Royal Navy’s Type 45 destroyer, HMS Diamond, has been the host of deck landing training during her first sail of 2016.
The Navy’s next generation multi-role helicopter ‘Wildcat’ deck landing training was conducted throughout the day and into the night for a 2 week period in January.
The aim was to support 825 Sqn’s trainee pilots and observers, allowing them to put into practice the reality of aviation at sea; a very different world from the steady and controlled environment of a shore aerodrome.
This busy time also enabled further aviation training for Diamond’s bridge teams, aircraft controllers, and flight deck crews operating in the challenging weather conditions day and night.
Across the rest of the ship training continued at pace with the professional trainers from the FOST, an organisation assessing and improving Diamond’s ability to deal with fires in the galley and Steering Gear Breakdown, or to conduct Replenishment at Sea to prove Diamond’s ability to deploy and be sustained at sea.
Executive Officer Lt Cdr Hugh Botterill commented: “Working on-board an operational warship does bring pressure, but that often brings the best from people; we’ve risen to the challenge and succeeded:”