A Sycamore Test

[QuePee]

Many thanks to all those that took the time to contribute to a recent thread identifying a Gannet for me. I have another old "un" to test your skills.
I recently came across this Sycamore photo in a US equivalent of a car boot sale. I am curious to see if anyone can identify it and the circumstances that apparently led to the condition indicated in the picture. The only help I can give is that it appears to be coded C and on the back is a date of 195? written in very feint pencil. Not much to go on is it.

All thoughts very welcome.

http://i30.tinypic.com/2jdf53k.jpg

QP

[Saint Jack]

QuePee: An interesting picture, it does seem that the helicopter has made an unplanned landing, for whatever reason, and then suffered a blade strike. Look at the top of the helicopter and you can see the remains of one blade still attached to the spindle but the spindle has been wrenched some 90 degrees to the left (aft in respect of direction of rotation). Also, the object protruding from the right side of the helicopter may be a rescue hoist/winch arm. The picture appears to show recovery work in progress as the fuselage seems to be resting on some kind of platform - a lorry/truck perhaps. The person standing on the right of the helicopter appears to be wearing military clothing and a soft hat, so this together with signs of trpical foiliage on the right of the picture leads me to think that it's a RAF/RN Bristol Sycamore in Malaya/Borneo circa 50's/60's. If I remember correctly, the 'C' may refer to British military catagorisation of aircraft damage in which Cat C was 'scrap'.

[rotorfossil]

Most RAF helicopters had a squadron fleet letter for quick ident on the nose and side of the fuselage.
From the 195? date, this is possibly a 194 Squadron Sycamore in Malaya where they served along with Dragonflys.

[Fareastdriver]

I think it is a long way past the recovery stage. Too many bits are missing where it has been Xmas-treed. Seats, undercarriage and judging by the fact you can see straight through the cockpit, the engine. The 'hoist arm' looks too far forward to be used for roping, not that the Sycamore could do much, so it may just be wreckage twisted off the roof.. The oil drum in the cockpit suggests that it is probably on the station dump.

Of the 36 XG series built some 24 were written off for one reason or another.

[Old-Duffer]

The aircraft is likely to have been either 194 or 110 Sqn and 'C' is a sqn identifying letter and nothing to do with the aircraft's state. I have details of the loss of 59 Sycamore HC14s but the fact that the aircraft is on a sled suggests that some attempt is being made to recover it rather than leave it in the deep jungle. Furthermore, its relative completeness suggests a surviveable accident and one without fire.

Can't get much closer without the sqn F540!!