RAF Seaking gets lost near Hull.

[kissmysquirrel]

BBC News reporting that the RAF helo whch winched 3 cadets off a floundering ferry off Humberside earlier today, was involved in another drama on it's way back inshore. Reporter states the 'GPS broke down' and the helo was lost for a while and had to land in snow. !!! How scary would that be?
I would really have thought that an RAF seaking would have more nav aids than 1 GPS. So much for accurate reporting from the Beeb again. :E :E

[ericferret]

It was ok really, the Sea King was lost but the crew knew where they were!!!!!!!!!!!!

[22clipper]

Temporarily unsure of position perhaps but never lost. Lost means you can't be found & helicopters are always found (out) sooner or later.

[NickLappos]

Daniel Boone once said, "I was never lost, but there was a period of about 4 days when I was a might disoriented!"

[oldbeefer]

I'm sure the smell of the waiting steak, chips and coffee would guide them home (waits for incoming from Crab@Saavn).:}

[Blue Rotor Ronin]

RAF lost?!!!!! Surely not ol' chap! It was the rest of the world that was out of kilter.;)

[helicopter-redeye]

The Sea King is quite old. Perhaps they could not get a LORAN signal

h-r;)

[Fatigue]

Ummm...surely they have a HSI, OBI???? Otringham VOR 5 miles from Hull?
Must be more to it????

[Heli-Ice]

For the boys, the best way to find the nearest town when uncertain of position is to unzip your fly and follow the ADF needle! :cool:

[SASless]

That is what happens when one trades a perfectly good Decca for some Spam DOD thingy!

[22clipper]

I got this worrying feelin' Whirls is gonna have sumfin to say 'bout that Heli-Ice?

[Whirlygig]

22clipper, I won't say that it hadn't crossed my mind but I can't think of anything to say that wouldn't get me into worse trouble :} .

Cheers

Whirls

[TorqueOfTheDevil]

helo was lost for a while and had to land in snow. !!!


Landing for a while to allow a heavy snow etc to pass is reasonably common, by day as well as by night (though it happens more often to the Scottish SARBoys & Girls) - even if you know exactly where you are, and have the best nav aids in the world (unlike a Sea King!), if you can't see, you tend not to press on!

One would hope that the Leconfield aircraft would not get lost within 15nm of base, though of course nothing can be confirmed or denied...

[22clipper]

That's a bit tame girl. I was hoping for sumfin a bit more provocative. You could have ventured the opinion Whirl's says if it was an all girl crew they wouldn't have got lost in the first place! Having lit the blue taper you could then stand back & enjoy the fireworks?

[Whirlygig]

Jeez luv, when one gets to my age (oh sorry, you have!), one can't BFA with the wisecracks, they've all been done before. Sadly (or not, depending on your perspective), I was thinking along slightly different lines :E :ok:

Cheers

Whirls

[[email protected]]

I think there may be some serious p*** taking out of the second division Northern SAR Squadron. Not because it happened - anyone can get lost - but because it made the BBC news and PPrune:)

So Bloggs, apart from the VOR/DME, NDB, Doppler feed to the CDNU and the hand-held GPS..... and map coverage of half the UK.....why exactly did a GPS module failure get you lost?:)

[Night Watchman]

Couldn't the 330 degree radar find the coast??? ;)

[outhouse]

About twelve or so years ago when we lived close to the Moray coast, I remember a typical for the area winters night, high ish gusting winds, low temperature and driving snow. We had the outside house lights on and herd the familiar sound of a helicopter passing over head at low altitude, only to return and start to fly around the I presume glow of the house lights. Well they landed in my field behind the house and my wife and I had the privilege of some very unexpected but exceptional guests for the night. An evening enjoying the company and being able to help will never be forgotten. The original task an expectant mother requiring an urgent trip to a hospital was satisfactory achieved by other means. The morning was sunny and clear typical for the area and the helicopter and crew departed.
An event that will always be remembered, not only because of the opportunity to help, but, the chance to meet and enjoy the company of exceptional aviators.

Outhouse.

[ShyTorque]

Which goes towards proving the old saying:
"If you want to attract the attention of a helicopter pilot, put flashing lights or t*ts on it".
:oh:
;)

Having brought another thread down to my usual level, I'll now back off! :O

[outhouse]

I Guess Shy Torque you may have lowered it some what. I would not have even contemplated flying that night, they did. Exceptional Aviators well done and i would love to meet up again.
outhouse.

[ShyTorque]

And good on you and your wife for granting them hospitality; it's nice to know there are still some out there who appreciate the SAR crews and are willing to show it and later to come here to say so. :ok:

[outhouse]

Thanks for the reply Shy Torque, it was the least we could have done, and I will never forget the support and confidence that I felt knowing that help was available when I may have needed it in times now long gone.

outhouse

[Megawart]

As the Captain of the aforementioned aircraft I can catagorically state that we landed to avoid blizzard conditions! Unusual I know in East Yorkshire, but thems the breaks....In total we were forced to land twice.
So there!
Can somebody recall the witch-hunt for me before they get carried away?

[Overt Auk]

Megawart,

This a rumour network. Please don't let facts get in the way of a good story!

[Megawart]

Schoolboy error - silly me!!

[kissmysquirrel]

Sorry. I pretty much quoted the good old BBC reporter. They're such a bunch of D***s sometimes.

[ShyTorque]

"RAF Seaking lost in blizzard"

Now they've got an even better headline :E

[scooter boy]

Well done Leconfield Sea King guys for making the right decision and landing - :D very smart move in the circumstances. Safety first etc...

The November before last (2005) during the snow dump that brought Cornwall to a standstill I was stranded at Treliske Hospital in Truro. The A30 (my route home) was blocked by abandoned Nissan Micras and a variety of Kias and Hyundais so I waited for several hours before slaloming home in my Range Rover at midnight when everybody else had given up the ghost of crossing Bodmin Moor..(so much for not needing a 4x4 - mine saved me from having to hunker down with a stuffed rabbit/kitten at the Jamaica Inn:} ).

During the wait for the road to clear (as well as sampling the exquisite delicacies of the hospital canteen:yuk: ) I watched the sea kings approaching the treliske hospital helipad bringing casualties in. It was a proper blizzard - full white out conditions.
How they could see anything in the last 50 ft of the approach I do not know.
If it wasn't a blizzard already it certainly was by the time their downwash started licking up the snow.

Heroes to a man IMHO :D - that was a night when almost everybody had given up on driving and the Sea Kings were still going.

SB