer Commanding, Major A M Mills AAC. The squadron was inaugurated by Major General Richard Gerrard-Wright CB CBE DL on behalf of the Chief of the Defence Staff, General Sir Mike Walker. The Chief of the Defence Staff granted the squadron its own march, 'The Lincolnshire Poacher'.

Recent operations

A Grob 120TP 'Prefect', formerly operated by 674 Sqn AAC. G120 Prefect - RIAT 2017 (36273768463).jpg
A Grob 120TP ‘Prefect’, formerly operated by 674 Sqn AAC.

Until April 2021 674 Sqn AAC was based at RAF Barkston Heath in Lincolnshire and latterly conducted Elementary Flying Training, operating the Slingsby Firefly in the 1990s through to around 2007, the Grob 115 Tutor from around 2007 until acquisition of the Prefect T1 turboprop trainer in the late 2010s. Students from all three Services of the Armed Forces were trained during this time as well as a limited number of students from overseas, mainly from certain Gulf States. Training was delivered as part of the UK Military Flying Training System (UKMFTS) contract. [1] The Squadron was temporarily stood down in April 2021 before reforming at Middle Wallop and a transition to the flying grading role. [2]

Heraldry

The squadron motto 'Nothing Is Impossible' was selected by the Regimental Committee of the Army Air Corps in order to perpetuate the memory of the Glider Pilot Regiment which bore the same motto.

The squadron crest bears the Sphinx of the Royal Lincolnshire Regiment, chosen because of the squadron's initial location at Barkston Heath in Lincolnshire and the close association of the Chief of the Defence Staff with the Army Air Corps (he was the Regimental Colonel) and the Royal Anglian Regiment, the successor to the Royal Lincolnshire Regiment.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Army Air Corps (United Kingdom)</span> Aviation arm of the British Army

The Army Air Corps (AAC) is a component of the British Army, first formed in 1942 during the Second World War by grouping the various airborne units of the British Army. Today, there are eight regiments of the AAC as well as two Independent Flights and two Independent Squadrons deployed in support of British Army operations around the world. Regiments and flights are located in the United Kingdom, Kenya, and Canada. Some AAC squadrons provide the air assault elements of 16 Air Assault Brigade through Joint Helicopter Command.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF Cottesmore</span> Former Royal Air Force station in Rutland, England

Royal Air Force Cottesmore or more simply RAF Cottesmore is a former Royal Air Force station in Rutland, England, situated between Cottesmore and Market Overton. On 15 December 2009, Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth announced that the station would close in 2013 as part of defence spending cuts, along with the retirement of the Harrier GR9 and the disbandment of Joint Force Harrier. The formal closing ceremony took place on 31 March 2011, and the airfield became a satellite of RAF Wittering until March 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MoD Lyneham</span>

Ministry of Defence Lyneham or MOD Lyneham is a Ministry of Defence site in Wiltshire, England, about 7 miles (11 km) north-east of Chippenham and 9 miles (14 km) south-west of Swindon. The site houses the Defence School of Electronic and Mechanical Engineering. Also here is Prince Philip Barracks, housing the regimental headquarters of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME), 8 Training Battalion REME and the REME Museum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">JHC FS Aldergrove</span> Ministry of Defence Joint Helicopter Command Flying Station

Joint Helicopter Command Flying Station Aldergrove, also known as simply JHC FS Aldergrove, is a British military base located 4.4 miles (7.1 km) south of Antrim, Northern Ireland and 18 miles (29 km) northwest of Belfast, and adjoins Belfast International Airport. It is sometimes referred to simply as Aldergrove which is the name of a nearby hamlet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF Cranwell</span> Royal Air Force training station in Lincolnshire, England

Royal Air Force Cranwell or more simply RAF Cranwell is a Royal Air Force station in Lincolnshire, England, close to the village of Cranwell, near Sleaford. Among other functions, it is home to the Royal Air Force College (RAFC), which trains the RAF's new officers and aircrew. The motto, Altium Altrix, meaning "Nurture the highest" appears above the main doors of the Officers Mess. Since January 2023, RAF Cranwell has been commanded by Group Captain Tina Jessup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF Barkston Heath</span> Royal Air Force station near Grantham, Lincolnshire, England

Royal Air Force Barkston Heath or RAF Barkston Heath is a Royal Air Force Relief Landing Ground under the command of RAF Cranwell near Grantham, Lincolnshire, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF Shawbury</span> Royal Air Force base in Shropshire, England

Royal Air Force Shawbury, otherwise known as RAF Shawbury, is a Royal Air Force station near the village of Shawbury in Shropshire in the West Midlands of England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barkston</span> English village in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire

Barkston is an English village and civil parish in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire. The parish population was 497 at the 2001 census and 493 at the 2011 census. The village lies about 4 miles (6 km) north of the market town of Grantham, on the A607, just south of the junction with the A153 to Ancaster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AAC Middle Wallop</span> Military airfield in Hampshire, England

Army Aviation Centre (AAC) Middle Wallop is a British Army airfield located near the Hampshire village of Middle Wallop, used for Army Air Corps training. The base hosts 2 (Training) Regiment AAC and 7 (Training) Regiment AAC under the umbrella of the Army Aviation Centre. 2 (Training) Regiment performs ground training; 7 (Training) Regiment trains aircrew on AAC aircraft after they complete basic training at RAF Shawbury.

Royal Air Force Kirton in Lindsey or more simply RAF Kirton in Lindsey is a former Royal Air Force station located 15 miles (24 km) north of Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No. 651 Squadron AAC</span> Military unit

No. 651 Squadron Army Air Corps, is an aircraft squadron of the British Army, originally formed as No. 651 Squadron Royal Air Force in Italy and North Africa during the Second World War, and afterwards in Egypt. Numbers 651 to 663 Squadrons of the RAF were Air Observation Post units which had both Army and RAF personnel. The pilots, drivers and signallers were in the Royal Artillery whilst the adjutants, technical staff and equipment officers came from the RAF. Air observation posts were used primarily for artillery spotting, but occasionally for liaison and other duties. Their duties and squadron numbers were transferred to the Army with the formation of the Army Air Corps on 1 September 1957.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Netheravon Airfield</span>

Netheravon Airfield is a Ministry of Defence grass strip airfield on Salisbury Plain, in Wiltshire, England. Established in 1913 by the Royal Flying Corps, it became RAF Netheravon from 1918 until 1963, then AAC Netheravon until 2012. Buildings from 1913 and 1914 survive on part of the site. The site forms part of the Tidworth, Netheravon and Bulford (TidNBul) Garrison.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No. 115 Squadron RAF</span> Flying squadron of the Royal Air Force

Number 115 Squadron is a Royal Air Force squadron operating the Grob Tutor T1, training QFIs for the RAF's Elementary Flying Training (EFT) squadrons and the University Air Squadrons, as well as undertaking evaluation and standardisation duties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">703 Naval Air Squadron</span> Military unit

703 Naval Air Squadron of the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy was formed as a long-range catapult squadron on 3 March 1942 at RNAS Lee-on-Solent. During the Cold War, it was reformed as an experimental trials unit, and then as a helicopter training squadron. Since 2003, the squadron has formed the Royal Naval wing of the Defence Elementary Flying Training School at RAF Barkston Heath.

6 Regiment Army Air Corps is the sole Army Reserve regiment of the British Army Air Corps (AAC) falling under the Combat Arm of the British Army. The regiment consists of five Squadrons based around the south of the UK. 6 Regiment provides soldiers trained to assist Joint Helicopter Command on exercise and operations both in the UK and worldwide. The regiment provides support to support and attack helicopter in roles including Aviation Ground crew specialists, Aviation Communication Operators and Aviation Support Officers. The AAC regiment is supported by other Army Reserve elements including Royal Logistic Corps as chefs, Logistics and Supply, Adjutant General Corps as human resource specialists and Royal Army Medical Corps in the form of Combat Medical Technicians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">3 Regiment Army Air Corps</span> Military unit

3 RegimentArmy Air Corps is a regiment of the British Army and is part of the 16 Air Assault Brigade and Attack Helicopter Force (AHF), which is under the authority of the Joint Helicopter Command (JHC). As of April 2022, this regiment's commanding officer (CO) is Lieutenant Colonel Simon Wilsey and it is based at Wattisham Flying Station in Suffolk, England. This regiment operates the Apache AH Mk1 and AH-64E Apache attack helicopters.

No. 660 Squadron AAC is a squadron of the British Army's Army Air Corps (AAC). The squadron traces its lineage to a Royal Air Force squadron that existed during the Second World War. In the late 1950s the squadron's numerical was transferred to the AAC and since its formation in 1969, it has operated as a British Army unit flying various types of battlefield helicopters. The squadron has been re-formed and disbanded on a number of occasions. The squadron is currently based at RAF Shawbury where it forms part of No. 1 Flying Training School, but it has been deployed operationally to Northern Ireland, Hong Kong and Brunei throughout its existence.

5 Regiment Army Air Corps is a regiment of the British Army and is part of the Joint Helicopter Command (JHC). The regiment is based in Northern Ireland at JHC Flying Station Aldergrove.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UK Military Flying Training System</span> Military unit

The UK Military Flying Training System (UKMFTS) takes UK armed forces aircrew from initial training through elementary, basic, and advanced flying training phases, preparing them for their arrival at their designated operational aircraft units. It is operated by Ascent Flight Training, a consortium of Lockheed Martin and Babcock International under a 25-year Private Finance Initiative (PFI) contract for the UK's Ministry of Defence (MoD), with oversight from the MoD. The airworthiness authority for each aircraft type, for example, is fulfilled by military and civilian staff within Defence Equipment and Support. Apart from the overall contract, the main elements of the system include fixed-wing elementary, multi-engine and fast-jet pilot training, rear crew training and rotary-wing (helicopter) training.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No. 3 Flying Training School RAF</span> Military unit

No. 3 Flying Training School is a Royal Air Force military training school, which manages elementary flying training for the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force and also for the training of all non-pilot aircrew for the RAF and is home to the Central Flying School Tutor Squadron.

References

  1. "Royal Air Force Cranwell - 674 Lodger Unit". Royal Air Force. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  2. "674 Sqn AAC - Standing Down". Royal Air Force. Retrieved 10 May 2021.