A couple more comments from downunder. Regarding the roll over, as any good test pilot will explain at length, (Well he did to me!!!!!) it's not just roll limits for ship or slope limits for a/c but particularly rate of movement that is important as all this comes together producing moments which may easily roll a helo. Some ships have been modified to reduce their rate but increaseing the amount of roll to allow helo ops to be possible. Weight may not be a good thing even low down in the a/c the limits for the Sea King reduce drasticly with increased weight for some ships (2 deg roll!!) but on other ships its much greater. Deck surface can also play its part, if the a/c slips the rolling moment will be somewhat negated. (Not neccessarily a good feeling as the crew on Hermes in '82 found as the SK tail wheel hopped over the deck edge and out along the boat gantry!!)
As to blade sailing there is also a phot of a Sea king on 1 spot on a CVS with one blade folded up and over the rotor head due to bad winds around the ramp during shutdown.
Anyway I'll keep the stab out and the cyclic still on deck as I've no wish to argue with rotor blades as I crew change at 02dubs!!
