Flying at just 500 feet above the Northampton-shire countryside, an RAF VC-10 swooped down over a Pendolino train to mark a special relationship with Virgin West Coast.
Enjoying the aerial experience were more than 20 Virgin Trains staff, who had won a competition to be on the flight.
The jet, which is used to refuel other aircraft while they are in flight, made the flypast just an hour after the Pendolino was named 101 Squadron in a ceremony at Birmingham International station.
The naming of the Pendolino marked a long-held association between Virgin West Coast's Wolverhampton depot and the squadron, which is based at Brize Norton in Oxfordshire. The relationship dates back to 1997 when Virgin took over West Coast services.
A mutual exchange group had already been formed between railway staff and the squadron by Wolverhampton-based driver/instructor Bob Dunn, who currently leads the relationship with the RAF.
During the past 10 years, RAF crews have tried out Virgin's train simulators while train drivers have tried out flight simulators. There have also been exchanges involving rail staff joining flights to see refuelling in action.
Bob Dunn, who was on the train for the flypast, organised the latest naming ceremony – the third involving a West Coast train to honour the squadron. In 1998 the 101 Squadron name was first applied to a Class 82 driving van trailer. It then transferred to another DVT in 2000.
The naming ceremony on 6 August was led by squadron wing commander Tim O'Brien and Charles Belcher, director, Virgin West Coast.
Mr
Belcher said Wolverhampton depot staff had taken great pride in the
relationship between the two transport organisations, making a very
close link between the two.
Wing commander O'Brien said: “This is
an absolute pleasure and honour, the culmination of a relationship over
the past 10 years.”
He
added, laughing: “We are celebrating our 90th year as a squadron but
our journey times seem to be getting longer. The aircraft we are
currently flying are 40 years old.
“This is a challenge to our professionalism.”
The event was special for several Virgin West Coast staff. Wolverhampton driver Roy Goodhead, who is retiring in January 2008 after 50 years on the railways, drove the empty Pendolino to Birmingham International for the ceremony. Driving the Pendolino to London after the naming was Wolverhampton mentor driver Mick Boulanger, a regular supporter of the 101 Squadron relationship.
And train manager for the run back to London Euston, via Northampton, was Brian Pugh, who joined the railway in 1963 and retired at the end of August, aged 60.
When Brian started on the railway he worked at Cosford station in Shropshire, next to an RAF camp. “The railway ran through the middle of the base,” he recalled.
During his 24 years working at Wolverhampton Brian has flown with other West Coast staff in a VC-10 while it refuelled a Tornado fighter-bomber.
“It was a great experience,” he said.