Beaver
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From: Strasbourg and hotter places
Beaver
Anyone out there know of a Beaver which went AWOL off the strops under a RAF MLH in NI in the 70's ? Settle an argument please, did it happen or is it apocryphal ? (Sorry to all my groundbased colleagues, the word was used by a RAF officer in the debate and I feel obliged to repeat it after a dictionary check 
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From: Under the clouds now
Pilgrim
You could be referring to an incident in 1965. I was serving on 105 Sqn in Aden when detailed for the board of enquiry. When a Beaver suffered an engine failure in the Radfan, the Army pilot carried out a successful force landing in a dried up whaddi bed. A Wessex was dispatched from Khormaksar to recover the undamaged Beaver and lift it to the forward air base at Thumeir. Shortly after picking up the Beaver the Wessex pilot experienced a loss of power and jettisoned it. The board was present when the engineers opened up the (sealed) suspect Wessex engine. Sure enough, there was a fore and aft line of sand damaged compressor blades confirming the reason for the loss of power. RAF/Army harmony was restored and the Wessex pilot cleared of any blame. This web site lists units based in Aden at the time http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Aden/units.html
You could be referring to an incident in 1965. I was serving on 105 Sqn in Aden when detailed for the board of enquiry. When a Beaver suffered an engine failure in the Radfan, the Army pilot carried out a successful force landing in a dried up whaddi bed. A Wessex was dispatched from Khormaksar to recover the undamaged Beaver and lift it to the forward air base at Thumeir. Shortly after picking up the Beaver the Wessex pilot experienced a loss of power and jettisoned it. The board was present when the engineers opened up the (sealed) suspect Wessex engine. Sure enough, there was a fore and aft line of sand damaged compressor blades confirming the reason for the loss of power. RAF/Army harmony was restored and the Wessex pilot cleared of any blame. This web site lists units based in Aden at the time http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Aden/units.html
Gentleman Aviator
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From: Teetering Towers - somewhere in the Shires
And the Wessex in Aden (78 Sqn) also dropped an underslung Scout, following a single engine failure in the transition. Squadron scrapbook used to have an epic series of photos (printed from cine) of the event, showing mega coning angle on Wessex and then dropping Scout.
Can't have been flavour of the month with Teenie Weenies.....
Can't have been flavour of the month with Teenie Weenies.....
Thread Starter
Joined: Mar 2003
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From: Strasbourg and hotter places
Thanks Brakedwell ! Sounds like the one.
Teeteringhead
Thanks too """""Can't have been flavour of the month with Teenie Weenies.....""""""
was the point of the scrap with the RAF (If I say Crab Air, do I get moderated ??)
Teeteringhead
Thanks too """""Can't have been flavour of the month with Teenie Weenies.....""""""
was the point of the scrap with the RAF (If I say Crab Air, do I get moderated ??)
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From: TheDarkSide
No Beaver..but...Do remember a Puma being US recovered by Chinook in Alderbanana some years ago..as the whole effort passed by the OM window, for drop off in dispersal..Stash barked out that he wanted the Puma captain done for low flying to close to the Mess
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From: Manchester
My ole dad was on the mighty Belvedere at Khomaksar(?!) during the sixties. He tells a story about a Belvedere lifting a Beaver out of the Radfan. He says the lift went well and they headed off to the nearest AAC airstrip. The crew then noticed that the Beaver had started to "fly" and flying level with them!!!.
They hit the cable cutter and the Army was able to recover the Beaver in backpacks!.
Rgds Dr I.
They hit the cable cutter and the Army was able to recover the Beaver in backpacks!.
Rgds Dr I.
