BEST CFS AC
"Mildly" Eccentric Stardriver
Little "war story" re Wessex, if I may. Stamford PTA, hot summer's day. No. 3 in a formation with a 105mm howitzer slung underneath, just about max wt. No. 1 engine decides to wind down. We were being filmed for an army recruiting poster, so it was suggested that if I was going to pickle the gun, would I do it in the river since it would look good on film. Decided instead to see if we could put it down gently. Made an approach to the field, hovered out of ground-effect, landed the gun, moved over and landed alongside. At the time I believe the Wessex was the only helicopter in the UK, military or civil, that had a genuine engine-out capability. 
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Judging by the vintage of aircraft being put forward it is obvious that the current trainers in the RAF are appallingly dull.
Rotary perspective.
Indeed; the Sq is reliable, safe and cheap.....and does not have nasty handling characteristics which kill poor unfortunate studes.....how boring.
We do all the horrible stuff on Cold War helicopters in the desert now......lets leave the nasty stuff till later......dull is good by me!
;-)
Rotary perspective.
Indeed; the Sq is reliable, safe and cheap.....and does not have nasty handling characteristics which kill poor unfortunate studes.....how boring.
We do all the horrible stuff on Cold War helicopters in the desert now......lets leave the nasty stuff till later......dull is good by me!
;-)
Avoid imitations
Join Date: Nov 2000
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Ralphmalph, now you've set a challenge, I'll bet someone mentions a certain handling phenomena potentially affecting both the "Gz" and the "Sq". 
I think neither has ever killed a British military student. But a rally driver, possibly.
I think neither has ever killed a British military student. But a rally driver, possibly.
Shy Torque,
Before discussing rally - or any other sort of driver, does one need to differentiate between military flying and civilian licences - current, expired or non existant?
Old Duffer
Before discussing rally - or any other sort of driver, does one need to differentiate between military flying and civilian licences - current, expired or non existant?
Old Duffer
Rotary perspective.
Indeed; the Sq is reliable, safe and cheap
Indeed; the Sq is reliable, safe and cheap
SQUIRREL CRASH CHETWYND 20 APR
I think you have to link Best CFS A/C to a period of history to get the full picture.
Ahh the 60s! JP4s and tons of illicit Air Combat during ‘mutuals’ over the vale of Evesham.
For most of the 60s, before the expensive new types arrived, (Phantom, Harrier, C130), etc., there was still a hangover of the WW2 can-do and stuff the regulations attitude, and there were still a lot of ex-WW2 pilots instructing.
As a splendid old (he must have been at least 40) ex-Spitfire Master Pilot told me at Cranwell, the JP4 performs a bit like a late-mark Spitfire.
That was good enough for us reluctant Creamies at Rissy. On each mutual you would approach any other JP and see if he wanted to play. Once you were off all the rules went out of the window . What rules? We had no training in Air Combat or awareness of any of the safety requirements. We got stuck in and taught ourselves - like rookie Battle of Britain pilots up against 109s we either won or got massacred, and no-one was firing live ammunition.
Any tactic was used to gain advantage: In and out of cloud, rolling scissors close in until you could count the rivets, flick manoeuvres, (very interesting for someone just a few yards behind you!), the whole thing ending up in a chase around the woods and fields of the Cotswolds at low level.
How did we survive? Just luck, that’s all. And the lessons learned proved invaluable later on on sharp aeroplanes.
Ahh the 60s! JP4s and tons of illicit Air Combat during ‘mutuals’ over the vale of Evesham.
For most of the 60s, before the expensive new types arrived, (Phantom, Harrier, C130), etc., there was still a hangover of the WW2 can-do and stuff the regulations attitude, and there were still a lot of ex-WW2 pilots instructing.
As a splendid old (he must have been at least 40) ex-Spitfire Master Pilot told me at Cranwell, the JP4 performs a bit like a late-mark Spitfire.
That was good enough for us reluctant Creamies at Rissy. On each mutual you would approach any other JP and see if he wanted to play. Once you were off all the rules went out of the window . What rules? We had no training in Air Combat or awareness of any of the safety requirements. We got stuck in and taught ourselves - like rookie Battle of Britain pilots up against 109s we either won or got massacred, and no-one was firing live ammunition.
Any tactic was used to gain advantage: In and out of cloud, rolling scissors close in until you could count the rivets, flick manoeuvres, (very interesting for someone just a few yards behind you!), the whole thing ending up in a chase around the woods and fields of the Cotswolds at low level.
How did we survive? Just luck, that’s all. And the lessons learned proved invaluable later on on sharp aeroplanes.
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Shorts of Belfast, to be precise. With Brazilian bits.
Engineers hated it (as I was told) because you couldn't 'rob' airframe bits off a hangar queen to keep the right number on the daily line. Some rudders were simply not compatible with other airframes on the fleet.
Gazelle. Outstanding. It had autoland, especially during Engine Offs at Ternhill (whilst dual, obviously). Simply loosen your grip on the cyclic, whilst maintaining a semblance of contact with the controls, and, Voila! A perfect slidey arrival on the grass. 4's or 5's every time. Who's going to slag off their own efforts?
Engineers hated it (as I was told) because you couldn't 'rob' airframe bits off a hangar queen to keep the right number on the daily line. Some rudders were simply not compatible with other airframes on the fleet.
Gazelle. Outstanding. It had autoland, especially during Engine Offs at Ternhill (whilst dual, obviously). Simply loosen your grip on the cyclic, whilst maintaining a semblance of contact with the controls, and, Voila! A perfect slidey arrival on the grass. 4's or 5's every time. Who's going to slag off their own efforts?