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Icom Help England World Cup Bid

Herne Bay based, Icom (UK) Ltd, has recently helped England’s bid to host the 2006 Football World Cup. At short notice, they supplied RAF Northolt with a specialist airband transceiver, which was then used to relay essential information for the helicopter transfer of the FIFA Inspection Team, in and out of London’s Wembley Stadium. The radio was instrumental in assisting the Royal Air Force Air Traffic Control staff on the ground, allowing them to co-ordinate the three helicopters’ arrival and departure from the famous stadium. This was by no means a straightforward task, due to the restricted size of the landing-site, unique obstructions and the unusual wind turbulence created by such a structure.

The six-strong FIFA delegation were transported in RAF helicopters from No 32 (The Royal) Squadron and were given special permission to land on the pitch. Staff from RAF Northolt provided the necessary expertise on the ground.

Icom’s IC-A3E radio, used in this high profile operation, is a simple to use, VHF airband transceiver. Compact in size, the handportable has superior audio that's easy to hear, even without a headset! The model is one of the latest in a range of radio products that Icom (UK) Ltd has been distributing for the last 25 years.

Squadron Leader Nick Stoner, Senior Air Traffic Control Officer at RAF Northolt, said, “This equipment helped us immensely. This was not a straightforward operation and I feel that the radios were vital in assisting the safe movement of the helicopters and VIP’s”

Dale Blackman, Icom (UK) Ltd’s Marketing Manager, said: “We were only too happy to help. Meeting customers deadlines at short notice is something that we do every day, although usually the equipment is destined to meet a ship or plane, not help land us the World Cup tournament! Everyone here is proud to know that we may have helped to bring the tournament back to this country.”

Icom UK Marketing - marketing@icomuk.co.uk

22/11/1999

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