February 2012

FINALS for the MERLIN Mark 1 – Eighteen trainee pilots, observers and aircrewmen from 824 Naval Air Squadron at Culdrose are spending five weeks flying on, off and around the Aviation Training Ship RFA ARGUS to complete their training on the Mark 1 version of the MERLIN before the MERLIN Mark2 joins the Fleet Air Arm later this year.    The trainees on the RFA ARGUS go from the very basics of landing on and taking off from a flight deck at sea, to practising search and rescue drills, through to the tactical missions such as hunting submarines or surface ships.