RAF Helicopter lands in Lancaster as part of three-day town show

The RAF are running a free town show in Lancaster’s Dalton Square, aimed at all ages, with the opportunity to meet serving personnel and explore career options.

Running 10am-5pm Friday 8th May to Sunday 10th May, you can even interact first hand with cutting-edge RAF tech, and most exciting of all –  have the rare opportunity to step foot inside a replica RAF Chinook aircraft.

The show is the first in part of a fifteen town road trip around the UK, intended at spreading greater awareness of what the RAF does, and what opportunities it provides, with a full schedule available here.

Following on from this, we had the brilliant opportunity to speak to Squadron Leader Collier, in charge of the whole road trip, as well as Sargant Ben Bainbridge, leading this specific event in Lancaster.

Speaking about the goals of the event, Collier went on to say “We’re trying to bring the RAF into different communities, its an awareness piece about what we do and the different opportunities that are there… it’s all about explaining to the general public who may not know, what the RAF does”

Following on from this, we asked what are the motives behind making the roadshow appeal to all ages, she replied: “whether its an older person with experience in the military having a chance to reminisce and speak to people doing these jobs, or the younger generations who may not know much about the RAF, seeing where they could go in the future, its all about awareness and engaging with local communities”

She later explained further the RAFs intention to make sure that as many professions as possible are represented for people to engage with as part of these events.

Lancaster marks a special place in the trip, with a long-standing history intertwined with the armed forces. RAF Wharton, as well as other sites in the North-West, have greatly contributed to British aviation, notably including the multinational Eurofighter Typhoon project as far back as the early 90s.

During the event, members of the public are allowed to enter the replica 4/5ths Chinook, with a brief talk on the aircraft. As part of this, there was also the opportunity to explore the Chinook, examine the cockpit, and handle a replica minigun, as well as take photos and ask further questions.

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That said, the show has far more than just the Chinook. Full of plenty of opportunities, the show aims to be diverse and interactive. The highly informative career tents provided an excellent opportunity to learn more about different RAF careers, with over 55 unique careers highlighted at the event.

Furthermore, the career options range from traditional combat roles, to medical, logistical, tech, and intelligence roles, aimed at a variety of different skillsets. The options include a mix of apprenticeships, commissioned specialisations, and roles both with and without degree requirements.

Speaking further to Sargant Ben Bainbridge about this, he elaborated on the experience of setting up the show in Lancaster. He spoke about the hard work involved, liaising with Squadron Leader Collier as well as local police to ensure the event runs smoothly, and the commitment of the team to the event.

Regarding the work of the different RAF ambassadors, he said: “Everyone here is a volunteer, to have that many people involved is great, without the ambassadors we wouldn’t be able to do this”.

Much of the career aspect of the event focuses on highlighting the roles in the RAF many people often overlook, the “behind the scenes” work that helps the force function.

As well as this, the tents and stands are full of interactive pieces for the public to engage with further.

Standing out in particular, is a live band playing during the event, showcasing opportunities in music services. A nearby food stand on catering work including an apprenticeship to be a chef. And as well as these, intelligence work including RAF funded language courses.

Also on display was military equipment you can see, try on and hold such as replica weapons, kit and clothing (including a “light” bag weighing 30KG) and items like drones. With other tents having experiences such as an immersive VR experience with several RAF career related games, a food stand, and a merchandise stall on top of the free items available around the different tents.

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