By Chris Story

Published at 13:35, Friday, 16 May 2008

ARMY aircrews have been deployed on a mission to help walkers in some of the most remote parts of Cumbria.

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Helicopter pilots trained to swoop into the world’s most dangerous troublespots and treacherous terrain have been ordered to navigate one of the country’s most challenging flying environments to fix the fells.

Ten part-time soldiers and three Gazelle helicopters from 6 Flight Army Air Corps have been helping a project to improve heavily-eroded Lake District footpaths.

All are part of the Corps’ Territorial Army detachment and balance their military duties with full-time jobs, mainly with civilian airlines.

They have been putting the most intricate of their piloting skills to the test to airlift heavy stones onto the fells to shore up many popular walking routes.

It is a mission the unit has been tasked with doing annually for the past 15 years.

And Captain Steve Davies, 57, said it was a good opportunity for himself and fellow pilots to test themselves in a demanding environment and help the community.

He added: “It is good for the Lakes and excellent flying practice for us.

“We are lifting stones to quite inaccessible areas and they are used to reinforce the footpaths.

“It has been beautiful flying up here this week in such great weather, although it’s more challenging for us to do it when the weather is poorer. But that is the main reason why we do it, because it is a challenging project.”

The Shropshire-based aircrews have been called in as part of Fix the Fells, a joint scheme involving The Lake District National Park Authority, the National Trust and Natural England.

Project officer Richard Fox said: “The purpose of the project is to improve more than 70 seriously-eroded footpaths over a five-year period.

“The 6 Flight guys have been moving stone to paths where we will use them to ‘stone pitch’ the footpaths, giving us a solid path.

“Their work is fantastic. It means we can accomplish more than we would otherwise be able to,” added Mr Fox.

TA servicemen and women form a vital part of the British Army and represent more than a quarter of its total manpower.

Celebrations are currently underway to mark the 100th anniversary of the TA’s formation.

Go to www.ta100.co.uk for more information.

Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk