A Royal Navy Sea King Mark 5 Search and Rescue helicopter will visit Kendal’s Queen Katherine School next Tuesday (14 July).

The helicopter and her crew of four – part of the Royal Navy's HMS Gannet SAR Flight – will spend almost four hours at the school, giving students a chance to look around the aircraft and talk to the crew about life in the Royal Navy and the role of the Fleet Air Arm.

Some pupils will get the thrill of a lifetime when they are given short 10-minute familiarisation flights in the Sea King.

The visit is part of a wider initiative to raise awareness of the Royal Navy, and in particular the specialist Fleet Air Arm.

Lieutenant Commander Martin Lanni, the pilot of the Sea King SAR, said: “It is a real thrill to be able to bring one of our helicopters to Kendal as it helps strengthen relationships between schools and the Royal Navy.

“As the pilot or observer of a Royal Navy aircraft, you are right in the front line of operations, making vital tactical and operational decisions under pressure.

“Your primary role is to get the Royal Navy's power in the air to the right place quickly and effectively, whether flying a fast jet armed with air-to-ground or air-to-air weapons, operating a Royal Navy SAR helicopter or hunting submarines.”

HMS Gannet has been based at Prestwick in Scotland for more than three decades and operates three Sea King Mark 5 helicopters for civilian and military search and rescue commitments.

Once again in 2009, the men and women of HMS Gannet smashed all records to become the UK’s busiest helicopter search and rescue station since records began in the early 80s.

The unit serves an area which extends from the Lake District in the south, to Edinburgh in the east, Ben Nevis in the north to 200 miles off the coast of Northern Ireland; some 98,000 square miles.

The rescuers are on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, responding to all manner of incidents, from mountain rescue to medical evacuations, air sea rescue to emergency transfers from road traffic accidents.