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HELME
Rodney HELME
1. Name
2. Date Enlisted / Commissioned
3. Date Retired
4. Rank
5. Awarded Wings
6. Flying Schools
7. Aircraft Types Flown
8. Squadrons
9. Aircraft / Commando Carriers
10. Decorations
11. General
Rodney HELME
1 November 1959
1 May 1995
Major RM
2 May 1969
School of Army Aviation, Middle Wallop
Central Flying School(Helicopters) RAF Shawbury
Chipmunk
Hiller, Sioux
Scout
Gazelle
Scheizer 300
3 Cdo Bde Air Sqn
2/2 Gurkha Rifles Air Platoon
Bulwark
Hermes
Other Flight Decks -Fearless, Intrepid, Antelope, Falmouth, Kent,Bedevere,Lancelot,Percival, Stromness, Tarbetness, USS Nashville
GSM South Arabia and Northern Ireland
South Atlantic Medal with Rosette
Army Pilots Course No 205 Middle Wallop 1968 - 69. (Chipmunk, Hiller, Sioux).
1969 - 71. 3 Cdo Bde Air Sqn - Pilot and Flight Commander (Sioux). Singapore, Malaya, Hong Kong, Cyclone Disaster Relief, East Pakistan (Bangla Desh), N. Ireland.
1970. Detached Flight Commander 2/2 Gurkha Rifles. Brunei, Sarawak.
1971-72 Detached Flight Commander 8 Inf Bde, Ballykelly, N Ireland. (Including obs/recce sortie Bloody Sunday, Londonderry)
1973. SO3 /G3 Air HQ Cdo Forces RM, Mount Wise, Plymouth.
1974. Sioux Refresher Course Netheravon.
1975. Gazelle Conversion, Middle Wallop.
1975 -77. Flight Commander Salerno (Independent) Flight, 41 Cdo Gp Malta. Sicily, Italy, France (Pyrenees), Corsica, Cyprus, Sardinia, Turkey.
1980. Gazelle Refresher Course RNAS Culdrose. QHI Course (Gazelle) CHF (H), RAF Shawbury.
1980-81 Instructional Tour AACC Middle Wallop (Gazelle) and Scout Conversion Course.
1981 - 83 QHI/IRI, 3 Cdo Bde Air Sqn (Scout and Gazelle). Coypool, Ascension Island, Falklands, Norway, France (Pyrenees), RNAS Yeovilton.
1991 Civilian conversion to Schweizer 300 (Exeter).
1991-93 Part time charter/commercial flying (Schweizer 300).
2007 – 2009 Devon Strut. P2 - Piper Cub and Chipmunk, Eggesford. P2-Rans S6 Coyote, Dunkerswell.
Private Pilot’s Licence (Fixed Wing), Airline Transport Pilot’s Licence (Helicopters) with Instructor Endorsement, Master Green Instrument Rating, Instrument Rating Examiner.
1966 Aden Services Gliding Club. A, B, C, Bronze C Certificates.
Silver C Height Gain (12,500 ft during exped to Nakuru, Kenya).
1967 Exped to RAF Laarbruch Germany, Soaring Course RAF Bicester, general flying HMS Daedalus, Lee on Solent.
1968 Silver C Duration (5hrs 40 min), RAF Bicester. Silver C Distance (54 km), Task Week RNAS Yeovilton, Crew member, Inter-Services (Bicester) and National Championships (Dunstable).
1978-79 Joint Services Adventure Training Courses, RAF Bicester. Continuation flying RNAS Yeovilton.
1979. Instructors Course, RAF Bicester.
1979-80. Instructional duties, RNAS Yeovilton.
1994 Refresher flying, Yeovilton, North Hill (Dunkeswell) and RAF Bicester. Wave Flying Exped to Aboyne, Scotland.
1995. Instructors Refresher Course, RAF Bicester.
1995-2005. Instructional Duties, RNAS Yeovilton.
Qualified P1 on 26 types - single/2 seaters;
T21, T31, Swallow, Olympia 401, Olympia 2B, B’Spatz, Bocian, Blanik, SF26, Skylark 2, B Spatz, K8, K6CR, K6E, Twin Astir, K18, Pirat, Capstan, K13, Pilatus B4, Astir, AS21, Puchacz, Discus, Mistral, Kestrel.
Flown P2: K2, Motor Falk, Janus C, Grob 109, Super Dimona, Mini Nimbus, DG 505.
Sites flown: Military: Sheik Othman (Aden), RAF Bicester (Oxon), Lee on Solent (Hants), RAF Laarbruch (Germany), RNAS Yeovilton, Merryfield (Somerset).
Civilian: Nakuru (Kenya), Asperden (Germany), Challock (Kent), Hinton in the Hedges (Oxon), Brent Tor (Dartmoor), North Hill (Devon), Aboyne (Angus).
Flying Marines
A History of Royal Marines Aviation
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