Operations Wing

Operations Wing at RAF Shawbury is responsible for providing air traffic control (ATC) within Low Flying Area No 9 (LFA 9), and airfield services at Shawbury and the relief landing grounds at Tern Hill and Chetwynd airfields. It is also responsible for co-ordinating the activities of the following departments: Station Operations; the Fire Section; the Flight Planning Section; and the Meteorological Office.

ATC Squadron

The ATC Squadron is responsible for all operational and administrative aspects of the airfields at RAF Shawbury, Tern Hill and Chetwynd and the day-to-day control of all aircraft and vehicle movements at those airfields. Additionally, the squadron is responsible for the safe and expeditious control of military and civil aircraft flying in the vicinity of RAF Shawbury.

Station Operations

Station Operations is responsible for the overall coordination of airfield services. It coordinates and manages the daily flying training programmes, including bookings by RAF Shawbury aircraft into the UK Low Flying System, diversion and land-away bookings; it also coordinates visiting aircraft movements. The operations-support task requires daily liaison with ATC, the Fire Section and other departments involved in airfield and flying operations.

Fire Section

The Station Fire Section provides an immediate operational response to aircraft crash/rescue incidents on or near the airfield and also provides domestic fire cover for the buildings and facilities on station. The Fire Section can also be called upon to attend emergency incidents such as road traffic accidents and flooding. Secondary functions include providing fire training for station personnel, fire safety inspections of station buildings and facilities, and the maintenance and testing of fire safety equipment.

Flight Planning

The Flight Planning Section provides a centralised facility for all Shawbury-based aircrew, students and instructors, and for visiting aircrew. The facility is used for planning navigation routes, checking latest warnings and notices to airmen (NOTAM), obtaining meteorological information via the meteorological office military information dissemination system (MOMIDS) and the inputting of Flight Plans on the automated low flying electronic notification system (Mil-EAMS) before flying a sortie.

Meteorological Office

The Meteorological Office provides a full weather forecasting service to the two main training units at RAF Shawbury, the Defence Helicopter Flying School (DHFS) and the Central Flying School (Helicopter) Squadron (CFS(H) Sqn), to No 6 Flight Army Air Corps (Volunteers) and to visiting aircrew. The staff are also required to teach meteorology to students at the Central Air Traffic Control School (including the Flight Operations Squadron), Royal Marine crewmen on No 705 Squadron of the DHFS, and to aircrew on courses with the CFS(H) Sqn and the DHFS