issue 56

ctive
ISSUE 56
May-July 2013
Inside this Issue:
- get involved in
sport this year!
1
Read me on
your phone
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3
8
t
T
Contents
RAF Climbers Train for
Climbing is possibly the ultimate
bodyweight resistance exercise regime
and with coaching from the world’s best,
the RAF has been doing rather well…
An introduction to
12
Road Cycling…
Everyone develops their skill in a sport somewhere, and the RAF
Spring Road Training Camp provides the ideal opportunity for
cyclists of all abilities to push themselves that little bit further. Here’s
Olly Greef’s account of last year’s event – you might not be too late
to get in there for this year!
16
BIATHLON BEASTING IN
Addicted to minus 10°C?! Gliding across the snow in Bavaria,
surrounded by sunny blue skies and your teammates may
explain why…
22 Take a DEEP BREATH…
Freediving? why not – Matt Tope convinces FS Chris York to
give up his SCUBA diving kit for a day and join him to try an
introduction to Freediving with London-based company
‘NoTanx’.
26
SHOTOKAN KARATE
A way of life
Excelling at sport requires dedication and Thomas Hancock’s selection
to represent GB in Shotokan Karate started at 4 yrs old. This journey
to the World Championships in Sydney demonstrates the possible
rewards.
30 POWER KITE
AWAY WITH US… TO BRAZIL!
The thrills of kitesurfing the north coast of Brazil was not without
some spills, but I challenge you not to read this without a tinge of
jealousy… then again, you could be there next time.
35
4
Quite simply, plenty. The focus of this issue, here’s our comprehensive collection of what’s out
there just waiting for you to get involved. What are you waiting for?
42
An event that we’ve not featured before in RAF Active, though the
physical and mental challenges encountered are not so different from
the activities more familiar to these pages.
KIT
REVIEW
MY ESSENTIAL
46 SPORTING KIT…
The second in this feature, we have two members of the Active Team
discuss their essentials. Here, the longest serving member looks at
how to make the most of a sedate, office-bound posting.
50
It definitely sounds like the 5-strong team from 208(R) Sqn at RAF
Valley had more ups than downs on this epic 126km mountain biking
expedition in the Italian mountains.
54 The sky’s your limit
Are you an adrenaline junkie? Formation Skydiving from 15,000ft
is within your grasp if you have the bottle, as SAC Danielle Baker
demonstrates.
Send us your articles - let us
worry about the deadlines, send
to any of the editorial team or visit
www.rafactive.co.uk
Publishing dates:
Feb-Apr
May-Jul
Aug-Oct
Nov-Jan
58 View
from the
hot seat
On returning from Afghanistan in March 2012,
Audrey Smith decided to take the plunge,
bought a rally car and competed in the RAF Rally
Championship. This is the story of her first year as
a rally driver.
KIT
REVIEW
62
MY ESSENTIAL
SPORTING KIT…
The second in this feature, we have two
members of the Active Team discuss
their essentials. Dave Hanson reveals his
essential kit for ‘barefoot’ Cross Country/
Trail running.
66
Hawaii 5-0(m Sails)
Sun, Sea and Surf… and plenty of wind
greeted the RAF Windsurfers who took on
the challenge of Wave Sailing in Hawaii’s
world-class surf conditions, but the size of
the surf was not the only challenge.
5
Editorial Team
Editor-in-Chief
David Hirst
[email protected]
95221-5069
Deputy Editor-in-Chief
Matt Tope
[email protected]
96770 2456
Specialist Sub-Editors
Air Sports Editor
Kevin Morley
[email protected]
95331 7500
Features Editor
Alfie Stirling
assistanteditor
@rafactive.co.uk
95261 7851
Motor Sports Editor
Max Rundle
motorsports
@rafactive.co.uk
94120 6248
Ball & Racquet Sports Editor
Dave Sellers
ballandracquet@
rafactive.co.uk
95381 6227
Fighting Sports Editor
Kev Frisby
[email protected]
Deputy Features Editor
Dave Hanson
deputyfeatureseditor
@rafactive.co.uk
9541 31091
Equitation Editor
Vacant – your name here?...
[email protected]
Land Based Editor
Adventurous Activities
Leigh Posthumus
[email protected]
95461 6323
Running/Athletics Editor
Dave Hanson
runningandathletics
@rafactive.co.uk
9541 31091
Picture Editor
Dek Traylor
@rafactive.co.uk
95237 7215
Water Sports Editor
Gill Rodwell
[email protected]
95235 7789
Cycling Editor
Mike Page
[email protected]
What’s On Editor
Jo Field
[email protected]
95261 8042
Triathlon Editor
Ben Lonsdale
[email protected]
94475 2473
Winter Sports Editor
Vacant – your name here?...
[email protected]
Management Team
If you would like to join the RAF Active team and encourage others to get out and make the most of what the Service
has to offer, then just send an email to our OIC, Stu Clarke at [email protected]
Officer-in-Command
Stu Clarke
[email protected]
95221 3986
Director
AVM Julian Young
[email protected]
Secretary
Mark Radbourne
[email protected]
95221 7425
Treasurer
Mark Radbourne
[email protected]
95221 7425
Distribution Manager
Iain Lamb
[email protected]
95751 6777
Webmaster
Martin Harris
[email protected]
9679 31207
6
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Editorial
What an issue we have for you. After
the Olympics providing an inescapable
focus on sporting endeavor last year, we
wanted to draw attention to the huge
range of sporting events and activities
available as we approach this summer
(if it ever arrives…).
We’ve centred (quite literally) this issue around
a bumper ‘what’s on’ section, covering everything
from Ten Pin Bowling to Hang Gliding and
Parachuting. These aren’t all about large expeds or
require a huge amount of time to be committed
- why not try some of the half-day ‘ready-to-go’
AT opportunities at the RAF Watersports Centre,
Danesfield. With all this on your doorstep, there
really is very little excuse not to get yourself,
your peers or your staff to try something new or
develop those dormant sporting skills.
That’s before we look at the bulk of the issue,
which appears to epitomize the cliché ‘the world’s
your oyster’. We have Windsurfing with the world’s
best in HAWAII, Biathlon in Bavaria, Kite surfing
in Brazil, World Shotokan Karate Championships
in Australia, learning to Freedive in London, World
Helicopter Championships in Russia, Mountain
Biking in Italy and more.
Tell us what you’ve
been up to!
As we approach the cut-off date to select articles
for publication, the diverse and broad spread of
submissions we receive is genuinely impressive.
The chance to publish articles on events that
we’ve never featured before really supports
our purpose; to demonstrate the challenging
opportunities available throughout the Service. Is
there a sport or event that you feel we’ve been
missing out on? - Simply drop your draft article on
an email to one of our editorial team and let us
know.
Videos!
Don’t forget that as well as photos, we’d love to
be able to link your videos to the magazine - this
can really provide a great addition to the written
articles.
Dave Hirst,
Editor-in-Chief
7
submit your article at www.rafactive.co.uk
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RAF Climbers Train for
By Flt Lt Alex Tomczynski
8
Have you ever noticed how the best all-round
work out comes from simply using body weight
as a resistance force - press ups, pull ups, dips
and so on? If you have a short attention span
like me, it’s easy to quickly get bored with the
repertoire of circuit training activities. Climbing
is a puzzle of different body resistance exercises
at every work-out; a physical jigsaw requiring
mental and physical strength, flexibility, balance,
endurance and power. Throw in a competitive
element with the climber finishing nearest the top
winning and you have a truly exciting sport.
submit your article at www.rafactive.co.uk
Anybody can climb - witness any 2-year
old in a supermarket - and whilst you can
spend a lifetime learning and improving,
the basics couldn’t be any simpler. You
climb up, hold on and don’t fall off! Now
thanks to some fantastic support from
Brize Norton-based company, AirTanker,
RAF climbers have an opportunity train
to the very highest standard.
Many people choose to simply enjoy
relaxed climbing on crags and on
indoor walls but a key part of both
grass roots climbing development and
elite activity is competition climbing.
With climbing walls springing up in
towns across the UK, most stations
have access to a wall for competition
or training, either after work or on
those elusive sports afternoons! There
are 3 main events; bouldering, speed
climbing and lead climbing. Bouldering
is the essence of climbing movement; a
short problem to be climbed in a swift
series of tricky moves with no rope
and a crash mat provided below. Speed
climbing is conducted in a paired race up
identical routes, with a rope from above
protecting against falls. Lead climbing
is similar to ascending a rock face with
a rope to be clipped into protection at
intervals up the wall.
The RAF Mountaineering Association
(RAFMA) is currently thriving with 520
members, and held their annual 2012
competition at Big Rock Climbing Centre
in Milton Keynes. The accessibility of
climbing is borne out by the presence
of AVM (Retd) Bob Honey, a RAFMA
stalwart and competitor in every RAF
competition ever held, who taught
a lesson to many climbers 55 years
younger than himself! Eight boulder
problems were set with the ninth and
final problem providing a thrilling finale;
Fg Off Jimmy James and rival Cpl Lee
Croft went head to head with Jimmy
snatching a narrow victory. Rising star Fg
Off Sophie Foxen took home the ladies
title.
The speed races took the form of a
12-metre vertical sprint, providing a
highly entertaining spectacle again won
by Fg Off Jimmy James in just 14.45
seconds. The lead climbing competition
was held at 3 levels of difficulty to allow
for prizes to be won across all levels of
experience. Flt Lt Phoebe Rossiter won
in the beginner category, and at the top
level, there was a draw between visiting
guest climber Fusilier Miles Hill and Off
Cdt Dan Heath.
The Station prize was also hotly
contested and a good level of
performance across the board trumped
individual talent, with RAF Marham
winning and the strong Northolt team
coming second.
From the RAF competition 30 climbers
were selected to compete in the InterServices. With support from AirTanker
(the Defence contractor providing
the new Voyager aircraft) and interest
from last year’s RAF Active article, top
GB climbers Dave Barrans and Shauna
Coxsey have been persuaded to provide
expert coaching. The squad was invited
to the Climbing Hangar in Liverpool for
competition practice and although none
made the final round we did get to watch
some of Britain’s top competition talent
going at some ultra-difficult problems.
This helped preparations for the InterService Championship at the Beacon
Climbing Centre in North Wales. Built
with international competitions in mind,
this is an impressive facility with a 17m
high lead wall. Routes were tough and
watching some of the local North Wales
climbing celebrities test them out and fall
off was slightly worrying!
9
submit your article at www.rafactive.co.uk
The Inter-Services was a great day with a high
standard of competition from the Army and Navy.
With the efforts put into team cohesion, training
and some shiny new kit courtesy of the RAF Sports
Board, the RAF team did well, taking both the Men’s
Open and Women’s Team prizes. Overall 10 out
of 18 podium slots fell to the RAF team, and
6 of the 9 places on the Combined Services
Climbing Team tour to The Netherlands went
to RAF climbers.
The next set of events in the competition
programme is the Tri-Service bouldering
league. This is held on one Wednesday a
month from October to February and whilst
it will provide a competition to separate the
very best ‘boulderers’ in the military, the
format allows for even complete novices to
participate and have a great time. Details are
on the RAFMA website.
If you want to get involved, just book an
introductory session at your local wall or
ask the PEd Flight to put one on. If you like
it the why not come along to the annual
RAF Competition in May 2013 or one of the
many RAFMA meets – visit www.raf.mod.uk/
rafmountaineering.
The RAF has a strong history of hard climbing
and this year thanks to coaching, a development
strategy and teamwork, the next generation are
pushing standards ever-higher. Climbing is up for
selection as a sport for the 2020 Olympic Games
– with such thrilling spectator potential, great
accessibility and an easy- to-understand format,
it’s surely got to be a winner. With some top level
coaching available to the RAF Team right now,
wouldn’t it be great to have an airman or airwoman
winning a medal in 8 years time?!
Edited by Sqn Ldr Matt Tope
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Living in Norfolk, I find access to hills somewhat limited and something of a
challenge! So when I stumbled across an advert for the Spring Road Training
Camp on the RAF Cycling forum, offering five days riding along some of North
Yorkshire’s finest routes and iconic climbs, at first I felt it might be a step too far!
Riders from the RAF Cycling
Association will again
converge on RAF Linton on
Ouse for the Spring Road
Training Camp (SRTC); 5 days
of structured road riding
and informal competition set
in the stunning scenery of
North Yorkshire. Last year
the camp provided riders
the opportunity to test and
improve their cycling fitness,
improve group riding skills
and train with their RAFCA
cycling peers. For some, it
was their first experience
in competitive cycling. Olly
Greef provides his account of
last year’s experiences;
I have been a moderately
keen cyclist for a couple of
years, but I wanted to try my
hand at competitive racing.
Despite my concerns, this
apparently made me an ideal
candidate for the week. I put
my name down and found
myself worrying less about
the cycling and more about
the spring weather in North
Yorkshire!
As some riders hadn’t
ridden in groups before,
we started off with a quick
morning brief where the plan
for the week was explained
and short presentations were
given on safety and group
riding techniques. The first
day’s ride was split into two
groups with the stronger
group riding further and
completing additional hill
climbs. Both groups met
for lunch to allow riders to
switch groups if required, but
most were content with their
group. I was in the second
group and at the end of the
day I was surprised to see
that we had covered just over
50 miles and I didn’t feel too
bad! That evening was the first
event of the week’s informal
Omnium competition. In
an Omnium the points
accumulate over the week,
and the rider with the lowest
point score wins (1 point for
a win, 2 for second etc). This
event was a 9-mile Individual
Time Trial on Linton’s smooth
runway. My buoyant feeling
from the afternoon well and
truly disappeared - I decided
to give the TT a miss and save
my legs for day 2! I was not
the only one feeling the effects
of the first day as only seven
riders took part that evening,
but we all went along to race
to watch Martin Priestley
record the winning time.
Day two gave the riders
the chance to showcase their
climbing skills on the second
Omnium event, the Hill Time
Trial. The course meanders up
the southern side of Sutton
Bank, past the White Horse
of Kilburn. Three groups
had formed for the day and
we all met at the bottom of
the 660ft hill mid-morning to
discuss tactics. I remember
one rider who had just been
up to carry out a short recce
of the course advised, “forget
thinking about how to get the
best time, just concentrate on
getting up it!” Thirty seconds
into the climb, I was in
agreement! Reaching the top
was an exhilarating feeling,
and it was good to see other
riders coming up the hill after
me in as much pain as I’d been
in!
The rest of the week
continued in the same vein
(still with not a cloud in
the sky), and proved to me
that I could physically cope
with much more riding than
An introduction to
12
Road Cycling…
By Cpl Olly Greef
submit your article at www.rafactive.co.uk
…
I’d thought possible. The
week had been designed
to accommodate all of the
riders’ goals; no easy task with
the wide range of abilities
represented. The real strength
of the SRTC was its flexibility;
riders could move up or
down groups depending on
how they felt on a given day,
ride further at their own
pace, and opt in or out of the
competitive events. Everyone
agreed that being able to get
significant mileage in their legs
early on in the season was
one of the best aspects. For
the less experienced cyclists,
having the chance to discuss
training and nutrition with
more seasoned cyclists was
almost as valuable as the
miles we were covering. The
competitive element added an
extra edge to the week, and
gave a taster of how we could
harness our new knowledge
and skills.
The final Omnium event
was the Handicapped Team
Time Trial on the same airfield
course as the individual event.
Riders were grouped into
6 teams of 3 according to
ability and started according
to handicap. The first team to
complete the 9-mile course
wins, which provides a great
incentive to chase down the
team in front. It also allowed
us to show that it is possible
to ride absolutely flat out in a
close group. As we were riding
around the course before
the event itself, I immediately
regretted not taking part in
the individual TT; this was the
smoothest surface I’d ever
experienced!
As a result, the race was
very quick, but the openness
of the windy airfield meant
13
that the importance of
drafting behind team
members was illustrated to
those of us who were not
used to riding in close groups.
In the end, Chris Hallum,
Caroline Page and I managed
to win, holding off the nearest
pursuing team by just a few
bike lengths. Chris obviously
didn’t put enough effort in,
as he still had the energy to
throw up shortly after the
finish line! The Omnium was
won by Mary Pearce, thanks
to her consistently good
performances.
The SRTC was a fantastic
experience, which has really
14
helped me to clarify how to
achieve my personal goals.
Completing between 50 and
70 miles each day coupled
with the challenging terrain
has helped me realise I should
be doing longer, harder rides
when at home. I have already
seen the benefits of the
experience gained in the two
10 mile Time Trials I’ve raced,
achieving personal bests. I
am planning two 100+ mile
sportives later in the summer,
and thanks to the SRTC I
know much more about how
to tackle these in terms of
nutrition, and taking advantage
of being in a group. I am also
hoping to try my hand at local
circuit racing events.
The SRTC is a fantastic
event; the opportunity to take
a week out of the day job,
riding some of the best routes
in the country, racing on a
runway with the smoothest
surface imaginable, and getting
a tan in mid-March, is not one
to pass up!
The RAFCA provides
opportunities for all RAF
cyclists to ride, train and
compete across a variety of
disciplines, from road to MTB.
submit your article at www.rafactive.co.uk
There will be a Road Race
camp over the summer to
get riders into competitive
cycling (dates TBD), and the
Champs will also be held
over the summer including
Open, Novice, and Women’s
categories.
If you’re interested in
attending a future UK training
camp please contact Sqn Ldr
Mike Page, RAFCA Road Sec
at [email protected],
or visit the RAFCA website
at http://www.raf.mod.uk/
rafcycling/
Edited by
Sqn Ldrs Mike Page
and Matt Tope
15
Last year I was encouraged
to participate in the Royal
Logistics Corps Championships.
Although I had never skied
before I went away for 3 weeks
training and competing in
Ruhpolding Bavaria, I returned
having gained a whole new
experience, hobby, focus and
obsession! When I was gliding
across the snow I forgot how
hard I was actually working.
It’s an amazing feeling to be
skiing across the Bavarian
countryside, in the sunshine,
blue skies, crisp white snow
and surrounded by your
teammates.
By Cpl Hannah Forrestal
16
BIATHLON BEASTING IN
It’s minus 10 degrees and this
is easily the best thing I’ve
done since joining the Royal
Air Force. This is cross-country
skiing and shooting; have I
caught your attention?
m
ize
-s
of pron
e
ta
r
t!
m
45
ge
Shooting
• Each shoot:
5 rounds at 5 targets
• 50m range
• Target diameters Standing =115mm; Prone (lying)
=45mm.
• Penalty laps: 150m lap
for each target missed
That year there were 6 of us competing as part
of the RAF Biathlon Development Squad and the
ability levels ranged from an ex-GB team member
through to myself, a complete novice who had
never been on skis before. Yes that’s right, never.
Thankfully, under the guidance of our coach Dave,
we all received a day of serious coaching prior to
race day one.
We were competing in the Royal Logistics
Corps Championships alongside the Army
and the RAF Regiment team. With over a
hundred people racing, the atmosphere was
fantastic and there were people giving advice
and support throughout. It was great fun, but
still a competition; we had to be on our game!
A mixture of events meant that there was
something for everyone. Personally I liked the
10km classic race, but I am pretty sure the rest
of the team had other favourites such as the
4x5km relay race and the Military Patrol where
we completed 30km as a four-man team carrying
40kg and completing military challenges en-route.
Like any competition, nerves were definitely a
factor but personally, my main aim was to just
try and stay upright on the steep slopes! My
first race was a classic sprint. One of the last
competitors to start I was definitely buzzing to
go and when my name was called and the buzzer
17
Chiemgau Arena
which were staged in
the German national
stadium Chiemgau, at
the biathlon Mecca of
Ruhpolding.
The Royal Air Force
entered a four women
team and a team of nine
men. The teams trained
for a week prior to the
Nationals starting. This
was the chance to get our
confidence back on the
skis, practise our shooting
drills in the range and skate
the different sections inside the
Chiemgau arena.
Following our training we
went straight into two weeks
of hard competing. There
was usually a day to recover
between races where teams
could practise range drills and
ski routes, other than that it was
very much full on with races
varying between Biathlon skate
and shoot and classic distance
events.
It is very difficult trying to explain to
people quite how hard Biathlon races
are. As soon as you start, your race your
heart rate skyrockets, the cold air makes
it difficult to breathe and you’re attacking
steep climbs continuously. All the while,
knowing that you will have to control
your breathing and lower your heart rate
for your up-coming shoot in either the
prone or standing position. You know
you have to shoot well because the more
targets missed the more penalty loops
you do – The last thing you want to do is
an extra 150m of skating to add to your
pain!
However, the moment the race is
finished the sense of achievement you
have is wonderful. There is no feeling like
knowing you have pushed your body to
its absolute limit, competing in a unique
skate and shoot that mirrors all the
military physical traits a good serviceman
should have.
The teams did fantastically well,
competing against solid Army teams, the
best of which made up both the male and
• Arena is in Rupholding -The Biathlon Mecca.
• Host of the World champs 4 times.
• 30 shooting lanes.
• Holds 1200 spectators in stadium.
Military Patrol Race
• 30 km
• Military tasks en route
• 40 kg spread between team of 4.
• Cross country.
went
I was
off! My
main memory of
that first race
was how
tough I
found it
physically,
as a PTI
I can’t
deny
that I’d
been
somewhat
relying on
my fitness to
get me through.
Oh how wrong I
was. Biathlon is not
for the faint hearted
and technique
is crucial.
However on
finishing that
first race I had
a smile on my
face and was
already looking
forward to the
next event. I
even managed to
get a decent middle
of the pack score - I was
hooked!
After a brilliant first season on snow I
used the summer in Scotland to refine
my training to better prepare myself for
the British Nationals and Inter-Services
female GB squads. For a couple, it was a
first season on Biathlon skis competing
at a level that was highly commendable.
Others had good results, improving on
their Personal Bests and beating a lot of
the Army Corps and Navy team.
For three weeks the team raced,
trained, ate, slept and prepared the skis
for the following day’s events. I absolutely
loved my time away with the team, I have
great memories of evenings cooking for
each other in the chalet, full-on hard
training days, hilarious falls downhill skiing
and a great sense of team camaraderie.
The Ruhpolding trip ticked all the boxes.
We improved on our Nordic skiing and
enjoyed the experience of competing on
a national scale. I would most definitely
recommend this trip to anyone interested
in Cross-Country skiing and Biathlon (a
combination of skiing and shooting). Roll
on next year!
For information on RAF Biathlon &
Nordic Skiing visit: www.raf.mod.uk/
rafbiathlon or contact Cpl Hannah
Forrestal: [email protected]
Edited by Sqn Ldr Dave Hirst
18
submit your article at www.rafactive.co.uk
19
20
Tailor-made trips designed to make your precious spare time the holiday of
a lifetime is what Indigo Safaris is all about. Drawing on the experiences of
photojournalist, dive master, and safari guide Christopher Bartlett, Indigo
Safaris specialises in diving and safaris with the odd trek for good measure.
Why Indigo?
As well as providing expert advice for free,
we save you money, with exclusive deals
and our own discounts on many trips.
On others, we charge the same as the
service provider would charge you directly,
but reduce the number of international
payments you have to make, all the while
providing impartial advice covering all
the elements of your trip under one roof
and helping you get the most out of your
time on site and your budget. Travelling
autonomously or on a guided trip, you will
return home with a head full of images and
unforgettable memories, whether you are a
group or an individual.
Several times a year Christopher leads
trips amazing value-for-money safaris
himself, looking for desert elephants in
Namibia, spending a week walking and
sleeping under the Zululand stars in a Big
Five national park, exploring the rugged
tracks and wilds of Botswana, having a bit
of lodge luxury in Zambia, or mixing the
remote but wildlife abundant landscapes
of southern Tanzania with the culture and
beaches of Zanzibar, happily sharing his
photographic knowledge if that floats
your boat. Speaking of boats, he also runs
underwater photography workshops three
times a year in Zanzibar, the Red Sea, and
Papua New Guinea. In December this year
he is leading a search for three WWII B25
wrecks in northern PNG, with only six
spaces for guests.
Where to go?
Africa
Cross the Kalahari or Namib deserts, meet
the Himba and San peoples, or venture
far into the Okavango Delta by boat,
encountering elephants, hippos, and crocs,
and camping on remote islands before
driving through Moremi, Chobe and Savuti,
or the Central Kalahari.
Indonesia
Immerse yourself in the most bio-diverse
reefs in the world in West Papua, whilst
giant and reef mantas swim overhead, visit
remote tribes in the Baliem Valley, see the
whale shark aggregations in Cendarwasih
Bay, or get a unique mix of sharks, rays and
dragons in Komodo.
Papua New Guinea
Simply put, home to the best diving on
the planet. Be prepared to be simply
stunned by the vast array and abundance
of cultures, corals, and fish, WWII plane
wrecks, outrigger safaris to remote coastal
villages, incomparable cultural festivals, and
Sepik River expeditions to the last frontier
of cultural tourism. Walk the revered Kokoda
Trail in the footsteps of Aussie Diggers, or
conquer Mt Wilhelm’s 4509-metre summit.
Galapagos
Dive with hammerhead, Galapagos, whale,
and white-tip reef sharks, sea lions, giant
manta rays, marine iguanas and tons of
turtles, and walk amongst giant turtles,
indigenous plants and birds and weird and
wonderful reptiles that inspired Darwin.
Dive into the Indian Ocean with giant
mantas and whale sharks in Mozambique,
on the coral covered walls of Pemba island,
Zanzibar, come face to face with tiger
sharks, blacktips, and ragged-tooth sharks
in South Africa or swim and dive with huge
schools of sardines and their predators
during the annual Sardine Run or trek
around the Drakensberg.
The most intimate shark encounters you
will ever get, diving with tiger, lemon,
Caribbean reef, nurse, and, if luck is on your
side, hammerhead sharks, and snorkelling
with dolphins. Or just take in some leisurely
diving from one of the many beautiful
beach resorts on the “out islands”.
Admire the spectacle that is the wildebeest
migration across the Serengeti, or the huge
herds of elephants in Tarangire, Selous or
Ruaha National Parks. Scale Mt. Meru or
Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa.
Spend an unforgettable week swimming
with 15-metre humpback whales from a
liveaboard or a small island.
Bahamas
Turks and Caicos
Want more information?
Contact Christopher at [email protected], or check
out www.indigosafaris.com or the dedicated Papua
New Guinea site www.bestofpng.com.
Tel: +33668749705 • +44 7713342729
Take a
DEEP
BREATH…
By Sqn Ldr Matt Tope & FS Chris York
HOLDING YOUR BREATH FOR FIVE MINUTES?!....
MADNESS
Freediving? No, but thanks anyway. When RAF
Active was offered a foundation course in free
diving I thought it was about those nutters who
communed with nature, rarely washed, had
dreadlocks but were good at holding their breath.
What’s the point? Reading up on the interweb
I realised there might be another side to it, and
co-opted an experienced dive-master from RAF
Coningsby, FS Chris York, to be Jacques Cousteau.
22
‘Apnea’ or ‘breath-holding’ is a discipline in itself. It is promoted
as a skill that aids relaxation, concentration and body awareness,
and as such should be fully transferable to any other sport.
Competitions do exist for both static apnea (holding your breath
underwater whilst not moving) and dynamic apnea (swimming
underwater unassisted and without air). With or without fins, and
whether the participant had access to oxygen prior to diving can
confuse the issue, but it makes the stats no less impressive. The
record for someone being holding their breath in a small tank of
water is over 11 minutes! A German ‘freediver’ has entered the
Guinness World Records by holding his breath under water for
more than 20 minutes (but used pure oxygen to oxygenate his
blood before the attempt). The Bajau people of South-East Asia
live in stilt houses and fish underwater for up to five minutes on
one breath. What does this do to the body? If you, the reader,
take a deep breath in now, how long until the urge to gasp for air
becomes too much? Perhaps it comes after 30 or 40 seconds.
The notion of holding that breath for another 3-4 minutes, akin to
a standard entry-level club free-diver, seems fairly outrageous.
“We can live for 2 weeks without food, 3 days without water – but
only minutes without oxygen”…(NoTanx Course Booklet,
2012)
The key, apparently, is in relaxation. We ferry oxygen round
the body through the blood. The brain uses up to an astounding
40% of this oxygenated blood. If you can relax both sides of your
brain, you use less air – which means that the heart has
to make less beats – which means you require less
air….. a “reduction spiral”. Commonly you and
I make about 4 heartbeats per breath (try it).
Closing the eyes is a primary requirement
to relaxing; the brain takes in about 80%
of its information visually, so shutting that
out will naturally relax you (not many
people sleep with their eyes open!) All
humans possess what’s called a mammalian
dive reflex; an instinctive response to cold
water that triggers a series of reactions
meaning we can survive “better” underwater.
Tanya Streeter, a freediving record-holder and
seemingly part-mermaid, slows her heart-rate to
as little as 10 beats a minute when she dives. And she
has dived to 525ft on one breath!
All of this is a long way from Yorkie and myself pitching up
to a swimming pool in London on a Saturday morning.
Run by a company called “NoTanx” (get it!?), we were
promised sessions in metabolic efficiency, relaxation
and breathing techniques, chocolate biscuits and at
the end of the day a certificate!
We were initially dubious, because after the
introduction we launched into yoga with our eyes
closed. I could hear Yorkie (54) falling over in the
corner. Prior to diving, stretching is employed
as a means of detoxification as well as relaxation,
and the subsequent pool session was certainly
interesting. We were introduced to ways we could
further relax the mind utilising both logical and artistic
methods (thus the left and right sides of the brain). A
variety of different breathing techniques were
employed, from inhalations (count of 6) and
exhalations (count to 12), to recovery
breathing and short, sharp, expellation
breaths; interesting stuff. The proof was
in the water though – and I have to
say the improvement from the start
of the hour to the end was very
noticeable. Stroke efficiency under
the water, relaxing your muscles, and
particularly relaxing the mind prior
to slipping under the surface did
make a tremendous difference. We
soon found ourselves easily making two
lengths of the pool, and strangely rather
than gasping for air, you learnt to come up before the desire to
breathe became too much – teaching your body that there was
nothing to ‘fear’. This makes subsequent attempts more attractive
to your brain rather than shying away from the sensation.
In the afternoon we watched some footage of “extreme” freediving which was quite impressive, (“A freediver doesn’t hold their
breath, rather pauses to enjoy it”…. Apparently the film to watch
is “The Big Blue”. I have ordered it from Amazon and will report
back…) We were then given the “down-side” of the sport; the
potential hypoxic blackouts and the loss of motor control (called
‘Samba’ due to the uncontrollable twitching that accompanies it),
which is one absolute requirement for never diving alone!
Yorkie was sanguine about comparing scuba and freediving; whilst
relaxation and controlled breathing may save a few litres of gas, to
hold your breath for long durations whilst using scuba kit can be
extremely dangerous, so you would not want to confuse the two.
Snorkelling using breath-holding will not release bubbles to scare
the fish as scuba-users do….but a diving re-breather is ‘bubble-free’
(though may cost about £5,500 and require extensive training).
Holding your breath is free but I think Yorkie would rather an
hour underwater at 20 metres with the turtles than a few metres
underwater for a couple of minutes. His actual words were;
“… I will be holding on to my re-breather a little longer, at least until I
have learnt to breathe through my ears…”
The afternoon’s practical session was static apnea which was
where I had my “eureka moment” – lying face down in the water I
was trying (too hard) to relax, and the instructor altered my neck
position by only a couple of centimetres which somehow triggered
some sort of “relaxation reflex” and I ‘got it’! Apparently the
specific positioning of your body enables an experienced instructor
to spot the residual tension in your limbs, which is also where you
will carry stress and tension in everyday life. I was unable to carry
this on, but that one brief moment was quite enlightening. The
pool was surprisingly chilly after a while, so we moved to more
dynamic pursuits - monofin practice. If you have never seen these
enormous double fins they are quite something, and whilst the
technique is not easy to grasp, it does propel you along at quite a
rate.
In summary, I found the experience was worthwhile. The
techniques are certainly transferable - I have tried the breathing
techniques on my bike to a small degree, and the principle is
certainly valid. Often its very easy to let the important stuff go as
you get carried away in the moment but knowing the techniques
to breathe and relax properly would certainly help in most sports I
have tried.
NoTanx run a comprehensive programme of instruction and events,
local weekly sessions, freediving trips to a 20m tank in Cologne to
practise technique, plus trips to Greece and Egypt take in the scenery
and freedive in some great diving locations. Speak to Pia, Marcus or Ian
at www.NoTanx.com to gain a 1* qualification which can be enhanced to
a 2* open water qualification if you wish to pursue it.
NoTanx works closely with Oonasdivers to provide some remarkable
overseas packages that can take a novice all the way through to open
water freediving in the Red Sea.
For details on NoTanx freediving holidays in Egypt please contact
Oonasdivers (01323) 648924 or email [email protected]
www.oonasdivers.com
submit your article at www.rafactive.co.uk
23
24
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25
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RAF Waddington 8 Sqn’s
SAC(T) Thomas Hancock
represented Great Britain at
the World Championships
in Sydney. It was about 3
and half years ago that he
was first selected to join the
GB squad. Here Thomas
tells us about his journey
to GB Team selection and
his World Championship
participation.
By SAC(T) Thomas Hancock
I started Shotokan Karate at the tender
age of 4 surrounded by a family of
Karateka. Shotokan is a system of karate
developed from various martial arts;
Karateka is Japanese for ‘practitioner
of Karate’. I began training under the
guidance of my father, and instantly fell
in love with the art and its principles.
The thing that I liked most was the hard
training (both the mental and physical
aspects) as well as the respect and
discipline that are so integral. In Japan
they call this “bushido” which literally
translates to “the way of the warrior”
and was the way the disciplined Japanese
Samurai warriors lived their lives.
The association that I train under is
Shotokan Karate International (SKI)
headed by the famous World Chief
Instructor, 10th Dan Kancho Hirokazu
Kanazawa and I am lucky enough to train
directly under his second-in-command,
the Chief Instructor of Europe, 9th Dan
Hanshi Shiro Asano.
To be considered for the GB Squad
you have to continually place 1st, 2nd or
3rd in the National Championships over
several years. I achieved this by placing
in both Kumite (sparring) and Kata (a
display of set, traditional moves) and was
part of the winning team for the Kumite
team event.
These successes enabled me to train
around the world and in 2011 also gained
me entry into the 12th SKI European
Championship in Budapest; an event
which is only held every 4 years. This was
a great experience and one that would
later set me up for selection for the GB
Team in the World Championships.
It was at this time that I also started
training with the RAF Martial Arts
Association. RAF Cranwell hosts
monthly training sessions, as well as
a number of different competitions
throughout the year. This is a great place
to train with like-minded RAF individuals
who have a vast array of skills in many
different martial arts.
I received a personal letter from Sensei
Hanshi Asano in April 2012. It was
with great delight that I read that I had
SHOTOKAN
KARATE
A way of life
26
LCpl Guring
been selected to represent GB at the
11th World Championships in Sydney,
Australia; I now had to make sure I was
ready to compete with some of the finest
in the world. By October 2012 I had
stepped up my training prior to leaving
the UK; I was running 12km a day, 6 times
a week - and this was in addition to my
Karate training!
I registered for Kata and Kumite
competitions in the 20-39yrs, 65-75kg
category and watching all the veterans
and juniors compete the day before
my competition really got me fired
up. My first big day of competition
finally arrived. I have never been one
to suffer with nerves; I was just very
excited and immensely looking forward
to ‘cracking on with it’. And I was
immediately into the day’s events as my
name rang out for the first bout in my
Kata category (displaying technique of
traditional moves). I was matched against
Venezuelan Adelys Estrada… and this was
an elimination competition, presenting to
the judging panel. It was a tough start - I
put everything in to it and was beaten
in a close result to a better opponent; a
score of 3-2 to my Venezuelan opponent,
SAC Maynard on the attack
and nothing to be ashamed of.
My Kumite bout was to follow 2 hours
later so I had to quickly regroup and
shake off the disappointment of the
first round. For the Kumite, the scoring
system is simple and is based on full
points and half points. Kicks to the head
or successful leg sweeps, and kicks to the
body or punches anywhere all count.
I was up against experienced Italian,
Davide Verderame. We were called
out and faced each other on the
tatami (mat); we bowed, and
as the fight got underway
we attacked at exactly
the same time.
Davide went
ahead with
a reverse
head
punch.
I had
to keep calm
and collected;
I bided my time
and I thought I saw an
opportunity to sweep him.
The initial attempt failed, but I
managed to knock him off balance and
27
RAF Karate Team Kata
followed through scoring with a reverse
stomach punch, equalling the score. After
this, we had a bit of a tussle, which, to my
surprise, resulted in a point for a reverse
punch being awarded to Davide. Three
minutes can seem like an eternity and over
the course of the bout we both attacked
and defended with the same level of
ferocity. Inevitably, the fight had to come
to an end and when it was stopped my fate
rested in the hands of the judges. The four
corner judges had us at a 2-2 draw. The
decision now lay with the 5th judge, the
chief referee. I had fought well, but had I
done enough?...
The 5th judge awarded the point to my
opponent and that meant my participation
in the World Championships had come to
an end.
I had represented my country, and am
proud of my achievements; taking away an
amazing experience and having learned a
a great deal. My early knock out from the
competition and associated disappointment,
was replaced with a fantastic opportunity
to witness some of the finest Karate
anyone was ever likely to see from the
greatest Karatekas from around the world.
Plus I got to see a bit of Sydney too.
Participation in this competition would
not have been possible without the
SAC Hancock
support (financial and otherwise) of various
organisations. I would like to therefore
express my sincere thanks and gratitude
to those organisations for making this
trip possible; ISS, the RAF Martial Arts
Association, the RAF Sports Lottery,
the Committee of the RAF Martial Arts
Association and RAF Waddington PEd Flt.
I would also like to thank my Squadron for
their flexibility in allowing me the time off
to participate in this trip and for the lads
back home having to listen to me talk about
it 24/7!
I would urge anyone out there who
practices a martial art to get down to RAF
Cranwell and train with the RAFMAA.
More details of the RAFMAA training
programme can be found on their website
or in this edition’s ‘What’s On’.
Edited by FS Kev Frisby
SAC Lagos, sticking the boot
28
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29
POWER KITE
AWAY WITH US… TO BRAZIL!
By Flt Lt Lars Bjonnson
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Kitesurfing is predominantly about having fun. If you can’t enjoy it, you’ve missed the point!
But fun is the last word I’d use to describe our journey to get there as 36hrs passed in a blur - two
sunrises and two sunsets between waking up in England and finally arriving at Ilha do Guajiru,
Brazil. The sight of 20 RAF Power Kiting Association (RPKA) kitesurfers’ kit bags arranged in
the terminal Stonehenge style and the drive through Fortaleza’s streets during rush hour
demonstrating Brazil’s best and worst, made it a journey to remember.
Main photograph: Ash McCord/MS
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Day 1 dawned with the ominous sight of grey
clouds on the horizon. A stiff wind blew along the
north coast of Brazil and it wasn’t long before a
squall had blown our way. Beyond the grassy rigging
area and front patio, a giant flat-water lagoon lay
in wait, admired by all in the eager anticipation of
kiting again. The kiting would have to wait as the
palm trees continued to sway, the rain continued to
drip off the roof and the puddles grew larger! An Açai lunch (a purple blend of milk powder, Açai
berries, banana, syrup and ice) worked wonders
for our mood and energy levels. Travel weariness
faded as heavy rain clouds gave way to bright blue
skies. The sun came out and it wasn’t long before
the rigging lawn was covered in kites while whipped
water rolled into a frenzy of whitecaps, racing
against the incoming tide. The lagoon was soon alive
with bobbing kites and the wakes of boards being
edged hard. It was time to get on the water and
enjoy the first session in Brazil. Kiting across the Guajiru lagoon brought its own
unique challenges. At high tide the fetch created
small, rolling waves and brought colourful wooden
fishing boats into play that were previously beached
and out of reach. At low tide you found yourself
mixing it with fishermen, waist deep in a narrow
channel, casting their nets as you approached in the
hope that you’ve ushered fish into their traps. A
raised hand and an ‘Ola!’ was warmly reciprocated
- the locals seemed genuinely happy to share their
little paradise with our kiting fraternity.
The first few days back on the water for most
are spent dusting off any kiting cobwebs and getting
back in the groove, with one exception. Mike
‘Smithy’ Smith is the two times British Champion
whose services have been hired to train and
develop RPKA members. Pedigree showed as he
headed straight out on his more powerful 10m kite
‘fully lit’, whilst we dared only to take a 7 or 8m
out. Smithy ripped through the chop, sent spray
up twice the size of other riders, boosted twice as
high and landed twice as fast as everyone else.
At the top end of the creek, a not-so-secret spot
existed surrounded by mangroves and derelict
wooden fishing huts. Offering protection from the
raging Atlantic, a sandbar interrupted the swell and
provided a sanctuary of flat water. For a few Reals
each, a fisherman offered a ride in his chugging boat
to the spot where sessions were spent carving
the flat water - a kiters’ paradise. The passage of
time here in Brazil was measured by the sun in the
sky. As it slowly dipped to the horizon and cast a
warm glow over the scene, it signalled the time to
journey downwind on the seaward side.
Leaning against taut lines, kiters dragged
31
SAC(T) Andrew ‘ Chucky’ Brown/LB
32
SAC(T) Stu Saul - Photo Mike Smith
Flt Lt Will Nicoll - Photo Mike Smith
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themselves across the sand bar to the windward side and the
roaring shore break of the Atlantic. It took a while to re-tune
your riding technique from flat water to wave-riding - legs supple,
anticipate the next peak or trough, keep the kite powered and ride
the waves downwind in convoy.
It was not long before the familiar sight of bright canopies
appeared in the lagoon and it was time to drag boards and bodies
ashore and skip over the sandbar again for the final tack. Edging
hard into the chop, opaque spray glistened in the evening sunlight.
Half a dozen kites scythed through the lagoon in an entirely
‘friendly’ competition to get back first.
But adrenaline highs don’t come without a price. Priding itself
as an extreme sport, kitesurfing is not for the fainthearted and
punishes mistakes. Wipeouts are the norm and within days,
everyone was hobbling. Suspected hernias, lacerated kneecaps,
dislocated fingers and sprains of all varieties were treated by
our very own flying doctor, Flt Lt Charlie Davies, the RPKA’s
first sponsored rider and head of a strong and growing female
contingent. Charlie spent most of her days training hard for
competition riding and if not practising her own moves she could
be found hooking sand out of the latest cut on an already long list.
But even the flying doctor wasn’t immune to her own injury as
on day 8, ‘Big Monday’, the wind howled with increased vigour. The
lagoon took on another personality as sand blasted down the beach
at ankle height and the banana fronds strained to hold any shape.
The feeling of anticipation was replaced by trepidation. Smaller kites
were rigged and soon kiters returned to the beach, wisely deciding
an on-off 35kt wind and large rollers was more like survival than
safe progression. Raging whitecaps and only the bravest made it to
the lagoon that day. Smithy flew past, well above roof level...
And so the story of the RPKA at Guajiru unfolded… every
day was spent on the water kiting in near perfect conditions, the
wind never stopped and the sun always shone. Secret spot and
downwind expeditions departed and returned like clockwork.
Smithy demolished everyone in his ‘harder, faster, stronger’ clinics
before nonchalantly riding out and boosting a 50ft-high jump and
landing it perfectly.
Every member of the RPKA had a warm glow that permeated
through the body and left you longing for more. More energy, more
satisfaction, more fun. And its available to all… if you’d like to know
more or are interested in joining the RPKA, visit www.raf.mod.uk/
rafpowerkiting/
Edited by Flt Lt Gill Rodwell
33
Flt Lt Charlie Davies - Photo Mike Smith.
Main photograph: CT Ian Savage - Photo Mike Smith
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RUN IN THE FAMOUS
‘CITY OF DREAMING SPIRES’ THIS AUTUMN
The prestigious Oxford Half Marathon is now in its 3rd year and will start from the Kassam Stadium Complex at 9.30am on
Sunday 13th October 2013.
We are proud to announce that MINI Plant Oxford continue as the official Headline Sponsor for the 3rd year, with the route running
through the famous MINI Plant itself in the first 2 miles of the race.
The route continues into the “City of Dreaming Spires”, passing the Iffley Road Running Track where Sir Roger Bannister broke the 4
minute mile World Record back in 1954, before entering the spectacular backdrop of Christ Church Meadow, then onto the Thames Path
to follow the River before finishing with a ‘roar’ into the Kassam Stadium itself.
After the great feedback from last year, the event will again feature the “Battle of the Bands” competition, where participants will vote for
their favourite musical bands along the course, who will be giving fantastic encouragement to all competitors.
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By taking part in the Oxford Half Marathon you are also helping to raise thousands of pounds for charities, including the chosen charity
Helen & Douglas House who provide the very best hospice care for children and young adults. Helen & Douglas House has the time and
expertise to care for children and young adults with life-shortening conditions and support their families. You can also run for your own
chosen charity, or one that the Royal Air Force supports.
A unique quality medal will be presented to all race finishers together with a bespoke Brooks Tech T-Shirt and a fantastic goody bag.
To enter or find further information please go to www.oxfordhalfmarathon.com
We look forward to seeing you on the day - a day of entertainment for all the family!
submit your article at www.rafactive.co.uk
[email protected]
Compiled and edited by Sqn Ldr Jo Field
This summer
Welcome to What’s On
promises to be
The Great British Sporting
an equally
Summer this year includes Henley
busy season
Royal Regatta, racing at Royal
for many of
Ascot, cricket at the Oval, Open
the RAF Sports
golf at Muirfield and tennis at
Associations,
with numerous
Wimbledon!.....
training and
competitive events
at Station and inter-Service
levels. Here are just some of the events on offer over the
coming months; full details can be found on
the RAF Sports Board website at: www.raf.
mod.uk/rafsportsboard/associations.
Biathlon
In this issue of Active, you can read about how accessible the
sport is for beginners to get started - if you’re interested in giving
Biathlon a go, please get in touch with either:
RAF Biathlon Secretary: Flt Lt Leah Middlewick, Email: [email protected] Tel: 01296 656959, or
RAF Biathlon Support Director: Sqn Ldr Dave Fielder, Email:
[email protected] Tel: 01923 955428
Upcoming events:
Date
Activity Location
25 to 26 May
Huntly/Clash Races RAF Lossiemouth/Feshie Bridge
8 to 9 Jun
Glenmore/CairngormRAF Lossiemouth/
RacesFeshie Bridge
13 to 14 Jul
Hayes/Redbridge Committee Mtg
Races RAF Halton
7 to 8 Sep
Huntly/Cairngorm RAF Lossiemouth
Races/Feshie Bridge
28 to 29 Sep
Redbridge/Wessex RAF Halton
Races
5 to 13 Oct Snow Tunnel
TBC
19 to 20 Oct
Hayes/Redbridge Committee Mtg
Races RAF Halton
9 to 10 Nov
Bisley Shooting
RAF Halton/Bisley
8 to 9 Dec
Bisley Shooting
Committee Mtg
RAF Halton/Bisley
Basketball
With the Inter Services already played for 2013, RAF
Basketball are looking ahead to the CC Air tournament, which
will take place 10th-12th May. The RAF will host the event
at RAF Cosford with 6 nations participating;
the RAF, the Belgian, German, Polish and Royal
Netherlands Air Forces and USAF Europe. The
tournament will be opened at 1600 on Fri 10th
May with an opening ceremony at RAF Cosford
gymnasium and will close with a ceremony and
Awards Dinner on the evening of 12th May. More
information is at: www.raf.mod.uk/rafbasketball
Canoeing
The RAF Canoe Association (RAFCA) website
now lists the upcoming canoeing and kayaking
JSAT courses on the Skills and Coaching Courses
page. They are keen to organise skills and coaching
courses for RAFCA members, both in conjunction
with the ‘Paddlefests’ and at other times, so if you
are interested in a particular course, please contact the RAFCA.
1-2 Jun:
RAF Slalom Champs (Basic river skills) Llandysul
7-9 Jun: RAF Surf Champs (Basic surf skills) Devon
21-23 Jun:
Inter Services Marathon & Sprint Champs (Intermediate) Nottingham
6-7 Jul (tbc): Hull International Canoe Polo (Advanced) Hull
19-21 Jul:
Summer Paddlefest (Beginner) RAFWSC Danesfield
27-28 Jul:
London International Canoe Polo (Advanced) London
More details of these and other events can be found at: www.
raf.mod.uk/rafcanoeing and the Communications Secretary can
be contacted at: [email protected]
35
Cricket
An exciting season lies ahead for RAF Cricket, with
opportunities to work with the England Ladies Squad, all squads
defending their 2012 successes and the RAF having the lead for
this season’s Inter Services T20 competition…and of course,
it’s an Ashes year, with the Aussies touring here in the summer.
The numerous fixtures, for Development, Seniors
Mens and Ladies can be found on the RAF Cricket
website at www.raf.mod.uk/rafcricket
27 Jul: RAF Ladies v Ely City, Ely GC
28 Jul: RAF Ladies v Lakeside Lodge, Lakeside GC
29 Jul: RAF ‘A’ (Development) v Army ‘A’, Studley Wood GC
Information for all events can be found at:
www.raf.mod.uk/rafgolf
Hang Gliding and
Parachuting
Paragliding Courses - Learn to fly for free! The
Joint Services Hang Gliding and Paragliding Centre
(JSHPC) in Crickhowell are running a number of
beginners’ paragliding courses. For a full list of
course dates and to download an application form
visit: www.raf.mod.uk/rafhpa/training
The RAFHPA ‘s main effort this year is helping new hang glider
and paraglider Club Pilots through their first independent flights
after qualification. The Combined Services are the 2012 British
Clubs Challenge champions and this summer the RAFHPA
will be competing to retain the title. Flying rounds take place
for this paragliding competition at weekends. To be part of
this historic bid to win a second consecutive title, visit: www.
flybcc.co.uk.
Cycling
The RAF Cycling Track Day at Newport Velodrome on 8th
May is open to all members and includes a full day of coaching
and bike hire at a subsidised rate. More details can be found on
the RAF cycling website. www.raf.mod.uk/rafcycling The Sportive on 8 June at RAF Coningsby promises to
be a challenging but fun event and is accessible to riders
of all abilities. The distance is manageable on fast, safe and
open country roads, taking riders through quiet, beautiful
Lincolnshire villages and hamlets. It being Lincolnshire there
are no major climbs, but the routes could be described as
‘rolling’; with several short, sharp climbs and will
offer a test of any riders’ legs. Entry will be open
to military and civilian cyclists at £25 per rider.
Further details will become available in due course
- keep an eye on the RAF Cycling website.
Golf
36
In early May the Regional Championships take place in which
the players from across the RAF compete. The highest placed
players also qualify for a new competition this year, the RAF
Individual Match-Play Championships in June.
The RAF Individual Stroke-Play Championships take place in
early July; with the field limited to 72 players its open to the
best golfers in the RAF and normally means a handicap cutoff of 8 and below. This competition dates back to the very
beginning of the RAF’s history and is always a hard-fought
event. These events enable selection for the most important
competition of the season, the Inter-Services, held in September.
The RAF Ladies’ Team operates in parallel to the Mens’
Representative Team throughout the season and plays in a
number of challenging fixtures.
5-7 Jun: RAF Individual Match-Play Champs, Frilford Heath GC
1-3 Jul: RAF Individual Stroke-Play Champs, Frilford Heath GC
14-15 Jul: RAF Ladies v Oxford, Southfield GC
21 Jul: RAF ‘A’ (Development) v Studley Wood, Studley Wood GC
7-14 Jun: Ex ALPINE GLIDE: Internationally-acclaimed
paraglider pilot Jocky Sanderson will be putting 12 Joint Services
paraglider pilots through their paces with his SIV course in
Annecy, where demanding serials will push expedition members
to the limits of their flying abilities! More information at www.
jockysanderson.com.
10-16 Jun: Inter-Services Hang Gliding
Championships: The outstanding Joint Services Hang
Gliding and Paragliding Centre in South Wales will host the
most important hang gliding event in the RAFHPA calendar;
whether newly-qualified Club Pilot or veteran competitor, the
RAFHPA needs you to fly the flag. Contact hanggliding@
rafhpa.com.
23-28 Jun: Inter-Services Paragliding
Championships: The JSHPC will host this key paragliding
event as the Royal Navy, Army and RAF teams compete for
the inter-services crown. The Competition Director, Gavin
Foster, is running both Open and Novice Classes. All Club Pilot
qualified service personnel are welcome, regardless of the
number of hours flown. Contact [email protected]
to register now!
28 Jun-5 Jul: Zone Chabre Open: The RAFHPA will
potentially support entry to this international paragliding
competition taking place in France. Contact events@rafhpa.
com if you would like to register your interest, or find more
information at www.flylaragne.com
21-28 Oct: Ex CALIFORNIA GLIDE: For the first
time, the RAFHPA is running a paragliding sports tour to
the United States. This event will see 8 RAFHPA members
soar the skies above California! Funding is available, contact
[email protected] if you would like to be added to
the reserve list.
Lacrosse
The RAF will be entering both Womens and Mens teams into
the Den Haag Lacrosse tournament in The Netherlands, which
submit your article at www.rafactive.co.uk
Mountaineering
The RAFMA has plenty going on throughout the summer
season. Kicking off the season with MountainFest, this will be a
great opportunity to meet members, new and old. The BBQ will
be on, but there’s no guarantee of the weather! Other dates
include:
22-29 Jun:
Rock Week
4 Jul: RAF Climbing Comp
5-7 Jul:
Lancashire meet
11 Jul:
Inter Services Climbing comp
26-28 Jul:
Wye Valley
they have both won and been
placed 2nd in the past 2
years - to be held in late
July (date tbc). The Inter
Services will be held in June,
hosted by Army Lacrosse.
The Club are continually
seeking new male or
female players. Should you
be an experienced player
or simply wish to ‘have a
go’, contact
Flt Lt Emma
Gallagher
in the first
instance at Northolt 95233 8146.
Tha RAF Lacrosse website is at: www.raf.mod.
uk/raflacrosse
Martial Arts
The RAFMAA encompasses a range of martial arts, such
as Karate, Taekwondo, Kickboxing, Kung Fu and self defence.
Competitive selection and training sessions are held on the
2nd Thurs/Fri of each month at East Camp Gym, RAF
Cranwell; those selected competing at RAF, Inter-Service
and Combined Service level. New members are
welcome to turn up to one of the monthly sessions
at RAF Cranwell or contact one of the committee
members, details available on the RAF Martial Arts
website at: www.raf.mod.uk/rafmartialarts
Contact [email protected] or karltaylor89@hotmail.
co.uk for more information on any of the events. RAFMA
members should use the RAFMA forum to sign
up. The RAFMA facebook group provides a way to
link up with other RAFMA members. Additionally,
information is available at: www.raf.mod.uk/
rafmountaineering/
Polo
The Polo Season runs from May through to Sep, and the
competitors would welcome your support - bring a picnic and
you might even be roped in to hold a pony, if you are willing!
The main RAF Polo Weekend is at the start of the season
at RAF Cranwell, with 3 days training running into a 2 day
tournament, where military and civilian teams play for the
coveted Martyn Bebbington Memorial Trophy. There are regular
fixtures too in Wiltshire and London. A sample of fixtures for
the coming season are:
16 Jun: Ham Challenge, Ham Polo Club, Richmond Park.
20-21 Jul: Captains and Subalterns Tournament, Tidworth
Polo Club.
27 Jul: Duke of York (RAF vs Navy), Tidworth Polo Club.
If you play already, do get in touch. If you would
like to try your hand at polo, beginner’s courses
are held at Tidworth and Cranwell. New players
are always welcome. Full details on www.raf.
mod.uk/rafpolo
Rowing
Novice and experienced rowers and scullers are invited to
enter crews for the RAF Regatta 22-25 Jun, comprising both
training and competition. This will be followed by the Joint
Service Regatta on 26 Jun at the Peterborough Rowing Lake
and is open to all abilities, including categories for Novice
rowers.
Regular training sessions and learn to row courses will be
held over the summer months at the RAF WaterSports Centre,
Danesfield and at the Lincoln Rowing Centre. In addition,
RAFRC members qualify for subsidised membership at civilian
Rowing Clubs to maximise their training time on the water.
The prestigious Henley Royal Regatta takes place 3-7 Jul,
spectators are always welcome to support the RAF/ Combined
Services rowers. More information is available on the RAFRC
website or Facebook page. Experienced rowers keen to be
selected for training with the competitive/Inter Service crews
should contact the relevant Squad Captain for details of training
programmes and those new to rowing should contact the
Development Officer. All contact information and a fixture list
can be found at www.raf.mod.uk/rafrowing
Rugby League
After an extremely successful 2012 season, the RAF
Rugby League teams will face some strong opposition in the
forthcoming season. As holders of the Inter-Services Challenge
Cup, the RAF 1st XIII have fixtures against Canada and GB
Police in preparation of the defence of the Cup. The A Grade
37
has a full fixture list and the Ladies team are back with 6
fixtures. All home games will be played at RAFC Cranwell and
your support is welcome.
1st XIII Fixtures:
May:
GB Police (RAFC Cranwell) – Friendly
Jun:
GB Students (TBC) - Friendly
11 Aug:
Canada (Hull KR) - Friendly
Surfing - Waveriders
The beginners surfing weeks are filling fast…based at the RAF
Waveriders Centre of Excellence at RAF St Mawgan, the week
includes all tuition, accommodation and equipment,
and will cost a personal contribution of just £60.
More information can be found at:
www.raf.mod.uk/rafsurfing.
Ladies:
8 Jun: South Wales - (TBC) - Friendly
20 Jul: South Wales - (TBC) - Friendly
17 Aug:Nottingham Outlaws (Nottingham) - Friendly
Full details are on the RAF Rugby website:
www.raf.mod.uk/rafrugbyleague/
Sailing
The RAFSA Regatta will run on 20-25 May at JSATSC,
Gosport. Crews will enjoy a week of relaxed yet competitive
sailing in and around the Solent. Skippers must hold at least a
Coastal Skipper qualification, but novice racers and crews are
especially welcome. Other events include the Services Offshore
Regatta 10-14 June from JSASTC and Exercise Celtic Mission,
comprising 5 legs from 9 Sep to 13 Oct.
In addition, there are various dates for RYA Training;
Competent Crew, Day Skipper and Yachtmaster qualifications,
and the Racing Red Arrow opportunities;
11 Aug:
Fastnet
22–24 Aug:
J Cup
28–30 Aug:
Dartmouth Regatta
Information on these and other events can be
found at: www.raf.mod.uk/rafsailing/
Swimming
The RAF swimming association has the following events to
look forward to this summer, further details of these and other
fixtures can be found at the Association’s website.
19-21 Jun:
Inter Service Champs, RAF Cranwell (swimming, diving, men’s water-polo)
3 Jul:
Inter Services Open Water Swimming Championships, Lake Bala
Jul 13 (tbc):
GB Diving Federation Summer Masters Competition
www.raf.mod.uk/rafswimming/
Tennis
38
The RAF Lawn Tennis Association’s mission is to promote
participation in RAF Tennis and to win in all that they do.
Last year was always going to be a challenge for RAF Tennis;
the Olympics and other work commitments meant players’
time was at a premium and facilities were hard to secure in
preparation for the major tournaments. The highlight of the year
undoubtedly belonged to the Ladies, who reclaimed their Inter
Service crown and the RAF is extremely keen to build on all
these achievements and return to winning ways. Training is well
underway and at least 2 overseas training camps are planned.
RAF Tennis is always on the look out for new players who
wish to compete and develop; the association has an excellent
held at the RAF Tennis Centre and details of how to enter and
key contacts are published on the RAF Tennis website: www.
raf.mod.uk/raftennis
Triathlon
RAF Triathlon Tri-a-Tri series takes place at RAF Brize,
Odiham and Cranwell from May to July. Organised by
the RAF Triathlon Association, these are great events for the
novice triathlete. The race distances include a 400m pool swim,
20km cycle and a 5km run. All events will include professional
‘chip’ timing and are available to enter at a nominal fee when
compared to civilian events; the fee even includes a free water
bottle! Further details are available via the website: www.raf.
mod.uk/raftriathlon
8 May: Sprint Tri, RAF Brize Norton
5 Jun: Sprint Tri, RAF Odiham
22 Jun: Dambuster Triathlon (RAF Standard Distance Championships), Rutland Water
3 Jul: Sprint Tri (The Sir Chris Moran RAF Sprint Champs), RAF Cranwell
7 Jul: Outlaw Long Distance Triathlon (RAF Long Distance Champs), Nottinghamshire
31 Jul: Inter Services Standard Distance Champs, Cirencester
In addition to the RAF and Inter Services Events, there are a
number of RAF Triathlon- sanctioned races. Full details are on
the RAF Triathlon website.
coaching team and training programme in place working with
Mike James and Phil Hill, the leading coaches at Everyball
Academy at the RAF Tennis Centre at RAF Halton.
Competition dates for the 2013 season include, but are by no
means limited to:
5-6 Jun:
RAF Inter Station Tournament, RAF Tennis Centre, Halton
23-27 Jul:
RAF Championships, Halton
5-6 Aug:
Inter Service ‘A’ Tournament, AELTC, Wimbledon
If you are interested in playing tennis within the
RAF please contact your Stn OIC Tennis, PEd Flt,
one of the RAF Team Captains or join the RAF
Tennis Facebook group. There are a number of
events planned for the 2013 season; most will be
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Ten Pin Bowling
In May, the European corporate champs will be held in Munich,
with the RAF team and Raptors representatives competing. All
Open competitions are for full serving members, ex-serving
members, civilians employed by or working on MOD bases.
Further information is available from the RAFTBA
secretary, Sgt Paul Caddy (33 Eng at RAF Brize
Norton) or on the website at:
raf.mod.uk/raftenpinbowling
Tug of War
The new TUG-OF-WAR season is about to start with some
prestigious events already planned including a new 5-a-side
event at the RAF Champs. Anyone interested in representing
their Station or the RAF should contact FS Gareth Davies
at [email protected] or Flt Lt “Red” Baron Mark.
[email protected]. More information is available at:
www.raf.mod.uk/rafathletics/
teamsanddisciplines/
tugofwarinformation.cfm
19 Jun: Inter Station Championships, RAF Cosford
2-3 Jul: Inter Services, RAF Cosford
07 Sep:Highland Games - Breamar
All standards are welcome and encouraged (both men and
women) to try this enjoyable and competitive sport!
Volleyball
Major events for RAF Volleyball include the Inter Services
Volleyball Championships to be held on 13 Jun at RAFC
Cranwell. Further details and information about
other fixtures can be found on the RAF Volleyball
website at: www.raf.mod.uk/rafvolleyball
Wake Boarding
40
24-28 Jun: Intermediate Development and Fixture week, Oxford Water Ski Club
11-15 Jul: Inter Services and RAF Team training
(boat, cable, ski). More details of these and
other events can be found on the wakeboard
and waterski website, at: www.raf.mod.uk/
rafwaterski
Water Sports Centre,
Danesfield
RAF Water Sports Centre Danesfield, Medmenham has a
packed diary of events open to all members and their families.
The social calendar kicks off with the Club’s Open/Family Day
and BBQ on 11 May and the Commodore’s Cocktail Party on
14 June.
Other activities will include a pirate-themed Family Camping
weekend, ‘Paddlepower Start’ sessions to introduce new
kayakers to the river, a Downstream Cruise, the ‘Madmen of
Medmenham’ and a Summer Activity Week in partnership with
the Longridge Activity Centre.
As a Force Development Centre, Danesfield is available to
all Stations for FD/AT use. Various units have already booked
Adventure Races, Raft Races and mountain biking/river activities
- many of the admin orders are already drafted and
require minimum ‘admin effort’ to organise. For
individual and family membership enquiries, please
visit: www.rafwatersportscentre.co.uk and
for all FD activities, please enquire/book through
your unit PEd Flt.
“Flag goes up and… go! Bucket’s off the
ground, continue, it’s in the barrel and filling.
Orientate, it’s full, climb and go. It’s clear
continue 10 o’clock, it’s through, go. Last gate,
climb, hold height, 11 o’clock 10, now 5 easy,
easy, steady… bucket’s swinging, hold… for
@+&% sake… hold… bulls eye.”
How Mark Lazenby ever
understood my garbled and
excitable directions is beyond
me as I frantically attempted
to control my enthusiasm and
give him clear control orders.
Entry to these competitions
is open to those holding a
helicopter pilots’ license or
owning an aircraft and with
an affiliation to the British
Helicopter Team (BHT), with
participation in major world
events by invitation. Whilst
this may seem overly selective,
the challenge of competition
is invariably the opportunity
to demonstrate flying skills,
with a secondary military aim
of showcasing the abilities of
British military pilots. High
on our success at the British
Helicopter Games in June
where we came second
overall, the British Team
Manager asked Mark and I to
join the team and compete
at the World Helicopter
Championships in Russia. Our
mentors, Craig Finch and ‘JJ’
Jackson, both veterans in this
respect, had already been
selected and we were only
expecting to deliver their
spare aircraft - but to have the
opportunity to represent the
UK would be a tremendous
honour.
Planning for the event
had begun in January with
approvals from DHFS, FB
Heliservices, the RAF and
even ministers being required.
Also the complex issue of
seeking diplomatic clearance,
submitting flight plans and
conducting the flight planning
had to be resolved. Thankfully
we were not alone. Ryan
Stowe proved to be invaluable
in managing the team and
completing most of the
substantial paperwork that
was required. Also, others
volunteered to deliver and
recover the aircraft to and
from the Ukraine.
On 13 August the two
aircraft left RAF Shawbury to
begin their journey to Russia,
by way of Wattisham, GilzeRijen in the Netherlands;
Gutersloh, Germany; Wroclaw,
Poland and L’viv, Ukraine
before finally settling in
Kiev, where the competing
crews took up the reins
for the final leg into Russia.
After some drawn out
customs at Belgarod we
then made our way to our
destination of Drakino airfield,
approximately 60 miles south
of Moscow. Once there an
intense period of practice
began to familiarise ourselves
with the local area using some
very strange charts with a
limited amount of information
on them. With all hope of
any further improvement in
our performance over, the
opening ceremony began.
Imagine all the very worst
moments of the Eastern
European Eurovision acts you
have ever seen crossed with
the repetitive noise of a cat
being strangled and you get
somewhere close. Thankfully
the entertainment didn’t last
too long and once all the
delegates had finished shaking
each other’s hands it was
By Lt (RN) Jim Fraser
42
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over….the contest had begun.
The Championship itself ran
from 22 to 26 August with 50
teams taking part from across
the world. Twenty-five of
those teams were made up of
Russian or Belarusian crews.
We took part in four events.
The first was a Precision
event involving flying the
aircraft around a course
within a certain time but with
penalty points for incorrect
height and inaccuracies in
position to within inches. The
second event is called ‘Fender’,
where a boat’s fender is flown
around a course, held by
the co-pilot. This is lowered
into a barrel and a rope
extended each time before
being eventually deposited
in the final barrel. Third is
Navigation. The crews are
given only 5 minutes to plan
a set route. They have to
depart exactly on time and
find a number of symbols on
the ground at turning points
and in a designated search
box. Once complete the
aircraft must arrive at an exact
time before dropping ‘bombs’
onto a target and depositing
a skittle attached to a rope
into something that can best
be described as a kennel on
its side - complicated. Finally
it’s the Slalom. A bucket is
attached by a rope held by
the co-pilot. It is then filled
up with water from a barrel
before being flown through
a slalom course. Once the
bucket is through the final
gate the rope is extended and
it is deposited as close to the
centre of a table as possible.
There are penalties for time,
loss of water and distance
from the centre of the table.
Six teams from around the
world competed for the team
prize with the UK taking the
silver medal having finished
a creditable second behind
Russia. In the individual
stakes Craig and JJ finished
13th out of 50 and were the
highest-ranked team outside
of Russia/Belarus, beating all
military and civilian crews
from Germany, Austria,
Switzerland, China, Poland,
France and Belgium, whilst the
pairing of Mark and I finished
in 30th place. Prize giving was
conducted with much fanfare
and thankfully less folklore.
The closing dinner also gave
time for teams to share their
experiences with the other
international competitors;
it had a real Olympic village
feel to it. The following day
the aircraft began their long
journey back to the UK with
the crew handover again
conducted in Kiev.
I would like to take the
opportunity to thank all of
those involved in organising
and supporting the event,
from the Fire Service who
were constantly topping up
the water in the barrel on the
practice course to ATC who
exercised great patience with
us during our training sorties.
In particular the assistance
provided by FB Heliservices
was crucial and once again
underlined the effectiveness
and strength of the military/
civil partnership at DHFS,
without which none of this
would have been possible.
Finally, should anyone reading
this feel that it has inspired
them to get involved, please
do not hesitate to contact
one of the team at Shawbury
who will happily discuss
participation:
Team Members:
Sqn Ldr Craig Finch- DHFS
Stds, Ext 7335
Lt (RN) Jim Fraser - 660 Sqn,
Ext 7382
Flt Lt Mark Lazenby - 660 Sqn,
Ext 7193
Fg Off Ryan Stowe - DASM,
Ext 7122
Mr ‘JJ’ Jackson -705 NAS, Ext
7381
Edited by
FS Kev Morley
43
44
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45
KIT
REVIEW
MY ESSENTIAL
SPORTING KIT…
Life in the RAF can increasingly
place demands on our social
life that result in non-essential
activities being curtailed. Placing
career and family first, it is
often our sporting and fitness
aspirations that must suffer.
By Sqn Ldr Stu Clarke,
OIC RAF Active
The author’s classic wheels!
I have been office-bound for much of
the past 10 years, slaving over a DII
terminal or struggling to find motivation
to complete the never ending procession
of spreadsheets! It took me a few years
to notice how poor my concentration
was when I missed my gym sessions
and that a break improved productivity
and reduced stress. Further down the
line, regular exercise helps with weight
control, overall health and ensures that
the RAF Fitness Test never becomes a
problem.
So, if you are facing a future in
a sedate office environment
and want to make the most
of your breaks, I recommend
the following 5 items to
ensure you can capitalise
on maintaining a healthy
lifestyle regardless
of where you are
working.
• Polar Heart
Rate Monitor
RS300X.
This watch
records heart
rate and your
achievements
during every
exercise
session. I
chose this
one as it has
the benefit of
a GPS tracker
that records
routes and distances
covered. When the
46
submit your article at www.rafactive.co.uk
weather allows, a walk or run through the countryside is the
ideal break from an office environment. A further benefit is that
the RS300X allows me to record the distance, route and effort
by easily uploading the data to the Polar PC interface. Seeing my
efforts each week, month and year provides further motivation
for going further and faster. Price £125 (including GPS module).
• Gym ‘Go Bag’. Opportunity can sometimes surprise us!
I have made a habit of keeping an old kit bag under my desk
with basic gym kit, old trainers and travel-type wash kit and
towel. A cancelled meeting, a power cut or DII outage can be
immediately turned into an exercise session. Space limitations
may mean that you can only hold a few items, but lateral
thinking can see this kit adapted to gym, squash, circuit training
or other indoor activities. Price £ free
CAMBRIDGE
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• Bike. With a little organising and some clever logistics,
combining your commute with a workout could be effective
use of your time. Locating shower facilities, uniform and bike
storage is your first challenge, but once achieved, a cycle to
work provides a decent workout. Although I currently live near
my place of work, I have a 10 km circular route that helps me
justify getting my road bike out of the shed. Even committing
to this approach 2-3 days per week could make a significant
difference to health. Cycling alternate days also enables resupply
of fresh uniform. My bike is an aging classic! Price £500 (entry
level road bike)
Used & New Military
• Ipod. I think we can all get a little tired of repetitive gym
sessions. Mixing up your training by joining organised sessions
or heading out into the countryside can offer variation, however,
if your only option is to hit the treadmill or cross trainer,
then an MP3 player provides great company. My trusty
old Ipod Classic continues to provide everything
I need, but I always ensure that I have some
motivational podcasts downloaded from Itunes
(free). Price £113 (Ipod nano, 16GB)
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• Attitude! This is by far the most
important piece of kit in your bag. If you commit
to achieve 2-3 sessions each week, then you will
find a way to do it. Preparation is the key and I
always ensure that I have the right kit in the right
place. We all have many distractions at work and
there are plenty of excuses around. The
fact that you are reading this indicates
that you have everything you need to
make a difference to you life - Get
out there and do it! Price £ free
47
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48
49
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Five members of 208(R) Sqn, RAF Valley, set off
on a 10 day epic adventure from Anglesey to
the mountains of Italy in order to complete a
Force Development (FD) trip and a gruelling
126km mountain bike trail, with over 5,000m
of vertical height gain!
By James Turner
The outbound journey on Friday involved the usual trudge to
the South-East before rush hour to catch the Eurotunnel. We
had a 50/50 LDV jam-packed to the gunnels, mostly with stuff
MT or the AA insisted we carry (flashing lights, breathalysers,
snow chains (in September!), high viz jackets etc…), but after
2 days of travelling and Force Development stands, we arrived
in Sanarno, Italy, to begin the Adventurous Training part of the
expedition.
A beautiful mountainous panoramic greeted us on Monday
morning and after a quick cappuccino and cornetto (an Italian
croissant) we started out on our first day’s trek. Leg 1 was a
gentle warm-up with a 500m descent! Braking technique was
essential and Roger ‘Podium’ Cruickshank gave some top tips
prior to setting off. The downhill was short-lived though and
some early uphill efforts opened up the pores but all were
happy by the time we arrived at the next RV. The same could
not be said for the end of Leg 3, which was almost entirely unrideable, partly due to the recent heavy rains and partly due to
the gradient! We had planned on 52mins, but it took over 2hrs
to complete the gruelling 11.8km. After a shortened lunch-stop
we completed a fast downhill section with some demanding
terrain before the inevitable uphill, in this case a 350m ascent.
The final leg involved a steady climb, much of which we were
able to ride and enjoyed
some fast sections, with
an epic final descent
to the campsite. Scott
‘Lucy’ Noyes hadn’t quite
managed (bothered) to set
up any tents other than
his own, but we quickly
finished the job and got
to work cleaning the bikes
ready for the next day.
Almost there. The 3rd leg on the final
Tuesday morning and
day. Scott “Lucy” Noyes, Rog “Podium”
we promptly struck camp,
Cruickshank and Paul “Skids” Harrison
completed our stretches
arrive at the penultimate check-point.
and were off for breakfast
- a more substantial
breakfast was called today and we doubled up the cornettos
ready for a 500m ascent on the first leg. The second leg looked
downhill on paper, but wasn’t! Lunch was well deserved and
the Rifugio Perugia (mountainside refuge) did us proud. That
afternoon saw the longest leg of the whole trip, 17km with no
chance of a changeover and another 400m of ascent. The track
was reasonable and barring one minor navigational error we
arrived at the highest point (1,794m) on the route after 2hrs,
leaving us 900m of descent to finish the day. OMG! The track
zigzagged its way down and the red glow of the evening sun was
matched by the red glow of the brake discs. Our decision to
concentrate on braking skills on day 1 paid off and we all made
it down safely. After a total 7.5hrs in the saddle we had arrived
at the day’s end point; a beer and a pizza were welcome reward.
By the 3rd day, our bikes were starting to take a beating and
a couple of technical fixes only slightly delayed our start. The
first leg was mostly uphill for nearly 1.5hrs but crested and
then led into a wonderful, if slightly scary, 6km downhill. A brief
lunch stop and we were off for another 500m climb; a brief
respite came after 1hr 40mins with 15mins of downhill before
a final uphill effort. Still with a long way to go and the weather
deteriorating, we adjusted our route and took the tarmac to get
50
Flt Lt’s James “JT” Turner, Scott “Lucy” Noyes, Will “the
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Aussie” McDonald and Rog “Podium” Cruickshank
prepare to set off on the 1st day of cycling.
Rog demonstrating the perfect steepdescent-and-dismount technique
back on schedule.
As the rain came
down this proved a priceless decision - arriving at 1930, just as
darkness was falling. Relieved, the bikes were quickly cleaned
before a well-deserved shower; something made all the sweeter
as the rain was pouring down.
The final day of the trek arrived and the sunshine returned.
After a massive breakfast we felt honour-bound to burn some
calories and boy did we burn some. A fast ride down to Fiastra
Lake got the legs pumping before the first big ascent; 400m
almost straight up. The plan was to tackle this quickly so that
we could enjoy a more leisurely lunch; however, fate was against
us. JT’s bike had started to fail and after 15mins educating
Paul “Skids” Harrison on how bikes have changed in the last
30 years, it was decided that a pivot was playing up and JT
should return down the path and get collected by the driver.
The remaining journey was a real mix (mostly uphill) but very
rewarding in places. Thankfully all 5 made the RV and the final
day was completed with a massive descent into Sanarno. All that
was left was to complete the 1,500-mile drive back to Valley…
Definitely challenging, definitely AT, definitely characterbuilding and definitely fun!
Edited by Sqn Ldr Dave Hirst
Will “the Aus
sie” McDonal
d shows off
his excess en
ergy on the la
st day.
km downhill.
The final leg home. - 10
Scott “Lucy”
ds
lea
ner
Tur
”
James “JT
McDonald
”
ssie
Noyes, Will “the Au
shank on
ick
Cru
m”
diu
“Po
and Rog
trip.
ole
wh
the
of
the easiest leg
51
submit
submit your
your article
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at www.rafactive.co.uk
www.rafactive.co.uk
leg on the 1st day.
Half-way through the 1st
nhill...
So far it’s all been dow
52
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The sky’s your limit
Written by SAC Danielle Baker
By SAC Danielle Baker
At the age of 16 I wanted to try
something different; something that would
challenge me. I heard about skydiving but
I never recognised the sport behind the
hobby. At first I wanted to do a tandem
skydive for my 16th birthday, but after
reading a skydiving magazine I decided to
become a qualified skydiver as it’s a little
bit different from your everyday sport. To
do this I had to do my AFF (Accelerated
Freefall). AFF is one of two ways to
becoming a qualified skydiver, it’s intensive
and fast-paced. This meant after one full
day of ground-training I had learnt all the
skills I needed to make my first skydive
from 15,000ft, accompanied by, but not
attached to, two expert instructors. I
would then open, fly and land my own
parachute.
I did my first skydive on my 16th
birthday, as I was getting kitted up and
checked by the instructors they guided
me to the aircraft. The aircraft took 15
minutes to reach an altitude of 15,000ft,
the whole time I was looking outside the
window and was amazed at how high we
actually went. Flying through the clouds
and seeing all the experienced skydivers
on board I was preparing myself and
mentally visioning my first ever skydive.
The door opened and I was guided to the
edge of the aircraft with one instructor
each side of me. Saying the words “Check
in, Check out” to the instructors meant
I was ready to do my skydive. As I dived
out into the sky my nerves disappeared,
expecting not being able to breathe
with the rush of falling, but everything
felt normal. After 50 seconds of freefall
I deployed my parachute at 5000ft, this
gave me the perception of being pulled
back up into the sky. Once I completed
my drills to make sure I had a square
canopy over my head, I landed and felt like
I had already caught the bug for skydiving
I wanted to go again as soon as my feet
touched the ground.
I joined the RAF in 2009 and after.
Knowing friends in the RAF who already
skydive they pointed me in the direction
of RAFSPA (Royal Air Force Sports
Parachute Association).
After completing my training and
arriving at Tactical Imagery Intelligence
Wing (TIW) at RAF Marham, I decided to
try and get more involved in competing
in skydiving rather then just fun jumping
and joined the Royal Air Force Sports
Parachute Association (RAFSPA) in 2010.
Keeping an eye on the RAFSPA forums for
any news of try outs to form new teams
to compete in the next season, in 2011
I was chosen to compete in the Rookie
class of Formation Skydiving (FS). FS has
four categories, Rookie, A, AA, AAA; each
category being more advanced than the
previous. As the category increases, more
formations are expected to be learnt and
produced. FS consists of five personnel,
four in a team creating the formations
which have been chosen at random
and one camera man which follows the
formation out of the aircraft and videos
the team. After a year of training and
competing in UKSL (UK skydiving League)
our team ‘RAFSPA Hurricane’ came 1st in
the Armed Forces Parachute Competition
and 4th in the UK Nationals. With a
constant performance throughout the
year our team came 1st in Rookie class
UKSL overall.
After a perfect start in competing in
Formation Skydiving, at the beginning
of 2012 I was chosen by RAFSPA to
move up a category to A Class where
the training became more intense and
frequent. Joining a totally different and
more advanced team of Skydivers meant
I had to learn new formations, this was
an extremely hard challenge for me.
Our performance in 2012 from ‘RAFSPA
Venom’ was to a high standard with
1st place at Armed Forces Parachute
Competition the 4th at UK nationals and
overall 1st in UKSL our team was proud
to say we represent the RAF.
Skydiving is an expensive sport, but
with the RAF Sports Lottery funds
contributing a large amount towards our
training in the wind tunnel, competition
fees and kit gives RAFSPA the opportunity
to perform at our best. If it wasn’t for
the Sports lottery I would personally
struggle to keep to the standard of
freefall I do. I feel privileged to compete
in a sport I have such a passion for and
representing the RAF at the same time. I
enjoy every moment and the adrenaline
rush is addictive, even the nerves still get
me before competitions. The only low is
the frustration of the British inclement
weather, waiting for that chance to grab
a window with no rain, no cloud and low
winds can result in endless hours of sitting
around a drop zone.
My ambitions for the future are to
develop my freefall skills and progress
through the categories representing the
RAF. I feel privileged in representing the
Service and having the support from
the RAF Sports Lottery fund. Every
skydive is different however I still have
the same feelings and rush each time,
its physically and mentally challenging.
I would recommend this activity if you
want something a little bit different from
your everyday sport, literally the sky is
your limit.
Edited by
Sqn Ldr Dave Hirst
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55
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56
57
View from the hot seat
Sgt Audrey Smith has always
had a keen interest in rallying
and had previously tried codriving on several occasions. On
returning from Afghanistan in
March 2012 she decided to take
the plunge and buy her own
rally car to compete in the RAF
Rally Championship.
Written by
Sgt Audrey Smith
RAF Motor Sports Association member
who had a Vauxhall Nova 1400 for sale
that was ready for Stage Rallying. Some
car-savvy friends of mine had a look and
gave it the thumbs up. Rally cars are
used very hard and you don’t expect to
find a pristine one second but luckily for
me this car was in relatively good shape
having mainly seen use on tarmac roads
and circuits. Apart from some minor
mechanical repairs, the car only needed
some new safety equipment, a coat of
paint and she would be ready to go!
Due to connections made when I was
a co-driver, I already had a small team
My first year in Rallying
58
The first thing I needed was a rally car.
I took the decision that I wanted to get
onto the stages as quickly as possible
and did not want to spend the time and
resources building a car from scratch.
Therefore I needed a car that was ready
to rally. To keep the starting costs down
and get something that a novice could
enjoy without a massive backup team I
needed something cheap and simple and
with an engine size no larger than 1400cc.
In rallying, it’s all about the experience
of participation. A faster more powerful
car doesn’t necessarily mean more fun or
success!
I started searching but could not find
any anything suitable in my price range.
Then by chance I was talking to a fellow
Unfortunately photos of
Audrey in the driving seat
were somewhat lacking…”
in place. However, I knew that once we
were ready to commit to a fully rally
season, I would need more support
crew. I advertised for volunteers around
the unit and local area and very quickly
gained a lot of interest. The Moray
Phoenix Rally Team now consisted of 6
mechanics/service crew and one Video/
Camera man.
Motorsport is one of the more
expensive hobbies but that should not
put anyone off. Its money well spent! But
to help lessen the burden on my own
pocket my next mission was to try and
find some sponsors, who could help with
supplying parts or services for the team.
Luckily I had a friend who worked for
Tesco Mobile who put my case forward
to the appropriate people. The company
were very keen to come on board and
we now had a main sponsor for 2012.
Some other companies were very helpful
in supplying some graphics for the car
and a friend who owns a garage in my
hometown in Edinburgh, offered us free
oil and car parts. This together with the
support from the RAF Sport Lottery
meant we were ready to rally!
My first event was scheduled to be
The Summer Stages at Crail Airfield in
June. After spending long hours preparing
the car I managed to break my ankle
days before the event and was therefore
forced to sit out what should have
been my first event. Not the start I had
imagined! Thankfully, the organisers were
happy to refund most of my entry fee.
With my damaged ankle healed, our
second event of the year beckoned; The
Lindisfarne Stages, Otterburn. The first
task was to complete the srcutineering.
This is where the organisers and the
governing body check the car to ensure it
meets the minimum safety requirements
to participate. As you can imagine it’s
always a tense time for any rally driver as
there is a whole book of rules to comply
with. Thankfully we passed with only a
few minor jobs to sort out before lining
up on the start line.
We were given 09:52 as out start time
which meant we had to have the car at
the first time control. This is the check
in immediately before the start line. At
09:51 we were all belted in with helmets
on as we rolled cautiously in to the time
control to present our all important time
card. This card records all your times for
the day and is absolutely critical. If you
lose it you don’t get another one and you
are out of the event!
There were nerves a plenty as we
pulled up at the start line and
the countdown to the start
began. As the lights turned
green, it was time to just
focus on driving and
we roared off the line
and into action. After
a good start and only a
few minutes into stage one,
I started to notice a problem
with the gear box as it was
becoming harder and harder to engage
any gear. I persevered but after a short
while it was evident that there was a
major problem and it became impossible
to change gear. We pulled over at the
side of the stage to have a look. It was
very apparent that the problem was not
something that could be easily fixed and
with much disappointment after only a
few miles into Stage 1 of the event, we
were forced to retire from the event.
Later inspection revealed that the clutch
plate had exploded. I expected a steep
learning curve but this was beyond
vertical. After 2 events we had only
managed to cover a few competitive
miles.
I decided to try one more event in
2012 and in November we travelled to
Crail Airfield in NE Fife for The Kingdom
Stages. I had a new co driver for this
event, Andy Brown, who had 25 years of
valuable experience that would hopefully
help me get to the finish and get rid of
some of this bad luck. After a solid start
we managed to go further than we did
on our last event, a sure sign of progress.
But I may have spoken too soon, as on
the final lap of stage one we had a spin
and ended up hitting a pile of unforgiving
tyres. The impact ripped off the front
bumper and severed the throttle cable.
With Andy’s experience we managed to
get the car out of the stage and back to
the service area where the waiting crew
could assess the damage and effect a
repair. Luckily the mechanics had all the
right parts and with some hard work
we managed to get the car back on the
road in time for the next stage. After
this initial incident I settled down and
concentrated on getting a finish and with
Andy giving me sound
advice we were
soon clocking
up good
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times. Upon reaching the end of the
final stage we were delighted to see we
managed to finish in 50th place, a very
encouraging position from a field of 83
entries.
After an emotional start to my rallying
career we were glad to finish on a real
high. I would like to thank our crew and
supporters for 2012 and am looking
forward to the 2013 season. We will
be planning a full season in the 2013
RAF Rally Championship where the first
outing for the Moray Phoenix Rally team
is planned for the Jack Frost Stages at
Croft racing circuit North Yorkshire in
January.
Edited by
Cpl Max Rundle
59
60
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61
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KIT
REVIEW
This winter I have spent a
considerable amount of my
training time focussed on running
Cross Country or on trails and
footpaths. In fact, I seem to have
been doing my absolute best
to avoid pavements, roads and
traffic. The primary focus of this
training has been competing in the
Southern Services Cross Country
League for RAF Brize Norton but
with some other cross-country
runs, trail races and events
dotted along the way. I have
been undeterred by the rain, the
howling winds, the (deep) mud or
the snow and had a huge amount
of fun. I may not be the quickest
runner, but I am eager to perform
to my absolute best and enjoy it
along the way. Now before you
judge my sanity from your comfy
chair, perhaps it’s my essential
kit that has made the difference
between this being torture or
enjoyment?
Vibram FiveFingers Spyridon Trail Model
Cost: £120 approx
These are my ‘barefoot running’ trail
shoes. Whilst I started the season in my
trusty (and previously written about)
TrekSport model, I changed to the
Spyridon version once they were available
in the UK. They are the first proper
‘trail’ version that Vibram have released
and include a useful nylon mesh weave
in the 4mm sole that stops some of the
sharpest stones/tree-roots from digging
into your feet. However, in the deep
mud that I’ve been running through this
season, and some of it literally was knee
deep (a particular trail around Corsham
springs to mind), I would suggest that
they could definitely be improved on
in terms of grip and I’ll probably be
using something from Inov8 next year...
or perhaps some good wellies. Whilst
many barefoot runners would hopefully
agree with me, I think that being able to
feel the running surface to be vital and
Vibram FiveFingers definitely contribute
to really enjoying any Cross Country/Trail
run. Coupled with surviving the washing
machine or bucket of water without
damage, for me they are absolutely
essential.
I do, however, accept that a set of spikes
could have been useful in the sloppier
conditions but if you’re heading out and
don’t know the course or the route very
well they are not an option I would chose
- I understand that they don’t stand up to
running on tarmac roads or pavements
very well!
Garmin FR610 with Heart Rate
Monitor
Cost: £300 approx
If you happen to be a gadget lover or
seriously want to monitor how you are
performing in time, distance, speed and
heart rate then the Garmin FR610 is one
of the best bits of kit for doing it. I love
my gadgets, but I’m also motivated by
goals and especially beating my previous
efforts. To do that I like to monitor
absolutely everything - from how I am
performing in terms of time/distance/
speed to how hard my body is having to
work and whether or not I really have
saved that little bit in the tank ready for
the final sprint. This excellent piece of
kit measures the lot. It even wirelessly
updates your data to the Garmin
Connect Website and allows you to share
your route and how you performed
effortlessly; or just store it ready for
comparison on your next attempt. And if
that wasn’t enough, the ability to use the
navigation functions to take you home
when you become disorientated in dense
fog can be a real lifesaver.
Lanacane Anti-Chafing Gel
Cost: £6 approx
Some people use Vaseline, I used to
use Physio Sports Anti-Friction Gel, but
now I thoroughly recommend Lanacane
Anti-Chafing Gel. Especially for those
days when you know the run is going to
be very wet/muddy/dirty this really helps
- especially on those areas where you will
always get rubbing.
62
S
L
IA
T
N
E
S
S
E
MY
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Running Kit
Cost: £Variable
Trion:Z Flex Loop Wrist Band.
Cost: £26
Now to some extent this is
completely personal, and throughout
my competitions this winter I have seen
everything from people running in full
track suits including hat and gloves to
(normally blue) people competing in
vests and very short shorts. For me, it
varies on temperature and wind chill
predominantly but I would consider the
following selection to be my essentials:
- I will begin with my favourite winter
top: a Canterbury (Leicester Tigers)
compression under-shirt. It has been
invaluable in my training and competitions
for warmth without discomfort. Even
soaking wet it has kept me warm
without chafing and wicked moisture
and sweat away from my skin and that
has undoubtedly helped me to maintain
performance. When you throw in a hi-viz
running top (Karrimor), some running
shorts (RonHill) and some under-shorts
(Linebreak) you can pretty much mix and
match for almost any weather.
The virtues of Trion:Z products have
been presented in previous Active issues,
and I would love to spend time continuing
to sing their praises. I definitely notice the
difference when I am wearing mine and
this Flex Loop version is the one that I
would wholeheartedly recommend. With
it being made from silicon, with more
magnets and a greater ionic output than
some of their other products this is a
great piece of kit in a material that you
practically never need to take off.
‘Connect Website and allows
you to share your route
and how you performed
effortlessly; or just store it
ready for comparison on
your next attempt…’
Plastic Bags
Cost: 5p
When you’ve spent an hour or more
wading through the mud, snow and being
lashed by the wind and rain you definitely
need somewhere to put your (very)
muddy kit into.You are therefore always
going to need a cheap/free plastic bag!
This frequently overlooked piece of kit is
vital in ensuring that you do not transfer
all that mud onto everything else. And I
can confirm from first hand experience
that you will sorely regret not having a
few to hand when you are preparing to
head home from a race
…
T
I
K
G
N
I
T
R
O
SP
63
tics Editor
atures/Running & Athle
, Fe
By Flt Lt David Hanson
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64
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Hawaii 5-0(m
Maui. If you’ve heard of this island you’ll know it’s not
just famous for hula and pineapples. As this is the
home of surfing, local rules dictate no windsurfing
before 1100. The second largest of the Hawaiian
Islands, it covers about the same area as London,
but similarities stop there. In one continuous 10km
stretch of its North Shore, Maui has all the most
famous windsurfing beaches on the planet; Ho’okipa,
Spreckelsville, Kanaha and Pe’ahi (also known as Jaws).
It was these beaches that the RAF windsurfers headed
to for the 2012 RAF Wave Sailing Championships.
66
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Iain Overington
Mark Thompson
Sails)
Author:Flt Lt Ben Goodwin
Ellis Williams Gybe
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Craig Hamilton mid loop
Craig Hamilton with Turtle
After 26 hours in transit, we stepped
onto Maui tarmac. It was around
22°C, and there was a 20-knot wind
blowing in off the sea. The November
wind in Maui builds from around 15
knots overnight to 25-30 knots during
the day. Summer is the time for
consistent wind, but winter is the time
for swell. The wind we got was a little
lighter than anticipated, but we got a
good taste of what the north Pacific
can generate in swell.
We had our first taste of what
Hawaii had to offer right from the first
morning. There was a huge variety
of windsurfing conditions, from a
relatively flat lagoon to three different
reef breaks. Using 5m sails with up
to 6ft of swell, conditions in the first
week were very gusty and most days
provided us with a good reminder
that the sea doesn’t care, even when
you really, really do. It was also a good
reminder that some kind of footwear
is sensible. I took a dive whilst on a
wave, and managed to inflict a tasty
little cut in the side of my toe. The
coral is often only 3 feet below
the surface, and bleeding in ‘sharky’
water wasn’t ideal; however, I took
my chances that there was enough
diversionary bait around me and
continued in the awesome conditions.
Now hyper-sensitised to sharks,
seeing a grey point out the water in
front of me wasn’t welcome. Relief
came as I sailed towards it and
could identify it as a metre-long
green sea turtle. On my final run in,
I had a chance to earn some ocean
goodwill as I noticed a turtle caught
in a rope use to mark a swimming
area. I borrowed a diving knife from
a lifeguard and with his assistance we
swam out and cut him free. They’re
huge beasts, and can weigh over
300kgs. This one thrashed as we
manoeuvred him, and had no trouble
pushing us away. However, he calmed
down as we gently held him by the
shell, allowing me to saw through the
rope wrapped around his right hind fin.
As soon as he felt free of course, we
were baggage once again and he shot
away like a torpedo.
The swell wasn’t delivering what
we’d hoped, generally less than 4 feet
high, but more than enough to give
67
you a miserable time if you fell off in
front of one. By day 5 we were feeling
strong enough to attack the infamous
Ho’okipa. A tiny sandy launch area on
an otherwise razor sharp lava beach
instantly grabs your attention. Even
if you manage that, the 12ft surf takes
no prisoners, as I found out. Heading
Mark Thompson Gybe
Craig Hamilton
Forward Loop
68
Craig Hamilton
my way out on a 5m sail in a very gusty
15 knots, the sea made it clear to me that
it wasn’t interested. I spent 15 minutes
being rinsed and scraped on Ho’okipa’s
reef before turning tail towards the beach
for a better launch.
I eventually made it out the back, and
took the chance to ride a couple of
beautiful big waves. It was exhilarating
and challenging sailing. It’s all well
and good learning to tack and gybe,
waterstart and carve, but places like this
are why you learn those things. On this
break, we were sailing amongst the most
capable windsurfers in the world, and
seeing what they could do was inspiring.
Every day brought different challenges.
Iain suffered by being pushed onto the
rocks, immediately to the left of the
launch area; he was forced to run away
bravely down to the next beach. There
was no sandy launch area there, only 50m
of unwelcoming lava front covered in sea
urchins. Iain’s body bore the brunt, but
he was allowing his kit to sail another
day. Lee Medway broke his mast foot 2
km from shore, leading to a rescue sail
for Stu Tilbury. Floating for half an hour
like a flaccid seal is no fun for anyone, but
he made it in without a problem. Ellis
Williams suffered a similar kit failure
and was rescued by a kite surfer (the
shame…!). Ho’okipa took no prisoners,
and it was a great windsurfing lesson for
us all.
Day 9 was the deciding event of the
Wave Competition, which was held
at Spreckelsville. Larger 5.3m sails
were required, and swell was only 4-5
feet. Only ten minutes long, a heat is
an intense scramble to sail as fast and
as well as possible. We sailed a heat
each, and were judged on our best two
jumps and one wave ride. Four sailors
were selected for the final, and were
straight into it after the heats. Mark
Thompson edged ahead by completing
a forward loop, Stu Tilbury took second
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Simon Kent Duck Gybe
Mark
Thompson
and Chris Rugg
third. Following
the competition,
several of
us sailed
the 2 miles
downwind to
Kanaha beach,
through the
significantly
bigger offshore
swell. Breaking
waves nearly
mast-high (12ft)
kept everyone on their
toes….
Our last day brought a little taste
of what winter in Hawaii could offer
- clean sets of 10-15ft waves and full
power on 5.3m sails. The waves were
outstanding, and with 10 days of practice
I felt reasonably comfortable with huge
waves crashing behind and beside me. It’s
exhilarating to turn hard towards tons of
water crashing on a reef, or to have the
confidence to sail straight at the breaking
crest of a 15ft wave and turn with it.
It was a privilege to devote 10 days
to windsurfing in truly world-class
conditions. It was also a reminder
how lucky I am to be a Serviceman
with opportunities like this. Long
may Adventurous Training continue; it
provides unparalleled experiences that
challenged and developed me in ways
that are impossible to replicate in routine
Service life.
We owe a huge thanks to many people
for their help organising and keeping the
tour costs to a minimum, not least the
RAF Sports Board and Sports Lottery,
Maria at Nalu Kai Lodge and Masato at
Maui Windsurfing Kit Hire, Hot Sails Maui
and finally, British Pro Windsurfers Ant
Baker and Guy Cribb.
Edited by Flt Lt Gill Rodwell
69
submit your article at www.rafactive.co.uk
WEST MIDLANDS
CANOE CENTRE
Your local Kayak and Canoe Shop
We sell:
• KAYAKS • CANOES
• PADDLES • HELMETS
• CLOTHING • ACCESSORIES
www.wmcc.co.uk
70
Sneyd Wharf, 401 Sneyd Lane,
Bloxwich, Walsall,WS3 2LT
Find us on facebook
email us: [email protected]
01922 479279
Please bring a copy of this
advert with you for 10% off
Ebay ID: westmidlandscanoecentre
submit your article at www.rafactive.co.uk
JET A1
AVGAS 100LL
AVGAS UL91
Supplied, all over the British Isles in Bulk and Drums and around the World in ISO
Tanks (23,000 litre stainless Steel) and Drums (200 litre, Mild Steel Epoxy Lined)
Speedy delivery service
Competitive prices
Quality assurance
We operate a Quality Managment System, which complies with the
requirements of BS EN ISO 9001:2000 in the Procurement, Importation,
Storage and Distribution of Aviation Fuels.
We are DCL registered (Defence Contractors List) and we have recently
been awarded, with a further two year contract to supply the Ministry of
Defence with Aviation Fuels.
Aviation fuelling equipment, both
bowsers or tanks, from 2,000 to 40,000
litres capacity, available at low prices.
For more information please call Damian on
020 8440 0505 or E Mail: [email protected]
CYMA Petroleum (UK) Limited
71
242-248 High Street, Barnet, Hertfordshire EN5 5TD
Telephone: +44(0)20 8440 0505 Telefax: +44(0)20 8440 6444
Email: [email protected] www.cymapetroleum.co.uk
Certificate No. FS 27703
72