Carrier Ops, HMS Illustrious (incl pics)

[Flying Lawyer]

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Norway, 28 June
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v140/Rotorheads/HMS%20Illustrious/Illustrious046a_800.jpg


RN Lynx & Harriers from the Naval Strike Wing embarked in HMS Illustrious
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v140/Rotorheads/HMS%20Illustrious/Illustrious063_800.jpg


Recovering to the ship
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v140/Rotorheads/HMS%20Illustrious/HMSIllustrious064p_800.jpg


Sling-Load practice
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v140/Rotorheads/HMS%20Illustrious/HMSIllustrious082p_800.jpg


Night flying - midnight in the North Sea
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v140/Rotorheads/HMS%20Illustrious/HMSIllustrious128_800.jpg



Pilots from IV Squadron RAF gaining Carrier Ops experience:

Off the ramp
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v140/Rotorheads/HMS%20Illustrious/HMSIllustrious158_800.jpg


Recovering
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v140/Rotorheads/HMS%20Illustrious/HMSIllustrious148_800.jpg


Hovering to the spot
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v140/Rotorheads/HMS%20Illustrious/HMSIllustrious151_800.jpg



Who needs a ramp?
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v140/Rotorheads/HMS%20Illustrious/HMSIllustrious197p800.jpg


All good things must eventually come to an end .....


Farewell Illustrious - Disembarking abeam Dundee, 2 July
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v140/Rotorheads/HMS%20Illustrious/HMSIllustrious201b_800.jpg
(Some distortion - pic taken from Lynx)


Four days of total enjoyment combined with a fascinating and informative insight into the operation of an aircraft carrier - and its various roles in our maritime capability: Providing the Carrier Strike element with Joint Force Harriers in the ground attack role, helicopters in Anti-Submarine Warfare, Airborne Surveillance & Control roles, and as a Command & Control platform when operating with a task group.

The visit also provided an opportunity to gain a greater understanding of the crucial role of the Royal Navy in being able to deliver air power wherever it is required - without the need for host nation support.


HMS Illustrious (http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/operations-and-support/surface-fleet/aircraft-carriers/hms-illustrious/) and 4 Squadron RAF (http://www.raf.mod.uk/organisation/4squadron.cfm) are both Affiliated Units of the Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators (http://www.gapan.org)


FL

[Red Wine]

High quality photographs.

The TV Doco series “Warship” is showing downunder at the moment starring the Illustrious.

Can someone clarify two small questions that I have regarding the photos?

The one titled Sling Load Practice: There is a second line running from the rear cabin to the hook. Is this a Quick Remote Hook release or??

Interesting to see the 1st Generation Trimble GPS, mounted on the Glare shield of the helicopter.. Surely the Senior Service doesn’t rely on this technology anymore? :uhoh::uhoh:

[John Eacott]

There is a second line running from the rear cabin to the hook. Is this a Quick Remote Hook release or??

ISTR that the crewie would pull in the remote hook with the line, once the load was manually released on deck. The strop was then held in tight against the fuselage for transit, and lowered again for the next pick up. The "poor man's" remote release, allowing the strop to remain attached to the main cargo hook ;)

Tudor, nice photos. Any more to share? :ok:

[Pilot.Pete]

Thanks for sharing, they look great.
:ok:

[Agaricus bisporus]

Interesting to see the 1st Generation Trimble GPS, mounted on the Glare shield of the helicopter.. Surely the Senior Service doesn’t rely on this technology anymore?

As GPS is still the newest nav technology available I find it hard to divine your meaning - unless you're being sniffy about "first generation Trimble", whatever that means. Presumably it is a serviceable GPS - what more is needed? It works. The Navy is nothing if not utterly practical, it isn't impresed with the sort of silly poncy colour moving map displays that PPLs shell out hundreds for just because it's this year's model and looks flash...

Bear in mind that many of the world's airliners still don't have/use GPS.

Thank God the RN isn't wasting money on unnecessary kit.

Bell Flyer, because it isn't necessary or workable with catapult launches. If we had real Aircraft Carriers with conventional aircraft we wouldn't have ramps either.

[Barndweller]

US carriers don't have ramps because they don't need them as they use steam or hydraulic catapults to launch aircraft. The ski jump is to assist the harriers which take off on engine power alone without the use of a catapult.

[Obi Wan Russell]

Flying Lawyer: Great pics but the Harriers are from the Naval Strike Wing, not IV sqn. The Harriers have the 800NAS crest on the side of the air intakes as well as the '800 red nose' and the 801 NAS black and white checkers on the top of the tail. The story has been reported on the MOD/Navy site.

[Riskman]

Obi Wan Russell said

....800NAS crest on the side of the air intakes as well as the '800 red nose'.. The red nose is a protective cover; see the last photo of ac recovering (cover absent). I don't dispute the 800 & 801 insignia but there is definitely an IV(AC) flash on the cold nozzle fairing as part of the all-up design.

In futurem videre - tomorrow we're going to the flicks;)

Yes, great pics.

[Need money]

Looks like someone has had a good few days - what with these pics, and the Aberdeen trip.

Many thanks for sharing.

[Bing]

there is definitely an IV(AC) flash on the cold nozzle fairing as part of the all-up design.


Where? As far as I can tell the markings on the cold nozzle fairing are the same as the ones here Photos: British Aerospace Harrier GR7A Aircraft Pictures | Airliners.net (http://www.airliners.net/photo/UK---Navy/British-Aerospace-Harrier/1497949/L/&sid=c73a77394b3714ef688ec5739d58666a)
which are the 800NAS crest flanked by two red chevrons, as worn on the tail of the 800NAS SHARs before they retired.

[Riskman]

Bing,

Amazing how a higher resolution helps. Oops:\

[Bing]

Fair one! It'd probably help if they painted Royal Navy on them!

[Flying Lawyer]

.
Oops! :ouch:
I've amended my post.
Thanks for the correction. :ok:

The pilots were from 4 Squadron.

Tudor Owen

[Focha]

Great photos! And notice the Lynx pilot's watch, I am searching for one like that but I can't tell which one it is, does anyone know what wrist watch is that? :rolleyes:

Thanks and sorry for the funny question... or stupid at least. :ugh: :p

[Obi Wan Russell]

I have no doubt RAF pilots were present with the Naval Strike wing; there has always been a degree of cross pollenation amongst RAF and FAA sqns going back decades. As one of the primary aims of the excercise was carrier qualification I'm sure pilots from both IV(AC) sqn and 1(F) sqn would have taken the opportunity to Temporarily transfer to the NSW for this deployment. The majority were though according to the MOD FAA pilots of the NSW. The other two sqns will be rotated through the carriers in due course I'm sure. Makes a change from the 'Stan!

[RVDT]

OBW,

What language is this?

[Flying Lawyer]

Obi The majority were though according to the MOD FAA pilots of the NSW. The majority last week were, according to me, 4 Sqn pilots (including their Wg Cdr and a Sqn Ldr) together with a RN pilot (Royal Marines) and a USMC pilot on exchange.

Bear in mind that Illustrious has already been embarked for some weeks and doesn't return to Portsmouth until mid July. The pilots gaining/regaining deck currency rotate (excuse the pun) during the exercise. Those I met were embarked for two weeks.

Re "Temporarily transfer to the NSW for this deployment"
You may be correct but that's not my understanding.


FL

[fred737]

FL et Al,
4 Sqdn were on board as you say doing their Carrier Work Up. They were preceeded on board on this cruise by NSW. When NSW disembarked they left "their" jets behind for 4 Sqdn to play with.

[Agaricus bisporus]

Focha, it's a standard Seiko aircrew watch. Last one I bought was in Faro, so you should be able to get one easily enough. Cost now must be c. 250Eu. They are very good.

Numbers on the back of mine are 7T27-7A20 - might be a model number.

[Obi Wan Russell]

FL et Al,
4 Sqdn were on board as you say doing their Carrier Work Up. They were preceeded on board on this cruise by NSW. When NSW disembarked they left "their" jets behind for 4 Sqdn to play with.

This explains my confusion, my info was based on the earlier NSW deployment.