Lynx down in South Armagh

[Heliport]

Just before 1800 GMT.

Field in Foxfield Road, close to the army base at Crossmaglen.

No further details at the moment.

[ChristopherRobin]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/6464999.stm

no news other than this yet

[Kestrel_909]

From BBC link above - "A number of casualties were taken to hospital. It is thought that at least one of them is in a serious condition."

Fingers crossed

[barnstormer1968]

Have only just managed to get on-line for info. As radio 4 didn't have any details earlier. Best wishes to all involved, fingers firmly crossed here too.

[Selfloading]

Looking hopeful at the moment:
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/03/18/europe/EU-GEN-NIreland-Helicopter-Crash.php

[AHQHI656SQN]

Fingers crossed none of those involved were seriously injured:ouch:

[Jackonicko]

These ink-stained 'journo fingers' are crossed too. The NI Lynx force seems to include a disproprtionate number of fellow PPRuNers, good friends and darned stout chaps.

[cokecan]

seven on board, Two Army Casualties, Four PSNI and one apparently unharmed.

walking wounded is the phrase going around at the mo, though whether that applies to all is unknown.

in somewhat of a departure of late, instead of being greeted with 12.7mm, RPG and and a Black and Decker for the unlucky, the most that the locals could manage were some snowballs for the Ambulance crew.

apparently it may have clipped the fence, the weather was vile.

hope all are ok soon.

[Tiger_mate]

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/42697000/jpg/_42697735_helicopter203.jpg
BBC(NI)News

Eyewitnesses said the Lynx helicopter clipped a fence near the Lismore housing estate before crashing in the field.

Vincent McParland said the helicopter came in hard
Vincent McParland and his wife watched the crash from their kitchen.

"We heard it coming and looked out, it was coming in brave and hard and low, next thing it swooped round and we saw it going round twice and went over on its side - next thing it hit the ground," he said.

The police said that ambulance crews removing the casualties from the scene came under attack by local youths throwing stones, fireworks and snowballs.
Similar attacks were made on police officers on the ground. There are no reports of any casualties.

I suspect that it was a bit more than a few harmless snowballs, but glad to hear that all are safe. Worth a note that the eyewitness is unlikely to be an unbiased rotary expert and 'brave and hard' is more akin to tabloid headlines, whilst any helicopter about to land will be 'low'. I cannot believe for one min that the population of Crossmaglen stop all to watch helicopters that have been a normal part of daily life there for decades. It would be like me stopping top watch a car drive by, one of hundreds every day. Not much in the way of Nr when it rolled though, else all the blades would be in bits.

[harrier007]

The local news have recently released that Four PSNI and Two Military personnel were admitted to Hospital, one of which was airlifted to Craigavon Area Hospital from the scene.

Three have since been released, however one of the injured party is being treated for back injury.

[cokecan]

Tiger Mate,

"Worth a note that the eyewitness is unlikely to be an unbiased rotary expert and 'brave and hard' is more akin to tabloid headlines"

dunno, i would of said that 'Brave and Hard' would be a fairly common figure of local speech, denoting anything unusually fast, low or noisy.

Chavs in sooped up Nova's would be said locally to drive in a 'Brave and Hard' manner, drunken youths being aggressive in the street or in bars would be described as acting in a 'Brave and Hard' manner.

[jayteeto]

Hopefully the press office will be working in normal 'speak'. Serious injury can be as simple as a broken bone, very serious or critical is still above. Not sure what brown trousers is classed as though. Mine would have been!! Fingers crossed for a speedy recovery and a sensible BOI.

[Zoom]

If my memory serves me well, brave is used often to accentuate the next couple of words, eg, 'It's brave and cold outside' means 'its very cold'. Accordingly 'brave and hard' would mean 'very hard' and would have little to do with bravery per se.

[eastern wiseguy]

Zoom ......has it correct..."quare and hard" would be another..


Thoughts with all on board ....


EW BFS Atco

[ranger703]

Another tribute to the strength of the Lynx airframe.The 2nd one I've seen in the last couple of years where the cabin has retained its shape with seemingly minimal damage.

In this case,albeit loathed to say,great design and engineering from the French!

Here's wishing a speedy recovery to all involved.

[RETDPI]

"In this case,albeit loathed to say,great design and engineering from the French!"


Actually - No.

IIRC the Lynx was the only one out of the Westland /Aerospatiale package (the other two being Puma and Gazelle) which had British design leadership. Admittedly it was not originally a Westland helicopter design (what was!) -but it was at least British.
There was an argument at the time in Westlands that the Lynx should have been called the Westland Weed, because:
Firstly, it was alliterative.
Secondly ,the naval version could have been called the "SeaWeed".
Thirdly the joint U.K./Fr agreement could have alluded to its being, phonetically at least, "agreed'.







Or, alternatively, "P*ssed upon".


Regardless of all this. Best wishes for a speedy recovery to all involved in the latest ding.

[aytoo]

Wasn't the original design from Saunders Roe prior to Wastelands taking it all over?

Apropos of nothing, but IIRC the criterion for the naming of the three cabs involved was that the names had to be the same in French and English.

[Two's in]

Another tribute to the strength of the Lynx airframe.The 2nd one I've seen in the last couple of years where the cabin has retained its shape with seemingly minimal damage.

...shame about its complete lack of a crashworthy fuel system and propensity to burst into flames after the slightest ding. A characteristic this crew avoided, thank heavens.

[Gainesy]

darned stout chaps

There's some banter there about pies but...:E


Hope all involved have a speedy recovery.:ok:

[Been There...]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/6470775.stm

The remains of the craft were removed by an Army Chinook helicopter on Tuesday and taken to RAF Aldergrove.

Don't you just love the press!

[WhiteOvies]

Doesn't surprise me at all. An RN Lynx did a visit to a school in NI, all good PR etc with a distinctly grey helicopter with ROYAL NAVY in big letters on the side. Reported (and subsequently complained about) as Army Recruiting poisoning the minds of young children! It seems that many of the UK public see 'the military' as actually 'the Army'. Happened during Op Fresco where everyone in CS95 was 'a soldier' irrespective of the actual Service involved.:*

(Anyway the Chinook IS a JHC and hence Land asset ;) )

[teeteringhead]

Wasn't the original design from Saunders Roe prior to Wastelands taking it all over?
...are you not thinking of the Scout which was certainly an SR design.

The "marinated" ;) version was to be the Sea Scout, but the Yeovil garagistes takeover made it the alliterative Wasp....

[Tiger_mate]

Because at the time all Westland products were called a name beginning with a wouble-ewe, though how the Lysander esaped that one is anybodys guess.
Wapitti
Widgeon
Whirlwind I & II
Wessex
Wyvern
Wasp
All UK designs
Dragonfly (US) / Lynx (Fr) / Sioux (US) / Gazelle (Fr) / Puma (Fr) / Merlin put paid to that one although the Merlin was not the first choice for EH101, but I cannot recall what was.

[Kitbag]

'Dragonfly (US) / Lynx (Fr) / Sioux (US) / Gazelle (Fr) / Puma (Fr) / Merlin put paid to that one'

Just to be pedantic and to repeat what RETDPI posted a few days ago, Lynx was the UK design contribution to the early 70's Anglo French collaboration programme. Not certain about numbers, but it has a pretty good sales record around the world.

[RETDPI]

W.G. 3- W.G. 13 (later Lynx) started off in the Fairey (Hayes) D.O. I believe.
N.B. Westland Yeovil, Pterodactyl(s) , Dreadnought and Limousine also non-alliterative.
Anorak off.

P.S. The "garagistes" did indeed make a very good 'up and over' garage door.

[WPH]

(Anyway the Chinook IS a JHC and hence Land asset ;) )

WhiteOvies,

By the same logic all Harriers are RAF assets!:O

WPH

[Gainesy]

P.S. The "garagistes" did indeed make a very good 'up and over' garage door.

No they didn't. I have one and its crap.:)

[helidriver]

By the same logic all Harriers are RAF assets

WPH,

Doesn't really matter! The RAF Harriers are almost redundant in Afghanistan, since the introduction of Army AH in theatre!;)

Anyway, back to the thread, get well soon boys.

[r supwoods]

We bought some bags of garden compost made by a company called Westland's from the garden centre last weekend .... :eek:

[MReyn24050]

RETDI states;-
"W.G. 3- W.G. 13 (later Lynx) started off in the Fairey (Hayes) D.O. I believe.
N.B. Westland Yeovil, Pterodactyl(s) , Dreadnought and Limousine also non-alliterative.
Anorak off.
P.S. The "garagistes" did indeed make a very good 'up and over' garage door."
The WG.3-WG.13 was not as REDTI believes started off by the Fairey (Hayes) D.O.
The history of the Lynx is described by Derek James in his book “Westland Aircraft since 1915” published by Putnam.
In 1959-60 Westland’s acquired the other British helicopter interests at Saunders-Roe, Fairey Aviation and Bristol Aircraft , all project design activity at these companies was discontinued and was centred at Yeovil where in 1962, a new Project Group was formed.
One of the four projected designs being undertaken by this group was for a single rotor, light tactical aircraft for use by the Army able to carry up to ten fully armed troops and a crew of two, this was given the project number WG.3. The aircraft was to have an all-up weight of 8,000-11,000 lb and to be powered by two PT6A turboshaft engines. This projected aircraft was intended to replace both the Whirlwind and Scout aircraft. For economy and reliability the WG.3A design incorporated proven components and engines including the Whirlwind gearbox and the use of a Bristol Belvedere rear rotor as the main rotor.
Into the design of the WG.3A went a great deal of experience gained by the Bristol element of the Project Group with the Bristol Type 203 which had been projected as a Sycamore replacement. The WG.3A design was further refined and developed ,firstly, into the WG.3B,then the WG.3C and encroached on the WG.4 which was intended as a Wessex replacement. However, after many discussions and presentations to all three Services, Westlands concentrated on the original smaller 8,000 lb aircraft which was given the project number WG.13. In October 1964 General Staff Operational requirements 3335 was issued calling for a multi-role helicopter able to carry a crew of two and seven fully-armed troops or a maximum load a 3,000 lb. These and a number of other specified requirements could all be met by the WG.13,which as we know went on to be the Lynx.

[RETDPI]

I only take my information first hand from those who were in Westlands Yeovil, actually designing the Lynx in the mid 60's- including my father who worked on the conformal gearbox;
Where was Derek James?

[MReyn24050]

I only take my information first hand from those who were in Westlands Yeovil, actually designing the Lynx in the mid 60's- including my father who worked on the conformal gearbox;
Where was Derek James?
The author Derek James states in the preface to his book:-
"The burden of responsibility for chronicling the history of this great company has been greatley eased by the willing assistance of many people, chief among them Harald Penrose, Fred Ballam and Peter Batten."
He goes on to say
" Fred Ballam cheerfully undertook the daunting task of reading and correcting the raw manuscript covering all the helicopter chapters, discovered long-forgotten project drawings and answered hundreds of questions, drawing on his lifetime service with Westland."
Fred Ballam MRAeS is, I understand, still with Westland and is responsible for the Archives he is also the Secretary for the Yeovil Branch of the Royal Aeronautical Society.
Derek James also acknowledges the help provided by a great number of present and past members of the Westland Team in the preface to his book.