In August 1981, five Chinook crews each comprising a captain, co-pilot and two crewmen graduated from No 1 Chinook Conversion Course to create the nucleus of the re-forming No 18 Squadron. Equipped with three metal-bladed aircraft and having a small number of technicians and support personnel, we began very limited flying operations, including a deployment to Denmark.
The masterplan was for a slow build-up of the squadron to its full complement of 13 aircraft with supporting air and groundcrews before deploying to Gütersloh, West Germany in early 1982. No field, meaning off-base, equipment was provisioned for our use in the UK. In effect, we had a very limited capability. However, we did begin to take delivery of the fibre composite-bladed aircraft. These were transported from the USA using roll-on, roll-off ferries, ironically including the ill-fated Atlantic Conveyor. But the British supplied cockpit instrumentation was in short supply, and we collected the Chinooks from the dockside in Liverpool with no flight instrumentation, radio or navigation aids. We flew in company to Odiham, where in many cases the engines were remo…
