THE PRINCE OF WALES WILL VISIT RAF VALLEY
Anglesey
Tuesday 9th July 2024
The Prince of Wales, Royal Honorary Air Commodore, RAF Valley, will visit the airbase on Tuesday 9th July for the first time since taking on the role from His Majesty The King in August last year. His Royal Highness previously spent three years stationed at RAF Valley whilst serving as an RAF Search and Rescue pilot between 2010 and 2013.
RAF Valley is the only Royal Air Force station in Wales and is home to No. 4 Flying Training School (4FTS), responsible for training the UK’s next generation of world-class fighter pilots. Aircrew are also trained at the airbase for mountain and maritime operations throughout the world.
During his visit, the Prince will tour the airbase and meet with personnel from across the unit to hear more about their work and day-to-day life at RAF Valley, which is the second largest employer on Anglesey. His Royal Highness will also spend time meeting families of those stationed at the base.
The first stop of the day will be at the Air Traffic Control Tower, where the Prince will visit the control rooms and hear from staff about new surveillance equipment. He will also learn more about a £44m project which is currently underway to refurbish RAF Valley’s second runway and hear how the base has managed to maintain its operations while work on such a significant project is ongoing.
At the base’s Fire and Rescue Section, the Prince will have the opportunity to meet crew members and take part in a simulated fire response exercise. The Fire and Rescue Section provides year-round airfield rescue firefighting and structural firefighting cover for RAF Valley, whilst also delivering further support at the station’s relief landing ground, RAF Mona.
His Royal Highness will then join engineers, Qualified Flying Instructors, and trainees in their crew room, before presenting The Prince of Wales Award to Flight Lieutenant Jake Fleming. Awarded annually, The Prince of Wales Award recognises the best Qualified Flying Instructor within the No. 4 Flying Training School.
RAF Valley is also home to the headquarters of the RAF Mountain Rescue Service (MRS) which is on-call 365 days a year to provide Search and Rescue support, Aircraft Post Crash and Incident Management, and medical aid in the mountains.
The Prince will meet with some of the response team to hear more about their experiences of providing vital, life-saving support to the local area. In 2023, the MRS were called out 25 times, often operating in the most testing weather conditions including near zero-visibility.