Op GOLDEN ORB

On Saturday 6th May the UK celebrated the coronation of King Charles III as the world watched in anticipation. This unique event saw Station Operations heavily involved in the hosting of over a dozen foreign nations that came to London to attend the Coronation ceremony.

The planning for the Coronation weekend was extensive and involved significant co-operation between the Air Movements Squadron and Operations Squadron. Notably, Ops and AMS personnel, who worked together to action a multitude of visit requests that were received many weeks prior to the weekend of the 6th. Upon receipt of the initial visit requests, it was Stn Ops’ responsibility to allocate specific slots for the arrival and departure of aircraft, allowing for suitable deconfliction and maintain a smooth flow rate for Air Traffic Control and Radar. This booking process is a standard procedure for Station Operations, however, the weeks leading up to the event proved to be significantly more challenging than usual due to the sheer demand for slots. Despite this, Ops Squadron delivered. Not only did the booking process see Ops personnel liaise with various foreign outer offices for slot times, but also design a parking plan to allow the aircraft to stay overnight. This was an extensive process which saw the Ops team collaborate effectively with their colleagues in AMS and VASS. Effective co-operation between sections is routinely required of Ops personnel, and for this event it ensured that all the foreign dignitaries had an allocated slot on the ASP for their aircraft to park.

On the Friday before the Coronation, RAF Northolt welcomed foreign dignitaries from messages and notify AMS and Air Traffic of any delays. Similarly on Saturday, once the event had finished, Ops kept a close eye on the flight plans and slot times to ensure that the flow rate was not breached, and that the VIPs were greeted and seen to their aircraft in a timely manner. Ultimately, Station Ops’ role in this event was carried out efficiently and successfully. The efforts of the Squadron enabled the landing, parking and smooth transition of foreign ambassadors, Heads of State and VIPs from