An RAF Chinook helicopter made an unusual landing on the grounds of a luxury hotel on the shores of Loch Lomond, Scotland, during a navigation training exercise and its crew left with cakes and other treats after hotel staff discovered it was the pilot’s birthday.The 98ft helicopter landed on the lawns of the five-star Cameron House Hotel, a resort where rooms can cost up to £2,000 a night. Guests were reportedly stunned as the military aircraft thundered onto the hotel grounds.An airman in a flight helmet was then seen entering the hotel and emerging minutes later carrying bags of cake. Other members of the crew were also briefly invited inside by the hotel management.A hotel spokesperson told The Jattvibe: “We often accommodate military and emergency service training landings.”“On learning the flight coincided with the pilot’s birthday, and was also their final flight before retirement, our team welcomed the crew with complimentary refreshments to mark the milestone,” the spokesperson said.The helicopter subsequently took off without shutting down its engines.One witness described the unexpected scene, saying: “They didn’t hang around. It was a case of have your cake and beat it!”“We couldn’t believe it. It’s not every day you see a Chinook landing on a hotel lawn,” the witness added.Why did the RAF Chinook land at the hotel?The RAF said the landing was part of an essential navigation training exercise and was not a leisure stop.The pilots were from 28 Squadron, based at RAF Leuchars Station, around 70 miles from the hotel. The unit is an operational conversion unit where pilots learn to fly Chinook helicopters.An RAF source told The Jattvibe: “The Chinook landed as part of an essential navigation training exercise for student aircrew.”“It was scheduled to allow a captaincy change,” the source added.Changing the pilot in command during training helps aircrew accumulate the required hours at the controls while reducing the need for additional flights, making it a cost-saving measure.Hotel treats were not plannedThe RAF also sought to clarify that the refreshments were not part of the planned military activity.An official RAF source said: “Hotel staff unexpectedly provided food to the crew during the stop.”“They didn’t request it and it was not part of the planned activity,” the source added.Another RAF source welcomed the hotel’s gesture towards the crew, saying: “It is great to see the public backing our armed forces. The hotel agreed to let us land and then offered the crew some afternoon snacks. It is a little gesture but great for morale.”