RAF Mount Pleasant: Difference between revisions

RAF Mount Pleasant Airport
RAF Mount Pleasant Airport
	IATA: MPN; ICAO: EGYP;
Summary
Airport type	Joint (Civil and Military)
Owner	Ministry of Defence
Operator	Royal Air Force
Location	Stanley, Falkland Islands
Elevation AMSL	243 ft / 74 m
Coordinates	South Atlantic 51°49′22″S 058°26′50″W / 51.82278°S 58.44722°W
Runways

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Revision as of 14:03, 20 March 2008

RAF Mount Pleasant (IATA: MPN, ICAO: EGYP) (also known as Mount Pleasant Airport, Mount Pleasant Complex or MPA)^[1] is a military base for the Royal Air Force in the British Overseas Territory of the Falkland Islands. The facility is part of the British Forces South Atlantic Islands (BFSAI). The base, home to anywhere between 1,000 and 2,000 British military personnel, is located about thirty miles southwest of Stanley, the capital of the Falklands, on the island of East Falkland. The world's longest corridor, a half-mile long, links barracks, messes and recreational and welfare areas of the base.^[2] The base is occasionally referred to by its residents as the Death Star because of its sometimes confusing layout.

History

Location of RAF Mount Pleasant, Falkland Islands

RAF Mount Pleasant is the most recent purpose-built airfield in the Royal Air Force ^[3] and replaced Port Stanley Airport as home base of the Islands military garrison. In 1982 when the Falklands War (Spanish: Guerra de las Malvinas/Guerra del Atlántico Sur) ended the British still faced the problem of potential Argentine aggression in the future, so an aircraft carrier had to remain on station to guard the islands with its squadron of Sea Harriers until the local airfield was prepared for jet fighters. HMS Hermes was the first to take guard duty, whilst HMS Invincible went north to change a gearbox that had broken while departing the mainland UK. Invincible then returned to relieve Hermes which urgently needed to return to the UK to have its boilers cleaned. Invincible returned until the ship was relieved by the newly built HMS Illustrious, which was quickly rushed south and commissioned during the journey. Once the Port Stanley runway was extended, Illustrious was relieved by several RAF Phantoms.

The British government later decided to construct a new RAF base as the centrepiece of plans to considerably strengthen the island's defences. This was intended to deter any future Argentine attempts to take the islands by force again. Mount Pleasant, to the west of Stanley, was chosen as the site for the new base. The airfield was opened by Prince Andrew in 1985, and became fully operational in 1986.^[4].

Current equipment

RAF Mount Pleasant has a wide range of social and sporting facilities including a gym, swimming pool, golf course, diving centre, karting, laserquest, library, cinema, bowling, climbing wall, indoor and outdoor sports pitches. There are two NAAFI shops, hairdressers, medical centre, and education centre on the base. There is also a complex that includes a café and a small shop (RONOKEs), which are both owned and run by the Falkland Islands Company.^[5]

Currently based at Mount Pleasant are No. 1435 Flight with 4 Tornado F3s, No. 1312 Flight, with a single VC-10 tanker and one Hercules C130, as well as No. No.1564 Flight (since November 2007) with 2 Sea King helicopters maintained by SKIOS (Sea King Integrated Operational Support), an aeronautical engineering confrontation between Augusta Westland and VT Aerospace. There are also 2 Sikorsky S61 civilian Helicopters run by British International Helicopters Limited (Brintel). Ground units include No 7, 303, and 751 Signals Units and a Rapier detachment from the RAF Regiment.^[6]^[7]

The 33 Engineer Regiment (EOD) provides a constant support and is part of the Joint Service Falkland Islands Detachment which consists of RAF and RLC EOD teams. It is mainly based in Stanley but there is also a detachment at Mount Pleasant. The group destroys munitions from the Falklands War that did not explode at the time and briefs troops, tourists and citizens on the areas which are safe and the minefield marking which have been put in place.^[8]

There is also a Joint Communications Unit (JCU) providing the electronic warfare and command and control systems for the Royal Navy, Army and Air Force stationed there.^[9]

Passenger flights

Using the IATA airport code MPN, RAF Mount Pleasant also acts as the Falkland Islands' only international airport, along with its military role. Flights open to civilian passengers are operated six times each month. Since autumn 2007 these flights have been operated by a civilian airline, Omni Air International, on behalf of the Royal Air Force. They fly to and from RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, with a refuelling stop at RAF Ascension Island in the south-central Atlantic Ocean. These flights currently use McDonnell Douglas DC-10 aircraft although occasionally RAF Lockheed Tristar freight aircraft and an Antonov An-225 bring in larger items of freight.

Additionally, every Saturday LAN Airlines operates scheduled commercial flights to the city of Punta Arenas in southern Chile stopping at Río Gallegos, Argentina once a month.

Sources

External links

World Aero Data - RAF Mount Pleasant

[1] Falkland Islands Information Portal

[2] Obituary of former commander, British Forces, Falkland Islands, Brig. David Nicholls.

[3] Royal Air Force

[4] Falkland Islands Government

[5] Falkland Islands HIVE

[6] British Army

[7] Royal Logistic Corps

[8] Royal Engineers

[9] Royal Corps of Signals

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 ==History==
 [[Image: Mount-Pleasant-Mare-Harbour.PNG|thumb|300px|<small>Location of RAF Mount Pleasant, Falkland Islands</small>]]
-RAF Mount Pleasant is the most recent purpose-built airfield in the [[Royal Air Force]] <ref>[http://www.raf.mod.uk/stations/os_base.html Royal Air Force]</ref> and replaced [[Port Stanley Airport]] as home base of the Islands military garrison.  In 1982 when the [[Falklands War]]  ({{lang-es|Guerra de las Malvinas/Guerra del Atlántico Sur}}) ended the British still faced the problem of potential [[Argentina|Argentine]] aggression in the future, so an aircraft carrier had to remain on station to guard the islands with its squadron of Sea Harriers until the local airfield was prepared for jet aircraft.  [[HMS Hermes (R12)|HMS ''Hermes'']] was the first to take guard duty, whilst [[HMS Invincible (R05)|HMS ''Invincible'']] went north to change a gearbox that had broken while departing the mainland UK.  ''Invincible'' then returned to relieve ''Hermes'' which urgently needed to return to the UK to have its boilers cleaned.  ''Invincible'' returned until the ship was relieved by the newly built [[HMS Illustrious (R06)|HMS ''Illustrious'']], which was quickly rushed south and commissioned during the journey.  Once the Port Stanley runway was extended, ''Illustrious'' was relieved by several RAF [[F-4 Phantom|Phantoms]].
+RAF Mount Pleasant is the most recent purpose-built airfield in the [[Royal Air Force]] <ref>[http://www.raf.mod.uk/stations/os_base.html Royal Air Force]</ref> and replaced [[Port Stanley Airport]] as home base of the Islands military garrison.  In 1982 when the [[Falklands War]]  ({{lang-es|Guerra de las Malvinas/Guerra del Atlántico Sur}}) ended the British still faced the problem of potential [[Argentina|Argentine]] aggression in the future, so an aircraft carrier had to remain on station to guard the islands with its squadron of Sea Harriers until the local airfield was prepared for jet fighters.  [[HMS Hermes (R12)|HMS ''Hermes'']] was the first to take guard duty, whilst [[HMS Invincible (R05)|HMS ''Invincible'']] went north to change a gearbox that had broken while departing the mainland UK.  ''Invincible'' then returned to relieve ''Hermes'' which urgently needed to return to the UK to have its boilers cleaned.  ''Invincible'' returned until the ship was relieved by the newly built [[HMS Illustrious (R06)|HMS ''Illustrious'']], which was quickly rushed south and commissioned during the journey.  Once the Port Stanley runway was extended, ''Illustrious'' was relieved by several RAF [[F-4 Phantom|Phantoms]].
 The British government later decided to construct a new RAF base as the centrepiece of plans to considerably strengthen the island's defences.  This was intended to deter any future Argentine attempts to take the islands by force again.  Mount Pleasant, to the west of Stanley, was chosen as the site for the new base.  The airfield was opened by [[Prince Andrew, Duke of York|Prince Andrew]] in 1985, and became fully operational in 1986.<ref>[http://www.falklands.gov.fk/3.htm Falkland Islands Government]</ref>.