SAR in the 80's
To follow on from the photo of SAR wing people. I was a "Sooty" on SAR from 1979-83 (back row second in from right), worked in the engine bay with Bill Marshall, Ginge Roper etc up to the time when we set up the deep strip facility, then ran the Wessex engine team on the hangar floor. The photo was taken in May 1981 just after IAT at Greenham Common, the Sea King ZA105 had won the concours & had just 305 hours on it, we inherited it from Boscombe Down, the Wessex is XT602, the Whirlwind XJ729, it was pensioned of early 1981 & lifted back to Finningley from Valley under a Sea King (can show photos of the lift), became a pain in the rear as we were forever shuttling it in & out to fit Wessex & SK's in the hangar, again have piccies of the pushing & shoving of the thing, we did do an engine run on it in early 83 as an exercise, Ginge Roper has a lot to answer for that although it proved that with modding to date could have been made airworthy again !. Re Gainesy's post the chap 2nd from right front row (not a Mars Bar in his pocket but sunglasses case) is Paul Wilson, Roly Jackson is not in the picture, it was taken by Ralph Brooks the Finningley Station photog & is one of a sequence.
Rgds Paul H, Bicester.