Beaver

[Pilgrim101]

Anyone out there know of a Beaver which went AWOL off the strops under a RAF MLH in NI in the 70's ? Settle an argument please, did it happen or is it apocryphal ? (Sorry to all my groundbased colleagues, the word was used by a RAF officer in the debate and I feel obliged to repeat it after a dictionary check :8 )

[brakedwell]

Pilgrim
You could be referring to an incident in 1965. I was serving on 105 Sqn in Aden when detailed for the board of enquiry. When a Beaver suffered an engine failure in the Radfan, the Army pilot carried out a successful force landing in a dried up whaddi bed. A Wessex was dispatched from Khormaksar to recover the undamaged Beaver and lift it to the forward air base at Thumeir. Shortly after picking up the Beaver the Wessex pilot experienced a loss of power and jettisoned it. The board was present when the engineers opened up the (sealed) suspect Wessex engine. Sure enough, there was a fore and aft line of sand damaged compressor blades confirming the reason for the loss of power. RAF/Army harmony was restored and the Wessex pilot cleared of any blame. This web site lists units based in Aden at the time http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Aden/units.html

[teeteringhead]

And the Wessex in Aden (78 Sqn) also dropped an underslung Scout, following a single engine failure in the transition. Squadron scrapbook used to have an epic series of photos (printed from cine) of the event, showing mega coning angle on Wessex and then dropping Scout.

Can't have been flavour of the month with Teenie Weenies.....

[Pilgrim101]

Thanks Brakedwell ! Sounds like the one.

Teeteringhead

Thanks too """""Can't have been flavour of the month with Teenie Weenies.....""""""

was the point of the scrap with the RAF (If I say Crab Air, do I get moderated ??) :E

[Impiger]

And here was me thinking this thread would be about something completely different - shame on me!

[Pilgrim101]

Beaver, strops and Crabs ?? :}

[buoy15]

Trying to think of the name of the film about 10 years ago where the girl was climbing up the loft with no panties on and her boyfriend from below said "Nice Beaver"

Moist is best

[16 blades]

The Naked Gun..........

Priscilla Presley's reply: "Thanks, I only had it stuffed yesterday"...before passing a stuffed beaver down the ladder...

16B

[The Maintainer]

16B

I think you'll find the reply was 'Thanks, I just had it stuffed'.

[Muff Coupling]

No Beaver..but...Do remember a Puma being US recovered by Chinook in Alderbanana some years ago..as the whole effort passed by the OM window, for drop off in dispersal..Stash barked out that he wanted the Puma captain done for low flying to close to the Mess:8

[16 blades]

The Maintainer,

...close enough for government work!

16B

[Dr Illitout]

My ole dad was on the mighty Belvedere at Khomaksar(?!) during the sixties. He tells a story about a Belvedere lifting a Beaver out of the Radfan. He says the lift went well and they headed off to the nearest AAC airstrip. The crew then noticed that the Beaver had started to "fly" and flying level with them!!!.
They hit the cable cutter and the Army was able to recover the Beaver in backpacks!.

Rgds Dr I.

[Dr Illitout]

Just spoke to the old chap. He says it was a 27 Sqdn aircraft and it happened just before he went to Aden, that puts it about 1963.

Rgds Dr.I.

[Big Tudor]

On a similar note, does anybody have a link to the video clip of the Chinook carrying a Chinook in the Falklands a few years back. Very impressive bit of flying IMHO.

[brakedwell]

Dr Illitou
I was stationed in Aden from August 1964 till Aug 66. I think the Wessex incident I referred to occurred in 65.

[Dr Illitout]

I was there in 64 too!. Mind you I was only Three!. My old fella was a sargent on the Belvedere, Wessex and Whirlwinds.

Rgds Dr.I.