Royal Navy invades western Colorado?

[GreenKnight121]

65 minutes ago, off in the distance here in Grand Junction, Co, USA... I saw a Sikorsky 61 or Sea King flying... an unusual sight here in the middle of the western US, on the west slope of the Rocky Mountains.

I though I had the explanation in the large object just below the fuselage... "a water-bucket for fire-fighting... no way would a Royal Navy Sea King be here" I thought.

Just 18 minutes ago, I got out of my jeep after running to the bank (lunch hour), only to hear a distinctive sound behind me (I last heard it live aboard USS Ranger CV-61 in 1987).

I turned around, and there, at about 1,000' AGL, coming straight over my house, was a Royal Navy Sea King ASaC7!!

Yes, Searchwater dome hanging down & everything! It had the intake screen boxes above the cockpit.

I am annoyed there was no time to run inside & get my camera, but what a sight!


Does anyone know why it would be all the way up here? I know there are RAF Merlins about 450 miles SSW of me... but what is the RN doing here in the mountains?

[WE992]

If you go to www.abpic.co.uk (http://www.abpic.co.uk) and type in XV672 in the search engine you will find a photo of it arriving at Gunnison airport, Colorado!

[GreenKnight121]

Thanks for the ID... as it flew directly overhead I couldn't see the letters.

[Spanish Waltzer]

Ah...yes...can we have it back please?

We wound up the big band and set it off eastwards but these damn things have a mind of their own sometimes and apprently prefer to follow the sun. :E:E:E

Then again I think you had it spot on in your first post

I saw a Sikorsky 61 or Sea King flying... an unusual sight

[the funky munky]

It is going the same way as the big green fun bus in the stan.

Just add a + to the Mk number, as the tail rotor hub gives it all away!

[jim2673]

Belongs to Boscombe Down and QQ doing hot and high trials with Carson MRBs and AW 5BTR.

[GreenKnight121]

Ok... makes sense (kind of)... we've certainly got the "high" down, as Colorado has 54 peaks of 14,003' or over (4,268+ m).

However, 3 weeks ago would have been better, as we had temps of 98°+ F (36.6° C), but this week has been rainy and ~80° F (26.6° C).

See the list on the left side of here: 14ers.com - Home of Colorado's Fourteeners and High Peaks (http://www.14ers.com/)


The rotor sound didn't seem very different than the USN standard 5-blade rotors on the SH-3H, though. I guess the Carson blades and the new tail rotor sound much the same as the old ones & 4 blade tr.

[engineer(retard)]

Leadville is the favoured destination but it seems late in the season, unless it is on its way back.

regards

retard

[Nicholas Howard]

[QUOTEThe rotor sound didn't seem very different than the USN standard 5-blade rotors on the SH-3H, though. I guess the Carson blades and the new tail rotor sound much the same as the old ones & 4 blade tr. [/QUOTE]

That's because it isn't very different from the USN 5 bladed TR, except the TRBs are of a Westland design. The usual configuration for a UK SK is a 6 bladed TR, not sure I've ever seen one with 4 (though I did see one with a TRB on backwards once!)

Nick

[vecvechookattack]

though I did see one with a TRB on backwards once


Oh, I remember that.....what a mess it made....I still don't understand how nobody spotted that the TR was on back to front...... They soon realised when they flashed it up though....

[GreenKnight121]

OK... I seem to have mis-remembered the SH-3H tail rotor blade count :O

http://data3.primeportal.net/hangar/bartolome_jordan/sh-3h/images/sh-3h_01_of_38.jpg

SH-3H Sea King Walk Around Page 1 (http://www.primeportal.net/hangar/bartolome_jordan/sh-3h/)