Photos: (Far left) RAF personnel unhook a freight container from a hovering Chinook during a training exercise at Royal Air Force Odiham. (Below) Through an open hatch in the floor of the helicopter, Chinook crew members watch cargo being lowered to the ground. is another Chinook.” Odiham (pronounced Odee-um) is surrounded by lush rolling hills, historic villages and the occasional castle ruin. In operation as a military airfield since before World War II, it houses three Chinook squadrons and up to 86 four-person flight crews. The helicopters line up in orderly fashion on the shale-colored flight line or occupy three large maintenance hangars for equipment modifications, repairs or scheduled service. The day begins when pilots and crew, dressed in green flight suits and black helmets, make the long walk from their squadron headquarters to a waiting Chinook. Auxiliary power comes on with a deep whine, enabling a comprehensive preflight inspection of all systems. Ten minutes later, two sets of rotors roar to life. Sagging blades straighten as they spin in a furious manner. The Chinook taxies to the runway and glides into the air. “We’ve been partners for decades,” said Chuck Dabundo, Boeing’s Chinook program manager. “Their special operations forces have used baseline Chinooks and we’re looking at variants SEPTEMBER 2016 | 17
Frontiers September 2016 Issue
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