My very first flight in a Wessex was as a CCF Cadet at Odiham in 1968. The start of an association that lasted until 2002. Starting as a Crewman in 79, I flew 18 years on type amassing some 5500 hrs. I enjoyed my time far more than my subsequent tours on the Herc or the VC10. I have so many memories of those years on 28, 60, 72 and 2FTS from always being covered in oil from the bulkhead above my head to the banter with the talking ankles in the cockpit. They were great days looked back on with sometimes misty eyes. Too many tales to tell but the old girl will always have a place in my heart. I had the privilege to operate as the Crewman with OC 28 on the very last flight in Hong Kong as we flew them to the docks for transport to Uruguay in June 97 and in 2002 as the Chief Instructor Heli Trg Section at JATEU I managed to get airborne on the last day of Wessex flying in the RAF as 84's Cabs were flown from Brize to Shawbury for storage and disposal. And if I still need a fix, I visit Cosford a gaze on XR525 'G' as she sits on a pedestal for all to see.
And finally as an aside when I was Dined Out from the Mess at Brize in 2010, I presented OC101 with a small dicast Wessex, so the fixed wing pilots could see what a real aircraft looked like!