How RAF pilot's quick thinking after total engine failure earned him the Air Force Cross
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 ก.พ. 2025
- Flight Lieutenant Ben Wallis has recalled how his Merlin helicopter suffered total mechanical failure, losing power to all three engines, during a nighttime training sortie in Denmark in 2018.
Everyone on board survived thanks to his quick reactions and the way he managed to land the stricken aircraft - which he attributed to his training.
He was awarded the Air Force Cross - the highest honour the Royal Air Force can give out in a non-combat situation.
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Low level, low airspeed autorotation, multiple engine failure, over forest area, at night!
He milked every last ounce of energy out of those rotors and set it down with occupants uninjured, and aircraft intact. That is one very excellent example of airmanship. Well done that Man.
Not to mention from an initially head down state! Truly amazing flying! Threaded the needle perfectly, a testimony to himself and the RAF.
Training, Training, Training and more Training.
Local knowledge was decisive showing that preparation and situational awareness are literally vital when there's no go around available.
Great airmanship.
Per Ardua ad Astra.
You only forgot one thing: on a Merlin! (not an H-13)
Flow state.
Unconscious competence by the pilot. He had trained enough so that he didn't have to think when the emergency occurred. Well done.
Heard somewhere in my life, "when dire situations occur we don't rise to the occasion, we sink to our training."
This is why preparing and training for the worst is important
@@Mike.The.Jeweler And it's true - I've been there, and all I had in me were a series of robotic responses that were my training. Thankfully that was enough to aid the person who needed help. Higher ups stated that I sounded calm, cool and collected on the radio, but I was actually in some form of shock.
Understated and typically British in his demeanour: modest and calm. Bravo! What a hero!
This RAF officer is a true hero. Hero’s are not footballers, pop stars or TV celebrities, they are people who through selfless actions or pure determination, save the lives of others. I salute you, Flt Lft!
agreed with that it annoys me when people who score a goal or do something else are called a hero, people doing this sort of stuff or other battle type stuff are the true hero's
Well said. And it’s time for such an accolade to stop being used in conjunction with those people of absolutely no use , purpose or merit . Imo .
Yes, this man undoubtedly is a true hero. However, there is no need to adopt a derogatory approach towards pop stars, sports stars, movie stars etc, they are all making a positive contribution in their own way---one doesn't necessarily have to go into a life-threatening situation to be a hero.
@@philipnorris6542 I don’t recall any part of my post being derogatory towards anybody. Derogatory is showing a critical or disrespectful attitude towards another. I don’t believe I did that.
I simply said that the definition of hero is applicable to this RAF officer. Or, perhaps, someone like Col ‘H’ Jones VC (Falklands); WO2 Johnson Beharry VC(Iraq); L-Cpl James Ashworth VC (Afghanistan). Then there’s the countless civilian honours including the likes of Steven Gallant who helped detail the suspect in the infamous Fishmongers Hall/London Bridge attack.
These people are heroes, by pure definition. I would argue that the others you seek to protect are just popular, as in pop-star.
Wow
Now that is what a true professional looks and sounds like. Richly deserved medal. Respect earned sir.
What an Amazing guy. To him it probably was just doing his job, to his Crew, they know it's much more. Bravo to you young Man, a credit to our Country 🙏.
A very richly deserved recognition of superb airmanship.
Training, Professionalism and Skill… these are the hero’s of the day to day.
When he said "l just stood it on its tail, l knew there was a field at 60 °, l had no choice, and just went for it"! Wow!!
These are the people that the youth of today should be looking up to not TH-camrs, not celebrities! proper people who have proper skills and make a difference in the world
Just goes to show how training for every eventuality pays off! Incredibly well done though and FL Wallis is a real credit to the RAF!
Top man. Modest and professional. So many could learn from his demeanour
What a guy ,footballers take note when you’re doing you’re little knee slides,THIS IS TRUE HEROISM.
football lives rent free in your head bud
Standing up against injustice is also heroism. You are full of 💩 and should be ashamed of your bigotry. How unpatriotic of you. 👎🏻
Thats great flying. Going from a (seems like) low altitude Shutdown into an auto rotation and getting everyone safe on the ground! That speaks for the excellent training he recieved, and his personal ability to grasp and control the situation. Well done!
Truly exceptional individuals like Flight Lieutenant Ben Wallis are the ones who make a significant difference in our world every day.
What a great outcome for you all. What sticks out for me was, SIM training works, aviate all the way, be calm and keep working what you have. Congratulations. A
Great to see somebody who actually deserves an award.
It's the combination of training, skill, instinct, situation awareness and some luck that led to this outcome. I'm sure he subcounsiouslly 'knew' somewhere close was a field - only beciase he made a mental note while traing there on other flights. Outstandig job under difficult circumstances!
Congratulations, Ben, on receiving the Air Force Cross. Well deserved for your brilliant skill, saving everyone on board and the aircraft.
I am so glad this story had a happy ending!!
Congratulations and well earned medal for sure!!!
I flew a Homebuilt, Benson Gyrocopter for many years, You learned Instinctively what that Rotor was doing all the time, by the sound, and the feel...good for you Sir
I'm not a pilot, but even I can see the skill and airmanship required for this feat. They touched down so softly that the crew didn't even realize they were down?! WELL DONE SIR!!
Lost for words. ‘Actions speak louder than words “. 👍🏻🏴
Calm. Skilled. Quick. Precise. He & his crew get to live. Well done.
Our UK Airforce pilots are greatest in the world well done .
RAF
Thank You, Flight Lieutenant Ben Wallis! Your reflexive actions saved lives that night! I hope that you and others can instill the same training into future pilots, so that they may live to fly another day!
Brilliant skills, and calmness of mind ,skill and expertise at its best ,congratulations Flight Lieutenant Ben Wallis.
Just another day at the office.....superb work by one of UKs finest....a well deserved honour.
An Air Force hero exemplifies extraordinary bravery, selflessness and dedication. They risk their lives in dangerous situations, prioritising the welfare of others while showing unwavering commitment to their mission. Ben, your impactful actions and leadership inspire others, and I hope they leave a lasting effect on the younger soldiers who join the Air Force. You are a role model Ben, and a true hero! Your parents and family are so proud of you.
Training really pays off. Well done guys❤❤I reckon the hardest thing that night was not the landing but releasing all that adrenaline!! No wonder you didn’t sleep😮😮
Typical air force pilot. Literally their lives are on the brink, the grim reaper is waiting, the fat lady is signing, Elvis has left the building, Lands the helo like it's just another day at the office. How the hell is this guy so cool. Has anyone checked his pulse???
And still he's the kind off person they have indicated they don't want to recruit no more!
@@gulogulo7636 And your proof of that?
@@benwilson6145 They straight out said they didn't need anymore white males.
@@benwilson6145 The armed services DEI recruiting policy as well as "XRW card" especially that of the royal airforce
@@ThatGuysProjectwhen the propaganda gets to your head
Total respect for the pilot there ,now that is where training and experience comes into play , this pilot earned his wings by merit, not by ticking boxes.
Some years ago an Australian Blackhawk helicopter lost its tail rotor and somehow the pilot managed to land it safely, unbelievable flying it was .
Well flown Ben. Earned the Cross!
Well Deserved Award!
Amazing! RAF remind me of WWII and the heroes then, but it is continuing to this day. Well done!
❤ love from Holland
...and the US.
Oh SIR-GOOD ON YOU! Incredible magnificent flying. SO glad for everyone involved AND their loved ones!!
Training, it’s important. Always train. Well done sir! 🇺🇸
WOW what a story which could have been SO TRAGIC!!!
Thank God for dedicated professional pilots and their crews!!!
Incredible job by the pilot. Can be proud of his actions for the rest of his career.
What's the bet the last words in the citation were " nothing more than we would expect from an RAF pilot ".
Well done Sir, much respect.
Great to hear about this. We live in an era where it may be that few of us will ever be truly tested like this. We're lucky because of the actions of countless of our ancestors. A little note of caution, coming from a pilot. This is the job. Being mentally prepared for the rare but possible stuff is the job. Actually discharging that duty competently in the moment will always be worth celebrating but people like Ben almost invariably don't like too much adulation. He knows he did well and that he was able to perform competently in the kind of situation everyone trains for but almost none will experience. But I bet he also knows that he's only as good as what he does next. And that could be negatively affected by getting too excited about this (rightly deserved) praise.
I make this comment because I believe it applies to us all. Being prepared for the rare but possible things is something we can and should all do. It gives us something to start with when something crazy unfolds and then helps us process the aftermath.
Hopefully, a thorough root cause analysis in the engineering workshop will find why multiple, supposedly redundant, engines failed to create this service incident.
Aircrew and Engineers are one team that depends on each other to make the team work and deliver air effects that keep us safe.
An excellent job done by an exceptional Pilot, well done.
I'd like to hear the follow up about those failed engines.... Well done, Lieutenant.
Bad batch of fuel??
Congratulations to Ben, great flying skills and airmanship. Well deserved AFC.
So not only is this guy a pilot, but a helicopter pilot, a job that requires an amazing grasp of the almost ungraspably complex topic of aerodynamics, and manages to bend the almost contradictory laws of physics to save his and his crew's lives.
I would call this guy clearly a Hogwarts graduate, but I don't think wizards have nearly the sheer mathematical ability of this ruler of the rotorblade.
Not to downplay what he did, but your description is a bit hyperbolic... autorotation is a well understood mechanism to keep a helicopter in the air and under control, with no power. The spinning rotor blades act like a wing. As long as they are spinning, you have your "wing" and can "glide" to some degree. This is why to angled the helicopter in such a way as to maximise airflow directly through the main rotor, to keep it spinning. This provided the energy need to the allow the pilot to "glide" the helicopter to a landing. Still incredibly impressive to pull it off at such low altitude, in the dark, and without warning of imminent failure.
@@noxious89123 It's not the fact that he got it down that's impressive, you're right that a rotor in flight can still glide on autorotation, it's that he could recover from a potentially fatal yaw at such a low altitude (even for a helicopter) and manage to touch down in the night.
I was an Air Force Combat Search and Rescue flight engineer in my younger days. I racked up about 1000 hours on the HH-60G. To build trust among the flight engineers and the pilots, you go through the schoolhouse training together as a group. Everyone who graduates and goes into the community has a reputation that follows you. This reputation is formed with how well you know your job, how you communicate, and how you gel within a crew. There were definitely pilots that you had a warm fuzzy feeling when they were on the controls, and other pilots who you watched like a hawk. Some pilots were just naturals on the controls. I'll never forget the Air Force Weapons School HH-60 pilot who after the Flight Lead briefed that the training sortie was to "knock the rust off" interrupted by holding up his hands and saying, "Gold doesn't rust." 🤣 I suspect this instructor pilot was of the same caliber!
Training. competence, awareness and above all courage pays off when you least expect it!
Brilliantly done FL LT Wallis, even more so because it was at night!
Saved your crew, the helo and yourself, well deserved AFC!
Does anyone know what caused the engine failures?
Aviate, Navigate, Communicate: kept it flying, found the landing spot, phoned home
Superb airmanship of the highest standards with automatic response to the perilous situation without an ounce of panic!
Great job young man😊
Fantastic.
Pure Professional. Cool hand Luke.
Absolutely outstanding
Well done, Ben! Well done RAF - for the training.
A sterling chap! Amazing 😮
Wonderful story
Congratulations Flight Lieutenant Ben Wallis on your brilliant award and achievements.
Fabulous, well done
God bless you 🙏Glad you are safe🇿🇦
Incredible! Thank you for sharing!
Well done Sir, it's all in the TRAINING, TRAIN HARD, FIGHT EASY " ALLEGEDLY" .
Respect for the man who saved lives & a helicopter that fateful night. 🙏🏽
It would be great to have further feedback as to the cause of the above malfunction.
Well done Sir
Well done Sir ! A commendation well deserved.
Congrats on a job well done from one autogyro pilot to another (heavyweight) autogyro pilot 👍🏻
Exelant pilot skills in flying and saving the crew😊
I salute you Sir . Plus , all your colleagues and this on a daily basis and with gratitude . Thank you.
Guy Gibson certainly was a hero. A very courageous hero. But he was not as modest as Flt Lt Wallis...
Auto rotation at night from low altitude with manoeuvring. Well done!
Probably the thing that scared Flt Lt. Wallis the most was being hugged by a Dane...he is British after all. 😀 Seriously...what a badass.
Modern day Vikings are not so scary as the Norse Ledgends, fortunately.
Proud to have a few friends over there, and history shows that many Brits are actually Viking descendants via Scotland, the North East, and Normandy.
NATO membership means that Baltic Sea and the North belongs to our friends.
i rem the first time i went in a helicopter it was a seaking at manton, i was 14 and a cadet when we were on way out on the flight one of the other lads who was sitting at the window saw some liquid flying past so he told the loady who must have told the pilot and we did a hard turn back to base, he dropped as much height as he was allowed being over houses and things, when were back at base we were very very low and being chased down the runway by the firefighters who had their sirens going so we all thought it was amazing fun.
Very dangerous experience. Well done everybody. Salute
Much respect to Flt LT. Wallis and the RAF from a former USAF member.
Well done, sir, and you have fantastic gloves.
Great man, pilot and video! Thank you!
Exemplary airmanship - typical of all Royal Air Force Pilots, Navigators and Crew.
Respect and admiration from an old brownjob.
It is nice to know that skill produces miracles.
Well done Ben, well deserved recognition.
A fine example of why RAF Pilots are world class, and more crucially why the RAF should maintain and protect its tried and tested pilot training system, from corrupting it for the sake of appeasing the diversity lobbyists within the MOD. Anyway, a cracking job well done and a much deserved recognition for your efforts! Cheers.
Congratulations.😊 Real knights of the present.❤
Wow! What a talented guy!!
Amazing person!
Truly amazing Ben. 👍
Well Done from another Aviator.!
I did not expect anything less from raf instructor to the rest of world it was world class to us in Britain it was normal to the best armed forces in the world
Top job by a true professional!
Total respect 🫡
Well done young man.
Thank You Sir !!!
Well done sir, well done.
Great story! Great save! Smoothhh!!!!
Fantastic skill
The RAF are full of characters who love to have banter and muck about BUT when the serious business needs done you will not find a better air force on the planet to do it. Cracking bit of flying! What caused all 3 engines to fail? Did they ever find out?
No DEI here, just a man who knows his trade and plies it well! Remember this!
What an amazing feat. Total respect 💪🇬🇧
Congratulations from Hungary!
Well done Sir! Kudos
Simply the best
Well done Ben
Wow I'm a fixed wing pilot that was amazing well done sir
Well done to this pilot. Saved their lives. Did the helicopter survive the landing to fly again or was it decommissioned?
Autorotation landing is within airframe limits, usually. The copilot testimony that he didn't feel the expected crash suggests it wasn't a hard landing so probably an inspection and return to service.