Gazelle folding blades

[md 600 driver]

Hi is there any ex mil pilots used the gazelle folding blade kit that clamps into the tail boom similar to Alouette with a metal structure that holds the blades rigid ,

what i I wanted to know was this kit used on transporting helicopters on ships and trucks and did it ever cause damage to the head with ground vibrations moving the helicopter

Steve

[Non-PC Plod]

It was many years ago, but I am sure they were used when the Gazelles were embarked on HM warships.

[Michael Gee]

They were used when shipping by air to Canada and N ireland - no damage caused

[tqmatch]

No damage caused by the kits, however not exactly a useful piece of equipment for the aircrews, as the blades needed to have pins removed to fold, therefore during refit independent checks were required, meaning it needed either two supervising engineers, or an engineer and a suitably Q annotated senior pilot.