Our 99 Squadron aircrew regularly conduct essential flying training, operating out of Vagar Airport offered the crew a similar experience like other overseas locations, such as Gibraltar, Falkland Islands and St Helena.
Vagar airport is set within the idyllic Faroe Islands 10 miles west of the main town, Torshavn. It has been significantly upgraded with a runway extension in 2012 and the addition of new instrument approaches. Vagar is only 1 hr 45 mins from RAF Brize Norton; with a 5902ft long and 98ft wide runway, complex approaches surrounded by terrain and with the possibility of turbulence, and ground handling considerations, Vagar is a perfect training location with no operational pressure but with the ability to practice those skills required on operations. In addition, pilots must utilise North Atlantic procedures and datalink communications functionality. This airfield provides the perfect location for 99 Squadron pilots to practice on short, narrow runways, in a more austere location, and with changeable weather factors. The flight, captained by Wing Commander Kev Latchman, completed on 24th March was approved by the Danish CAA and the airport authority, allowed for 5 different approaches, 2 full stop landings, and 30 minutes of ground manoeuvring; the training and value was outstanding.
Number 99 Squadron operate to a number of airfields where they aren’t able to rely on the equipment and procedures available at busy commercial airfields. We also operate to several locations where mountainous terrain and the associated effects of turbulence are a key consideration. Gibraltar is a prime example of somewhere like this, with the approach to runway 09 famously known in aviation as one of the most difficult approaches around!
Additionally, 99 Squadron maintains readiness to respond to Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief (HADR) missions around the world in times of peace and conflict, where the operating environment may be challenging, and crews have never been to the location before. The C-17’s ability to operate from short runways is a unique selling point for an aircraft of its size, but there are few places to practice this, so it is critical to identify first-class training opportunities to test the skillsets of our frontline pilots.
Using Vagar for this type of training allows us to prepare for all of these demanding conditions at the same time, close to home, in a peacetime environment with the support of our NATO allies in Denmark.
