Lawn ornament anybody?

[Genghis the Engineer]

Spotted today, beats a garden gnome...

http://i22.ebayimg.com/01/i/02/de/ac/ae_1_b.JPG

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=2979&item=5536951194&rd=1

G

[CRAN]

There is a great paintball place just North of Birmingham, that has a 'Vietnam' game, in which the object is to defend a downed helicopter in the jungle. They have a Whirlwind in RAF SAR colours as the main prop for the game!

Safice it to say that I was shot and killed within about 15 seconds of the game starting trying to get into the cockpit to make a great escape...

:E :E :E

[Vont phood]

The top bidder on this is also the top bidder on the Vulcan bomber currently on E Bay.................... are they building an Airforce???

[Thud_and_Blunder]

Do you think it'd be worth my while pointing out that calling it a jet helicopter is probably risking some kind of improper-advertising prosecution? Looks very much like that nose has never seen a Gnome.

[diethelm]

That is a pretty big nose. I think a gnome would fit. Maybe even a family of gnomes, or a gnome village.......

[Vfrpilotpb]

Was that sort of Whirly Bird powered by the " Alvis Leonides" 9 cyl radial engine?

Vfr

[CRAN]

Yup,

There was a great article in Pilot a couple of years ago, all about them. Some great stories regarding the bullet-proof nature of the old-radial engine and the combustable nature of the magnesium fuselage!!

Well worth a read.

CRAN
:ok:

[Guern]

"Will post to United Kingdom"

That will be expensive :D

[Nigel Osborn]

I think because of the droop in the tail, it is a Whirlwind Mk7 which had an Alvis Leonides radial, can't remember how many cylinders, 11 or 13 I think, with a cartridge starter in front. The Whirlwind Mk3 had a straight boom & a Wright Cyclone radial. The crank handle took 72 turns for 1 engine revolution which had to be done before the first start of the day. The starter had a blow out disk and could be neatly replaced by a 10 cent coin when necessary!
I had the pleasure of doing 300 exciting hours in these off both Bulwark & Albion & in Malaysia and lived to tell the tale!:ok:

[John Eacott]

Nigel,

You (& I) would have flown this little gem, in the Duxford Museum :rolleyes:

http://www.helicopterservice.com.au/photos/pprune/Whirlwind%20HAS7.jpg

Re the Alvis Leonides Major 755/1 750hp, there were 9 cylinders, and you could hear each one fire up during the start....

Rumour used to be that you could walk across Portland Harbour on the wrecks of ditched Whirlwinds, without touching the bottom :)

ps 10 cent coin.......in the 60's ;)

[Nigel Osborn]

John

You suggesting I'm old enough to fly museum aircraft?!!
The 10 cents was Malaysian.
What is the rego? Seeing that low air intake reminds me how worrying it was when you dunked the front wheels in a Portland wave. :ok:

[John Eacott]

You suggesting I'm old enough to fly museum aircraft?!!


Yes.



It is XK936, and was with 845 from 1957-58, then 848 from 1958-62. Issued to 706NAS in 1966, it was with them until 1974. I last flew it in June 1969 :ok:

Putting the wheels in the water: remember trawling with the Sproule net? I can still hear the soft Irish brogue of the Chief Aircrewman mildly suggesting that I go up a bit -

"me bl**dy feet are getting wet!!"

[Wunper]

John E

Check your work email

Cheers!

Wunper

[Gaseous]

The aircraft on Ebay sat outside Botany Bay in Chorley as a museum piece, alongside a jet provost. Both went from there some months ago. Last time I looked at it it had a gas turbine, presumably a Gnome, in the nose.

[Barshifter]

Vont Phood

According to this months Flypast Mag that Vulcan was sold to a bloke who is putting it outside his pub near Manchester.It went for £15K.


Or is this a different one?


Cheers

Barshifter

[John Eacott]

but I have several hundred hours in XS863, the Wessex 1 alongside it in your photo.

S1, Especially for you ;)

http://www.helicopterservice.com.au/photos/pprune/Wessex%20HAS1.jpg




Wunper sent me these photos from his family album, taken in 1957 with 700H. Trials (or training?) with the Sproule net:

http://www.helicopterservice.com.au/photos/pprune/MK7%20Sproule%20Net%20700H%20Lee%201957%2001.jpg

http://www.helicopterservice.com.au/photos/pprune/MK7%20Sproule%20Net%20700H%20Lee%201957%2002.jpg


Nigel..........;)

[Gaseous]

Speechless two,

You are probably right about it being a different aircraft to the photo. The owner of this one owns and has owned a variety of aircraft including a jet ranger. An A109 regularly operates to and from this site as well so I assume he knows a jet helicopter when he sells one.

I notice it didn't reach its reserve so he's probably still open to offers.