Blue Eagles (Sioux days)

[Chutsy]

Hi all, can anyone out there tell me what flight clothing the Blue Eagle aircrews wore in the days of the Sioux? Was it the standard AAC flight suit or did they have something special made up like the Lynx days? Also, am I right in thinking that they wore red helmets?
TIA for any help.

[P6 Driver]

There will be those reading this who can answer with more authority on the subject, but I recall light blue Mk.11 flying suits and either a white or light blue Mk3a/b flying helmet being used.

[topendtorque]

A company I used work for once bought a heap of spares from England amongst which were a heap of parts from the "Blue Eagles" flight line.

Most of us had never seen such new parts, there were several xmon's, the oldest being something less than 200 hours the youngest just 19.5 hours.

We popped the case apart for a look, the gears were all still blue from manufacture, so it must have been in their system, LOL. On the tags was the reason for removal, this really got us. "Removed due Intensive flying, Blue Eagles Aerobatic Team."

This we thought quite funny. The next morning as about nine of us took off in formation at daylight all mounted in '47's, we each tried to emulate "intensive flying," - pity there wasn't a camera about.

[SilsoeSid]

Don't know if this is any help, it's an article about the Blue Eagles mid air at Christchurch, 1969;

http://www.royhodges.co.uk/Helicopter%20Regatta%20Crash%201969.pdf

[SilsoeSid]

1969, normal flying suit;
http://www.abpic.co.uk/photo/1160643/

A pic from 1973, appear to be wearing blue suits;
https://www.flickr.com/photos/52467480@N08/6745096899/



First Day Cover for sale;
RAF AIR DISPLAY/1-BLUE EAGLES-SIOUX AH MK 1 BIGGIN HILL on eBid United Kingdom (http://uk.ebid.net/for-sale/raf-air-display-1-blue-eagles-sioux-ah-mk-1-biggin-hill-78002364.htm#pic)

[Darren999]

I would love to get a Bell 47 helicopter display team together. Those helicopters are lovely!!
Would love to see some footage from back then on what they did...

[misterbonkers]

Count me in on that one Darren. Can probably arrange 4 47s and pilots but will people pay for a display?

[Darren999]

Bonkers,

I know they pay at some air shows over here in the US for displays. Not sure in the UK. If I could get some fooage of what they used to do that would be great!

Would love a 4 helicopter Bell 47 display show. Took a D1 out to blow the cobb webs out yesteerday :)

[Sir Korsky]

Should you really be batting for the other team Darren? :}

[parabellum]

I was part of a Sioux display team at Detmold, (BAOR), for Hobart open day in first week of August, 1966. We wore normal green flying suit and Mk3a white bone domes.

Can't remember all the exercises we did, everything synchronised without getting too close to each other!;) One manoeuvre I do remember is the eight aircraft, split into two teams, high hover, facing each other, staggered along either side of the extended centre line of the runway, dive towards each other, cross, zoom climb, stall turn/rudder turn at top, down cross and repeat a few times.

We were drawn from various units in Germany and only formed for the one display, together for eight days. Don't think we had a name, as such. Think the Blue Eagles came a bit later and were based in the UK.

[Python21]

I flew as number 2 in 1974 and we wore blue flying suits.

http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k144/python21/BlueEagles74_zps243104ec.jpg (http://s87.photobucket.com/user/python21/media/BlueEagles74_zps243104ec.jpg.html)

I flew as leader in Scouts with the Eagles in 84 when we wore black flying suits

http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k144/python21/Eagles84_zps1755c6f8.jpg (http://s87.photobucket.com/user/python21/media/Eagles84_zps1755c6f8.jpg.html)

http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k144/python21/010916-1955-48_zpsc73b7eab.jpg (http://s87.photobucket.com/user/python21/media/010916-1955-48_zpsc73b7eab.jpg.html)

And my daughter flew as number 4 and then 2 for two years in 01/02 with blue flying suits

http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k144/python21/010728-1403-00.jpg (http://s87.photobucket.com/user/python21/media/010728-1403-00.jpg.html)

[Chutsy]

Thanks guys that's really useful and Python it's particularly useful to hear to see the photos and hear it from the 'horse's mouth' as it were. Great to hear that your daughter kept it in the family as well!

[Twinpac]

I was No 4 in the 1973 team.
http://i629.photobucket.com/albums/uu17/Twinpac/BlueEagles1973001.jpg (http://s629.photobucket.com/user/Twinpac/media/BlueEagles1973001.jpg.html)

http://i629.photobucket.com/albums/uu17/Twinpac/BlueEaglesTeamPhoto.jpg (http://s629.photobucket.com/user/Twinpac/media/BlueEaglesTeamPhoto.jpg.html)

I will leave you to work out the names.

[Darren999]

Sir Korsky,
I wont tell if you wont :)
Plus my colleagues want to come out and fly it too :)

Some of them all learnt on one.. :ok:

[P6 Driver]

In the early 1970's Blue Eagles era, it was watching their displays that made me decide to not only join the Army (which I had already decided on) but specifically join the AAC.


With that in mind, a "Thank you" goes to Python21 and Twinpac for their unwitting inspiration and superbly flown displays. If either of you have a display flown over the River Trent in Nottingham from 1971,72 or 73 in your log books, I was one of the youngsters waving at you!

[Cornish Jack]

Doing S&R cover for a B of B day at Gaydon in the late 60s, we were parked next to the Eagles. When they came to do their display, one of the 'mice' wouldn't start and the leader who was already rotors running leapt out of his machine and rushed over to help, leaving his own beast whirling away on its own. :eek: For blue clad fling wing operators, that was heresy but, apparently, not so for the AAC. Horses for courses, indeed:hmm:

[Twinpac]

Leaving a helicopter with rotors turning is not encouraged these days but in the good old days of single pilot flying if was sometimes necessary. I remember one occasion in Malaya when I had to leave my Sioux running in a jungle clearing for about 20 minutes. We were encouraged to do it (and taught how to do it safely) just in case the engine would not re-start. I have also on occasion had to get out of my Bell 212 on a small platform off-shore do deal with a loading or passenger issue.

[GOP1]

Twinpac,sorry to contact you this way, but at the weekend my father showed me the picture you posted of six pilots in front of the Sioux in hard copy and said he should get it scanned and enlarged. I found your PIC and this post yesterday and could not believe it. My father says he is the second one in from the left! Any chance I could get a copy as I was looking to get it printed on a cup or something as a present.

[DenisWH]

Hi Mr MT.....I was your "Greenie" on that 1973 team.

[MOSTAFA]

Leaving a helicopter with rotors turning is not encouraged these days but in the good old days of single pilot flying if was sometimes necessary. I remember one occasion in Malaya when I had to leave my Sioux running in a jungle clearing for about 20 minutes. We were encouraged to do it (and taught how to do it safely) just in case the engine would not re-start. I have also on occasion had to get out of my Bell 212 on a small platform off-shore do deal with a loading or passenger issue.

Ditto in a Scout on a regular basis.