OPS OVERSTUDY & BRIDGE

The 8th of September started like any other day at RAF Northolt, expecting changes to VIP taskings; but this was a day we’ll all remember.

At midday the operations team received a priority tasking for Envoy; the aircraft was to be ready within 90 mins for an urgent Royal Household tasking to Scotland. Knowing HM the Queen had been unwell the evening before it was not completely unexpected to receive formal notification of her passing later that day. Operations Wing had ensured, over the preceding months, a thorough review of policy and planning to guarantee they would be ready for the enormity of enacting Op OVERSTUDY in just four days’ time. RAF Northolt would become a part of history, when on D+4, the evening of 12 September HM the Queen would return for the last time from Scotland to London via C17.

RAF Northolt is known for its ability to handle a plethora of VVIPs, from Kings and Queens, senior government minister, high ranking military officers and the odd corgi! That said, Op OVERSTUDY was not your normal VVIP move. As miles of cabling was installed within the terminal building the Northolt operations team began preparing for an historic movement through the airport. Working closely with RAF Ceremonial, the Lord Chamberlain’s Office and the individual Royal Households, Operations Wing began to piece together the complexities of moving the new King, his family and the newly appointed Prime Minister around the country for The Proclamation and associated pageantry before HM The Queen’s repatriation.

The intricacies of the event were critical, even down to how HRH The Princess Royal’s bags were going to be taken off the aircraft out of sight of the cameras and ensuring the hearse and standby hearse were placed in the correct location was not an easy task.

The scale of the task for RAF Northolt was unprecedented and a significant challenge for the entire Station. As ever the graceful swan continued to look perfect while Team Northolt pedalled frantically underneath to meet challenging timelines; the world’s media were ultimately presented with a respectful and perfectly executed repatriation ceremony.

However, the safe onward movement of HM The Queen was only part of RAF Northolt’s involvement. After a short pause for a breath of air, focus changed to the planning and delivery of a viable plan for the arrival and departure for the numerous Heads of State transiting through RAF Northolt for Op BRIDGE (the funeral), in order to pay tribute to the life of HM The Queen. Ops Wg was faced with managing numerous concurrent aircraft arrivals and departures, with each VIP passenger expecting and receiving due respect for their status (often only moments before or after another Head of State). The complexities cannot be understated when considering each move had numerous foreign embassy and police escorts to be aligned at the aircraft steps on the moment of arrival. This is where RAF Northolt excels, taking complexity and providing excellence in front of a global audience.

Ops OVERSTUDY and BRIDGE saw all elements of the Operational Wing RAF Northolt come together as one team, delivering a significant moment in history for the Royal Family and the British Nation. It is hoped that it will be sometime again before RAF Northolt has to conduct such a momentous movement, however should the call come again, the team will as ever, be ready to deliver.