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WINTER TRAINING IN NORWAY

By Patrick Allen

In winter of  2010,  Royal Air Force Chinooks along with other RAF helicopters, from the UK’s JOINT HELICOPTER COMMAND (JHC) self-deployed from their UK bases to  RNoAF Bardufoss in arctic Norway to undertake their demanding arctic winter flying training programme known as ‘CLOCKWORK’ training.

One of the most successful and demanding environmental training programmes is the cold-weather and mountain-warfare training undertaken at  the UK’s Joint Helicopter Command (JHC) "Clockwork" training facility based at RNoAF Bardufoss, a Royal Norwegian Air Force base 260km (160miles) inside the Arctic Circle.

This extreme cold weather environmental training package not only prepares JHC personnel (aircrew ground crew and support personnel) for operating in Arctic conditions, but also helps to provide aircrew with pre-deployment training for operations in Afghanistan. Flying techniques used to overcome "White-Out" conditions, caused by heavy re-circulating snow are very similar to those used for desert 'Brown-Out' conditions. Snow has the added benefit that it doesn't erode rotor blades and engines as badly as sand. Norway also provides junior and senior aircrew with some of their most demanding flying, often in challenging conditions. Fast changing weather, and difficult terrain, in this part of North Norway provide aircraft Captains with a steep learning curve in making the right captaincy decisions early. A wrong decision can lead to a long, cold night out in the arctic waiting for conditions to improve. There is absolutely no Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC) option for helicopters in this part of the world and sometimes the only option is to land and wait out the weather.

 

'Clockwork', Norway provides the ideal variety of terrain for winter training. The operational area around Bardufoss not only provides a harsh Arctic environment, but also a mountain flying area with peaks rising to 5,000ft (1,525m), steep-sided valleys and ideal low-level navigation areas, below and above the tree line. It also includes a coastal region, with a fjord terrain, and high, windswept, plains and tundra regions inland. This part of northern Norway is unpopulated, allowing operational flying and theatre-conversion training to be undertaken at any time.

Operating in the Arctic winter is a matter of applying known techniques to overcome a hostile environment, and everything at 'Clockwork' is geared to this end. Those being trained know that what they experience at 'Clockwork' will probably be the most difficult conditions that they will ever have to conquer. If they can operate effectively here, they can do so anywhere.

The training programme consists of two major parts - survival and military training, and Arctic flying and aircraft maintenance training. None of those undertaking the course is considered a "student" in the proper sense - they are all from front-line squadrons, or support them. Many of the pilots and aircrew will already have been flying operationally for some time in other regions of the world.

ARCTIC-MOUNTAIN FLYING TRAINING

Each JHC Squadron brings their own Qualified Helicopter Instructors (QHIs) and prepare their own individual flying training syllabus to fit-in with JHC training directives. The RAF Chinook detachment arrived on February 15th undertaking their training until mid-March.

Aircrew training consisted of a series of lectures and briefings on local-area operations, and around 20 flying hours are dedicated to general Arctic-flying training, which includes night-vision-goggle (NVG) operations, below and above the tree line. The course covers a full range of subjects, from aircraft-icing limitations to Arctic troop drills, weight restrictions and basic Arctic flying skills, including landing techniques in re-circulating snow. Pilots have to land on mountain peaks and undertake simulated emergencies as well as formation flying day /night and simulated troop-insertions in mountain regions above the tree line by day and by night, using NVGs.

RAF CHINOOK CLOCKWORK 2010

Winter 2010, saw one of the largest RAF Detachments deploy to 'Clockwork' in a number of years. With heavy operational commitments in Iraq and then Afghanistan, the number of arctic trained Chinook Qualified Helicopter Instructors (QHIs) has declined and this year JHC has taken the opportunity to train a cadre of QHIs to pass on this knowledge and expertise to future aircrew.

In winter 2010, training began with refresher training for the Squadron QHIs followed by training of abinitio aircrews, both pilots and crewmen. The syllabus began with day familiarisation sorties, snow landings, confined areas, mountain flying, navigation, pair’s landings, etc followed by night sorties using Night Vision Goggles (NVGs). The syllabus also covers day and night navigation skills, load-lifting in re-circulating snow assisted by members of the Joint Helicopter Support Squadron (JHSS) along with zero-zero snow landings (zero height at zero speed), confined area operations and mountain flying techniques.

For their operations in Norway the three Chinooks were equipped with snow skis for operating in this environment. The skis protect the Chinooks wheels from being damaged should the aircraft run-on in deep snow and hit hidden obstructions. It also allows the Chinook to taxi at up to 20kts in deep snow and taxi normally on normal taxiways. The skis don't affect aircraft handling and the maximum speed when fitted is 130kts.

 

 

SPEAKING TO Squadron Leader Lee Turner RAF

Second In Command No 18 Squadron and RAF Chinook Detachment Commander who explained:
"The High Arctic provides a uniquely demanding environment for our personnel to operate within and RNoAF Bardufoss, with ready access to both mountainous and littoral areas, ensures the full spectrum of our capabilities can be tested. One of Bardufoss' strengths remains the extensive corporate knowledge which the Commando Helicopter Force has developed over the past 41 years under the CLOCKWORK banner. This knowledge has enabled the establishment of proven training areas and navigational routes within which difficult and potentially dangerous situations can be highlighted to ab initio crews without significant risk; hidden ridges and known high tension wires are just two examples. Of course the remarkable combination of terrain and climate requires the highest levels of airmanship, captaincy and handling in order to operate successfully and our personnel develop their skill sets enormously over the course of a detachment. The skills learned are not esoteric however, and have a direct read across to our current operations in Afghanistan and our contingent standby capabilities. The profile for the zero speed landing for instance remains extant whether within a desert or Arctic environment and we have utilised the Exercise to train several crews during their pre-deployment phase prior to Op HERRICK in addition to a Chinook Force training cadre.

It is not of course just our aircrew who must operate within such extremes and the support elements deserve special mention for their remarkable ability to sustain flying operations at temperatures of -20 degrees Celsius and the additional wind chill generated by the downwash of a CH-47 Chinook is truly something to behold. Without such professionalism and forbearance the Exercise simply would not have been a success".

Norway not only provides Arctic cold, but also a wide variation of weather conditions within a short space of time and distance. The weather can quickly change and catch out the unwary, and a great deal of time is spent on proper flight and mission planning and in choosing the safest routes to complete missions safely and successfully. During even the shortest journey, weather can range from clear skies and low temperatures on take-off, to a quick thaw, low cloud, then rain and always the ever-present threat of icing, all within the space of a few kilometres.

The country provides an environment in which it is not easy to operate, making it the ideal training ground. This is not only relevant to current Operations in Afghanistan but also provides an ideal generic training package to train all personnel (ground and aircrew) on how to overcome a demanding environment but also improve aircraft captaincy skills and provide the knowledge that they have trained-in and operated in some very difficult and demanding conditions. The quote most often used to describe Clockwork training package is: "If you can successfully complete Clockwork' training you can operate anywhere".

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