Although I thought this story was a welcome account of positive steps in HMSPWLS's progress through her workup I just couldn't hack the tone.
She is now in the Baltic operating with 45 Commando Group.
(Three)
"Apache warriors complete fortnight’s intense training on HMS Prince of Wales" - what is it with the Andrew's website that they can't use Apache in a headline without appending warriors - I am surprised the Woke Patrol haven't clamped down.
I'm not usually given to pushing the RN's puff pieces but amid the gushing tone and hyperbole (I nearly posted this in the Buccaneer comedy thread) there was a point of interest; There appears to be insufficient illumination on deck during night ops - assuming they were running under peacetime conditions. However, I assume the penultimate paragraph refers to various items from FOST's 'Thursday War ' menu (even if it was a Saturday).
https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/news-and-latest-activity/news/2021/june/22/20210622-apache-dawn
The emphasis of the squadron’s embarkation on the carrier was ensuring air and ground crew were used to operating at sea – and to train Prince of Wales’ air/air engineering departments in handling, moving, maintaining and launching/recovering the Apache as part of the carrier’s broader air group.
During the fortnight-long spell on the Portsmouth-based leviathan*, 656 Squadron shared the flight deck with RAF Chinooks, Royal Navy Merlins and, briefly, the first F-35 Lightning jets to land/take-off from HMS Prince of Wales.
The Army Air Corps fliers landed and took off 161 times, qualified one new pilot for maritime operations by day/night, while eight more regained or maintained their currency.
Instructing the aircrews was veteran Apache pilot Major Tony Thompson with 19 years in the cockpit. This was his seventh embarkation in a ship in five years and he says the Queen Elizabeth class is a challenge for pilots – despite a flight deck large enough to accommodate three football pitches.
“HMS Prince of Wales is a much larger ship to land on – but she’s also much darker,” Major Thompson added.
...
And if it’s tough for the crew in the cockpit, the Apache poses challenges for the Royal Navy aircraft handlers who guide it on to/off the deck and move the nine-tonne warbird around.
...
"For me, as a flight deck director, the Apache’s ability to be almost invisible in the dark makes marshalling and ground movement particularly difficult at night."
*apparently a medium sized aircraft carrier is a Leviathan.
