After an RAF helicopter was seen flying over Oldham and hovering over Boundary Park recently, The Oldham Times has found out what was going on.

On Thursday, September 28, Oldhamers could hear and see an RAF Puma helicopter flying above the borough and even hovering close to the pitch at the home of Oldham Athletic.

Residents were left perplexed, but the purpose behind the helicopter's visit has now been established.

Andy Green, a Wing Commander in the RAF, told The Oldham Times that the Puma helicopter is based at RAF Benson in South Oxfordshire and had flown up to Catterick in North Yorkshire for a drill.

@theoldhamtimes This is why an RAF helicopter was spotted flying over Oldham and Boundary Park last week #oldham #helicopter ♬ original sound - The Oldham Times

On the return to the south, the crew, led by Wing Commander Green were looking to find a few sites in and around Greater Manchester where they could practice landing the chopper.

Wing Commander Green said he has previously used the Royal Oldham Hospital as a site, however the hospital was not available.

Steve Johnson, co-founder of the Oldham Athletic FC Veterans and Armed Forces Supporters Group said he would ask the football club if they would allow Boundary Park to be used as a site, which they agreed to.

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Wing Commander Green, who has served in the RAF since 2004 and did multiple tours of Afghanistan, said the drill offered "really valuable training" for the junior crew he was with.

Helicopters often need to land in tight spaces, and a stadium such as Boundary Park provided an ideal site for this kind of training.

Despite this, Wing Commander Green said Oldhamers should not expect to see RAF helicopters flying above the borough very often as these sorts of drills are "not super common".