Ten Tours triumph for Commando Helicopter Force (CHF)

The weekend of Saturday 8th May 2010 saw the 50th anniversary of the Ten Tors expedition on Dartmoor, a busy time for all those involved in running the event as well as those taking part.

Over two days 2400 14-21 year olds from the South-West battled tough weather and harsh terrain as they raced against the clock around the various challenging courses laid out on Dartmoor.

Depending on age and experience teams could enter a 35, 45, or 55 mile trek, each of which involved an overnight stop.

The Saturday also saw the Jubilee challenge – an opportunity for youngsters who already work hard to overcome personal adversity to challenge themselves on a variety of courses, ranging from 7.5 to 13.5 miles across the northern moors. The weekend is run from Okehampton Camp, with heavy involvement from the Royal Navy. Two Sea King helicopters from 848 Naval Air Squadron (NAS) and one Lynx from 847 NAS, that are based at RNAS Yeovilton, as well as a team of maintainers and support staff deployed to the expedition to provide air support to the staff and competitors alike.

Add to this the large number of Naval personnel who deployed onto Dartmoor to man checkpoints and provide medical support to the competitors, and it’s clear that the RN contribution was significant.

The helicopters and all of their support teams arrived at Okehampton on Thursday 6th May, 2 days before the event, to assist the setup of the courses. This largely involved ferrying marshals, medics and signallers to the more remote corners of the moor, as well as lifting heavy loads of kit including tents, fuel, food and water.

Once the course was set up and the event began, the workload increased for the aircraft. Throughout Saturday VIPs had to be transported, and further supplies were needed across the moor – as well as a high profile flypast at the beginning of both the Ten Tors and Jubilee Challenge events!

As the events continued and the weather worsened, the helicopters were required to locate struggling teams to provide support, or evacuation, and to provide Search and Rescue cover for those who suffered injury. The flying duties persisted late into the night, and as the sun set over Dartmoor two flights were made to Plymouth hospital to rush the more seriously injured to treatment.

Sunday morning began as Saturday had finished, with further extractions. However as the teams got going and the weather improved, the focus shifted to dismantling the course. The hard-working ethos of all involved became clear as the aircrews sought to undo two days worth of assembly in just one afternoon – and managed to complete the job in time for dinner!

Whilst all of this was going on, the aircrews and engineers still found time to show the teams around the helicopters whilst they were on the ground between jobs, raising awareness of what the Royal Navy does, and capturing the imagination of the young.

Overall the expedition was a great success, and the RN helicopter crews were worked very hard – totting up 50 flying hours over the weekend, and performing 7 evacuations, including the 2 direct to hospital in Plymouth. The Officer in command of the detachment praised the engineers and aircrew for their effort and dedication.

Source: Commando Helicopter Force