A prestigious flight safety award has been presented to RNAS Culdrose.

It was all smiles at the Helston naval base when Captain Willie Entwisle received the esteemed Bambara Flight Safety Trophy from Rear Admiral Russ Harding, who is rear admiral of the Fleet Air Arm and assistant chief of naval staff (aviation and carriers).

The trophy is presented each year to the ship, squadron or unit that does the most to promote and endorse safety in the world of naval aviation.

It was won by Culdrose after major disruption at the base last year. Not only was the air station involved with the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations and security duties at the summer Olympics but more than two thirds of the runway surfaces and supporting infrastructure underwent major refurbishment.

This caused disruption to busy training schedules and operational procedures amongst the Merlin and Sea King forces.

A special mention went to the handling and management of those involved to make sure flight safety remained firmly at the forefront of people’s planning.

Admiral Harding said: “It gives me great pleasure to award the Bambara Flight Safety Trophy for 2012 to RNAS Culdrose. Embracing all tenets of flight safety, the station has been forward leaning in the education of not only its military personnel, but the large numbers of civilian contractors.

“Complete engagement across the board resulted in comprehensive flight safety awareness amongst the workforce which enabled the station to maintain its operational commitments and support all Culdrose based units.”

The Bambara Flight Safety Trophy is a silver cup, originally allocated to the Royal Navy’s Air Command in 1959. A recent RNAS Culdrose winner of the trophy was 820 Naval Air Squadron who scooped the Bambara Trophy and three other prestigious Fleet Air Arm awards in 2010.

Culdrose’s commanding officer, Captain Entwisle, said: “Flight safety is everybody’s business at Culdrose, so this award is a reflection of how well all personnel have done at the air station in this regard this year. Whether aviator, engineer, support staff, service person, civil servant or contractor, the whole Culdrose team should be proud of their achievement.”