General public throng GAF Garrisons on Open-day

The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) has organized its 10th Open-Day at the various Garrisons across the country to enable the civilian populace get clearer picture of their activities.

The Open-Day which began in 2002 was aimed at getting the Ghanaian public to interact with the soldiers and was instituted by the Kufour administration.

In Accra, the Air Force Base was filled with thousands of students and pupils from various institution in Accra and there were long and winding queues from the main entrance of the Airforce Base onto the tarmac where children were eager to fly with the Forker 28 and the newly acquired CASA 295 planes of the Air force.

The Ghana Air Force also mounted a photo exhibition which showed the history of the airforce base and also on display were the three different types of helicopters “Agusta 109, Agusta & Bell 412 and L39 Abatros for the visiting public.

The Seventeen journalists who were invited to cover the Open-Day programme also experienced flight around the city on the old presidential jet piloted by Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice-Marshal Samson-Oje.

High up in the air around 2,000 feet above-sea-level, the plane it encountered a turbulent wind which made some of the journalists very uncomfortable in their seats.

When GNA interview a few students and pupils at the Air Force Base on how they felt during the flights one child said “when the plane fell in a pot hole in the sky, we begun screaming and when the plane touched the tarmac we burst into laughter”.

Another girl pleaded with the Government to supply the Airforce with enough aviation fuel to fly all curious students and pupils and was grateful to the Ghana Armed Forces Open-Day.

At the Airforce Base in Burma-Camp, there was a spectacular air display by two fighter jets christened “K8 Jet fighters from China” which spewed white smoke in the sky. During the display the two jets drew a heart in the sky that attracted a thunderous applauds by the visiting public.

Captain Sena Dzanyikpor from the Directorate of Public Relations of the GAF released the names of the airforce acrobatic pilots as Major Hallil and co-pilot Flying Officer Kyei Bafour, while Major Whabi and co-pilot Flying Officer Benjamin Appau were on the second jet fighter.

At the “Recce” Headquarters in Burma-Camp, Captain William Ohemeng said the Reconnaissance Regiment provides basic armoured support to the other infantry units in all forms of operation and that “Recce” which stands for Reconnaissance serves as the “eyes” and “ears” of the Commander.

Captain Ohemeng said they have a sister unit at Ho in the Volta Region known as “66 Infantry Regiment” and the other one located in Sunyani, Brong Ahafo Region called “Second Independent Recce Squardon”.

Captain William Ohemeng said about 3,000 school children visited their garrison and were educated on the various types of Armoured Personnel Carriers (APC) which later carefully conveyed most of the children to the Mounted Squadron Unit which is also under Reconnaissance Regiment in Burma-Camp