Like Geoff, my introto the Wessex was the HAS1 for initial AFT and then the HAS3 for the rest of AFT & OFT, at Culdrose and then Portland. The stream driven AFCS was 'controlled' by a wiper arm being driven down or up a rheostat (spiral binding of wiring) that would then vary the inputs to the AFCS. Sitting around in a salt laden atmosphere for a few weeks would sometimes allow a tad of corrosion to build up with often spectacular results as the resistance spiked and demanded massive control responses.
The AFT from Portland included DLP training from RFA Engadine, with the delights of an RFA wardroom and accommodation. One quirk was a miniature globe in the wardroom with a pronounced zig zag on the latitude line that allows the bar to become duty free! DLPs were quite challenging with minimal spacing between the two landing spots, especially at night landing on the fwd spot with another HAS3 on the aft spot, turning and burning. Probably 12ft of clearance fore and aft, but as steely eyed pingers we knew no better.
Later I had a (sort of) fun time with the Wessex 60, initially an abbreviated endorsement in Norfolk which was cut short by a blizzard, then operating from Derby and Broome in the far north west of Western Australia. I was at the airport hotel the night before flying out of Heathrow and received a call from a Bristow training captain berating me for not signing a return of service agreement, who was insistent that I had received an (incomplete) endorsement on a 'modern, sophisticated twin turbine' and wasn't happy with my rejoinder after 2,000 on Sea Kings and 1,000 hours on 212s telling him what I thought of his idea!
Out of Derby we operated single pilot to crew change a rig off Timorest, requiring two refuels outbound, one on the rig and one refuel on the way back. Flying northbound with the sun rising from the east and home the other way, sliding window open all the time, the drivers all had right arms a few shades darker than the left. The stock question from strangers in the Potshot bar was 'are you a truckie', with a different type of truck in mind!
Navigation was very sophisticated with a Litton VLF Omega unit good for two miles accuracy, but the volatile memory would wipe with every start so it had to be reprogrammed after the second start which was usually in temps well into the mid 30s centigrade. For refuelling from drums on a coral atoll (Browse Island) we would never shut down No 1, preferring to tolerate the noise and imbuggerance whilst pumping to the option getting stuck 200 miles offshore. The pax were inclined to go wandering so the best way to hold them in check was to brief on the poisonous items to be found, most of which were total figments designed to control them!
More anon.