The Black Cats - 2010 season.

Date Posted - 18/05/2010

FLYING HIGH WITH THE ROYAL NAVY BLACK CATS DISPLAY TEAM

After 4 months of intensive flying practice the award-winning Royal Navy Black Cats display team have a new routine and are ready to wow audiences nationally and internationally with this seasons display.

Lt Becky Frater, Black Cat Leader and Lt Chris Chambers, No 2 Black Cat pilot, have perfected the aerial manoeuvres into a thrilling display that will include all kinds of moves like formation flying, nose-over’s and the carousel. The nose-over involves tilting a helicopter 90 degrees so the nose is facing the ground while the carousel sees two helicopters bring themselves nose to nose and ‘dance’ with each other in the air. This year the manoeuvres have been linked together to focus on achieving a dynamic, vertical and crowd centred routine perfect for the venues they will be displaying at.

The training has been tough and Lt Frater said:

“The moves and manoeuvres involved in the performances were already known to us; the challenge was putting them to a different use. It’s a whole new skill set and one of the most important things is to be safe. Our instructors have been very critical but they need to be; like everything else in the Royal Navy it need to be spot on”

The Black Cat Display team performed their new display in front of Rear Admiral Tom Cunningham, Chief of Staff (Aviation and Carriers) and Rear Admiral Fleet Air Arm who validated the display, awarded the team their richly deserved display overalls and authorised them to perform in front of the public for the forthcoming display season.

On validating the display, Rear Admiral Cunningham said:

“I am thrilled with this year’s Black Cat display; it is testament to their hard work and professionalism and they should be congratulated on their achievements. The routine is thrilling to watch, and I have complete confidence that the reputation of the Fleet Air Arm will be held in high esteem by those lucky enough to see this display”
The Black Cats are the Royal Navy’s official Display Team, flying two Westland Lynx helicopters. The team is made up with volunteers from 702 Naval Air Squadron based at the Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton in Somerset. Their name is derived both from the Wildcat insignia of 702 Squadron’s badge, and the term ‘black catting’, which in Naval parlance is a form of friendly, but competitive one-upmanship.

Lt Frater is the first female pilot to be selected for the team and she said:

“To be selected to fly for the Royal Navy Helicopter Display Team is not only an official recognition of your capability as a pilot and instructor but it is also an honour to be asked to represent the Royal Navy in such a unique public arena.”

She added:

“Lynx helicopters are very agile and the Black Cats fan base is growing; we hope that the 2010 season will ensure that even more people will get to see this very versatile aircraft”

The Black Cats will be displaying at the following events throughout the 2010 season to an estimated 4 million people:



Southport 18th – 19th Sep
Duxford Autumn Air Show 10th Oct

All images courtesy of LA(Phot) G Weatherstrong, HMS Heron

Lynx Helicopter Force

The Lynx Helicopter Force is based at RNAS Yeovilton, in Somerset, and is responsible for the management of the Royal Navy’s 61 Maritime Lynx airframes together with the provision of suitably qualified aircrew and engineers to meet CINCFLEET’s enduring and contingent operational programme.

The force comprises 3 Squadrons, 815 Naval Air Squadron, 702 Naval Air Squadron and 700W Naval Air Squadron, a Simulator facility and a Headquarters element, amounting to approximately 600 personnel. The LHF provides small ship’s helicopter capability to frigates and destroyers and maintains a continuous reaction force in the event of a terrorist incident at sea.

The Lynx is a fast, agile and versatile aircraft. Equipped with radar, night vision aids and thermal camera it can monitor large areas of open sea or coastline and provide detailed information of maritime activity. Armed with torpedoes, Sea Skua missiles and a 0.5-inch ‘Gatling’ gun, the Lynx can provide formidable firepower if required.

A Lynx flight consists of a single crew of Pilot and Observer, 7 Air Engineers and an Aircraft Controller. The operation of such a complex, high performance machine, as the modern Lynx helicopter demands personnel of the highest calibre.

Throughout the year, Lynx flights from 815 NAS are embarked around the world with the roles of providing Maritime Security and to defend and enhance regional British strategic interests. Within the Arabian Gulf, Lynx flights contribute to the defence of Iraqi territorial waters and provide vital security for their vital offshore oil installations. As part of Operation Calash, embarked aviation provides an essential part of the prevention of illegal trafficking of people, arms and drugs across the Arabian Sea. More recently, around the Horn of Africa, the Lynx has played a key role in the deterrence and interdiction of Piracy. During the Hurricane Season, a Lynx flight contributes to the disaster relief plan for UK dependant territories in the Caribbean and assists in regional counter-narcotics operations. When embarked in the Falkland Island’s Guardship, the flight provides a search and destroy deterrent against future aggression as well as being in position to assist with supporting UK interests in West Africa and South America. Every year two Lynx helicopters embark in HMS Endurance – the Ice Patrol Ship, to assist the British Antarctic Survey in their work and to support the UK Hydrographic Office’s survey activities. The Royal Navy routinely contributes to NATO’s Standing Naval Forces with a Frigate and embarked flight. Currently this multi-national task force is deployed East of Suez supporting the international counter-piracy campaign off Somalia.

Within the UK, the Lynx Helicopter Force maintains a specially trained cadre of personnel ready to react at extremely short notice to any terrorist incident at sea or in support UK law enforcement agencies as requested by the Home Office. In addition to the Lynx’s traditional maritime roles, this versatile and agile aircraft is seeing increasing utility in support of land operations. Most recently, training assistance has been provided to help prepare British Army units for their forthcoming deployments to Afghanistan.

In order to support and sustain the tempo of frontline activity, the Lynx Helicopter Force includes a training Squadron 702 NAS, providing a steady flow of newly trained aircrew and air engineers. For aircrew, the training course is extremely arduous and lasts one year from conversion to aircraft type. Mastering each task they maybe required to perform, by day and night is demanding but is rewarded on completion by the award of their flying badges.

After over 40-years of service the Westland Lynx will retire from the Royal Navy in 2017 to be replaced by the similar looking but significantly more capable AW159 Lynx Wildcat. The first airframe will be delivered to the Royal Navy in December 2012 and will enter service approximately 2 years later.