The morning we’ve been waiting for finally arrived, and the team, from all corners of the country, gathered at the RAF club at 11a.m. The sun was shining, and everyone was in high spirits as we began kit checks, rifle checks, bag weighing, packing and repacking, to make sure we were all within our luggage allowances, and no-one had forgotten any critical kit.

There were far too many bags for a relatively short tour, but the Captain had given everyone a rather generous 2 x 23kg bag allowance. Many of the team had even gone over that. As kit was redistributed among everyone’s bags, the only people avoiding a kit upheaval were the smug ones with 22.9kg bags.

Once the kit was packed, a few of the younger team members snuck off for bacon sandwiches, whilst the remainder of the team snacked on shortbread, and muffins. The team nutritionist would not be impressed.

At around 1p.m. the coach arrived, and the bags were loaded. Our travel uniform (polo’s and blazers) was donned by all, (Except Steph, who rebelliously had decided Jeans were more fashionable) but a muffin induced slip meant that poor Mick Silver spilled coffee down his trousers not more than 2 minutes after getting changed. Wise enough to pack spare trousers, Mick performed his second change, whilst the rest of the team tried to track down Dave Calvert who had disappeared off for a full blown fry up at the Clay’s cafe.

Enough time had, of course, been factored into the schedule to allow for such mishaps, and the coach left for terminal 5 on time, getting us to the airport a full 3 and a half hours before our flight. Plenty of time to check in and get through customs with all the rifles, despite airport security taking over half an hour to move them the 15 yards from one side of the customs office to the other. Other than that, security was pretty much as expected, with only one body cavity search for Roo, who had dared to carry his Epi-Pen in his hand luggage.

Roo made up for the delay he caused by charming his way into the BA lounge, with a full team of 20 in tow. With free access to alcohol, certain members of the team took full advantage. Shenanigans started early as Turbo attempted to turn the tomato soup into a hot Bloody Mary.

Before things could get too out of hand, boarding was called, and we made our way to the gate. We’d been seated all together, which made for a very cheerful and excited environment. Nonetheless all the team did eventually settle down. Some napped, some watched the in flight entertainment, Richard read the Canadian DCRA rule book.

In the air, we must applaud our cabin crew, Holly, Michael, and Tony. Not only were they very attentive and hospitable, they knew exactly the right moment to give Turbo a kids colouring in kit and a set of crayons to keep him busy. Mick soon joined in, which meant enlisting a project manager (roo) to supervise. Remarkably, the cabin crew were also rather generous with the in-flight refreshments. The wine was kept topped up, and team brochures were distributed to the crew – The least we could offer in return! At some point, Al and Henryk also managed to obtain some of the more expensive stuff, smuggled backwards from a ‘contact’ in Club World.

Henryk, a BA Aircraft maintenance engineer, spent much of the flight telling anyone who would (or wouldn’t) listen various facts and figures about the aircraft. I can honestly say, until today, I had no idea that each overhead luggage compartments costs $25k.

The majority of the flight continued without a hiccup, except that Stephs kitkat was only half covered in chocolate, but the last 30 minutes were a little more uncomfortable. Bad weather around Montreal saw the pilot trying to negotiate around the rainclouds. Unsuccessfully, as it happened, considering the number of times we were in negative G (or so it seemed.) Jonny B, not the worlds most confident airline passenger, was holding on for dear life, and breaking out in cold sweats. That is, until the cabin crew took their seats for landing, and a flash of suspenders from one young lady was enough to distract him until we had safely touched down. We had a farewell message from the captain, announcing our visit and wishing us luck over the PA, and it was time to say farewell to our generous hosts.

Canadian customs were cleared very quickly indeed, and we were soon out loading the coach for our transfer to Ottawa. Gary broke the golden rule of team packing (make sure you see your bags get loaded) and instead jumped straight on the coach to reserve his seat. (We’re still not sure exactly what happened to his Duty Free)

It was by now 4a.m. UK time so those who hadn’t managed to nap on the plane rapidly fell asleep on the two hour transfer. Arriving at the hotel at 6a.m. (1a.m. Canada time), we managed to get all our rooms sorted quickly and smoothly, which pleased the entire team who were by now ready for some serious sleep.