Wessex V Sea King
Continuing with the occasional thread drift towards Belvederes.
Landroger, you may have indeed seen/heard a piston ‘Belvedere’ if it was a prototype. See the link and scroll down about 1/3rd.
Rotors over Churchdown
Landroger, you may have indeed seen/heard a piston ‘Belvedere’ if it was a prototype. See the link and scroll down about 1/3rd.
Rotors over Churchdown
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As an aside - I once flew a Belvedere and I climbed in up a very long ladder and strapped in. The very kind Crab whose steed it was, appeared up his ladder, sat down and said unstrap now and don't strap in until both AVPIN started Gazelles were started satisfactorily. The ladders also remained in place until a fire free start was achieved. Who ever decided to mount two Gazelles facing downwards with the AVPIN starters underneath them clearly had a perverse sense of humour.
The sensation of flying the beast was like being at the front of a flying railway carriage where the rear followed the front rather reluctantly.
Am I wrong in remembering that when I flew a Sycamore that it only had one collective lever, and if you sat in the left hand seat you flew it back to front as it were?
The sensation of flying the beast was like being at the front of a flying railway carriage where the rear followed the front rather reluctantly.
Am I wrong in remembering that when I flew a Sycamore that it only had one collective lever, and if you sat in the left hand seat you flew it back to front as it were?
"Mildly" Eccentric Stardriver
Bast0n, have to agree about the Wessex and engine failures. I had one shut down on me one summer's day. It was hot (for UK), we were near max weight, and had a 105mm howitzer slung underneath. After some thought we decided not to pickle the load but, with both myself and the crewman ready to let it go at any moment, we came happily to the hover, safely put the gun on the ground, moved over a bit and landed. If I recall correctly, back in the seventies, the only helicopter operating on UK oil/gas support with a genuine engine-out capability was the Wessex; it wasn't until the Puma arrived on the scene that the situation changed.
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TSTK
Landroger, you may have indeed seen/heard a piston ‘Belvedere’ if it was a prototype. See the link and scroll down about 1/3rd.
This is a fascinating thread and I am learning an awful lot about the aeroplanes and helicopters I watched and loved as a kid. I was not at Farnborough when the DH110 went in - as many others claim - but I did see the Olympus test bed Vulcan; the Beverly when it was almost new; the Argosy when it was; the Javelin 'all weather fighter'; and the "helicopter" (?) I really thought would do the business - the Fairy Rotodyne. Very impressive, very big and very noisy.
Thanks everyone for your memories.
Roger.
If you `google ` Bristol 173 helicopter,all will be revealed..
bastOn, you are correct,the original Sycamores were flown from the LHS,then later modified for training with a central `L` shaped collective,for the QHI in the lhs to operate with a kack-handed right hand.But then, most QHIs are a bit like that anyway !! Great helo ,once you had mastered the manual controls,mechanical trimmers,C of G compensator,propensity to go into ground resonance,`jump` take-offs,and an ability to do max-rate turns,2-stage amber for I/F......
Anyway, what about the WW Mk9..I flew the trials on XM666 when it was fitted with SS11s....recall it`s on a farm somewhere on E Falklands now...
bastOn, you are correct,the original Sycamores were flown from the LHS,then later modified for training with a central `L` shaped collective,for the QHI in the lhs to operate with a kack-handed right hand.But then, most QHIs are a bit like that anyway !! Great helo ,once you had mastered the manual controls,mechanical trimmers,C of G compensator,propensity to go into ground resonance,`jump` take-offs,and an ability to do max-rate turns,2-stage amber for I/F......
Anyway, what about the WW Mk9..I flew the trials on XM666 when it was fitted with SS11s....recall it`s on a farm somewhere on E Falklands now...
Last edited by sycamore; 12th Mar 2010 at 11:38.
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In the carrier Eagle ,for the Home /Far East/Home commission of 1967-68,we had a whole squadron ,no.820 NAS, of single-engined,Avpin-started Wessex HAS Mk 1. As the name suggests,they were primarily for A/S duties,with their "dipping sonar" and A/S torpedos,but were also used for "planeguard" and "Vertrep" (Vertical Replenishment) duties----all of which is a bit much to ask of a single -engined Helo with known and regularly-occuring gearbox malfunctions ! By the time of the Aden withdrawal,"Vertrepping" all those "Goodies" out of Khormaksar back to the ship, and "Operation Kamaran",the rate of attrition was such that,in order to maintain a creditable and viable "planeguard" prescence,other than using frigates / destroyers, for fixed-wing flying, two Fabulous !!-- Excellent !!-- Wessex Mk 5 twin-engine "Jungly" machines, plus their air & groundcrews,had to be borrowed from HMS Albion.
Sadly,we had to give them back,eventually,and the poor old HAS 1s had their " Un-finest Hour" during NATO Exercise "Silver Tower" in September ,1968,in Arctic waters.By this time,the gearbox situation was so critical that oil-samples were being taken every few hours,and flown ashore to Lossie for analysis ! On one particularly embarrassing occasion,in full view of what appeared to be the whole Soviet "Fishing" Fleet,plus a Kotlin Class Destroyer and,probably, various Soviet submarines,a Wessex gearbox packs up and a Flotation Gear test (successfully) ensues. Jealous of this success, another Wessex,en route to administer aid & succour ,joins in the fun also.Aboard ship,the "Sea Boat's Crew " hurriedly muster (assemble) at their beloved "3-in-1 " whaler,only to find that the engine has thoughtfully been removed.So, Plan B, and they rush off to the other side of the ship, and prepare for deeds of "derring do " in the 25-foot Motor Cutter. In the excitement,however,this boat is released whilst still some height above the water,and there is an ominous "crack!". After travelling for about ten yards,the cutter starts to sink in,under the circumstances,a rather dignified fashion (photo available !) Fortunately,during all this confusion,yet another Wessex is dragged (protesting ?) from the Upper Hangar ; The rotor-blades are spread,the awful,sickly smell of igniting Iso Propyl Nitrate wafts across the flight-deck,and the gearbox remains in one piece,as opposed to thousands,long enough for a whole series of red-faced rescues of Pilots,Observers,Aircrewmen,Divers,Stokers,Seamen et al,to be effected.As far as I know,this was definitely the "end of the line" for the Mk 1 ; But at least it showed that the flotation gear was (but not always !!) highly efficient.Then,in 1969,came the Sea King !! Hooray !!
Sadly,we had to give them back,eventually,and the poor old HAS 1s had their " Un-finest Hour" during NATO Exercise "Silver Tower" in September ,1968,in Arctic waters.By this time,the gearbox situation was so critical that oil-samples were being taken every few hours,and flown ashore to Lossie for analysis ! On one particularly embarrassing occasion,in full view of what appeared to be the whole Soviet "Fishing" Fleet,plus a Kotlin Class Destroyer and,probably, various Soviet submarines,a Wessex gearbox packs up and a Flotation Gear test (successfully) ensues. Jealous of this success, another Wessex,en route to administer aid & succour ,joins in the fun also.Aboard ship,the "Sea Boat's Crew " hurriedly muster (assemble) at their beloved "3-in-1 " whaler,only to find that the engine has thoughtfully been removed.So, Plan B, and they rush off to the other side of the ship, and prepare for deeds of "derring do " in the 25-foot Motor Cutter. In the excitement,however,this boat is released whilst still some height above the water,and there is an ominous "crack!". After travelling for about ten yards,the cutter starts to sink in,under the circumstances,a rather dignified fashion (photo available !) Fortunately,during all this confusion,yet another Wessex is dragged (protesting ?) from the Upper Hangar ; The rotor-blades are spread,the awful,sickly smell of igniting Iso Propyl Nitrate wafts across the flight-deck,and the gearbox remains in one piece,as opposed to thousands,long enough for a whole series of red-faced rescues of Pilots,Observers,Aircrewmen,Divers,Stokers,Seamen et al,to be effected.As far as I know,this was definitely the "end of the line" for the Mk 1 ; But at least it showed that the flotation gear was (but not always !!) highly efficient.Then,in 1969,came the Sea King !! Hooray !!
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I always remember the safety briefs for the SK were more in depth when mountain flying. Power, wind blah blah.
Can't remember power being a problem in the Wx V.
As an aside, when we withdrew from Singapore in the early 70's. 848's Wx V's did a 100% fly past. One Helo was cleared for a single engine, one flight only so as to achieve the 100%. Such was the power of the mighty Wessex Mark 5's twin gnomes.
Can't remember power being a problem in the Wx V.
As an aside, when we withdrew from Singapore in the early 70's. 848's Wx V's did a 100% fly past. One Helo was cleared for a single engine, one flight only so as to achieve the 100%. Such was the power of the mighty Wessex Mark 5's twin gnomes.
Originally Posted by Waspie41
As an aside, when we withdrew from Singapore in the early 70's. 848's Wx V's did a 100% fly past.
Last edited by John Eacott; 27th Mar 2010 at 09:28.
Sycamore Collective
baston's right about the Sycamore collective (only one) but it also ran across the cockpit not fore & aft. One needed articulated joints to twist and pull at the same time. In training, there was always a fight between instructor and stude and the poor instructor was flying left handed - so to speak.
The Sycamore also had a habit of running out of cyclic control authority and then over she went. The blades went the other way round as well.
O-D
The Sycamore also had a habit of running out of cyclic control authority and then over she went. The blades went the other way round as well.
O-D
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John
I think you will find that we were following you out of idle curiosity to see if the Seaking flot gear worked! Below was probably you doing the old "Visual Search" procedure as nothing else seemed to work in locating the enemy submarines!!
Do you remember the Australian 31s tied down to the deck of Melbourne in Hong Kong harbour running for hour after hour to see what was going to break next. Happy days to be in a 5.
I think you will find that we were following you out of idle curiosity to see if the Seaking flot gear worked! Below was probably you doing the old "Visual Search" procedure as nothing else seemed to work in locating the enemy submarines!!
Do you remember the Australian 31s tied down to the deck of Melbourne in Hong Kong harbour running for hour after hour to see what was going to break next. Happy days to be in a 5.
Bast0n,
Not me Chief: RN only, thanks And that's a much later SK ditching, 6 blade TR. This was our attempt where the flot gear worked for a few hours:
Now going totally OT, I'm reliably advised that you are still renowned for pink strides?
Not me Chief: RN only, thanks
And that's a much later SK ditching, 6 blade TR. This was our attempt where the flot gear worked for a few hours: Now going totally OT, I'm reliably advised that you are still renowned for pink strides?
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Wessex of course with God onboard !!! SAR aircrewman diver British Pathe - FROGMEN JUMP TO RESCUE
British Pathe - FROGMEN JUMP TO RESCUE
Originally Posted by Bast0n
Did they ever jump from Seakings?
We carried them on Planeguard, and I dropped one in anger from a SK HAS1
An aspect of the Wessex that has always intrigued me compared to current generation helicopters is that the CG was presumably much lower, as the engines were mounted well below the rotor plane.
I expect that greatly reduced roll and pitch rates, but presumably it made deck landings easier?
I expect that greatly reduced roll and pitch rates, but presumably it made deck landings easier?