Imposing sight as Apache helicopters stop off at RAF Shawbury
The skies above Shropshire are no stranger to the sight of helicopters flying above.
RAF Shawbury is home to the Defence Helicopter Flying School (DHFS) where students can be seen training in both the Squirrel and Griffin helicopters.
But this week the base hosted a visit from a different aircraft when two Apache helicopters landed on the airfield for a refuel.
The two helicopters from 664 Squadron Army Air Corps, located at Wattisham in Suffolk, were en route to RAF Valley in Wales on a navigational training exercise.
Squadron Leader Kim Leach, RAF Shawbury corporate engagement relations officer, said: "The base was delighted to welcome two Apache helicopters on Monday when they landed for a refuel.
"It was a great opportunity for the students at the Defence Helicopter Flying School, a tri-service school that delivers pilot and air crewman training, to see the Apache helicopter at close hand."
The task of the DHFS is to provide basic helicopter training for the pilots of the three services and foreign and Commonwealth countries.
About 160 students and 40 aircrew pass through the training establishment every year.
The school was formed in 1997 and although it is a military school, Cobham Aviation Services as the contractor supplies the helicopters, their maintenance and 40 per cent of the instructors.
