When gale force winds unexpectedly forced the cancellation of the Prime Minister's transport to the south west, members of RNAS Culdrose flew to the rescue.

During Tony Blair's whistle-stop tour of the south west last month, strong winds made it unsafe for the fixed-wing aircraft, which had been due to provide transport, to carry out the task.

Fortunately members of the 829 Squadron at the Helston base were on hand to save the day, but transporting him throughout his visit in the Merlin helicopter Kingfisher 1.

With a backup helicopter and crew standing by, members of the Kingfisher 1 provided transport throughout the visit, with the helicopter proving to be the ideal aircraft for the job.

Mr Blair was flown from RAF Northolt, near London, to the Agusta Westlands helicopter company, where aircraft such as the Merlin, the Super Lynx, and the Apache are built. Then it was on to Dartmouth, Lympstone and finally Bovey Castle.

The next day, now becoming more accustomed to his new mode of transport, the Prime Minister was flown from Bovey Castle to HMS Albion in Plymouth, where he delivered a Key Speech in support of the Future Defence of the Nation.

The Prime Minister's visit to the south west ended with another flight in the Merlin to Chequers, where Mr Blair invited the aircrew into the house for a tour of this famous residence, as thanks for their hard work over the two days.