To the experienced Wessex guys
Did the LP/HP cocks have a habit of sticking ?
When we prepared one of the helis for a ground run it wouldnt flip into HP , the Wessex rated pilot and 2 ex RAN engineers were scratching their heads and couldnt get it to work for about an hour , with nothing to lose and as I have a bit of a nack with all things old and complicated (leave my Mum out of this) I climbed into the cockpit and slowly and gently moved between LP and HP positions (maybe 20 times) and then all of a sudden there was this 'clacker board' sound (the sound when the flights are changing on the old style flight boards at the airport) the indicator showed HP and next thing it was working and we could get a start
The heli hadn't been started for 18 mths and this one had been sitting in the weather all that time (not one of the helis in this package)
To be honest I think if you had 5 airworthy Wessex you would probably only have 3 available at any one time in a civvy environment , lots of little electro - hydraulic - mechanical gremlins , electro mechanical anything is usually temperamental
Also if I was buying this package I would probably want at least another 10 zero time RR Gnomes , they were going for GBP 6,000 - 8,000 not so long ago but supplies are drying up (Everett Aero had 35 of them and now all gone) as these engines make their way to the USA to power tractors , boats and other contraptions