AN EXTRAORDINARY journey has been undertaken by UK Army’s 7 Flight AAC detachment based in Brunei.

Their epic deployment of a Bell 212, from their base at Seria to Townsville in Eastern Australia, was the longest ever self-deployment by a solo Army Air Corps helicopter and included 1000 miles over water.

Maj Phillip Cook, OC 7 Flight, said such a trip had never been attempted before and, because of the risks involved, was unlikely to be repeated. “As an indicator, it is the same distance as flying from the UK to Afghanistan, but over jungle, the sea and a very desolate Australian outback.”

The route took the Bell aircraft across Borneo, a short sea crossing to Sulawesi, south to Flores, West Timor, across to the tip of Western Australia, and overland to Townsville.

Diplomatic clearances were sought, survival kit checked, and crews nominated.

Longest sea leg on the flight was a 280-nautical-mile leg lasting almost three hours.

The reason for the ambitious project was to support C Coy from Brunei-based 1 Bn, The Royal Gurkha Rifles, on the biannual Exercise Pacific Kukri in Eastern Australia.

The company commander, Maj James De Labilliere, was keen to have an aircraft on hand.

Fuel stops were organised at airfields across Malaysia, Sulawesi, Makasar, Indonesia and West Timor, and at several stops across the great Australian outback.

In all, the six-day flight out – including a rest day at Tindal, near the mining town of Katherine – covered four nations and 2,965 nautical hours in 28 hours of actual flying time.

While two pilots and two REME technicians were on board the Bell 212, their support team completed the journey on a chartered flight. At Townsville, they provided night and day troop lifts, abseiling and recce tasks for C Coy.

– British Soldier Magazine

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