The iconic Boeing CH-47 Chinook entered RAF service on the 22nd November 1980. It has served in every major conflict since The Falklands as a battlefield helicopter, a troop carrier and a flying hospital. It has provided an immeasurable contribution to civilians from The Lebanon to Whaley Bridge.
Across the world countless people owe their lives to this much loved helicopter.
Stories from across the globe
Close
40 years of the Chinook
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The Chinook is a step up from any other aircraft
Sir Andy Pulford -
The real threat was the weather
Chris Keeble -
When we put that ramp down it makes a difference
Liz McConaghy -
Everyone is doing the best they can to save our town
Terry McDermott -
Doing nothing wasn't an option
Terry McDermott -
You will never forget your first encounter with a Chinook
Terry McDermott -
There are people who are only alive today because of the Chinook
Liz McConaghy -
It's not just about the airframe. It's about the people
Sir Andy Pulford -
It's ridiculous to believe that an aircraft can be lucky
Andy Lawless -
Wherever, however, we get the job done
SAC Katie Vickers -
Chaps, I've just been shot in the head
Ian Fortune
Human Spirit
Facing a shared threat can bring out the best in us, individually and as a community. Over the next few weeks and months our lives will be turned upside down. We will all face challenges, and at times we will struggle.
We would like to share with you some stories of courage, compassion and personal triumph. We hope that they will give you cause for optimism and remind you of the strength of the human spirit.
Resilience, determination, cooperation and kindness won’t solve the problems we are currently facing, but they will make them easier to bear.
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The Battle of Britain was going on right above our heads
Eileen O'Sullivan -
We had no machinery. But the kids with a cd player gave me an idea.
Flt. Lt. Gareth Davies -
You forget how kind people can be
Emma Knutzen -
The night they bombed Surrey Docks
Eileen O'Sullivan -
When we lose someone we journey through it as a family.
Alice McDermott -
Bullies will not be tolerated.
Mark Johnson -
We are all human beings
Kurt Schulze -
Someday we'll have enough food. But if we lose our freedom we'll never get it back
Gail Halvorsen -
For a long time I called myself a failure
Rachel Williamson -
55,000 souls on board
Air Cdre Paul Godfrey -
My 21st birthday present was to still be alive
Roy Finch -
I saw these people as heroes. I didn't think I was worthy
Paul Twitchell -
The first transatlantic flight, 14th June 1919
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The banter, the camaraderie; you are helping each other through your injuries
Stuart Robinson
Jewish Hidden Heroes
During the Second World War, some 20,000 Jewish men and women from all over the world joined Britain’s Royal Air Force to fight against tyranny, racism and anti-Semitism.
For too long the RAF’s Jewish personnel have been ‘Hidden Heroes’, their exploits unknown. The RAF Museum has developed the ‘Hidden Heroes’ project to raise awareness about the untold story of Jewish personnel in the RAF during the Second World War and the vital role they played.
This project is supported by Roman Abramovich and the Chelsea Football Club Foundation.
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One of the most remarkable figures in British wartime intelligence
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A star performer
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Behind enemy lines
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Eli Cashdan
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Chauffeur to Churchill's daughter
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Night bombing Rommel's supply lines
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We have to thank these men for our freedom and prosperity
Ben Lewis -
The navigators deserve all the praise
Benny Goodman -
I was captain of the aircraft with no operational experience at all
Benny Goodman -
There was no way out for us
Benny Goodman -
The Tirpitz represented a threat to the whole Atlantic Ocean
Benny Goodman -
Well, if you needed to pee...
Benny Goodman -
It was a dark night, low clouds and raining
Benny Goodman -
I was a bit worried about my eyes
Benny Goodman -
You'll have no armour and only two guns. You'll be going after The Tirpitz.
Benny Goodman -
An adventurer who loved to fly
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Only four of the crew came back
Keith Palmer -
German were taking potshots at their Lancaster
Paul Aldwinkle -
The Dutch were starving under German occupation
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There were things that happened that preyed on the mind
Lloyd Levy -
My father was one of the lucky ones
Lloyd Levy -
After everything he'd been through, they made him pay for his bike and his uniform
Paul Aldwinkle -
He kept that piece of shrapnel
Paul Aldwinkle -
The tail gunner would chuck bricks out over Germany
Paul Aldwinkle -
The Typhoon became aerial artillery
Joshua Levine -
He kept a model of the Typhoon on his desk
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He almost became a member of their crew
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They fought for a cause they believed passionately in, and they died for it
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One engine, no control panel, rudder pedals hanging in mid air
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For the rest of his life he never liked to see bare lightbulbs
Anne Leadercramer -
If it wasn't for the deep snow, the fall would have killed him
Anne Leadercramer -
The Germans never knew his true identity
Joshua Levine -
Joan was at the heart of the Battle of Britain
Joshua Levine -
National Service was an opportunity
David Lang -
My wife was lucky to survive
David Lang -
They crashed into the sea off the Dutch coast
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A specialist in codes and ciphers
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The South China Sea was rife with pirates
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I was born a Jew and I wanted to die a Jew
Alfred Huberman -
What are the chances of that?
Alan Waxman -
He had never met people like these
Alan Waxman -
Three and a half years of Hell
John Fisher -
We tried to live as normal a life as possible
David Lang -
If you try to leave, I'll have you sent to a concentration camp
Alan Waxman -
A horrific time for any Jewish family
Alan Waxman -
Exceptionally determined, exceptionally focused
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I was captain of the aircraft with no operational experience at all
Benny Goodman -
Skipper! Quick - dive!
Alfred Huberman -
Germany was not a place for Jewish people
Milton Brazil -
303 Squadron wasn't the same after the Battle of Britain
Max Moray -
Without the Mulberry D-Day couldn't have gone ahead
Ralph Levy -
It felt as if war was imminent. And we were very scared of that
Ralph Levy -
The Tirpitz represented a threat to the whole Atlantic Ocean
Benny Goodman -
My father changed his name by deed poll
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They had never met a Jewish boy before
Ralph Levy -
The bombing had taken its toll. There wasn't much left
Ralph Levy -
The German's acted as if they'd won the war
Ralph Levy -
The worst experience I ever had
Alfred Huberman -
My first operation was an absolute flop
Alfred Huberman -
Fog was a real bloody nuisance
Alfred Huberman -
I was a bit worried about my eyes
Benny Goodman -
The most evil doctrine
Alfred Huberman -
What the hell are you doing here? You're a pilot!
Max Moray -
It was like someone sticking a knife into me
Max Moray -
All the Jewish guys ended up eating bacon
Max Moray