After completing elementary flying training, RAF students selected for rotary-wing training proceed to the Defence Helicopter Flying School (DHFS) at RAF Shawbury alongside their colleagues from the Royal Navy and Army. Basic and advanced helicopter flying is undertaken on new Squirrel HT1 and Griffin helicopters. For RAF students, training includes an advanced multi engine rotary-wing training course and a Search and Rescue introduction.

Powerplant: Pratt and Whitney Canada PT6T-3B-1 Turbo Twin-Pac, consisting of two 900 shp turboshafts

Rotor Diameter: 46ft (14.02m)

Length: 56ft (17.07m)

Max Speed: 161mph (259 kmh)

Accommodation: Two pilots seats and up to 12 seats in the cabin.

Recognition: Readily identifiable as the development of the famous "Huey" series of helicopters, the cabin is wide and flat topped, with a bulky engine installation in the centre of the cabin roof. The large, four-bladed rotor sits prominently above this. The cockpit retains the large glazed panels of the original, with the panels at the pilots feet also glazed, another feature held over from the earlier aircraft. The tail boom is long and tapering, ending in a swept fin that carries the tail rotor at the tip.