Her Majesty the Queen and HRH the Duke of Edinburgh Visit RAF Valley

On Friday 1st April Her Majesty the Queen and HRH the Duke of Edinburgh visited the Ascent UK Military Flying Training (UKMFTS) Advanced Jet Training (AJT) facilities at RAF Valley. The royal couple were escorted throughout the visit by Station Commander Group Captain Bruce Hedley and Ascent Managing Director Sir Barry Thornton.

The first visit was to the search and rescue headquarters (SAR), where Prince William carries out his duties.  They then visited the Moran Building, Ascent’s new training facility for Hawk TMK2 pilots and unveiled a commemorative plaque. The Queen enjoyed a three-course lunch, including Welsh lamb, with around 30 other guests. The lunch was served in the Moran building’s main briefing room, which had been converted into a dining room for the day.

After lunch the Queen viewed the Squadron facilities within the Moran building and met representatives from the Station personnel who worked there. The Duke toured the suite of synthetic training devices, including a demonstration of the Full Mission Simulator which he watched from a platform alongside the cockpit. He was accompanied by the Ascent Station Manager Alasdair Shinner.  During his visit he met the teams from Lockheed Martin and CAE who are responsible for the development and delivery of the training devices.  He also met the team of Ascent Qualified Instructors who will be delivering the lessons on each simulator.

The royal couple were then driven into the UKMFTS hangar at RAF Valley, where they were greeted by cheers from children from local schools and the families of Station personnel. Here they also met more groups from around the Station against a backdrop of Hawk aircraft and helicopters. Their visit concluded with a Royal Salute from an Honour Guard formed by RAF Valley personnel and the band of the Royal Air Force College.

Posted on: 07/04/11