Helicopters

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Mike Gee

Visitors to this quiet and peaceful rural village may be surprised to look up to the sky and see helicopters flying overhead. The School of Army Aviation at Middle Wallop trains helicopter pilots to fly over a large area which includes Chilbolton. The three helicopters shown on the square are the Sioux, Scout and Lynx, three generations of aircraft used in training at Middle Wallop. Major Ken Bailey, who learned to fly in the Sioux helicopter, now instructs others who arrive at Middle Wallop for the final stages of training. Until recently, each stage of the novice pilot’s training was carried out at Middle Wallop. Small Chipmunk aircraft were a regular sight as pilots underwent fixed wing training before moving on to rotary wing training. Presently, the base at Middle Wallop is responsible for operational conversions and the earlier stages are carried at tri-service airfield bases at R.A.F. Cranwell and Shawbury.