RAF airman clocks up 10,000 Sea King hours

A Royal Air Force (RAF) Boulmer search and rescue radar/winch operator has reached a momentous milestone in his career, recording 10,000 flying hours in a Sea King helicopter. Master Aircrew (MACR) Ron Webb achieved his 10,000th Sea King hour (the equivalent of 1 year, 1 month and 20 days in the air) in a helicopter from A Flight 202 Squadron at Boulmer where 60-year-old Webb has been based since 1986. Webb’s family and colleagues were there to meet him and the Station Commander Group Captain Phil Cox presented him with a bottle of champagne to mark the event.
Webb was on the first ever Sea King course during the winter of 1978, and was then posted to RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland, where he took part in the very first scramble by the new Sea King helicopter, to a young boy who had fallen over a cliff at Gardenstown. He said has thoroughly enjoyed his 40 year career in the RAF: “Reaching 10,000 hours in the Sea King was never a target; it’s just that I’ve been around a long time! But having achieved it, I feel quite proud. I'm lucky that I enjoy my work very much, I love the unpredictability of it and two days are never the same. Generally, marine rescues are the most difficult, but whatever kind of job we are on, it’s extremely rewarding when you rescue someone who is critically ill and you are able to help them.”
Ron has been involved in the rescue of hundreds of people throughout his career, having been scrambled a massive 920 times. He took part in a search for survivors from the collapsed oil platform ‘Alexander Keilland’ in the North Sea, worked in the aftermath of the Lockerbie bombing and took part in the rescue of the crew from a freighter which was adrift in high winds off the Dundee coast. In Feburary 1988, his crew was airborne for 13 hours and 30 minutes, conducting search and rescue missions in 60–70 mph winds in the North Sea, refuelling twice on oil rigs. More recently, he assisted in floods in Carlise (2005) and Sheffield (2007). He was awarded the MBE in 2006 in recognition of his 25 years as a front-line search and rescue operations in the UK and the Falkland Islands.
Squadron Leader Mark Vickery, Webb’s Commanding Officer, said: “Ron has seen just about everything you can see in search and rescue. 10,000 hours in the Sea King aircraft is a monumental achievement, unique in the Royal Air Force, and, I believe in the Sea King world. Ron is a quiet, unassuming man who does not seek praise or recognition. He is a delight to work with and as an example to others, you could not find anyone better. He has a wealth of experience gained over 30 years which he readily passes on to new members of the Flight and despite his age, he is as fit as most of them. He is not self-seeking – it’s all about service and Ron embodies the core qualities of RISE (Respect, Integrity, Service, Excellence) which the RAF looks for in its people. I cannot speak highly enough of him and the contribution he has made to the Search and Rescue Force.”
Wing Commander Andy Bastable, Officer Commanding 202 Squadron, Added: “MACR Ron Webb epitomises the best of the RAF SAR Force and 202 Sqn in particular. The sole remaining member of No 1 Sea King OCU course from the 1970s, he was already a stalwart of 202 Squadron when I first joined the Sqn 20 years ago as a junior pilot. I was honoured to be his commanding officer as he approached this momentous milestone and disappointed only that he was unable to achieve the goal before I handed over command earlier this month. Fiercely loyal to the Service and dedicated to the role, he has served the majority of his RAF career on the demanding front line of search and rescue operations, and it is no exaggeration to say that there are many individuals in the UK today who owe their lives in part to his courage and professionalism.”