An airfield that was closed by the RAF decades ago came alive with activity at the weekend as coastguard helicopter crews used it to host a series of drills.
RAF Banff was opened at Boyndie in 1943, and was used as a launching pad for the Strike Wing which protected the region during World War II by targeting enemy ships in the North Sea.
The base closed in 1946 but it hosted aircraft once again on Saturday as north-east coastguard crews used it to train new recruits.
Teams from Banff, Portsoy, Buckie and Carnoustie were joined by the coastguard helicopter from Inverness for the intensive sessions.
Rookie members were instructed on how to help with searches for missing people.
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They also learned how to set up landing sites, were told about the capabilities of the powerful aircraft and were given practical training on how to use high lines to winch casualties into the helicopter.
But the sessions were all done in a relatively safe environment, to give the crews confidence for when they have to use their freshly-learned skills in a high pressure situation.
A post on the Moray Coastguard Facebook page thanked the land-owners for allowing them access to the site at Boyndie.
It read: “The session included how to set up a landing site, a brief on the capabilities of the aircraft and practical high line training, enabling all our officers to practice these skills in a safe, benign environment.”
The new recruit training comes after a recruitment campaign was kick-started by the coastguard service in the north-east at the start of the year.
The teams received a “good response” from people who wished to join the teams in Buckie, Burghead and Banff.
The coastguard crews have been involved in several incidents in recent months, including helping to rescue a Moray man whose dinghy capsized one mile off the coast from Buckpool.
