21 Mar 2006
There has been some unusual activity at the BAE Systems site at Woodford recently. Instead of the more customary movements of the new Nimrod MRA4 maritime surveillance aircraft on and around the site, BAE Systems at Woodford played host to two Royal Navy Sea King helicopters from 849 Naval Air Squadron based at Culdrose for a week.
The helicopters carried out flying visits, literally, to five secondary schools in the Greater Manchester area to boost recruitment to the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm. During a busy week the crews addressed well over 1,000 students, and treated around 60 of them to flights on their Sea King air surveillance and control helicopters. The crews also forged what they hope will be regular and lasting links with the University of Manchester.
The Commander of the helicopter detachment, Lt Commander Robbie Holden, was delighted with the warm welcome and hospitality given to him and his crews by BAE Systems at Woodford and said it had been an ideal base from which to carry out their recruitment mission. Awarding Woodford's Aerodrome Manager, Dave Higginbottom, with a framed picture of a Sea King helicopter from the Squadron, the Commander said that from the moment his request to come to Woodford had been made, he had been impressed throughout by the ‘can do’ attitude shown by the site and the enthusiastic support given to his crews by all concerned.
Commenting on the visit Malcolm Adams, Head of Public Affairs at BAE Systems at Woodford, said: “BAE Systems is always ready to help our armed services wherever possible. In addition, the fact that this deployment was aimed at interesting and attracting young people into aviation and engineering meant we were more than happy to support it. As a company, we run several schemes in the UK aimed at encouraging young men and women from the age of 13 upwards to consider a career in engineering.”
About BAE SYSTEMS
BAE Systems is the premier transatlantic defence and aerospace company delivering a full range of products and services for air, land and naval forces, as well as advanced electronics, information technology solutions and customer support services. With more than 100,000 employees worldwide, BAE Systems sales exceeded GB 15.4 billion (US$28 billion) in 2005.
For further information, please contact:
Malcolm Adams, BAE Systems
Tel: +44 (0) 161 957 4521 Fax: +44 (0) 161 955 3382
Email:malcolm.adams@baesystems.com
