WITH the rotors barely stopped after flying over the capital for Falklands 25 commemorations, the Lynx fliers of 847 Naval Air Squadron packed their bags for a massif deployment.

Three Mk7 Lynx with 50 personnel decamped to Gap-Tallard airfield between Grenoble and Nice for experience in high-altitude operations.

The Massif des Écrins to the northeast of Gap provided the perfect (and relatively warm) environment for operating at higher altitudes.

Gap-Tallard airfield is home to training for the Aviation Légère de l’Armée de Terre – French Army Light Aviation, the Gallic counterpart of Britain’s Army Air Corps – who admirably hosted the Fleet Air Arm fliers during their fortnight in France.

Gap is also home to adrenalin junkies – chiefly free-fall parachutists who love leaping over the massif.

And that posed problems for the 847 fliers.

“Every member of the aircrew was used for lookouts – especially for the parachutists, but also guarding against rotor blade strikes with the rocks,” explained Lt Mike Vallance, one of 847’s Qualified Helicopter Instructors (QHI).

Rocks and jumpers were not the only challenges the fliers had to contend with.

Turbulence, air density and temperatures all made flying tricky – the Lynx Mk7 is limited to 10,000ft so with the tips of numerous mountains in the massif topping that, their pinnacles proved out of reach.

The fortnight in Gap-Tallard saw the aircrew first carry out flights with their training instructors aboard to ensure pilots adequately reconnoitred potential landing sites – and picked out possible escape routes in case anything went wrong.

And once the QHIs were happy, they stayed behind at the airbase while the pilots tackled the mountains on their own.

“The training at Gap means that 847’s aircrew can operate effectively in mountainous terrain and that we have confidence – we know that the skills learned, even in the south of France, will be invaluable on future deployments in operational theatres,” said pilot Lt Adam Zipfell.

Given Gap’s reputation for adventure training and extreme sports, during downtime the 847 team was spoiled for choice: some headed into the hills, others tried white water rafting and mountain biking.

2007 has seen frantic activity for the Lynx squadron, part of the Commando Helicopter Force, opening with cold weather training inside the Arctic Circle in northern Norway; then the 847 team helped Ark Royal through her Operational Sea Training; they remained in Ark for NATO war games in the Baltic, Exercise Noble Mariner; then the Lynxes returned briefly to Blighty for the Falklands commemorations before heading to southern France.

The pace of life should slacken now back at Yeovilton – but only slightly as the squadron acquaints itself with the next generation of their aircraft, Lynx Mk9 (also known as ‘Battlefield Lynx’), which is already in service with the Army Air Corps.

And once acquainted with Battlefield Lynx, 847 deploys to Afghanistan and Iraq in support of British peacekeeping missions.