Flight Sergeant in the Danish Air Force Johnny R. Pedersen will never forget his flight on Tuesday September 5, 2006 during exercise DANEX 06. The trip seemed like any other, as the sat there on the back seat in the LYNX helicopter with tail number S-170. The task was firing with 12.7 mm heavy mashine gun against an orange coloured exercise target at sea. He kept a close eye on his watch. Suddenly it happened – he had in total been 3000 hours in the air. Back at the command ship THETIS a surprise party was arranged on the helicopter deck.

“I was celebrated in a proper way. A dashing oval sleeve badge with the words “Westland Lynx” and the magic 3000 hours embroided using white thread on a blue background and a silhouette of the helicopter. A layer cake with the same number of hours written in piping and then champagne glasses filled with red soft drink. It was a festive reception, that really did it,” says Johnny R. Pedersen.

He is a flight technician and has as such flown the 3000 hours aboard the LYNX since his first trip on January 4, 1982. The sleeve badge was presented pilot, Lieutenant Commander Henrik Jensen with the pilot name JIR.

Text: Michael Christiansen, SPAO DATG