Chinook filling in the dam breach

[NutLoose]

That's a heck of a lot of strops they have dropped, I pity the poor sod that has to try and recover them eventually. Nice work guys..

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-derbyshire-49201467

[Green Flash]

Pick the strops just coming up life-ex!

[Nige321]

I believe the bags of aggregate will eventually be lifted out to effect a permanent repair.
The strops will be very useful for the crane lifts...!

[jolihokistix]

Not liking the proximity of the rotors to that railing.

[Evalu8ter]

Picking up strops? Gives the Puma something to do next week........;-)

[Gulf Flyer]

Gives the Puma something to do next week........;-)


Ouch, that hurt!

[NutLoose]

Well, it took the Germans about 4 months to repair the Mohne Dam, so allowing the UK PLC to hold an inquiry then repair the dam, what are we looking at, 2024 at the earliest? :O

[chinook240]

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/625x1067/c71bd2e4_bc21_4ad1_b7b3_2f964cd2056e_7c5fb94b977121a1b948002 15d49809475a3e886.jpeg
400 tonnes in 2x1 tonnes Agbags lift = a lot of strops. Looks like they’re using some kind of paracord/ bodgetape disposable line?

[wub]

The Damfixers - à cause de moi pas de déluge (Hopefully)

[Compass Call]

I thought that the 'bomb' aiming was very good!
Those bags must have weighed a lot looking at the way the Wokka rose when they were released.

[ShyTorque]

We can break 'em, we can make 'em...

[GeeRam]

The Damfixers - à cause de moi pas de déluge (Hopefully)

I was thinking 'The Dambuilders' and that a tonque-in-cheek limited edition Sqn patch might appear soon......:E

[SASless]

Picking up strops? Gives the Puma something to do next week........;-)

That is why you need "Little Birds".

New Motto...."Once Again Into The Breach"!

[Herod]

Lovely bit of PR. Now the public know we have an Air Force, can we increase the Defense Budget? No, I'm not waiting for an answer

[ShyTorque]

Lovely bit of PR. Now the public know we have an Air Force, can we increase the Defense Budget? No, I'm not waiting for an answer

Talking of PR, I'm surprised the Navy haven't got there yet, bearing in mind all that water.... :E

[Wensleydale]

Well, it took the Germans about 4 months to repair the Mohne Dam, so allowing the UK PLC to hold an inquiry then repair the dam, what are we looking at, 2024 at the earliest? :O








But to be fair, we don't have enough slave labour (except the RAF Chinooks of course).

[Roadster280]

Question for Wokka types...

Being ex-MAOT, I have spent rather a lot of time hooking loads etc under Wokkas, but it was 25 years ago. I *think* I recall that the Wokka had a special strop that released at the far end, rather than just the hook. Am I imagining that? Or was it just the center hook? Or a figment of my imagination?

First thing I noticed with this was that they were dropping 3 strops per lift, which is going to get expensive real quick. In my day, we'd have just sent the junior siggie to recover them, but in the duty of care age, if the dam breached and the lad went for a swim, that's a no-no. Of course I am jesting, we had a duty of care back then. But we'd still have recovered the strops :)

[Phantom Driver]

Precision flying on display https://www.pprune.org/images/infopop/icons/icon14.gif . Did wonder why one load seemed to drop off target . Just curious .

[NutLoose]

Question for Wokka types...


First thing I noticed with this was that they were dropping 3 strops per lift, which is going to get expensive real quick. In my day, we'd have just sent the junior siggie to recover them, but in the duty of care age, if the dam breached and the lad went for a swim, that's a no-no. Of course I am jesting, we had a duty of care back then. But we'd still have recovered the strops :)

Yup, they could get dead stroppy if you sent him or her in...

[T28B]

also a discussion over at Rotorheads
https://www.pprune.org/rotorheads/624185-raf-go-dambusters-dam-builders.html

[chinook240]

Question for Wokka types...

Being ex-MAOT, I have spent rather a lot of time hooking loads etc under Wokkas, but it was 25 years ago. I *think* I recall that the Wokka had a special strop that released at the far end, rather than just the hook. Am I imagining that? Or was it just the center hook? Or a figment of my imagination?

First thing I noticed with this was that they were dropping 3 strops per lift, which is going to get expensive real quick. In my day, we'd have just sent the junior siggie to recover them, but in the duty of care age, if the dam breached and the lad went for a swim, that's a no-no. Of course I am jesting, we had a duty of care back then. But we'd still have recovered the strops :)

As I said above, I don’t think there are enough strops in the RAF for this lift and it looks like some kind of disposable version, I’ll ask the crews next week. Don’t remember a remote hook on a strop in SH use, I’ve seen them on civvy helos.

[Easy Street]

also a discussion over at Rotorheads
https://www.pprune.org/rotorheads/624185-raf-go-dambusters-dam-builders.html

...where someone asked whether it would be better to use 6 JetRangers instead of the Chinook 😂

[cafesolo]

Seen the Daily Wail yet? RAF SENDS IN DAM BOOSTERS.

[Corporal Clott]

It’s alright, they have flown in the PM now. He’ll sort it out...

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/720x785/f143d6b9_ac15_4d77_92c9_9ebd2f3b8efc_1311692b3dd55efd64d543e 56a4008093b42413c.jpeg

[Wander00]

Well at least so far as I have seen no one in the meeja has described the Chinooks as "Army " helicopters

[langleybaston]

"RAF soldiers" in today's Telegraph.

Will the squadron become "The Dam Menders"?

[Union Jack]

Seen the Daily Wail yet? RAF SENDS IN DAM BOOSTERS.

Just keep the BBMF and 617 Squadron well away, especially any sign of the latter's badge.

Jack

[Fareastdriver]

In the seventies there used to be what were called 'Border Closures'. This was when the Royal Engineers placed a steel tank across a road which was a, 'Non Approved Crossing' between Northern Ireland and Eire.

The tank was about 8''x2'' and for most roads this required two of them. The trick was to place two of these across the road, suitably protected by loads of sqaddies at every angle and them your trusty Pumas would come and pour concrete into the tanks.

A secure site some five or so minutes away would be the secure Redimix lorry site and the skips. each holding about a cubic yard of concrete, would be filled and hooked on the a six foot strop. Then we would fly to the border road, be talked on to the tank straddling the road and some lunatic would stand on the tank and pull the skip lever that would release a ton of concrete into the tank. The tank was on the border, we were invariably positioned so we were facing south or east so the skip was on the border and the cockpit was in Eire.

We could do a turnaround in about five minutes so 12 tons/hour was the filling rate which covered a normal closure.

[etudiant]

Consider me skeptical. Sand bags do add bulk, but not strength or water impermeability.
The spillway cladding was clearly undercut and has given way, leaving the earthen dam below exposed..I'd note that the spillway appears poorly supported at best, probably not designed for heavy use.
If there is renewed rain, that expensively air lifted sand won't help.
What is needed is to lower the water level of the impoundment and a subsequent reconstruction of at least that part of the dam and the spillway.

[SASless]

A secure site some five or so minutes away would be the secure Redimix lorry site and the skips. each holding about a square yard of concrete,

Depending upon the thickness of the concrete layer....that could be one very small or one very large Skip!

[John Eacott]

Depending upon the thickness of the concrete layer....that could be one very small or one very large Skip!

;)

No doubt a cubic yard?

I shifted many a kibble of concrete up in the Australian Alps, a tonne is roughly a third of a cubic metre and that was enough for the BK at 6,000ft AMSL thank you, even with a couple of aluminium kibbles to keep the weight down (they're normally of steel to cope with high-rise crane drivers). Always on a long line, though, at least 50'. The Wokka could be quite productive with a large Kibble and a fleet of Readimix trucks :hmm:


https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/400x317/bkl_kibble_lift_belly_shot_c9d9d4e27c6b5f102bafd69a2155c568b 6dc8473.jpg

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/400x317/kibble_falls_creek_2_4bdef680aa1862ca178ededb3931830ea4a6bda c.jpg

[tmmorris]

That's why they are also pumping water out of the reservoir as fast as they can manage.

[Stu666]

Consider me skeptical. Sand bags do add bulk, but not strength or water impermeability.
The spillway cladding was clearly undercut and has given way, leaving the earthen dam below exposed..I'd note that the spillway appears poorly supported at best, probably not designed for heavy use.
If there is renewed rain, that expensively air lifted sand won't help.
What is needed is to lower the water level of the impoundment and a subsequent reconstruction of at least that part of the dam and the spillway.

I think the whole point of the sand bags is to add weight to try and prevent the exposed section from bursting from within. Renewed rainfall probably not so much a threat now that they have pumps in place and have already lowered the water level considerably.

[cats_five]

That's why they are also pumping water out of the reservoir as fast as they can manage.

On TV this morning they were saying they can't pump too fast otherwise there could be a failure of the dam on the water side. Struck me they are pumping as fast as they can.

[Whenurhappy]

Lovely bit of PR. Now the public know we have an Air Force, can we increase the Defense Budget? No, I'm not waiting for an answer
Apart from regular media references to 'Army helicopter' and the infantile 'Army soldiers'.

[Easy Street]

Consider me skeptical. Sand bags do add bulk, but not strength or water impermeability.
The spillway cladding was clearly undercut and has given way, leaving the earthen dam below exposed.

Impermeability is conferred by the clay core of the dam, which must still be in place or the dam would have given way on the night of the occurrence. The sand bags simply replace the (permeable) earth washed away after the spillway failed, the purpose of which is to hold the clay core in place by gravity. They do add strength and it’s a good repair as long as the broken part of the spillway isn’t overtopped again, which is why they started by placing a wall of sandbags at the top (with concrete grouting) to divert any water onto the good part of the spillway before pumping the level down. Removing the rest of the water is about reducing the load on the dam sufficiently for the temporary repair to be removed and placed with a permanent one.

[BEagle]

I understood that the bags dropped by the Chinook are intended to provide something to which a stronger substance will be bonded once the Chinook lift is complete?

[Easy Street]

The bags which were placed along the top of the spillway were reportedly sealed together with concrete, but those were fulfilling a different purpose, diverting water away from the damaged section while the threat of overtopping remained. The ones on the embankment are only providing mass; I read a report earlier where an engineer said they would need to be removed before a permanent repair was made (sorry, can’t find it again). There would be no point in repairing the spillway over the bags in that case.

[Roadster280]

Well at least so far as I have seen no one in the meeja has described the Chinooks as "Army " helicopters

They may be operated by RAF crews, but that is merely semantic. All JHC aircraft are under command of Army HQ.

[melmothtw]

Apart from regular media references to 'Army helicopter' and the infantile 'Army soldiers'

Damn media!

Well at least so far as I have seen no one in the meeja has described the Chinooks as "Army " helicopters

Wait, what?

They may be operated by RAF crews, but that is merely semantic. All JHC aircraft are under command of Army HQ.

Oh now I don't know who to believe!

[oldbeefer]

FAREASTDRIVER. I was involved in that. Eight hours a day in the seat. We found those skips flew very badly and slowly when empty. Then someone discovered that if you bit the bullet and flew a bit faster, the airflow would open the door in the bottom and they would then be stable up to around 90kts.

[Asturias56]

I commented in the thread on France buying Chinook's that most European countries had a reduced level of helicopter heavy lift requirement cp the UK and USA due to the ease (relatively) of cross country movement by trucks etc

https://www.pprune.org/military-aviation/623572-france-eyes-up-boeing-ch-47-purchase.html

A number of people pointed out various scenarios illustrating why they really really really should have made the investment............. mainly unconvincing TBH...

But no-one said that dam building was a potential need

You'd have though the Wehrmacht above all would have noticed a gap in capability...... :E

[melmothtw]

You'd have though the Wehrmacht above all would have noticed a gap in capability...... https://www.pprune.org/images/smilies/evil.gif

I think we can forgive them this particular oversight, seeing as they haven't been in existence since 1945.

[Wokkafans]

Some very nice footage here - you will need to copy the link into your browser and run Flash Player to view.

http://www.defenceimagery.mod.uk/fotoweb/archives/5000-Current%20News/Archive%20(Raf)/RAF/2019/August/ODI-20190806-542-001.mp4

[Pontius Navigator]

Will they paint builder's bags in the nose ?

[DON T]

https://images.app.goo.gl/nTpzUoPrXqTxTVaR6


https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/976x549/_108188500_de10_d4e62d496f8883be829cccc4918d6d3e0440e135.jpg

The updraught on a Chinook must be horrendous.

[heights good]

Picking up strops? Gives the Puma something to do next week........;-)

the last this comment was made by a Chinook crew, within 24 hrs a Puma was tasked to pick up the Sqn Cdr and QHI who had managed to run out of fuel in Iraq.... the shame of it all 😂

[falcon900]

Perhaps once they have finished collecting the strops, a Puma could hold a mirror up for the Deputy Chief Constable to use?

[langleybaston]

Can it be deliberate?

Sheesh!

[Blossy]

She must be terrified of being interviewed on TV.

[DON T]

I never realised you could edit somebody else’s post without their knowledge.

[NutLoose]

I see they have resurrected the chinook advert for school clothing, nice bit of taking advantage of the aircraft while it's prominent in the news

[ShyTorque]

I never realised you could edit somebody else’s post without their knowledge.


Moderators can...

P.S. Is the lady in the background of that photo her carer?

[NutLoose]

She needs to hang inverted to drain the colour back into her hair.

[papa_sierra]

The tank was about 8''x2'' and for most roads this required two of them.
Were the roads in NI narrower than ours ?

[DON T]

Moderators can...

P.S. Is the lady in the background of that photo her carer?

thanks I’ll keep an eye out for that in future .

[Prangster]

Was it perchance 7 Squadron? Rather prosaic if so

[ShyTorque]

She must be terrified of being interviewed on TV.

She scares me!