The JDF Air Wing celebrated its 45th anniversary from the 26 June to 05 July 2008. The starter for the celebrations was a flavourful dinner at the Flagstaff Officers’ Mess, Up Park Camp. “Good food, good friends and good liquor were the order of the night on the 26 June 2008.

Next on the menu was a well organized church service and brunch on the 29 June 2008. If the reviews are anything to go by, it was one of the best church services in a long time. The sermon was delivered by Major (Retd) Neil Lewis who once served in the JDF Air Wing and father of the Unit’s Acting Operations Officer, Lieutenant Noel Lewis. The brunch that followed was the perfect side dish allowing more time for old friends to catch up on what was happening and for new friendships to be formed.

The bread and butter of aviation could not be forgotten in all of the celebrations which meant a good dose of safety had to be dished out. To that end the JDF Air Wing had a flight safety stand down and study day on the 01 July. A flight safety stand down day meant that only absolutely necessary flights were conducted. This afforded the Unit time to focus on a number of safety considerations at sub unit levels through a series of audio visual presentations.

True to the Air Wing’s motto, ‘We Fly for All’, the entire Force was invited to share the Unit’s celebrations on 02 July at the Sports Extravaganza. As the name would suggest, the day’s activities included the staples of football, basketball and volleyball, along with exotic games such as beer checkers and bun eating contests. At the end of the day there were many winners which meant lot of persons had cake to eat.

The feast of celebrations came to a close with the JDF Air Wing opening its doors to the Jamaican public, the Unit’s most valued clients. The open day aimed to educate the public on the roles and functions of the Unit. This included a number of flying and static displays that captivated the throng that ventured to the JDF Air Wing.

”Start with some food, always keeping God in the picture, a dash of must-have-safety, a sprinkle of sports, then invite the entire Jamaica to dine, that about summed up the feast that was the JDF Air Wing’s 45th anniversary.