SeaKing Love em or Hate em?

[offshoreigor]

Hey Guys/Gals

The old SeaPig has taken quite a bashing over the years. I know I loved the time I spent on them and I now fly, in addition to other types the S61N. Its the DC-3 of the RW world. What are your thoughts about the old girl?

Cheers,

:ok: OffshoreIgor :ok:

[BEagle]

It's a helicopter and it's ugly.

[MaroonMan4]

Rig Bloke,

Although I haven't flown the aircraft it does appear that the Sea King is seen everywhere and the tax payer is most certainly receiving his/her 'bang for buck'.

The fact that where ever there is something 'kicking off' in the world, there is a Sea King. Slow, not able to lift much but there when you want it. I still haven't worked out why the Navy Boys were in Bosnia for so long when surely it was the realm of non-amphibious Support Helicopters (Puma, Merlin, etc). Perhaps it has nothing to do with the aircraft but the high training of the crews that can operate worldwide with minimum of pre-deployment training?

And Beags - fishing for bite this early? I don't think the DECs or DPA have an 'ugliness' factor during the procurement process - but then again I am not too sure what they have in the process full stop!

Finally, like it or hate it - the Sea King is here to stay as according to my Junglie mates as the SABR project is dead in the water as the NAO report is ignored and there is not enough money to replace them. The latest inmformation suggests 2020.

How does this compare to the VC 10 or the Jag in length of Service?

[Impiger]

Whenever the big yellow chopper appeared to winch me out of the oggin I loved it!

[Navaleye]

It does most things pretty well and that's all you can ask from one design. Yes its old, but they were ithe un-sung heros of the FW, without them winning would have been much harder. The Merlin the has more headroom though. :ouch:

[ZH875]

For the job it does, it and her crews demand respect.

It ain't ugly, that badge must surely be welded on the Apache.

And there is no shame in being a Yellow Belly.

[airborne_artist]

My 705 beefer, Nige North, got a DFC for winching Guardsmen off the Sir Galahad.

[Navaleye]

...and he deserved it. I had a long chat with Simon Weston about it. Not pretty.

My point was that the public was more aware at the time of the Shar's achievements and they grabbed headlines despite the far fewer numbers of sorties flown and the SKs killed more Whales :{

[detgnome]

Just about the best SAR cab available (still). What would I replace it with - a newer and upgraded Sea King !

Fear God, but respect the King...

[The Ferret]

OK I am going to bite! Don't be so parochial Beags! The Sea King is the Queen of the Skies - I have over 3000 hours in them - started flying them back in 1979 and am still flying them today - in fact I was flying one this morning in the Cornish sunshine!

This helicopter has been the workhorse for the RN and RAF for over 30 years and has proved its worth many times over. It may not look sexy and shiny like some of your fixed wing machines (or even a Merlin!) but it can transition from a hover to forward flight with majestic ease, reach into the depths of offshore fishing territories, pluck stricken sailors from the sea and return them to the safety of their (or our) homeland without a second thought. It lifts a quarter of its own weight (OK it's not a Chinook!), seeks out submarines (well it used to) and is used by many foreign countries in many different roles.

I will not hear a bad word against the old beast. I love her and I always will! Hoorah for the Sea King!:ok: :ok: :ok:

[BEagle]

It's a helicopter and it's ugly.

...and has served both Pusser and the RAF very capably for longer than most can remember!

;)

[tucumseh]

MaroonMan

"I still haven't worked out why the Navy Boys were in Bosnia for so long"


A partial explanation may be that the SK4 has a comprehensive self defence suite (MAW, Chaff & Flare, RWR). DIRCM probably wasn't fitted at the time but there was an IRJ. Wasn't it about this time she got Kevlar flooring?

At the risk of repeating myself I think the Sea King, in all variants, is simply a magnificent aeroplane. And whatever happens to SABR, the 4s are among the youngest airframes and an OSD of 2018 looks conservative. Again, I may be wrong but was the last Cat 5 not during the Falklands? That's some record.

[FJJP]

...but when I'm in the pooh and it's hovering above me with a BUFF Knocker dangling on a bit of wire - it's the most beautiful aircraft in the world!

Been in it dozens of times whilst doing drills various. Mega respect for ac and crews that fly them. It'll be going for a good few years yet!

[Front Seater]

Big respect for the Sea King community, but my own personal belief (and please let me know if I begin to sound like WEBF) the reason why both the RN Commando drivers and SAR boys do so well is not because of the aircraft (although I agree it does as advertised on the tin) but because the crews are trained to higher standard and have the focus of aviation foremost and not an underfunded, under resourced organisation that still believes in squad marches, living in fields and being operated by non aviation aware HQ/Brigade.

The RN appear to be able to rock up anywhere in the world and do the bizz with the minimum of fuss to everyones satisfaction. The AAC's experience in Telic saw them sidelined because they tipped up in theatre and required a substantial 'beat up' package to get them anywhere near operational as all of the pre-deployment training had been ground focussed on infantry stuff.

So the Sea King is a good aircraft but only at the hands of experienced, trained and current crews.

[freeride]

Slow, uncomfortable, cold, thirsty, unreliable, smelly, under-powered, poor performance and your right Beags, ugly too!

[Trumpet_trousers]

The Merlin the has more headroom though

....sorry to nit-pick, but if you ask Gillian Taylforth, she will confirm that a Range Rover has that honour......:E

[snafu]

Fear God, honour the King!! :ok:

They can't lift the most, they can't fly the furthest or the fastest, but they're a great jack-of-all-trades. (A bit of Jungly cunning helps as well!)

BEagle - "Ugly"!!? From a man who wore a uniform the same colour as a medication for genital lice, that's a bit rich!!;)

[BEagle]

snafu, I bow to your superior knowledge of genital lice........

Silberfuchs, the fact that some were prepeared to abide by rules and regulations is hardly grounds for criticism. If those were inappropriate for the operational theatre, then they should have been amended. Gung-ho "We'll give it a crack anyway" attitudes are not clever and just end up killing people. As does the stupid mentality which does not define at least the minimum crew rest time.

The SeaKing might be an ugly old thing, but it does the job very well!

[MaroonMan4]

Beags,

That is so unlike you. I do declare I detect a bite, if not a full blown nibble! :eek:

I am surprised that you infer that the Junglies lack of rules (thereby placing trust/Mission Command with the aircraft commander) may be equated to a 'Gung Ho' attitude, when there does not appear to be the statistical evidence to support your jist of post.

Sadly I must be with Front Seater on this one and view the RN Sea King operators as an experienced bunch who do not require the same level of rules and regulations because primarily it will significantly reduce Operational Capability (e.g. I don't think the Al Fawah peninsular was recce'd for wires prior to the assault etc) and secondly it appears that the Junglies benefit from either alot of operational experience or realistically train for their tactical role.

You are obviously a rules and regulations man Beags. I believe that what the Junglie fleet have is experienced crews to interpret the rules and regulations and place into context. Without tempting fate, have a look at the stats on incidents/accidents to inform your argument and see if they equate to 'Gung Ho' attitudes (by any rotary fleet, let alone Battlefield Helicopters).

Supervision and authorisation throughout the chain of command still holds good.

[BEagle]

No mate, certainly not inferring that the RN chums were gung-ho. But any "Screw the rules, we'll give it a go" mentality is simply unacceptable anywhere. However, the only 'rules and regs' should be sensible ones; if the in-theatre ones were considered inappropriate, there was surely a case for changing them? Some pretty stupid rules were indeed in place for far too long once upon a time; the non-observance by some of the ludicrous V-force 'co-pilot phase limits' were actually described by the Flight Safety world at the time as being safer than the stupid Bomber Group rules were! So if it needs changing, get it changed rather than just turning a Nelsonian eye to it!

Regrettably some who view helos as the General's personal taxi or a three-dimensional horse lack understanding of simple things like Crew Duty Time - it is not infinite despite the fact that they might think so!

And there was supposed to have been a ;) after my comment to snafu!

[serf]

the perception of the RAF amongst those who they are there to support, is that the rules are flexible enough to allow the crews to ditch any jobs that (in a non-operational area) are seen by the RAF to be - awkward, not near a good hotel, involve working late etc etc

your comments on here will do nothing to change these views.

[BEagle]

An apt nom de PPRuNe....

From the Royal Air Force Officers' Manual of the Feudal System and the Repression of Unruly Grunts:

"Those peasants who were freeman would rent the land for an agreed fee. However, the vast majority of the peasants were unfree. These unfree peasants, who were called villeins or serfs, had to provide a whole range of services in exchange for the land that they used. The main requirement of the serf was to supply labour service. This involved working on the demesne without pay for several days a week. As well as free labour, serfs also had to provide the oxen plough-team or any equipment that was needed."

[Flypro]

And I thought this thread was about the wonderful Sea King!!

Yet another thread hijacked by RN/RAF petty bickering.

It might be ugly, but for a helo that should be out of service by now, but has recetly been extended for at least another ten years - it can't be too bad can it?

I don't think the Sea King has ever killed any of it's aircrew. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think you will find that all Sea King fatalities have been Aircrew/Pilot error, Say that about ANY other aircraft!!:zzz: :zzz:

[bluetail]

Got to admit me affection for the Sea King (yellow version) I was on 202 in the early days and was on C Flt at Colt as a groundy when we lost our winchy on the A10 job, (V sad day that and still saddens me to this day)

I also did some time on 1564 at Navy Point, the only thing I hated was those damn winch washes.

SAR cabs will allways be the aviators friend, you just know you are ok when you see one coming over the horizon.

I spent many a day strapped into a dinghy being practise on by our winchies, they even let me have a go one day, I was completely knacked after about 3 goes of wave trawling.

Like someone said, the only replacement for a Sea King is another.

[FJJP]

I think I'd like to see the official stats re SK accidents - given the hundreds of thousands of hours flown worldwide, I would be mightily surprised if ALL accidents were attributed to aircrew/pilot error. Never ONCE a technical fault or NOM hazard?

[Cornish Jack]

Ugly?? Who cares?
What I did care about, however, and find surprising that it hasn't been commented on, was the extraordinary acceptance of the radar BEHIND the rotor mast. Jolly good idea if you carry out your searches flying backwards but that gearbox 'shadow' hid some nasties over the years. A forward opening door in a helo which hovers markedly tail-down? Hmm? A boat hull that is as waterproof as a colander?
Yes, it does the job, as we did with the Sycamore and the Whirlwind and the Wessex but in those instances,as with the Sea King, in spite of their design, not because of it.

[jockspice]

Why in Boz for so long? More to add on that, although perhaps I may paraphrase slightly...........
Abbs, the CO of the squadron and Lordy, boss of HQ CAV as it was then, went to see the big cheese of MND SW in order to ask if we could leave theatre and get someone else to do our job, as we were busy elsewhere and had been there almost 7 years.
Big Boss asked "When my lads are in the sh1t, have casualties in crap weather, at night, half way up the Viterog or in some other God-forsaken area in this country, I count on you to get to them and get them out. So who else can do what you can do, as well as you can do?"
Thinks bubbles from Abbs and Lordy
"No-one that we can think of, Sir."
"Looks like you boys are staying, then!"
And we did for another 3 years and b@gger me, we are still there now!

Beags
I had a huge reply all thought out for you until I read that you sucked back on your initial comments to snafu! But I have pared it down to the important bits (as if anything on this forum is of importance!).
Gung ho is not our way, but have a go, within the rules, is, to support the man in the field. We also know when to get our heads down, and don't see sitting in a crewroom all day watching the tv as an excuse for not getting airborne when needed. As someone else mentioned, the numbers of MK4 prangs have been minimal (touching wood) since one in the Falklands and the one the crab exchange chopped the tail off on Purple Star!
Finally, the grunts who you comically refer to are the reason we have space in the back of the cab and the reason we do what we do - we fly for them, not for ourselves.

PS I love the Sea King - you can keep your bloody big fixed wing fuel to noise converters!:ok:

[serf]

Well done BEagle !
;)

Well said jockspice !

[tucumseh]

Cornish jack.....

"the extraordinary acceptance of the radar BEHIND the rotor mast".

The original radar, "Lightweight Radar" fitted to HAS Mk1 and 2, pre-dates the UK Sea Kings by some years. It is entirely based on an RSRE specification. I'm too young (!) to remember why the 28 degree blind arc was accepted, but when the radar was replaced by Sea Searcher in 1982 (with the Optical sub-system largely retained) part of the spec (again RSRE's) was a requirement to halve the blind arc. Hence the flat top, larger radome in the 5/6 to house the larger scanner. A little known fact is that the outbreak of the Falklands war forced the MoD to shut down development of Sea Searcher one year early and rush it into service. The most obvious effect was that the Track While Scan feature, which would have negated much of the problem you describe, was not completed. There is a switch marked "TWS" but no wiring behind it! FONAC and their successors sought funding to have it completed but there was so much to do in the following years it was not a priority and, I believe, was never implemented. There wasn't even the money to remove the switch and fit a blanking plate and this led to numerous 760s due to "TWS failure" when there was none to fail.

Interestingly, the RAF made a conscious decision to retain the small scanner when the Mk3A was being specified in the early 90s. The RN had such a surplus of Sea Searcher scanners due to good reliability that they offered them to the RAF (along with ready made support facilities), and MoD(PE) complemented this by offering to have the 3As built with the large radome (bearing in mind there was no development cost, and Westlands actually had to go back to old drawings to build what, to them, was an old standard). Politely declined.

Sea Searcher was progressively updated in commercial variants - MAREC, Super MAREC, Super Searcher, Super Searcher Pulse Compression, etc and the RAF Mk3As actually got a hybrid. In addition to the old scanner I think they retained the very low power Tx/Rx, but got a new Super Searcher digital processor and colour display. The RN could not get this as Merlin was due in service. (The 5 year useful life rule - if you can't get 5 years, you don't get the money). By the way, the MoD get commercial exploitation rates on these RSRE designs every time Thales sell one.

The German (Mk43?) has a twin radome system - dorsal and nose - to get round this problem, and if memory serves they fit a Sea Spray Mk1 variant, which only scans 180 degrees (each).

Hope this sheds some light. There's always a reason........

[freeride]

Could it be that the Junglies are so versatile because they operate as a relatively small, cohesive unit and are not dragged down by the huge, top heavy hierachy that the SH force have to deal with? I have seen both RAF and RN fliers once they leave their beloved Sea King and I can honestly say there is little to no difference in their skills or outlook. This can only mean one thing - the management is largely to blame and having seen both sets of management it shows that apart from the odd exception, the Crabs promote absolute yes-men who then go on to promote the same. This has happened probably since about the early 80's and now look at the state of the organisation with some complete idiots in charge.

BTW I don't work for either!

[Maple 01]

At least the Erics got me off the mountains when I needed it down south, many thanks to Mr Bristow and his chaps and chapesses on S-61Ns. Also big belated thanks to the Wokkas, Sea Queens and other assorted egg whisks that kept us fed/fuelled and amused be they dark blue, light blue or brown

Normal interservice rivalry will be resumed shortly

[Magic Mushroom]

Even speaking as Light Blue, it has to be said that the RAF SH world has a very bad reputation in relation to the Junglies, primarily due to restrictive flying regs. Hopefully, JHC will sort out some common rules. Any SH guys out there care to comment?

Moving away from Jungly/SH dress ripping, let's not forget the bags of 849! Originally procured, developed and delivered in a classic piece of British Heath Robinson inventiveness, the latest ASaC Mk 7 is a useful bit of kit despite the severe limitations of its airframe. And the aircrew are top guys as well!
Regards & happy/safe New Year to all,
M2

[BombayDuck]

As I know someone who flew aboard Sea Kings as an observer in the IN - our navy loves 'em. They've done whatever we've asked them to do and then some.

And i dont care what you call ugly - perhaps you should buy some old Kamov's for yer Navy.... THEN you'll know what FUGLY is :yuk: A barn-sized sea king overhead is a darn sight better than the whole lot of em apart from mebbe the Ka-31....

:ok:

[airborne_artist]

Its the DC-3 of the RW world

Not forgetting the 12,000 Mi-8/Hips built - how does that compare to the UH-1?

Wasn't the Falklands X-deck crash put down to a bird-ingestion?

[BEagle]

Having once had the privilege of watching some of the most capable aircraft handling I've ever seen when I was in the Islas Malvinas, it's obvious that old and ugly as it might be, the SeaKing is held in high regard - quite rightly.

We rattled out from Base Aerea Gringo and did some general work before landing on the back of HMS Bouncy Castle on what, to me, seemed like a postage stamp. But the pilot at the controls barely raised an eyebrow as the aircraft vibrated and shook itself like a wet labrador whilst establishing in the hover next to the landing platform. Then a slight right nudge and tweak and we were safely down with barely a bump. In exchange for their mail, the ship drivers gave us something tasty from their gallery for afternoon tea! Then off we went again to do some practice IF for the mate in the other seat which looked very demanding from my FW IRE perspective. After which it was back home again; the novelty of the peat zipping past at not-a-lot of feet was very interesting indeed! Then a quick return over my office roof and a landing outside the hangar; one thing I learned was that the rotors are possibly at their most dangerous whilst running down as various odd vibrations afflicted the beast as it rocked and rolled noticeably until the transmission music had completely stopped! None of this HP cocks to SHUT, belts off and out we get FW stuff!

And the commander of the aircraft was possibly the most petite young lady pilot I've ever met. A great trip - the highlight of that particular 6 weeks down in the Malvinas for me!

[Navaleye]

AA, 19th May as I recall, sadly 20 SAS killed, 9 survived. Yes, it was put down to bird ingestion. I've heard of SK's swallowing seaguls before and still going, most likely it was overloaded, low and after the bird strike well down on power. An Albatross is another possibility but you can usually see them some way off and they aren't that common.

[Hueymeister]

Of all the cabs I've flown.....It's the one I'd go to war in...

[John Eacott]

Quite a few hours (700S + a few Squadrons), but all my backaches went away when I moved away from the King Dipper ;) Bl**dy awful drivers seats, don't suppose they've improved any?

And did the P tube A21 ever get results all those years ago.....:rolleyes:

Fond memories, I wonder how many of those original HAS1's from 1970 are still around? A few hours on S61N's offshore, too, but Westland and RR must take a bit of credit for the improvement over the Sikorsky product. On Wessex V MTBF we had 115 engine computers budgeted on the SK IFTU, and only used one :cool: Quantum leap from the 90 minute Wessex HAS3 casex times, 4 hours and the chance to get up and stroll around a bit, but the penny pinching on the compass display after such a grand range/bearing display in the Wx3 was a shame. And the rocket scientist who gave us no DC standby instruments needed shooting :suspect:

Still a favourite: to look back on :ok:

[Toxteth O'Grady]

Are there any roles that are/have been carried out by any other UK Mil helo that the SK hasn't done?? Only one that I can think of is ASM (Skua).

Conversely how many roles (amongst helos) are there that only the SK has done? For starters:

Nuclear deterrent (NDB)

Air Defence Pt 1 (Baggers)

Air Defence Pt 2 (Mk 5 Erica Roes and Zippos)

[WE Branch Fanatic]

Anti armour attack?

By The Way

Air Defence Pt 2 (Mk 5 Erica Roes and Zippos)

Eh? :confused: :confused:

Unless you mean the decoy role.....Exocet etc.

[Ontariotech]

I know that the Canadian Forces has used the Seaking for years as an asw and SAR platform from it's ships. It has been a stable asset but it has had a rash of accident's and has become somewhat of a maintenance nightmare. Although I know very little about the Canadian Forces variant, it has caused alot of grief for the Department of National Defence. The Canadian Government have just ordered a replacement bird, a Sikorsky model, but they are not due to be sent to the flight crews until 2008. Could any CF pilot's expand on this possibly?

[Magic Mushroom]

Toxteth,
There is an AEW variant of the Helix in service with the Russian and Indian navies. The SKW was the first mind and the SKASaC7 still the best I'd wager.
Regards,
M2

[Toxteth O'Grady]

@MM

Ta, but I did say:

by any other UK Mil helo

which I meant for both questions.

[althenick]

I’ll never forget my first visit to the Foriegn Training Unit in Culdrose. My old man, who was still lamenting the sudden end of his fixed-wing career at Lossie and cursing Crabs (whom I later found out to be the RAF and NOT an infestation of pubic lice or crustacean – type seafood :O ) showed me round a Marinefleiger example. I feel in love with it that very day! Will never forget those days when the Navy flew 24/7 and I would watch them from my bedroom window in Clodgey Way on the Old Admiralty Estate. Excellent Machine and for 1973 – the Mutts Nutts (To a 10 year old lad at least!) and surely the export record of the UK variant must speak volumes for the quality of this machine?

Holidayed in Gunwalloe (3 miles from Culdrose) in September last – Saw the Merlin Flying - Nice Canary but didn’t do it for me
:(

[RatherBeFlying]

This can't be the same a/c as the one here in Canada where the news organs bill it as a flying deathtrap with 11 maintenance hours / flying hour.

And there's been quite a few impromptu visits to out of the way spots followed by a wait for parts lovingly covered by the media:uhoh:

So why's it still a great a/c on your side of the pond while it's a national scandal over here:confused:

[jayteeto]

The SK never really did it for me but I understand why people love it. Remember a lot of people say that the Wessex was the best thing since sliced bread...... :mad:
As a 2500 hr Puma puke, I liked to get to places 30 kts faster and would look down on anything slower. When the junglies started in south armagh, I was totally impressed at the lift capability. They started doing the night USLs and the Puma did the running around by day. Blimey!! It worked!! Horses for courses (or whatever that cliche is). Right to the last, I avoided SAR. I promised never to fly anything yellow.... my EC135 is parked out there now.... I wonder if the police could do all dark blue paint jobs... ;)

[Kolibear]

Always had a soft spot for Sea Kings 'cos the sonics homing kit was mine. So if it don't work - sorry!

[Navaleye]

I think Indian or Pakistani SK have been equipped with Exocet. I always thought it was cheaper, faster, safer and better to give our helos a decent ASuW capability. You can plink away all day with Sea Skua but you need a decent weapon to get a kill. Remember in the Malvinas Glasgow's lynx got two hits on a ocean going tug and it still got home.

[John Smith]

Not flown the beast for over 6 years now

I still look up and sigh, get a bulge in my trousers when I see that green beast fly over ... ah we did some great things and had some great fun.

But I think that Jock Spice summed it up perfectly ....

..... We fly for them (Royal & Percy) and not for ourselves!!

[Lee Jung]

Carson the Sea King and I will fly it to 2040 as is now proposed, although I will be 68ish by that the time.

We don't need no stinking Merlin Mk4. Just think of troops getting out during a ditching.....

"Right - after all violent motion has ceased...orientate. Find your lap strap buckle and place a hand on the seat frame.

"Unstrap. Turn round..yes you may well be upside down and underwater in the dark...but you must now find the seat back release lever and operate, folding the seat back towards you.

"Right you are now ready to release the window and make your exit, are there any questions?"

It may be a crashworthy seat, but it is not a ditch-worthy seat.

[MightyGem]

Yes, it was put down to bird ingestion. I've heard of SK's swallowing seaguls before and still going...
I was always led to believe that it was a bird through the tail rotor. Yes/no?

[teeteringhead]

I was always led to believe that it was a bird through the tail rotor. Yes/no? That's a yes (probably - it was at night) and also (probably) something a bit bigger than a seagull - albatros was seriously suggested at the time IIRC.....

[Navaleye]

Thanks for the info. Albatros or SK? which gets the award for being the least manoeuvrable?

[Flypro]

Sorry chaps, that crash was eventually put down to pilot error I think you will find.
Barn door's, although fitted to improve icing clearances, also do a wonderful job providing protection from birdstrike - even the biggun's.
I still maintain that the old girl (Brit variety) aint killed anybody...... ever.

[Spur Lash]

Lee Jung

I think you'll find that the Merlin is THE easiest cabin to escape from in a ditching.

The brace and orientate position are the same.

Release the harness, and holding onto one of the shoulder straps, follow it back to the top of the seat, which is where the release handle is (covered in PLT) and where the exit is. Oh, and try not to be blinded by the 5 bright white lights around the exit, that are visible from over 15 feet away.

Remove the exit, hold onto the egress handle and collapse the chair and go.

I don't follow your cynicism. Unless, of course, you know better. (which you don't) :ok:

[forwardassist]

Spur Lash
Is escape from the aircraft going to be as calm and easy as that for 20 troops going for the same window in the back of a Mk3 or are you refering to the ASW version?

[snafu]

From what I've heard, the Merlin is a fairly easy cabin to escape from after it's beaten itself to death on the ground....you just unstrap and walk out of the holes that are all around you!:E

Jesting aside, I may not fly the Merlin, but I'm glad that it's proven its crashworthiness, since there are a couple of guys that I know who are still around because of it. As one of them said after the ditching in Scotland, if they'd been flying a Sea King they would be highly unlikely to have survived the impact.

I still love the mighty King though!!

[Spur Lash]

forwardassist

The 24 troops in the back of a Mk 3 have a choice of exits. 3 windows and a door (with window) on each side.

[Harry Peacock]

SNAFU, if you'd been flying the SK you wouldn't have crashed in the first place!!!!!!! I also had a good old friend on that cab and am really happy all were well, but some of the more recent publications in the helo library have proved to be less than reliable for the lucky (!!!!) few called upon to be the first military aircrew! OK I'm biased after 25 years flying the beast and hope to for years to come!!! However at least it autorotated when entered in to service unlike a certain modern Sea Sprite I could mention, also I don't think it was restricted to non rain flight due to paint problems, or remaining within sight of ATC so that self application of the rotor brake could be advised to the crew!
I am not against progress by any count but we in the military are so often called upon to do the R & D for commercial companies at tax payers (& families) expense that, as stated at my dinning out from my last defence force!!!, it is very much up to aircrew to look out for themselves because the system no longer will!
Back to the original thread the SK is certainly the King of the skies and has marked its place in history! It will be supercede but never forgotten! As already stated by others I would be happy to take her to any corner of the world fully knowing her capabilities & confident that she will operate to that within an ounce!! I know my machine & trust her!!

PS mine was GREY!!!!