An 847 NAS Wildcat taxis back to the ramp at Bardufoss having completed a night time sortie during Clockwork 2019.

The Arctic is one of the best environments on Earth to train, but is also one of the toughest. Aircrew must remain vigilant at all times. If visibility closes to less than 1,200 metres, aircrew return to base, and when less than 800 metres they must land. For this reason, aircrew carry an emergency Bergen rucksack containing the necessary survival equipment should an emergency landing be required.

The Arctic is a tough environment to work in. Degraded vision operations during exercise Clockwork require high levels of team work as demonstrated here.

Maintenance preparation includes raising the nose wheel to enable Wildcats to operate in deep snow. The struts include a fixed pressure and nitrogen charge to ensure the aircraft sits at a fixed height.

Wildcats completed over 260 flight hours during this year's Clockwork exercise which is an impressive number given the sub-zero ambient temperatures, heavy snow fall and recirculation of snow encountered.