21st SOS MH-53 FINAL FLIGHT

[SUPER JOLLY GREEN]

The 21st Special Operations Squadron will be flying their MH-53's for the very last time tommorrow afternoon (Thursday 13th Sept). A four ship will launch and route through the London heli-lanes, Dover/White Cliffs, Bawdsey and then out off the East coast to change some minigun and .50 cal live rounds to empty cases. Eyes on the skies!

[Tigs2]

Super
Can you pm me the time so I can go down to the river.

Tigs

[SUPER JOLLY GREEN]

Tigs,

PM sent. Just imagine being at the very top of the London Eye watching these four beasts thundering past!!!

SJG

[dum_my]

Please can you remind us what is happening to the 21st SOS? Are you disbanding, relocating to somewhere else, or converting to the Osprey, or something else?

[US Herk]

I believe they will eventually be replaced with Osprey - timeline TBD.

[BEagle]

When blattting away with those miniguns and 50 cals, don't forget to lead the women and children in the immigrant detention centres a little less.....

[abeaumont]

Can you advise the likely time for flying over the Dover/White Cliffs area if at all possible please?

I work in Dover, live in Canterbury, and would like to keep an eye and both ears strained in the hope of seeing them.

Thanks!

[SUPER JOLLY GREEN]

BEagle - "Target will fall if hit!"

abeaumont - Pure guess at the moment, but I reckon between 1330 and 1400 Local.

Rgds

SJG

[abeaumont]

Many thanks indeed - should happen during the school lunch break.

I'll tell those who run the RAF side of our CCF contingent so they can try to make sure the cadets look out for them.

Much appreciated!

[airborne_artist]

Good luck gentlemen - I have happy memories of working with your colleagues at Eglin AFB/Hurlburt Field many years ago.

[The Helpful Stacker]

The thing I remember most about the MH-53 is being woken up an hour early or waiting for an hour when on TSW duty refueller at RAF Stafford because of a ZULU/Local ETA mix-up by either someone at the Mildenhall end (not so likely) or someone in the TSW ops room (very likely).

I've got a 21st SOS bar coin thingy (that I was given at silly o'clock in the morning whilst on duty refueller some time ago) stashed away somewhere for all those "who's round is it anyway" occasions when working with our colonial brethren.

A good bunch of lads, it'll be a shame not to see the Super Jolly thundering through the skies anymore.

[mini]

MH-53 being retired, Osprey introduction TBD... what will they do in the meantime? :suspect:

[SASless]

Tis a shame they did not get to re-equip with MH-53E's.....but then with a part of their tasking now shifting to Army CH-47 or MH-47's....perhaps "customers" will still be able to carry out their missions despite the shift to Osprey's.:rolleyes:

Spent .50 caliber casings can be made into some very nice openers for real beer bottles. Twas given one of them by a Gunner on the MH-53 that attended the Leuchars Air Show a few years ago.:ok:

[Jolly Green]

Sorry to see the end of an era. I have many fond memories of flying H-53's from RAF Woodbridge.

The old airframes should have been replaced years ago. During one attempt at replacing them with H-53E we were told, "Special operations is a joint team, and the joint team is buying the MH-47." The CV-22 will fill a different niche in a different mission profile.