WORLD war two airfield RAF Harrowbeer came back into use last week as the site for an emergency helicopter landing.

A SeaKing helicopter, flying between RAF Culdrose and Boscombe Down in Wiltshire, was over Princetown when a cockpit light came on warning that the gearbox was losing oil.

The crew immediately headed for Plymouth airport but were forced to ?downbird? ? make an emergency landing ? at the Harrowbeer site.

The landing, on Tuesday July 27, was made at 10.30am and pilots allowed visitors to explore the helicopter until engineers arrived at 3pm.

Having discovered that the SeaKing needed a replacement oil pump which would have to come from RAF Culdrose, staff at Yelverton?s Leg ? O? Mutton pub offered the pilots and groundcrew hospitality for the night.

They ate at the pub that evening and showed people around the helicopter, allowing them to take photographs before the pilots retired to their rooms in the pub.

The groundcrew stayed in a caravan next to the helicopter and took turns to watch over the aircraft until the next morning.

The new day brought a repaired SeaKing and takeaway lunch from the pub followed by take-off at 2.30pm with a surprise fly-past to say thank you to the several hundred people who turned out to wave the helicopter off.

Two days later staff at the Leg ?O? Mutton received a letter of thanks from Jerry Barnbrook, commanding officer of 771 squadron, along with two squadron badges and a framed print of the SeaKing in action which were hand-delivered by the senior officer of the engineering department.

Leg ?O? Mutton landlord Ian Boulter said: ?It was an entertaining 30 hours all round.

?The crew were so accommodating, they kept in touch with us the whole time and let people look over the SeaKing, even though it was a difficult time for them.

?The engineers explained what they were doing and showed everyone the part that had to be replaced.

?We simply didn?t expect the letter of thanks. It is really aimed at the whole community for helping them out.

?We have put the plaque and badges on the wall behind the bar and once the letter is laminated that will join them.?