Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose

Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose stands beside Helston on the Lizard Peninsula in southern Cornwall. It is one of Europe’s largest helicopter bases and the main operating centre for the Royal Navy’s Merlin Helicopter Force. Two front-line squadrons, 814 and 820, fly the Merlin HMA2 in anti-submarine and carrier-strike roles. A third squadron, 700X, flies uncrewed aircraft for the Navy. The station also trains crews, observers and engineers for front-line duties. The base contributes £100 million to the Cornish economy and has been Helston’s partner since 1958, when it was granted the Freedom of the Borough. In 2012 the Olympic Flame landed here aboard a yellow BA Airbus before beginning its Cornish leg. The station began as a wartime airfield in the 1940s and now houses a Merlin training facility with simulators and classrooms. It also runs the Royal Naval School of Flight Deck Operations for aircraft-carrier teams. Visitors see the wide aprons where Merlins land and take off beside the Cornish hills. Inside the training facility are simulators and mock-ups used by new aircrew. The station’s volunteer band and cadet units add life to the site. Beyond the gates, Helston’s streets lead to the Lizard’s cliffs and coves.