Airfield Operations Wing

Airfield Operations Wing encompasses a wide range of activities from flight planning to mission preparation and from air traffic control to fire fighting; it is the heart of all flying activities at RAF Brize Norton.

Station Operations Squadron

The Headquarters is situated in the Air Terminal and from here Station Operations Squadron co-ordinates the movements and monitors the progress of all aircraft based at RAF Brize Norton. Whether it is a VC10 on a North Sea air-to-air refuelling sortie, a TriStar flying into operational theatres or a C-17 supporting operations in some far-flung parts of the world, the personnel of Station Operations are there to ensure that our aircraft are fully supported 24 hours per day, 365 days per year. Airfield Operations Wing provides a worldwide flight planning capability, aviation information facilities, meteorological services and support to visiting aircraft, including frequent visiting VIP flights and a variety of civilian aircraft movements. The Headquarters also provides intelligence and tactical briefings, through a dedicated Mission Support Cell, to all Brize Norton aircraft departing to the various operational theatres around the world.

Air Traffic Control Squadron

Air Traffic Control (ATC) Squadron and the Fire Section are the responsibility of the Senior Air Traffic Control Officer. In 1971, with the increasingly congested airspace due to the large number of local airfields, 'Oxford Radar' was established at RAF Brize Norton. Its role was to provide much needed centralised control to the surrounding airspace and to manage the increasing flow of transiting aircraft. By 1992 Oxford Radar had been renamed Brize Radar, received its own Secondary Surveillance Radar and, shortly afterwards, a new Watchman airfield radar. The Unit reverted to a Terminal ATC role in July 1998. ATC is also open 24 hours every day and handles approximately 110,000 aircraft movements annually. Radar services are provided to transiting aircraft within a 60nm radius of Brize Norton.

The aerodrome supports a wide variety of aircraft types, from light aircraft to huge Antonov 124 heavy-lift aircraft. The ATC Squadron also provides ATC services for nearby RAF Fairford and plays a vital role in co-ordinating the annual Royal International Air Tattoo which is the largest flying display in Europe. All of this is achieved in the midst of one of the most congested pieces of airspace in the UK. The Fire Section, part of ATC Squadron, is the largest RAF Fire Section, permanently committed to the provision of category 5A fire cover (required for large passenger-carrying airliners). The Section is equipped with the latest Carmichael MFV fire vehicles, and was the first RAF Fire Section to receive the new Rapid Intervention Vehicle in 2000. The fire section also provides fire safety advice and domestic fire cover for arguably the largest RAF base.

STANEVAL

Airfield Operations Wing is also home to 2 small specialist units. The Standards and Evaluation Unit (STANEVAL) is a small cadre of highly qualified aircrew whose task is the continuous maintenance of flying standards for VC10 ,TriStar and C-17 aircrews, as well as the provision of specialist advice on flying matters to the Station executives. The other unit is the Air Transport/Air-to-Air Refuelling Course Design Team, tasked with the provision of specialist training advice to RAF Brize Norton units, and production of computer based training material primarily related to flying training issues.