RESCUE - 1990 ITV series

[7of9]

Posted on UKAR by another member, great find though.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnCRjcczYxI&list=SL

Remember watching this when it first aired also knew a few of the crews through Dad (Chief Tech Bill Marshall) at RAF Finningley, as he worked in the engine bay there at around the time of this, & through my own on a couple of tours down the Falklands in 83 & 85.

Hope one of the sat channels airs this in the future maybe on Quest.

Trev

[Postman Plod]

Cheers 7of9! Our ATC summer camp was at Lossiemouth in 1990, and I'd say John Prince in particular any any of the D flight crews in general would have had 30-odd cadet groupies clamouring for autographs had he been around! Sod the fast jet crews - nobody was interested!!

As it happened, I don't think we got anywhere near a Sea King during that week, although they were doing a roaring trade in signed squadron prints (of which I've still got mines somewhere!) but no John Prince autograph Heh!

Probably the biggest single influencing programme of my youth

[Tashengurt]

Is this the one where one of the Lossie Sea Kings went down with the film crew on board? White out IIRC

[britinusa]

Tashengurt
Yes it was this series where the Seaking had a overspeed trip governor malfunctioned and shut down one of the engines whilst at the same time experiencing a severe downdraft. Every body got out with a few minor injuries

[Bertie Thruster]

..........with the Leuchars SAR Wessex first on scene!

a severe downdraft

.

Moments before this photo was taken when we were on the ground a little further up the hill at the crash site, rotors turning, the ASI indicated a 60kt gust!

[NURSE]

I remember Glynn Worsnip doing a series on Culdrose SAR flight on Nationwide in the Early 80's I think it was the year after the Fastnet race. All of them were edited together to a single documentry I think it was called "Rescue Flight".

[sargs]

Bertie -

..........with the Leuchars SAR Wessex first on scene!

......must have been daylight, then......

[Bertie Thruster]

Obviously from the photo that Seaking rescue job was a daylight one. But Leuchars was still 24 hours, as it had been for many years. (The 'daylight only' bit at Leuchars started a year later, as a 'cost cutting' measure.)

Once it had all quietened down later that eventful winter afternoon at Fort William with Mil MRT being ferried up by us to the crash site to secure it and Civ MRT ferried back to Fort William, Kinloss tasked us to a little job, in the dark, down Glencoe. It was still very windy from the west and that with a lowering cloud base prevented us getting round the bend at Hamish's house to get into the valley and up to the grid ref. (This was all non NVG, of course). So we went back to Fort William and shut down at Corpach. It seemed sensible then to join the Civ MRT in the pub, just before closing time. RCC Kinloss agreed.

We were the 'seconds' crew from Leuchars that day, training up in the Cairngorms.
That's why we beat John Prince to the rescue!

[TorqueOfTheDevil]

White out IIRC

overspeed trip governor malfunctioned and shut down one of the engines

Actually it was neither of these - it was a slipping freewheel on the front of the main gearbox which caused the loss of power at the critical moment. Steve H received due plaudits in the Accident Report for managing to put the aircraft down in such a way that both the aircraft and all its occupants were able to make a full recovery from their ordeal!

[hedgester]

Was a little fairy on "D" Flt at the time..... fond memories! Torque of the Devil is spot on No 1 freewheel gave up life while trying to deliver loads of torque . No 1 Engine oversped and the OTG did what it lives for and shut the engine down.
Then IIRC the No2 went the same way! One of the oxygen bottles in the role equipment broke its neck and left through the front window between Steve and Paul .
Paul Berriff and his mob spent a year filming and got exclusives on the above and Piper Alpha to name a few. Think my foot got into the series some-where. Good to see old Gramps

Got some pics of poor 585 somewhere at home... all busted up

[TorqueOfTheDevil]

poor 585 ... all busted up

Hedgester,

No doubt you saw the framed photo of 585 on its side, presented by Steve when he left Lossie on posting and mounted on the wall in the aircrew crewroom - the caption on the plaque reads "Thanks for a smashing tour!".

[hedgester]

Can't recall that one Far to long ago in my brains time!

Do remember that one of the groundcrew -Jason and Kinloss MRT had not long got out for a ridge walk and one of the other groundcrew - Ray IIRC was stood between the pilots pre impact and got fuel in his eyes from a ruptured pipe during the "Laggan peat bog bounce".

Had to strip all of the soundproofing out of the wreck for the BOI a couple of weeks after. Mess or what, glad everyone walked out.

[KPax]

Spent two tours at the RCC including the period of the 'Rescue' series, I was only a Cpl at the time, but the people there were made up of some very experienced people, a mix of Wessex, SK and Nimrod. The decisions made were based on weather, advice from people on scene and many other factors, I do not recall any bias against the Cg helo, however there was a feeling that during the early days the CG helo was not the preferred option in the mountains. This is meant as no slight to the crews, but as someone who worked there for over 8 years in total, I am confident that decisions were made honestly and always with the safety of the crews and all the other people who made up a rescue (including the casualties).

[TorqueOfTheDevil]

Kpax,

Agreed. From what I saw, the ARCC did their best to make appropriate decisions based on the information they had (which was often wildly inaccurate). Inevitably, mistakes were made (and one or two of the characters were somewhat lacking in interpersonal skills!), but to accuse them of 'playing politics with people's lives' seems way too harsh. Okay, I wasn't around in the days of RCC Pitreavie Castle, but I very much doubt anyone would deliberately have compromised a casualty's condition.

[Wiretensioner]

A few years later after the crash I was on the flight at Lossie when we had some coastgaurd visitors who we were going to take flying. One of them was looking at the photo of the crash when I mentioned that it was the aircraft we would be flying on! He asked if he could fly on the other one instead. I mentioned that the other aircraft was the one that had crashed in the Lake District after a tip strike during a SAROP. His face went rather white and hedeclined the chance of the flight.

Wiretensioner

[Thud_and_Blunder]

Never saw the series myself, although I believe that Sgt 'Chocks' B (who I first met when we were on the same OCTU course, then later encountered as a Sgt crewman when I was a Plt Off Wessex driver on 72) played a starring role. I do remember the reported answer Flt Lt Prince gave when told he was up for posting to NI though...

[TorqueOfTheDevil]

His face went rather white and hedeclined the chance of the flight.

Unsurprising - but then the fact that both aircraft had survived their accidents and lived to fly another day should be reassuring!

[thorpey]

Still watching 'Rescue'

I managed to get dvd's copied of the series and watch them from time to time, and still enjoy them. I even had a request from a trainee winch op in Aussie, who wanted some copies done.
I was lucky to get to know Paul R and Steve G through a project a few years ago and have become good friends of both, good guys.

[chopper2004]

Any of the series can be found on DvD? I've got the companion book to it, (bought for a quid at book cearance sae abut 15 years ago).

So where are they now

The Flight Commander PR, is Head of Training for AW (saw his name in a press release last year regarding the 139)

The USCG exchage pilot at time in D Flt is now with CSC on their 61 fleet
and set a world speed record for the 61N recenly

Aero-News Network: The Aviation and Aerospace World's Daily/Real-Time News and Information Service

What about John Prince and John Tennyson-Collins?

[7of9]

Quote from a member on UKAR;

I was based on the flight at Boulmer when the series was made but over the years flew with most of the guys in the series. In fact I can say it was I that christened Mr. Challice 'Gramps' and it stuck. He grounded himself after the crash on the grounds that as it was his third helicopter crash he was not risking another. Bob Pountney has been retired for a few years. John Prince (Viscount Fochabers as we knew him on the flight) retired to his salmon river in Galloway. Steve Hodgson (finest SAR pilot and captain I have flown with and a great personal friend) now has his own photographic business. Steve Martin flies oil and gas with Bristows, Harry Watt with CHC.

Most of the other crewman have also left the airforce. Ithink there is only a couple left in and they must be coming to the end of their time.

Have looked for the DVD of the series myself without success, if anyone knows where i can get a copy please let me know.

Trev