2 minute read
9/11, 20 Years On
from Landing Zone
transported to RAF Brize Norton. From there, they would be loaded onto a Ukrainian Antonov by a number of 71 Coy soldiers.
With the aircraft safely on their way to Oman for the start of Ex PINION OMAN, the Coy set about preparing its soldiers and officers for the deployment. Everyone working hard as a team to overcome the incredibly complex task that deploying en masse for a first-of-itskind exercise within the constraints of a pandemic across international borders entails. The Coy started moving to Oman in early September and are now fully established in sunny Oman.
In a cruel stroke of fate, the airfield has been struck with the first tropical storm in over 130 years, drenching the desert with rain that has had some unintended consequences. One cancellation was a survival course that would be reliant on scavenging drinking water from plant perspiration!
The remaining UK based component of the Coy, the Engineering Acceptance Team, made the trip down to London to exhibit their work at the Defence and Security Equipment International expo. The event attracted tens of thousands of visitors and the new Apache AH-64E stole the show, making the worked weekends and time in the capital worth every moment.
Arte Et Marte.
Written By: Major R K Schanda, USAF
On 11 Sep 21, two JHC Puma helicopters from 33 Sqn, RAF Benson, participated in a flypast at RAF Lakenheath to commemorate the terrorist attacks that occurred 20 years previous. The ceremony began precisely at 1528, which was the exact time on 11 Sep 01 that the second tower of the World Trade Centre collapsed.
One minute of silence was observed, which concluded with the two Puma aircraft flying past the ceremonial dais. The lead aircraft displayed a US flag in the door, while the rear aircraft displayed a Union Jack, showing the solidarity between the two allied nations. Participating in the flypast was Major Richard Karl Schanda, a USAF exchange pilot on 33 Sqn. “Being able to fly in the 20th anniversary of 9/11 flypast, in an RAF aircraft, with an RAF crew, over a US base – it was one of the proudest and most memorable experiences of my career.
“This exchange has shown me the depth and strength of the US-UK special relationship, and this sortie symbolized this connection so poignantly for me. I truly appreciate the crew, engineers, and all support staff that made it happen, it was sincerely special for everyone involved.” Of the 2,977 civilians killed on that fateful day, 67 were British.
