50 Years of Sea King in UK service

[chopper2004]

Happy Half A Century of UK SK ops

https://uk.leonardocompany.com/en/ne...th-anniversary

Some of my photos from five years ago of Century of AW at Yeovil

cheers











and also from Farnborough Air Show 2018 of HeliOperations SK.

[TUPE]

[John Eacott]

Originally Posted by chopper2004

Happy Half A Century of UK SK ops

https://uk.leonardocompany.com/en/ne...th-anniversary

Please don't confuse XV666 first flight with the type's date of entry into service with the RN.

700S IFTU commissioned 19th August 1969, nearly 51 years ago with Vic Sirrett as CO We had XV644 to XV649 (582/CU to 587/CU) on charge with the first three delivered in August 1969, one in September and the last two in October. 706NAS received three later in the year and the first front line operations were with 824NAS/Ark Royal from February 1970.

Spotters Hat <off>

700S stuff









826NAS, HMS Eagle









XV666/144E was delivered to 826NAS on 17th August 1970 and the first operational flight was 20th August on a 4hr 5 min CASEX with CO Lt Cdr Noel Unsworth, me, SOBS and TASI ('Sugar' Bush). A very high powered team






So XV666 anniversary of RN service is still 8 weeks away



700S trials, RFA Olna

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Good to see the yellow Mk3A for a change - I've got plenty of hours in ZH542. I was sitting in Heliops' 666 just last week with a fellow ageing SK QHI getting misty-eyed.

[Pablo332]

Nice pictures. Was there ever a Sea King with a mk1 throttle quadrant, the one before the irreversible one?

[TUPE]

SAROp HIFR, South Atlantic.

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Ah, HMS Clyde and HIFR - done that a few times Can't be too high though or the fuel transfer rate is slower than the engines burn rate

[John Eacott]

With mention of XV666 and the 50th anniversary of a Westland Sea King still in active use, today is the 50th Anniversary of my first flight in XV66/144E of the 826th Vertical Pursuit Group

4hr 05min on a CASEX, not at all sure what the “4 subs, fired 2 fish” refers to

[QTG]

XV662 April 1972 (3 days in the husbandry bay then back on line.......)

HMS Tiger 1973

Portland 1973

“The Wales” Culdrose Air Day mid 70s.