What is this guy doing?

[Tarman]

This is my first attempt at trying to link to another site, so forgive me if it fails.
Anyone any idea what this guy is doing ?

WiJEyMSu-XE

[What Limits]

From the body language, I would guess that he is an AME looking to resolve a technical issue. Climbing up and down aircraft with things rotating is commonplace in the industry (but may not be best practice!).

The PIC could well be flying from the left hand seat if the aircraft is on slingload/bucketing/longline operations. Why? because you can look out of the bubble window in the co-pilots door, see the load and still reach the collective (almost impossible in the right hand seat).

[Tarman]

That all makes sense. Cheers

[bigsquirrel]

Have you seen the engineers on Erickson Aircranes check the rotors on startup, that looks like a job not for the feint hearted.

Cheers

BS

[Matari]

Probably a leak check. No big deal.

[SASless]

Could be looking for his torque wrench.....they are worth a lot of money you know!

[technoprat]

I would say he is leak checking the forward end of the Main Drive Shaft,
or the oil seal on the Transmission Input Coupling.

I don't see a close call myself.

[Trans Lift]

I was watching the engineer for a Skycrane doing the checks as they started up. It was interesting to see him walk under the tail rotor. Plenty of room to spare but still gives a hint of the pucker factor!!!:eek:

[Eng AW139]

Should have been around when we flag tracked the main rotor and poked checked the tail rotor. Set the tail rotor drive shaft bearing on the 206 was always my fav job as well. NOT Thank you mister strobe ex.

[Matari]

Should have been around when we flag tracked the main rotor and poked checked the tail rotor

Ah yes! Poke checked the old B212 tail rotor many a time. Procedure: tape a wax pencil on the end of a broomstick. Crank up the machine, 100% rpm.

Head to the back and first heat up the wax pencil by sticking it in the PT6 exhaust flow for just a sec or two.

Then, down to the tail rotor. Hold the broom stick ever so carefully against the fin's trailing edge, and guide it in until the wax pencil just hits the rotating T/R blades.

Shutdown, check markings, adjust, repeat. Beats working in the hell hole anyday.

[Oldlae]

We poked the 205/212 T/R with a paintbrush coated with that red grease (Mobil?) taped to a broom handle.
I think he was checking the short shaft.

[bolkow]

In Ireland engineers are very skillful, have even seen them change main rotor linkages during hot refuelling stops! LMAO:}:}

[Reefdog]

heard the following story years ago.....somewhere in Oz

helicopter going 100% RRPM, pilot in RH seat engineer on top (leak checking probably) Clients of operation watching with Ops manager explaining whats going on...

Operations radio pilot to move helicopter to different location..pilot: roger that..
forgets about engineer on top
pulls pitch,,,hover taxi..next thing engineer trying to bash pilot through window... lands helicopter..engineer pulls pilot from cabin and fisty cuffs is on the apron...in front of bemused CLIENTS

when told could not stop laughing
anyone heard the same story or similiar

obvoiusly another engineer with no sense of humor..(only jokin guys)

[ShyTorque]

In 1985 I was at a deployed field location in Germany, a Chinook site. A similar thing happened there.

The engineer was checking something on the servicing platform on the rear pylon when the pilot lifted off and moved 100 metres across the field.

We all know the sort; they promoted the pilot..... and they all breathed a sigh of relief :oh:

[What Limits]

Probably Chief of the Air Staff by now!

[jessie13]

When I worked on Sea Kings, we used to have to climb up onto the LH Transmission platform to do a torque transmitter bleed when the rotors were turning. There was no room for error!

[Saint Jack]

Speaking of helicopters getting airborne with engineers (UK)/mechanics(US) hanging on reminds me of an experieance I had about a hundred years ago when I as in the Royal Air Force. A colleague and I were doing something at the back end of a Belvedere (look it up) while the rotors were turning for which we had to lean across the rear undercarriage struts. Suddenly we were at a 5-foot hover and both of us simply let go of everything and dropped to the ground, luckily the helicopter didn't come down on top of us. It transpired that the loadmaster had not in formed the pilot, who just happened to be the squadron commander, that we were still draped over the undercarraige. After the flight the CO apologised profusely but we were not privy to the discussion between him and the loadmaster.

[Tractor_Driver]

Super Puma, rotors running. Avionics engineer has some business in the tail boom. Pilot, returning from pee break, closes boot and off they go.

Engineer, now in dark, manages to crawl backwards, pull baggage from top shelf and locate fire fighting hatch on the bulkhead.

Passenger, who was convinced that he was on rear seat, is very surprised to find a hand tapping him on the shouder!

TD

[spinwing]

Mmmmm ...

.... Bristol BELVEDERE ..... Cripes Saint Jack .... how old are you ????


(You wouldn't know Alan Styles would you?).


:}

[SASless]

A young fellow named Jack Trigg used to keep me spell bound telling his stories of flying Belvedere's.....he was an amazing story teller and a true gentleman! It is said he is the one of two people who ever went to the D-Day invasion in a Tiger Moth. His Student being the other.

[Saint Jack]

spinwing: Age, well not quite ready for the scrap heap just yet. Alan Styles, the name is vaguely familiar, was he a Belvedere driver?

SASless: Jack Trigg is another vagurly familiar name, I seem to recollect that he was a Master Pilot (the RAF's flying equivelent of a Warrant Officer), am I correct?

I first experienced the Belvedere when I was posted to RAF Khormaksar in mid-1965 where the helicopter assets were the Belvedere's of 26 Sqdn, Wessex HC2's of 72 Sqdn and Wirlwind 10's for SAR, I can't remember the Wirlwind unit I'm afraid. In late 1965 26 Sqdn was dispanded and the Belvedere's were assigned to 66 Sqdn at RAF Seletar in Singapore. The aircraft were shipped out on either HMS Albion or HMS Bulwark, I don't recall which and some of the ground-crews accompanied the aircraft while the remainder, including myself, flew from Khormaksar to Manama (Bahrain) by Hastings then on to RAF Changi by Comet. Rather curiously, I don't remember any of the aircrew being transfered with the helicopters, only ground-crew.
Upon arrival at Seletar, the first task with the Belvedere's was to repaint them in a camouflage pattern as they were still in the old 'silver and white' paint scheme. This was a high priority as 66 Sqdn was actively engaged in in operations against Indonesian forces in Malaya and Borneo, this of course was the period noe known as 'Confrontation'. For the Borneo operations the squadron had a permanant detachment at Labaun. Oh happy days!

[linken]

The Whirlwind's at Labuan were 230Sqdn.

I was posted to Labuan in February 1965. As an air electronics technicion you can imagine there was not much work on the choppers for me. I therefore took up the offer of a crewman on the choppers, the best decision I ever made, a fantastic year flying around.

From there I went to Changi for 18 months before returning to the UK.

Ken Gibson

[Oldlae]

The Whirlwinds of 230 Sqdn were IIRC the Whirlwinds from the UN in Cyprus. A detachment of 22 Sqdn looked after them for the last month before flying them on to HMS Triumph where they were to be modified on the trip to Labuan by 230 Sqdn The Whirlwinds were replaced by Wessex by which we were flown off the Triumph back to Nicosia.

[spinwing]

Mmmm...

Saint Jack ...

Yes Alan (Styles) was a Belvedere driver (he also did my Puma conversion soooo loong ago) ... he used to tell me of the fun and games trying to rig those things to fly sweet .... something to do with cables and airframe twisting???? I seem to recall!

Age .... Ha .... if you look down the cue .... you'll see me standing not that far away from you! :}

Cheers :E

[linken]

Anyone know Dave Crabbe and James Hall, chopper pilots on 230 Sqdn, Labuan 1965?

[Saint Jack]

spinwing:

Yes, the Belvedere was all fun and games doing main rotor track and balance, particularly if you had mis-matched blades, and it could take lierally days to get it right. By the way, this was done by using an early electronic system using magnetic pick-ups, a far cry from the standard procedure (at the time) of using a tracking flag for the Wessx and Wirlwind.

The flight control system itself did not help, basically this was push-pull tubes (cables were only used for yaw control and I believe they were only connect to the forward rotor so that when the helicopter yawed it pivoted about the rear rotor - I think). The hydraulic servo actuators were located under the cockpit floor. This resulted in very positive inputs from the cockpit controls to the servos but from the servos to the respective rotor heads the control motion, particularly to the rear rotor some 30 feet away could be a little 'spongey', particularly in the 'push' sense. A later modifcation installed nylon fairleads along the entire length of the flight controls to the rear rotor to prevent/minimise 'bowing' of the rods under these 'push' conditions.

I don't recall too much about airframe twisting but I do remember that structural cracking was virtually absent. And don't even get me started about the notorious engine starting system.

For those of you who know, or may know, people from this period I now recall the name Flt. Lt. John Dicken (corect spelling?) whom I later heard went to a VIP helicopter operation in the London area. I remember him as a big jovial guy who, when no one was looking, was quite happy to call me by my nick name, I was an SAC (Senior Aircraftsman) at the time. For the non-British, this is one rank below Corporal - but they were keeping an eye on me!

Finally, can someone please explain how I remember all of this when I occasionally leave home having forgotten to zip-up my fly?

[SASless]

I recall vivid accounts of engine starts....with grass fires...engine fires...forest fires!

Troops rappelling almost....when the old dears were sat upon the ground.

Somethng about the landing gear being a bit long to accomodate carrying a torpedo or something like that.

The Belvedere had to be an interesting thing for all concerned!

[beeaeronut]

Alan Styles was indeed a Belvedere Pilot on 66 Sqn, one of the Flt Sgt Pilots.

Jack Trigg was a Master Pilot on 103 Sqn flying Whirlwinds.

I was one of the Air Engineers drafted in as Helicopter Crewman on 103 Sqn. I acted as Belvedere Crewman during an exercise to cover for a colleague who had to be medevac back to Seletar. I flew as crew for Alan and the 66 Sqn Cdr - Sqn Ldr Gray.

[SASless]

Jack Trigg.....the epitome of what a helicopter pilot should be!:ok::ok:

Many fine nights being regaled with tales of old by that dear Gentleman!:)

[AirWon]

I'd like to claim some kind of tenuous link to this thread. I was born at RAF Changi in 1966. Dad was a Cpl in the RAF at the time.
A little embarrassed to admit that I shall have to google "Belvedere"....strictly a 500 guy myself these days.

[Mindset]

As this is my first contribution to Prune, I am delighted that my first comments are to agree with those mentions of Jack Trigg. Jack was a delightful man, a great pilot and a dear friend I feel very priveleged to have known and flown with. As mentioned by others he had a fund of humorous stories that never failed to raise a laugh.