It was in Jan 1972 that the Guats threatened to over-run British Honduras (now Belize). The British govt deployed troops to repel them and an airlift using Hercs and VC10s was set up. Belize City airport (more an airfield) could not take more than a Herc in those days so the troops were were flown in all types of AT ac to Nassau and then the Herc flew them into Belize. Nassau-Belize was 3 hours each way. A nice day's work with the T/R. The only let down aid was a NDB which, in a storm, became unrelible so it was mostly the Mk 1 eyeball to get us in.
Don't forget that besides the VC-10's there were Belfast and C-130 flights in and out of Belize on a constant basis.
In November 1972 I flew out to Belize via Goose Bay and Nassau on a C130 with the advance party of the Devon & Dorset Regiment to take over from the REME Artificer of the 14/20 Hussars Air Troop who had been responsible for the maintenance of 3 Sioux AH Mk1s of the Air Troop in support of the Infantry Battalion deployed to hold back the Guat Army should they invade Belize. A week later the three Siouxs belonging to 663 Sqn AAC Soiux Flight arrived on a Belfast along with the Pilots, Ground Handlers and the REME Air Techs. 14/20 Hussars Air Troop aircraft and personnel returned to the UK on the same aircraft. On the same day one of our aircraft was ready for operations and 663 Sqn AAC Sioux Flight was operational. The Flight remained in theatre for 6 months before being replaced by another AAC Sioux Flight. I believe 14/20 Hussars Air Troop was the first AAC Unit to operate in Belize.
We operated from a Romney Hut opposite the then Fire station.
There were no Harriers in 1972 or for the first few months of 1973.
653 AAC Sioux Flight took over from 663 AAC Sqn Sioux Flight about mid 1973.
