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Station Ops' charity drive for Children in Need continued in the New Year with our intrepid traveller- 'Harry-Air' Bear, in the wilds of North Yorkshire at RAF Linton-On-Ouse. He was due to fly in a Tucano but due to the dismal weather was delayed for several days. Eventually he took off with Captain Ade Morley RM as his pilot; thus flying with one of the few Royal Marines fixed wing pilots in the UK.

From Linton, he returned briefly to Wittering before being personally collected by 32(The Royal) Squadron based at RAF Northolt. 'Harry-Air' Bear was about to receive some VIP treatment. His first trip with the squadron was to escort Lord Robertson, General Secretary NATO, on a visit to Moscow in a Bae146 aircraft. As well as sight seeing in Red Square and enjoying a couple of Russian beers, 'Harry-Air' managed some autograph hunting, allowing Lord Robertson to sign his logbook. After more VIP treatment on trips in an HS125, escorting Air Marshall Sir John Day and AVM Vaughan Morris around several Training Command stations, 32(The Royal) Squadron delivered 'Harry-Air' safely to RAF Odiham, Hampshire.

After flying in the immaculate fleet of transport aircraft 'Harry-Air' was quite worried about getting dirty flying around with the Support Helicopter Force. He should have known not to worry, because, soon after his arrival at Odiham he was kitted out in a camouflage uniform before flying in various helicopters, on various sorties including a visit to HMS Invincible and joining the army to take part in Black Ops (whatever they are?).

From Odiham 'Harry-Air' was posted (by Royal Mail) to RAF St Mawgan to continue his association with the helicopter fleet. Once there he took part in several trips with the Search and Rescue teams including instrument flying, cliff winching, and wet winch drills in the Atlantic Ocean, where he got 'a bit soggy'! Harry-Air even managed to have a go in the Helicopter Underwater Escape Training Rig and a trip in the Sea King Simulator.

The penultimate station on the second leg of Operation Harry-Air Bear found our 'hero' based at RAF Valley. Harry-Air soon found himself back in the world of fast jets and 'quickly converted to Hawk ops, showing a smooth and accurate set of paws'. It was whilst at Valley, however, that all of his previous helicopter training came in useful when he helped in the medivac of a seriously ill woman from Wroxham to Bristol Hospital. He is the only Bear with an operational 'red' entry in his flying logbook. He celebrated this by doing a 2000' space walk at Tryfan.

From Wales to Oxfordshire, courtesy of the Royal Mail, Harry-Air was back to the helicopter world. Whilst at Benson he flew to RAF Shawbury with 28 Sqn to attend the Central Flying School (Helicopters) Reunion, where he was awarded his Air Loadmaster brevet. His final trip before returning back to Wittering, for a well earned rest and photo-call, was a parachute descent with the Falcons (his 4th in all) from a 33 Sqn Puma at the Plymouth air show. Later this month Harry-Air takes off on his final leg taking in such units as Leeming, Coltishall and Marham, and realising his ambition of flying with the Red Arrows.