Go Back  PPRuNe Forums > Aircrew Forums > Military Aviation
Reload this Page >

Australian Gazelles

Wikiposts
Search
Military Aviation A forum for the professionals who fly military hardware. Also for the backroom boys and girls who support the flying and maintain the equipment, and without whom nothing would ever leave the ground. All armies, navies and air forces of the world equally welcome here.

Australian Gazelles

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old 18th Feb 2012, 10:34
  #1 (permalink)  
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: 51st State
Posts: 160
Likes: 0
Received 5 Likes on 4 Posts
Australian Gazelles

A colleague from down under sent me some photo links showing what appear to be Australian Army Gazelles. I'll try and get the links in here.

Does anyone know if this was some kind of evaluation? When and where?


HaveQuick2 is online now  
Old 18th Feb 2012, 10:40
  #2 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: Wiltshire
Posts: 798
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
Looks to me like a standard Army Gazelle in UK countryside that some Aussies have got at with some stickers!
oldbeefer is offline  
Old 18th Feb 2012, 10:59
  #3 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: May 2005
Location: UK
Posts: 420
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I vaguely remember this. It's at Wallop, and I think the reason was that the Australian military put in a team for the World Helicopter Championships held in the UK sometime in the 80s, but didn't have a suitable airframes in the Northern hemisphere so borrowed some from the AAC.

Something like that, anyway - presumably the Aussies in question were on exchange at the time.
DaveW is offline  
Old 18th Feb 2012, 11:08
  #4 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: somerset
Posts: 115
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
I would hope the Aussies were not responsible for placing the decals on the airframe . . . . in the first pic the "'Roo" is facing backwards!! STREWTH!!
garyscott is offline  
Old 18th Feb 2012, 11:35
  #5 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Anywhere
Posts: 567
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
British serial numbers and I think I flew XZ 315 at some stage..
timex is offline  
Old 18th Feb 2012, 12:25
  #6 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Somerset
Posts: 53
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
DaveW is pretty close to the mark.

In the 80's & 90's during the week before the Middle Wallop Air Day a competition was held. The Gazelles were used by Austrailian Instructors on exchange at Middle Wallop.

The competition involved a Navex, maneouvering a bucket on a rope and many other activities around the Wallop area. The last day (Friday ) was normally a contest to see who had the best turned out helicopter.

Although the Austrailians borrowed the Gazelles for the competition, the New Zealand Air Force flew in a C130 the week before, inside which was a UH-1H and they used that in the competition.

Hope this answers your question HaveQuick2.

HM
helimarshaller is offline  
Old 18th Feb 2012, 12:40
  #7 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Aberdeen
Age: 65
Posts: 17
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I flew that airframe on advanced rotary at Wallop in 1985. IIRC the aircraft had been "franged" by someone on 291 APC the week before I first flew it.
opfixclear is offline  
Old 18th Feb 2012, 13:20
  #8 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Kammbronn
Posts: 2,122
Received 3 Likes on 3 Posts
Originally Posted by helimarshaller
..............the New Zealand Air Force flew in a C130 the week before, inside which was a UH-1H and they used that in the competition.
Would that have been the IAS where the NZ team won the prize for being the most entertaining foreign participants, as well as doing more damage to the airfield than the Luftwaffe with their transport.

Might even have been the same one where we got a phone call from Bristol Airport asking if we had any comms with a French Navy Super Frelon that had just followed the A38 past the end of their runway on a map-reading task.
diginagain is offline  
Old 18th Feb 2012, 15:26
  #9 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Jul 1999
Location: Warrington, UK
Posts: 3,837
Received 74 Likes on 29 Posts
as well as doing more damage to the airfield than the Luftwaffe with their transport.
Ah yes. The one off Middle Wallop ploughing competition. Won by the only entrant. Possibly due to all the duty frees that they had on board.
MightyGem is offline  
Old 19th Feb 2012, 01:27
  #10 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Sale, Australia
Age: 80
Posts: 3,832
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
No Gazelles in Oz defence forces. One did do a demonstration tour though, late 60's early 70's, of Oz defence establishments. Seem to recall a blue/white colour scheme, had a flight back seat while the boss played with it.
Brian Abraham is offline  
Old 20th Feb 2012, 08:27
  #11 (permalink)  
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: 51st State
Posts: 160
Likes: 0
Received 5 Likes on 4 Posts
Thanks everyone for your informative response.
HaveQuick2 is online now  
Old 20th Feb 2012, 12:30
  #12 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Edinburgh
Posts: 43
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Originally Posted by DaveW
... for the World Helicopter Championships held in the UK sometime in the 80s...
Helimeet 86 or something?

As a young TA lad, I was one of the two pipers who played at the dinner on the Saturday night; IIRC the "free bar" provided by Boeing had its budget of £3k blown on the Friday night.
Gravelbelly is offline  

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off



Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.