Chinooks of 27 Squadron left their base at RAF Odiham in north Hampshire to join the carrier for training which benefits the aviators, the ship, and the nation.
Exercise Hathi Pol—Hindi for “elephant gate”—is a long-running Royal Navy (RN)–RAF test which builds up the skills of air and ground crews, engineers, aircraft handlers, Flyco, bridge, and ops room personnel.
If Chinooks are to embark on either HMS Queen Elizabeth or her sister HMS Prince of Wales for any length of time, they will need to be shielded from the elements and undergo maintenance.
That means transferring a helicopter from the flight deck to the hangar—a delicate operation which requires careful planning and execution.
At 99 ft long, a Chinook—here ZH777—just fits on the aircraft lift, its nose protruding over the edge, its rotors spread.
It takes just 60 seconds to lower the 12-tonne helicopter from the flight deck to the hangar deck level, where it’s maneuvered inside so engineers can perform maintenance away from the worst of the weather.
That’s a key part of Hathi Pol: getting the RAF used to working in the challenging seagoing environment and unfamiliar conditions and ensuring aircrew earn the relevant qualifications.
For HMS Queen Elizabeth it’s given them a busy flight deck with aircraft they don’t regularly operate—all while building up their aviation handling skills after the ship’s substantial overhaul in Rosyth and her native Portsmouth.
And for the nation, it means Chinooks can safely operate at sea from either carrier for key operations where heavy lift is required such as Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) or Non-Combatant Evacuation Operation (NEO) missions.
Hathi Pol ended with the Chinooks on deck as the carrier arrived in Gibraltar for a week-long visit to the Rock.
The carrier was joined by Gibraltar’s Chief Minister Fabian Picardo, Deputy Governor Marc Holland, and Commander British Forces Commodore Tim Davey for her entry into harbour, then 150 of the territory’s leading lights who were hosted on board for a capability demonstration.
And 1,000 Gibraltarians had the opportunity to see the ship close-up when the gangway was opened on Sunday; the tickets for the open day were snapped up in just four minutes.
More than 300 members of the ship’s company tackled the infamous “Rock Race” from Gibraltar Naval Base to the summit—a very early start and a grueling climb (1,300 ft) over a relatively short distance (2.7 miles), but rewarded with the unforgettable experience of the sun rising over the Rock.
