25-476: (Redirected from Odh ) Odh or ODH may refer to: RAF Odiham , a Royal Air Force station D-octopine dehydrogenase , an enzyme Ohio Department of Health Odh , a trigraph in Latin-script writing Olivia de Havilland , (1916–2020), actress Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with
50-461: A jess and surmounted by a bell. The portcullis and towers relate to Odiham Castle , a ruin dating from the 13th century, located approximately 2 km north of the station. The portcullis also originates from the badge of Fighter Command , under which the station operated during the 1950s. The roses reference the Hampshire coat of arms and the arrows represent the speed of the aircraft flown from
75-574: A civilian variant of the helicopter, designated the Type 192C . The 192C would have had seats for 24 passengers and was aimed at intercity services. To demonstrate the aircraft's potential, Bristol chief test pilot Charles "Sox" Hosegood set the London–Paris and Paris–London speed records in May 1961 in a Belvedere. However, no orders were placed for the 192C. Three pre-production Belvederes (XG453, 454, 456) went to
100-688: A joint Puma and Chinook Operational Conversion Unit. The move began in December 2015 as the unit joined their Puma counterparts at Benson under a reformed No. 28 Squadron . With the Lynx reaching the end of its operational life in January 2018, No. 657 Squadron of the Army Air Corps and their Lynx AH9A disbanded in May 2018. To extend their life for at least 15 years, Odiham's runways were upgraded in early 2021. The runway surfaces and lighting were replaced, with
125-516: A short period in "care and maintenance" status the base was reopened as part of Transport Command in 1960. In this role No. 72 Squadron was re-equipped with Bristol Belvedere helicopters in 1961 and then with Westland Whirlwind helicopters in 1964. The Westland helicopters were joined by the Aérospatiale Pumas of No. 33 Squadron and No. 230 Squadron in 1971. The first Chinook HC.1s arrived at Odiham in 1981. These were replaced by
150-538: A speed record of 130 mph (210 km/h) between Gatwick and Tripoli . In 1962 a 72 Squadron Belvedere lowered the 80 ft tall spire onto the new Coventry Cathedral . As well as 66 Squadron, the type was deployed to 72 Squadron in 1961 and 26 Squadron in 1962, all at Odiham. 26 Squadron later transferred to RAF Khormaksar where it disbanded in November 1965. The helicopters were transferred by HMS Albion to Singapore to join 66 Squadron until that squadron
175-618: Is a Royal Air Force station situated a little to the south of the village of Odiham in Hampshire , England . It is the home of the Royal Air Force's heavy lift helicopter, the Boeing Chinook , and of the King's Helicopter Flight (TKHF) . Its current station commander is Group Captain Matt Roberts. Aircraft operations began from the site in 1925 but it was not until October 1937 that it
200-623: Is a Royal Air Force and British Army organisation that coordinates the provision of rotary wing aviation support to the United Kingdom Special Forces (UKSF). Providing this role are Chinooks of No. 7 Squadron at Odiham and Army Air Corps Eurocopter AS365N3 Dauphin II and Westland Gazelle AH1 aircraft based at Stirling Lines in Herefordshire . The Kestrel Gliding Club continues to fly from Odiham at weekends, having become part of
225-531: Is a heavy-lift helicopter used for tactical troop and load movements and casualty evacuation across the battlefield. The aircraft can carry up to fifty-five troops or around ten-tonnes of mixed cargo either internally or as an under-slung load. The Chinook Display Team is also based at the Station. Odiham is home to the headquarters of the Joint Special Forces Aviation Wing (JSFAW). The wing
250-840: The Vigilant T Mk 1 self-launching glider, providing basic flying and gliding training to members of the Air Cadet Organisation. Due to a fleet-wide airworthiness issue, the Vigilant (and its cousin, the Viking conventional glider) were grounded in April 2014. No. 618 Volunteer Gliding Squadron was subsequently disbanded. In May 2015, it was announced that the Chinook Operational Conversion Flight, comprising six Chinooks and 150 personnel would transfer from Odiham to RAF Benson to form
275-536: The Belvedere Trials Unit at RAF Odiham , which was subsequently reformed as No. 66 Squadron RAF in 1961. Engine starter problems caused trouble at first, but operational deployment continued. The production aircraft saw service in Europe, Africa, Southern Arabia and Borneo . Meanwhile, the original prototype XG447 was broken up at Porton Down on 7 August 1966. In June 1960 the fifth prototype, XG452 , set
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#1732855061628300-660: The Chinook HC.2 in 1993. The RAF ordered the Chinook HC.3, a special forces variant, in 1995. After being in storage for eight years due to avionics certification problems, the HC.3 airframes were retro-fitted with HC.2 avionics during 2009 and 2010, to enable them to finally enter RAF service. The Mk6, which incorporates a new Digital Automatic Flight Control System (DAFCS), is a new buy of 14 aircraft which arrived in 2013. No. 618 Volunteer Gliding Squadron arrived in July 2000. The Unit operated
325-511: The Queen reviewed the Royal Air Force at Odiham in 1953. No. 46 Squadron was re-formed at RAF Odiham on 15 August 1954 as a night fighter unit equipped with Meteor NF12s and 14s. In 1955 No. 54 Squadron and No. 247 Squadron started receiving Hunters and, in 1956, No. 46 Squadron began converting to Javelins with the first arriving in February. Odiham closed as a fighter base in 1959. After
350-597: The RAF expressed an interest in the aircraft and the Type 192 "Belvedere" was created. Three Type 191 airframes were almost complete when the order was cancelled, but they were used to aid the development of the Type 192. The first two were used as test rigs for the new Napier Gazelle engines and the third was used for fatigue tests. The Type 192 shared some of its design features with the cancelled naval variants, which made it less than ideal for transporting troops. The front undercarriage
375-532: The Royal Air Force Gliding and Soaring Association in 2006. The following flying and notable non-flying units are based at RAF Odiham. Joint Aviation Command No. 22 Group (Training) RAF United Kingdom Special Forces RAF Odiham's badge , awarded in November 1951, features a port portcullis between two towers each displaying a red rose behind two silver arrows with red feathers, crossing one another. The arrows are entwined by
400-473: The Royal Navy but were later adapted to carry 18 fully equipped troops with a total load capacity of 6,000 lb (2,700 kg). The two rotors were synchronised through a shaft to prevent blade collision, allowing the aircraft to operate through only one engine in the event of an emergency. In that case, the remaining engine would automatically run up to double power to compensate. Bristol attempted to market
425-400: The aft cabin to permit a rear loading ramp). To provide access to the cabin from the cockpit there was a small entry past the engine that resulted in a bulge on the left side of the fuselage. The first Type 192 prototype XG447 flew on 5 July 1958 with tandem wooden rotor blades, a completely manual control system and a castored, fixed quadricycle undercarriage . From the fifth prototype,
450-485: The airfield remaining open throughout the works. RAF Odiham's mission statement is to Deliver and sustain Chinook and Special Forces aviation operations world-wide, in order to support UK defence missions and tasks". To fulfil this mission, the station is home to No. 7 Squadron , No. 18 Squadron and No. 27 Squadron , all operating the Boeing Chinook and forming part of the RAF's Support Helicopter Force. The Chinook
475-516: The rotors fitted were all-metal, four-bladed units. Production model controls and instruments allowed night operations. The prototype machines had an upwards-hinged main passenger and cockpit door, which was prone to being slammed shut by the downwash from the rotors. This was replaced by a sliding door on the later aircraft. Twenty-six Belvederes were built, entering service as the Belvedere HC Mark 1 . They were originally designed for use with
500-434: The station. Representing a falconer and bird, jess and bell, refer to the control of hunting aircraft and refer to the role of squadrons at the station. The station's motto is ' Promise and Fulfil '. RAF Odiham's gate guardian is a former US Army Boeing CH-47F Chinook . The airframe was donated by Boeing and reassembled at the station by Boeing and the RAF, using retired parts from several US and RAF Chinooks. It
525-520: The title ODH . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=ODH&oldid=1018704572 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages RAF Odiham Royal Air Force Odiham or more simply RAF Odiham ( IATA : ODH , ICAO : EGVO )
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#1732855061628550-867: Was opened as a permanent airfield. During the Second World War North American Mustangs and Hawker Typhoons were flown out of the base. After the Allied invasion of Europe the site became a prisoner of war camp. Following the end of the War RAF Fighter Command assumed control of the base. No. 247 Squadron was re-equipped with Vampires in June 1946, while No. 54 Squadron and No. 72 Squadron were both re-equipped with Vampires in July 1946. No. 54 Squadron and No. 247 Squadron both converted to night fighter units equipped with Meteor F.8s in 1951. As part of her coronation celebrations
575-633: Was operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF) from 1961 to 1969. The Belvedere was Britain's only tandem rotor helicopter to enter production, and one of the few not built by Piasecki or Boeing . The Belvedere was based on the Bristol Type 173 10-seat (later 16-seat) civilian helicopter which first flew on 3 January 1952. The 173 project was cancelled in 1956, and Bristol spent time on the Type 191 and Type 193 to Royal Navy and Royal Canadian Navy specifications. These two naval variants were cancelled, but
600-408: Was unusually tall, originally designed to give adequate clearance for loading torpedoes underneath the fuselage in the anti-submarine warfare role. This left the main passenger and cargo door 4 feet (1.2 m) above the ground. The engines were placed at either end of the cabin. (By comparison the contemporary purpose-designed troop transport Boeing Vertol CH-46 Sea Knight had its engines above
625-532: Was unveiled in May 2012 by Secretary of State for Defence Philip Hammond during a visit to the station to celebrate 30 years of RAF Chinook operations. Bristol Belvedere The Bristol Type 192 Belvedere is a British twin-engine, tandem rotor military helicopter built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company . It was designed by Raoul Hafner for a variety of transport roles including troop transport, supply dropping and casualty evacuation . It
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