Some Wessex stories from 72(NI)
A Walter lands and instantly starts padding heavily. Takes off again, lands and starts padding. Ground crew go out to take a look and diagnose a collapsed oleo. They changed the oleo in the hover. From memory, took about 2 hours and we changed pilots a couple of times during the job.
Loady and pilot swap jackets on a pongo insert. Arrive at the cab, and in ear short of pongo the loady (who's really the pilot) says to the pilot (who's really the loady), "Mind if I fly this one sir? I've been practising a lot". Pilot (loady) says "Not sure, remember what happened last time you had a go? Oh, alright then. But don't tell anyone". So, they all strap in, start up and lift off - at which point the loady(pilot) gives the controls a good stir. It was everything they could do to stop the pongos unstrapping and jumping off!
Pilot would take up a tin of fruit salad emptied into a sick bag. At some good point in the cruise, he'd start making puking noises over the intercomm and pretend to vomit into the bag. Then pass the bag between his legs to the loady and ask him to throw it out of the door. Before dropping it, the loady would open the bag, peer in, take a sniff then dip in a finger and taste it. Pongos down the back are now reaching for their own bags.
Me climbing up from the cabin into the cockpit by lifting the pilots seat and sliding up - a common way in. Somehow, I managed to snag the srpring loaded flap guard over the emergency cable cutter and press the button! Bigish bang and there's a cable hook and a couple of metres of cable lying on the pan. I worked late that night!
Walter gets back and is put to bed for the A/F during which a fairly neat set of holes is found right on the curve at the base of the tail. Maybe caught the fence on the way out? Nope, they're holes not tears. Local with an air rifle or .22? Nope, the holes go in from both sides! Complete mystery. About a week later, a VHS tape arrives in the squadron mail with some footage from CCTV at Bessbrook. As Walter lifts off, a dog runs across the pan, jumps up and sinks it's gnashers into the tail! Hangs on for a few seconds before letting go and letting Walter get away. Rumour had it that poor doggy tried the same thing on a Gazelle a little later and stuck his snout into the tail rotor with weekend spoiling results.
Hope this stirs a few memories for people out there - and for any ex-72s, hello!!!!