Some Puma days 'n nights at HMS Odious

[oldbilbo]

Found a thread below - "Pumas in the WTF Role" - and thought I'd pour a little AVTUR on the fire. But it's closed, as probably the usual suspects are all dead, doo-lally, or dronk somethwre....?

Anyway, and for what little it's worth, here's a little 'there we were' stuff.

First up - the 'nearly shot by irate Basingstoke farmer' photo. This was caused, I'm pleased to be here to tell you, by Locking wire. The wrong way round. On hyd test set plug-in. Came out in flight south of Basingstoke, 1500 feet up. Very loud screeching as hyd juice escapes. Extremely loud screeching as aircrew realise they can't.... Much pumping of handle, and saying of prayers on 243.0! Oh, and 'writing-of-long-story-quickly-on-kneepad-for-the-subsequent-Board-of-Inquiry'.

After interesting display of unauthorised aeros, steely blue-eyed killer brings ill-disciplined steed to a low hover over only field without trees. Sloping down about 20 degrees.

'Two greens. Nosewheel red.' ' ....Pump harder, you b*****, there's more juice in the stackpipes.' Pump, pump, pump..... 'Oh, no, there isn't!' Brief - very brief - discussion about dragging nearby bale of hay.... 'Sod that. I'm gonna put it down on the mains, then stopcock the b**** thing, then burn out the rotor brake.' 'What can I do?' 'Well, you could stop asking stoopid questions and do the Christian bit. No, it's not in the FRCs - but it b*****-well ought to be!':):)

As can be seen it all ended quite well. Except for the 'completely lost-it' enraged farmer who came charging up, red-faced, and carying a shotgun. He was shouting at us. It was only when he aimed the thing at us that we realised he had no intention of helping.... Only the arrival of the cavalry in the overhead, from HMS Odious and the nearby LFA saved our bacon.;);)

Anyway....

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d78/bilbobaggins1946/PumaDown.jpg

[ShyTorque]

Gosh, weren't SH aircrew slender in those days?

Must have been before the latter part of the 1970s? Dog's N** is sporting open intakes (pre PIP intakes) and metal blades, those mods came in during the late 70s/early 80s. Also both crew have pre-nomex flying suits, at least the Pilot has.

I'm just trying to recognise those two lucky chaps with the smeared faces.

[RETDPI]

Anybody remember 1975 - "Vortex Ring" and G****e B*****e plus mates ending up on their ears in the special place.
Guess who got "Joe'd" to supervise the incident photography for the board? :)

[ShyTorque]

I think that was a case of an operational downwind quickstop gone wrong. The classic Puma dirty trick of high Nr / backed off engines / rotor droop followed by lots of excitement and embarrassment into a boggy place.
Don't think 'GB' was handling pilot at the time; according to the version the man himself gave me it was 'MT'.
Mind you, I've not seen him (G) for over 15 years so my memory might be a little rusty. Anyone know where he is these days?

[Klingon]

Is that Rick Chaloner on the left? It must be about the right time for him...pre-pips. Dont recognise the crewman! Can't remember any slim commissioned ALM's around the Puma Fleet at that time. Too short for Mike Bailey, too thin for Paddy Walsh and too young for any of the others.

[Tiger_mate]

The 'crewman' could be a navigator.

The incident to which you refer did have MT on board, and I believe that he was driving at the time. I saw MT once or twice in recent years at Association dinners; GB not for many years, for which I am thankfull! The Sqn photo album has several large images of the aftermath.

[Klingon]

If its as early as the mod state suggests I don't remember there being any young Navs around then.

[RETDPI]

"Don't think 'GB' was handling pilot at the time; according to the version the man himself gave me it was 'MT'."
Absolutely Correct, GB was in the left seat, which IIRC was the side they ended up on.
Haven't seen either for years.

[OverTq]

ST - I think this incident happened around'74/75. I had the first Hyd fail on the Puma soon after starting 230 with the brand new a/c (and 222 vibrated even then) - night in the cct, gear down - big bang and captions everywhere. Pulled the emerg handle up which stopped the leak, and got the AP back. Refuel in the hover while sandbags were found. Eventually landed on to find the nose jack had split it's end of. A restrictor was fitted later! Strewth - 35 years ago!

[Klingon]

Crewman could be Chris Fynnes! But it would hav eto be later than 1982 as I dont think he was commissioned until then.

[Wiretensioner]

Chris became crewman leader on 230 in 1981ish after the squadron moved to Gutersloh. He moved across from 18Sqn when they moved back to the UK. Prior to that when I arrived on 230 in 78, Sid Dennis was crewman leader. Certainly Rick on the left.

[ewe.lander]

I was a young spotty skinny crewman on 230 then (now I'm a old spotty fat git).It's Rick and I reckon the Nav is a chap called Bailey who joined us from Canberra's. Chunky Horrocks days!

[Klingon]

Ah yes! I remember the Bailey chap. Could very well be him.

[Mmmmnice]

Where is Rick Challoner these days? - used to the absolute bane of the map holders/TANS operatives lives when he went across to the Chinook!

[OverTq]

Chunky Horrocks? That would be 74-76 then??

[charliegolf]

I went to the Puma OCU in 80. I'm sure Chunky was still there, soon to be succeded by Reineck (sp).

But at my age..........

CG

[Klingon]

Nope! Chunky was my first sqn boss from 1974-76, my Log Book thinks it was then a chap called David Chrws-Williams who took over from him in 1976.:)

[charliegolf]

Klingon

Apologies, I'm sure you're right. But are we at cross purposes? Are you talking about OC 230, and if so, did Chunky go on to be Staish about my time?

CG

[oldbeefer]

Chunky was succeeded by David Crwys Williams. I seem to recall Chunky went on to be Staish at Strawberry in (around) 1980?

[teeteringhead]

Chunks was indeed the Strawbs Staish 78-80, followed by Porky (!) 80-82 and then Cruise-Missile from 82-84....

[ewe.lander]

You're spot on overTQ... Chunky 230 boss, handed over to DCW who finished as a retired Air Rank running BFPS/SSVC. The Crewmen heirachy had legends like Geordie Haswell from WW2 still....and then there was FOLA! :)

[idle stop]

I just looked in my logbook (No 1, I'm afraid) and found an entry (30 Aug 1977) with Rick Chaloner, me and Roger Lynn (C'man) that says XW229, Gut and somewhere illegible, via Mohne Dam. Not that we would have flown anywhere near it, of course! (Especially since it seems I was the Captain on that flight....)
Oh, Happy Days of Germany Trainers......

[Klingon]

Yep! Chunky was never Stn Cdr at Odiham. Gp Capt Bennett was the Stn Cdr until 1975 followed by Gp Capt Price 75-77 and then Gp Capt Moore. I left for a while in 78 so my recollection is a little bit vague but Reineck was there when I returned in 1981.

[ShyTorque]

Brian Wright was OC 230 after C-W, IIRC. He moved the Sqn across to RAFG in 1980 and handed over to David H-R.

I concur, crewman in pic certainly not Chris Fynes.

Turbulent times in those days, lots of detachments all over the place. I joined in '79. Well over six months later I was in the crewroom and got asked for my ID by Ian Struthers! Got him back though; I asked him for his! At least we weren't getting shot at much - hats off and all due respect to today's crews.

[Tigs2]

Idle Stop
Flew straight down the Mohne Dam (after trying to find the original way in by the Dam Busters, which was hard enough in twilight).
The Loadie had two torches down the loadpole hatch, and we put two chinagraph markings on the windows. Flew straight between the two towers (with some old German blokes sticking the F**K off sign up, as they were walking across the damn), calling bombs away, zoom climbing and thinking 'How good were THEY!'. I got in the S**t, but as a member of FOLA, did it really matter?

Bye the way Where is GB and where is Chips C? Please pm me if you know.

[Wiretensioner]

Shy Torque

When I joined the squadron as a fresh faced crewman in 78, Parker Ashley was the boss not C-W. Brian Wright replaced P-A. B.W was one of the best bosses I had while in the mob.

regards Wiretensioner:rolleyes:

[ShyTorque]

Wiretensioner, you are c..correct, it's my old brain - I knew it was a d..double-b..barrelled name! I joined just after he had handed over, in 79. :O

I agree about Brian Wright, he was an excellent leader, best one I had. He showed me a great deal about good man management. Spoiled me for the rest of my time in the mob though. :ok:

[oldbeefer]

Remember P-A acting as captain on a det to Gut. Lex B was to be in his LHS (or second a/c - I can't remember which). Lex made up the Trigraph 'Papa Papa Alpha'. Poor old P-A (who had a marked stutter) had so much trouble with the R/T using this that he handed over to Lex before Manston!