Chinook - Still Hitting Back 3 (Merged)

[walter kennedy]

Meadowbank
There are reasons why I cannot take a simple answer on this at face value:
One is that the approximate timing I have on delivery of some sets of the equipment (closely following the delivery of the HC2 ) makes it very possible that it could have been – and if they had the kit why would not they have fitted it?
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PLUS it would not necessarily have been apparent to those not clearly briefed that it was present – nothing in the cockpit (data displayed automatically as waypoint on existing nav display and audio enabled just by selecting UHF guard on existing intercom) and the slot in the nav racks would not have been obvious and it was an easy fit/ remove mod;
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Another is that on several occasions confident statements turned out to be incorrect, such as on the use of an HC2 – someone had said something like the system could not have been a factor anyway as it was a last minute thing to use an HC2 instead of using 2 Pumas (can’t find original post for this just now)
BUT
Some time back debate on this thread revealed that planning to use an HC2 was in hand at least some weeks beforehand, eg:
Cheapseat 16th April 2001
John Tapper and I sat under the tigers head in 230’s crewroom WEEKS before the crash looking at a ½ mil map trying to find a way to use this fateful task as another reason not to allow the Mk2 Chinook into NI.
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So it appears to me that it was planned weeks beforehand to use an HC2 that was not in the area until a few days before the flight – why? What was so special about the HC2 that it just had to be used for this flight? I can only think that a demo of its capabilities could have interested these passengers – such as the ability to home in accurately on ground personnel using the PRC system? Is there any other difference from the Mk1 that could have been of interest to them? – I do not think so.
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12 years – justice delayed is justice denied …