RNAS Culdrose (HMS Seahawk)
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The Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose, RNAS Culdrose short, and the additional designation HMS Seahawk, is a military airfield of the Fleet Air Arm (FAA ) of the British Royal Navy ( RN ) near Helston in southwest Cornwall, England. The base is next to RNAS Yeovilton one of two land bases for the aircraft the RN. Culdrose is Europe's largest helicopter base, most of the operational squadrons are used for naval warfare, such as the U- hunt.
History
In 1942, the Admiralty began with the investigation of the area south of Helston in relation to a possible use as an airbase, five years after the start of this investigation was finally opened the station. The base initially served the Naval Fighting School, but quickly took over other tasks. These included the trials of the first jet fighters of the RN, training of crews of early warning aircraft and as a country base of supported aircraft. Over the years, the operation of airplanes in favor of helicopters was gradually reduced, the tasks have however changed little over the decades.
The Olympic flame
A civilian British Airways aircraft named Firefly brought on 18 May 2012, the Olympic flame in special containers from Athens to this airport as the starting point of the 70- day-long relay race of the Olympic flame before the opening of the Olympic Games 2012 in London. The airport received specially for this flight IATA code CDR to allow the civilian aircraft for the computerized flight at this military airfield.
Current usage
Currently, the station is the base of Merlin and Commando helicopters the FAA and Avenger ( King Air ) training aircraft, added a number of non -flying associations. A few miles south on the Lizard peninsula referred to the southernmost point of the United Kingdom is the alternate aerodrome Predannack. Here training rotations can be made with the helicopters without the Flächenflugteuge on the main base disturbing.
Swell
- Olympic torch: Top pilot's most ' precious cargo ' BBC News 18. May 2012.