Puma "too close for comfort"

[Tickle]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_ils1Qmd5k

A military Puma is flown very low at high speed through a camp and between trees and almost taking someone's head off.

[Letsby Avenue]

:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :rolleyes: :ugh:

[Scissorlink]

LMAO........That would be awesome to see

[Peter-RB]

Na, there was bags of room........... at least 4 inches!:ooh:

Peter R-B

[Vie sans frontieres]

When pilots start groundschool these days they should have a lesson devoted to You Tube and how this website will more than likely lead to them being grounded, be it for crazy stunts, contravention of SOPs or just the age old favourite of the air stewardess getting her t1ts out in the cockpit. That said, it's very entertaining for the rest of us.

[QAZWSX]

Their are Fu#k Wits and their are Fu#k wits.
These guys are Idiots!

[OverTq]

Looks like just another routine BGS run in Belize to me!

[ShyTorque]

Ten feet higher and I would have said great, good wazz, nice one.

As it was, I say very poor judgement indeed; he came extremely close to killing all others on board, none of whom had direct control over their fate. He could have also killed at least one person on the ground.

Anyone remember the South Cerney C130 pilot who decapitated a soldier in similar circumstances? He probably thought he was a great pilot, too.

If this idiot was under my jurisdiction, he would be grounded wie. Hope he grows up before he kills someone. :ugh:

[Barry Scott]

It was Belize. Maybe you can see me smiling in the left hand door if you look closely.
Just another way to relieve the boredom.

For your information, pilot didn't realise people were going to walk across where the planned run in was.

He sh*t himself. We didn't realize until we saw the video but we knew we were close to the ground.

He knows all about the other incident. I bet he never does it again actually. A lesson well learned.!!

[ShyTorque]

You had a very close call. Remind your pilot about the 230 Puma loss in Rhodesia in 1979, Op Agila.

We lost three good colleagues (Archie Cook, Mike Smith, Bob Hodges) to a wire strike on the main rotor head; they now lie in Odiham churchyard where we laid them. The wire was estimated by the BOI to have been 18 feet agl. The rotor head of as Puma is about 16 feet agl, iirc. The largest piece of wreckage was an engine oil cooler and the debris path was a quarter of a mile long. :(

[Wiretensioner]

Shytorque

Is it really that long ago.
Archie was buried in Glasgow, Bob had a private funeral then his ashes were scattered from a Puma (Me, FitzP and the sqn boss), Mike is buried in the cemetary at Odiham. I was one of the carrying party. Excellent squadron piss up at the end of the week.

Wiretensioner

[Fly_For_Fun]

Is this typical behaviour from RAF pilots? Sometimes its too late to learn lessons and a bit of sensible behaviour and CRM should be thought about. This is an example of what NOT to do, IMHO.

[OverTq]

Is this typical behaviour from RAF pilots? Sometimes its too late to learn lessons and a bit of sensible behaviour and CRM should be thought about. This is an example of what NOT to do, IMHO.
No, it's not 'typical', but, sadly, still happens - sometimes with tragic results.

[ShyTorque]

WireT,

Yes, Nearly 30 years ago now, where did the time go? I well remember attending Mike's funeral; in the back of my mind I did recall that a separate burial took place for one of the chaps; couldn't remember which one; I was likely to have been in Belize myself while Bob went for his final flight with yourself.. :sad:

We must have flown together. BW was the boss in those days, PA had just left when I joined 230.

The exuberance of youth does still take its toll....

[FayeDeck]

Sorry Guys............there is stupidity and then there is a whole other level, I agree, this guy is a clown and should be dealt with by his boss. Any idiot can do that - certainly does not make you a good pilot pal.

[Farrell]

Looks like French ops to me. If it was then it was nothing new!

Although I'm not sure about the shorts. I remember seeing photos of the old F1 camo in shorts but wasn't aware of the F2 shorts. The shorts were gone in my day anyway - thank God!

[rotornut]

A friend of mine dumpted a load of water from a CL-215 on a ground crew having a meal. He thought this would be a great practical joke. Fortunately no one was hurt but the force of the water knocked everybody around. He realised afterwards that just how powerful an air drop can be and was lucky there were no serious injuries or deaths, as happened in Italy.

[FredFri]

Looks like French ops to me

Yes, the comment you can hear at the end is definitely in french : <<Ah les fous furieux!!>>

[Lurking123]

kn0bs. Been to quite a few service funerals; each one because someone did something he shouldn't have.

[4ftHover]

Video just been shown on Sky News.

[Wiretensioner]

Shy

Yep

PA was the boss when I arrived then BW follwed by HR in Germany. I left in 82 to the OCU

So at some stage we must have flown together!

Wiretensioner

[AARON O'DICKYDIDO]

I remember the incident. I was an airframe tech on 230 at the time. Flt Lt Mike Smith was a true gentleman. Very much respected by the ground crew. I only knew the other two by name.

[John Eacott]

As these are anonymous forums the origins of the contributions may be opposite to what may be apparent. In fact the press may use it, or the unscrupulous, to elicit certain reactions.

The audio, from the start, appears to me to be French as already mentioned. Methinks "Barry Scott" is a Wind-up Walt of the first grade :rolleyes:

[OverTq]

I remember the incident. I was an airframe tech on 230 at the time. Flt Lt Mike Smith was a true gentleman. Very much respected by the ground crew. I only knew the other two by name.

I concur - Mike was my student at Sy - smashing bloke and a great loss.

[Tiger_mate]

Here is a still from the video:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2375/2262896043_722175e489.jpg

Those that know the RAF machine and its defensive aids and FM aerial locations along with the airframe marking used by ALAT will know beyond all doubt that this is a French Army machine.

Barry Scott: your comment is far from funny, please consider yourself a tw%^ of the highest order. There are rumours which unfounded can be very dangerous and your bull5hit will affect a good many people who are already threaders without your lies being placed on top.

[OverTq]

To be fair - could have been an RAF machine from years ago however, that was before video cameras were invented (luckily for some of us!).

[Brian Abraham]

Methinks "Barry Scott" is a Wind-up Walt of the first grade

Sorry to disagree John. I KNOW he's a w**ker first class, and with probably a hundred oak leaf clusters. :sad:

[212man]

Beat me to it! I think it was the tight shorts of the bystanders that gave it away, followed by the French voices! Without being an anorak: is it even a 330? The nose area looks like a short 332 to me.

[John Eacott]

Here (http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=858_1202863592) is a longer vid of French low level, with the subject beat up about half way through.

Tiger_mate pointed out the antennae positions, the video also shows a weather radar on the nose, not fitted to RAF Pumas.

Definitely French ;)



and BS seems to have been sent to Coventry :ok:

[Hippolite]

Oh 212 man......

your recognition de la Puma est not so magnifique....there is no lower tail "fin" so it isn't a 332....definitely a 330 of some variant.

[FredFri]

is it even a 330? The nose area looks like a short 332 to meIt is a 330.
Some have been retrofit with a weather radar, hence the extended "round nose".

There are no short 332's in the French military (Spanish army might have some).

[jellycopter]

The Puma makes for some particularly interesting low-level beat ups when the pilot forgets he's left the undercarriage down. Been there, done that, learned the lesson - won't do it again!

The vid posted by John Eacott reminds me of some flights in Belize (Southern Highway to Holdfast scaring truck drivers or doing the 'Eastern Branch'), Oman (using the shadow of the skids as a very accurate rad-alt; NBGL = Not below ground level) and NI (the race track in Fermanagh).

The most impressive for me was a back seat ride in a Jag in Oman at 450kts down a road at 5ft for about 5 miles - easing up occasioanlly to miss the road signs! Much respect to the pilot, MA. I never felt in danger at any stage.

With my 'adult' head on I must say however, that it's not big and it's not clever.

But it's bloody good fun.

J

[manfromuncle]

Reckless? Maybe. But how many of us here have never done low-flying for fun? Not many I bet.

[HELOFAN]

At 2:47 on that last video , that Gazelle flies UNDER the power lines :eek:

can you see ALL the wires at that speed that they were flying including the support wires?

In all honesty, is there a need for performing all those manouvers?

HF

[Omni Range Zero]

..What a ******....

[IntheTin]

WOW!!!!

Amazing views from the cockpit of the Puma. :ok:

[JBL99]

Video now been removed from YouTube. Where else can I see what you're all talking about !

[206Fan]

Longer video of just the 330 pumas.. Very nice footage..

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=ca0_1188252965

[Farrell]

Jellycopter....

I'm in Oman at the moment. Based in Salalah for now.
The Jags are still down in Thumreit. They fly over and practice procedures off the SLL VOR sometimes.

Am trying to get a backseat in one at the moment.
They tell me that they're working on it.....will have to wait and see!