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www.stokegiffordjournal.co.uk
May 2021
t: 01454 300 400
News
T
he frequency at which military helicopter are seen flying low over Stoke Gifford and the surrounding areas seems to have increased over the last year or so, although this may be because we have had more opportunities to spot them as a consequence of the Covid-19 ‘Stay home’ guidance. But where are the helicopters going and what are they up to? There has been plenty of speculation on local Facebook groups, but reliable information is scarce, so we thought it was time for the Journal to investigate. The distinctive pulsating sound of tandem-rotor Chinook helicopters has been heard regularly over the Stokes for
several years, usually travelling east-west once a week at normal operational height along the M4 corridor. But the increased activity seen in recent months involves a different type of helicopter, the Puma, often operating at a very low level. Online chatter has suggested that these helicopters are landing at Mod Abbey Wood or the Nightingale Hospital at UWE, but investigation by the Journal has confirmed that they are in fact landing on the sports field at the Mile Straight Sports & Social Club on New Road, Stoke Gifford, roughly mid-way between the Travis Perkins building supplies depot and the Aviva Centre. Information shared by the RAF (see panel below) confirms that
Background information provided by the RAF The Mile Straight Sports & Social Club sports field is an official Helicopter Landing Site (HLS) and has been for many years. The RAF, and in this case, Puma helicopter crews, use a variety of HLSs around the whole of the UK for training and vary their routes and training locations to maximise training benefit; for example, recently our Pumas have been training in the Bristol, South Wales, Birmingham and the Manchester areas. This site and the multitude of others used, enable RAF crews to train in urban environments in preparation for operations in places such as Afghanistan where the Puma Force provides support to the ongoing NATO RESOLUTE SUPPORT mission. The RAF Helicopter force is also on high readiness to deploy around the world, in support of operations such as the hurricane relief effort in the Caribbean in 2017 (Op RUMAN) and the ongoing effort to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic in the UK (Op RESCRIPT). Utilising HLSs, such as this one in Stoke Gifford, forms an invaluable part of this training for the Puma Force. Where possible, we notify local communities of training activity that may be taking place in areas that are not used to seeing such activity, as per our recent social media posts. However, we will not offer full details for security purposes.
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