LAC Niels Verhaar marshals a 34SQN Falcon into position at Brisbane Airport.

Members of No. 34 Squadron were spread across three States as part of the Royal Australian Air Force's support to the recent Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) and visit by the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh.

When your normal business is receiving and dispatching VIPs out of RAAF Base Fairbairn and travelling is a trip as the lone technician on an away-base task, members of 34SQN's Maintenance Flight aren't used to 'normal' deployments.

Therefore, the Squadron's maintainers were ready and willing to provide maintenance support to a fully dispersed Falcon 900 fleet.

Preparations began with technical SNCOs and engineering staff conducting vigorous security checks of the aircraft.

In conjunction with the higher level of security afforded by 'Royal tasking', the aircraft were also searched by an Australian Federal Police sniffer dog looking for explosives before being dispatched westward for the first phase of the visit.

This first phase saw five technicians deployed to support the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh's visit to South Australia. Based in Adelaide for two days, three of the five conducted flight servicings, refuelling and minor rectification work, preparing the aircraft for tasks to Ceduna and Port Lincoln, where the other two technicians provided similar ground support.

The second phase of the exercise saw 12 Maintenance Flight members, including two members of Aircraft Cleaning Section, deployed to a seldom-used hardstand at Brisbane Airport.

With only mown grass to greet them, they quickly assembled tents, a light stand and ground support equipment from local suppliers in order to operate an efficient flightline.

The deployed tarmac was used for four days in support of significant tasking for the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prime Minister and Governor-General to locations as diverse as Maroochydore, Cairns and Roma for both CHOGM and Royal Visit tasks. In line with security restrictions, refuelling tankers from RAAF Base Amberley travelled to 34SQN's deployed tarmac to provide the Falcons with uncontaminated fuel from a secure source.

The unit's aircraft cleaners again proved their dedication by ensuring the Falcons were in immaculate condition, inside and out, for every sortie.

Meanwhile, although occasionally hampered by some minor - and major - 'unserviceabilities', the applied expertise of 34SQN's technicians ensured that every task was matched with a serviceable aircraft.

Despite the deployment being outside the norm, Maintenance Flight demonstrated its ability to meet any challenge placed upon it by its VIP customers.

Both phases could not have succeeded without the support of Hawker Pacific, the unit's deeper maintenance and supply contractor, or that provided by the remaining members of Maintenance Flight at Fairbairn.

34SQN Maintenance Flight would also like to thank Frank Valla (Adelaide) and Barry Slattery (Brisbane) of Qantas Maintenance, James Walton of Australian Aerospace (Brisbane), Sergeant Garry Baker of the Australian Federal Police and the RAAF Amberley refuellers for their collective assistance in carrying out the deployment successfully.

Story and photograph by FLTLT Chris Ellison