It is, generally speaking, not a good idea to fly in the dark with a single-engined helicopter. They have a close affinity with birds and they avoid it too. However it has to be done and the Sycamore’s characteristics make it essential that as little is done as possible. The exercises were confined to the airfield circuit and the aircraft were fitted with Schermulies. These were parachute flares that could be fired electrically to illuminate what was to become the scene of your accident. Having been suitably briefed the CFI (Syc), working on the basis that never send anybody to do what you are afraid to do yourself, took me on my dual trip.
It was not very pleasant. The visibility was awful but fortunately the circuit pattern allowed us to use a well lit prison as a final approach fix. The instrument lighting was below par and it was all very difficult. One dual and one solo flight was the ration so after I had managed to struggle around to a satisfactory standard I was sent off solo.
It was the same on the solo flight. Lousy vis, awful lighting and at one stage I felt like firing off the flares and chucking in this helicopter business. However, I persevered and after the three circuits I returned to dispersal to hand the aircraft over to another solo student.
Nowadays when there is a running change on a single pilot helicopter the new pilot brings someone along with him to hold the controls whilst the departing and arriving pilot change seats. Then it was slightly different.
The new pilot would be cleared to the cockpit and the door would be opened. He would then hold the cyclic stick steady whilst the existing pilot would undo his straps, slide his backside over the centre console and plant himself in the left hand seat. Then he would hold the controls whilst the new pilot strapped in.
We achieved this with no disasters so I stepped out of the left hand door and started to take off my helmet. There was a bang on my nose. I lifted my dark blue high altitude visor and I could see for ruddy miles.
Flash forward twenty years: I am picking up one of two company S76As from Antwerp. We fly them from the docks to Antwerp airfield for fuel, flight plans etc..
My one is an early model with four automobile doors with American IFR instrumentation. The ILS/VORs were different, apparently unserviceable and there was a blanking panel on the consol where the Loran should have been. Also, being an early version, the centre consol was smaller and more deeply slanted than current ones. It was decided that we would fly as a pair with me as No 2 so we departed Antwerp for Gatwick for customs.
Wheels up, fags out, was my standard so out came the Bensons and I lit up. There then came a problem as where to park the cigarettes and lighter. The normal place at the rear of the consol was different so there was no room but just in front of the Loran blanking plate there was a convenient step which was ideal. I placed them there and continued. Half an hour later it was time to light up again. The fags were there but the lighter wasn’t. I felt with my fingers and they revealed a void under the front of the plate. Underneath the plate was the main wiring harness that controlled all the gizmos; like autopilot, engine beepers and fuel pumps. There was however, a solution.
We used to have a small four bladed miniature screwdriver disc for undoing the Zues fasteners on the gearbox canopy during our pre-flight. I could now undo the fasteners and lift the plate and there was my lighter resting on a big bunch of cables. Once rescued, I replaced the plate vowing to use another resting place. That was when my maps migrated off the left hand seat and slid down between the door and the seat.
I now had no Loran, two dodgy VORs and no maps heading towards the London Control Area. This is where my Sycamore training resurrected itself.
I moved out to about four rotor spans; unstrapped; I didn’t need any body to hold the stick as the autopilot was good at that. With a practised movement I swung my back onto the coaming, lifted my feet into the port footwell and slid into the seat. I recovered my maps and reversed the operation to the correct seat. The aircraft, somewhat terrified, didn’t budge from the formation position. The weather was socking in at Gatwick so we got clearance to do a formation ILS on the Westerly runway. We went into cloud at 1,500ft and came out at about 700ft. Formation let downs and PARs were standard practice when I went through training; I don’t know whether it is now.
After forty or so hours on the Sycamore we moved to the advanced phase on the Whirlwind Mk10 but before that I must mention another characteristic; this was its tendency for Ground Resonance.
Non rotary people have heard about it and it was a big problem in the early days. As helicopters have multiple blades and associated engineering rotating in sympathy so out-of-balance or out-of-trim forces can be amplified especially if a harmonic builds up between two or more components, especially the undercarriage.. The Sycamore was designed just after the WW II so this phenomenon was not understood, the result being that it was designed with a main rotor with three blades, a tail rotor with three blades, resting on an undercarriage with three wheels. It was a perfect combination for ground resonance and did it ever! Talk about it and it went into it. Think about it and you could feel it tremble and if they were discussing it in the crew room and you were running outside you had no chance at all. It would start a slow shake which would build up in intensity until it started to get uncomfortable. The instant response is ideally to lift into the hover so the undercarriage is taken out of the circle. Should you not be able to get airborne then a rapid shut down may let you get away with it. Should it not be prevented and allowed to carry on it will increase in intensity to the point where the aircraft will effectively self-disassemble around you so that you can wade out of the wreckage.
A new basic helicopter course replaced us on graduation to the Whirlwind. They had two self-destructs in a fortnight through ground resonance and as the Sycamore had little in common with the rest of the Air Force’s equipment the decision was then made to cease using it. The Bell Agusta Sioux, (Supercharged Bell 47) which were already on the base for instructor training was now thr primary trainer.
So the best, (if you could fly a Sycamore you could fly ANYTHING) trainer the RAF ever had was relegated to communication duties.
Last edited by Fareastdriver; 20th Aug 2016 at 08:46.