Westland Whirlwind G-BVGE Flying Today @ Weston
Oh!! the joy and nostalgia
I have a feeling that we managed a record 'bell to wheels-off' time at Thorney in the 60's. It was AOC's and we KNEW that we'd get a practice scramble so we were poised on the blocks, so to speak. Bell went and so did we and memory says it was 53 seconds to wheels off. Jack Burgess (M Nav) was W/Op and once we were out of the circuit we (Skip and I) started discussing where we would go for a sight-seeing. Jack , quite forcefully, told us to shut up and get organised - it was a 'for real' not a practice and there was a standard issue 'grockle' to be hauled from the 'oggin'. AOC missed our demo of 'derring-do' but damp grockle was returned to terra firma.
Valley, Thorney, Manston short det., Valley again, Tern Hill, Akrotiri plus Whirly 10, almost unbeatable!
I'm sure we had some shortcuts on SAR sorties.
Valley, Thorney, Manston short det., Valley again, Tern Hill, Akrotiri plus Whirly 10, almost unbeatable!
The S62 had a bigger Gnome 1200 Shaft horse as I recall, and had 2 of them! Not a fair comparison!
Also remember the Bristow Whirlwind at Redhill doing engine-off landings while the only two (I think) current pilots at the time were doing each others licence renewals, when I was on my course there in 1985/86. It was still being used on a commercial contract for Marconi at the time, with some kind of test equipment bolted on the side.
I didn't realise Sikorsky built another single engine helicopter after the S55. However comma I was right about the engine!
Bill,
Don't forget that Sikorsky also produced the single piston engine S-58 which Westland built as the Wessex with the twin Gnome turboshaft engines:
Sikorsky H-34 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Westland Wessex - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Don't forget that Sikorsky also produced the single piston engine S-58 which Westland built as the Wessex with the twin Gnome turboshaft engines:
Sikorsky H-34 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Westland Wessex - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
I was with BEagle when I read the title and thought WOW 
To see one of these flying agian would be awesome......
Now what did I do with that EuroMillions ticket........
Congratulations to all those dealing with the 2nd Westland Whirlwind though
To see one of these flying agian would be awesome......
Now what did I do with that EuroMillions ticket........
Congratulations to all those dealing with the 2nd Westland Whirlwind though
Bloody Marvellous!
I'll have to meet it...somewhere? Where's it based?
1st aircraft I was let loose on as an LAC Rigga at Tern Hill 1975 and moving to Shawbury with them in 1976 where the wheels seemed to touch the tiles on our Married Quarter at Chapel Close (or was it Chapel Square?)
I'll have to meet it...somewhere? Where's it based?
1st aircraft I was let loose on as an LAC Rigga at Tern Hill 1975 and moving to Shawbury with them in 1976 where the wheels seemed to touch the tiles on our Married Quarter at Chapel Close (or was it Chapel Square?)
Bill4a. Must do better.
The S62 had the General Electric T58 gas turbine, the one that the Rolls Royce Gnome is a copy of. It is derated to 730 horse power for the same reason that the Gnome is derated in the Whirlwind; the main gearbox input pinion.
So there you have two helicopters with the same power available, the same rotor system, but one can carry 1,000 lbs more than the other and is faster.
The S62 entered US Navy service in 1962, about the same time as Westlands were rehashing the Whirlwind.
Note: I have 1,500 hrs on Whirlwinds, so I'm not slagging them. I just happen to have had a first hand comparison between my Whirlwind 10 and a S62 that belonged to World Wide Helicopters in Borneo 1966.
The S62 had the General Electric T58 gas turbine, the one that the Rolls Royce Gnome is a copy of. It is derated to 730 horse power for the same reason that the Gnome is derated in the Whirlwind; the main gearbox input pinion.
So there you have two helicopters with the same power available, the same rotor system, but one can carry 1,000 lbs more than the other and is faster.
The S62 entered US Navy service in 1962, about the same time as Westlands were rehashing the Whirlwind.
Note: I have 1,500 hrs on Whirlwinds, so I'm not slagging them. I just happen to have had a first hand comparison between my Whirlwind 10 and a S62 that belonged to World Wide Helicopters in Borneo 1966.
@Fareastdriver - you mean entering service with the USCG 
as they were the only operators of the 62 for the next quart of century.
Cheers
as they were the only operators of the 62 for the next quart of century.Cheers
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Also used by the Japanese military in small numbers as well:
Photos: Sikorsky (Mitsubishi) S-62J Aircraft Pictures | Airliners.net
Photos: Sikorsky (Mitsubishi) S-62J Aircraft Pictures | Airliners.net
XJ729 Owner?
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Sikorsky built the S-51, 52, 55, 58, 59 and 62 models as Single Engine Helicopters.
The 51,55, and 58 Models were built under license in the UK and were known as Dragonflies, Whirlwinds, and Wessex's.
The Wessex and S-58T were both Twin Engined Turbine versions of the S-58 with the Wessex being the only version with a single Turbine Version as well.
Because they were old and worn out when you were flying them.....just like you are today!
I know the feeling when I visit the US Army Aviation Museum at Fort Rucker, Alabama.
I see one of my Chinooks on display then look around at all the young nubbin Aviators with their shiny new Wings and I begin to want to set them on my knee and tell them how it was in the Old Days.
Hard to imagine it was 47 Years ago I started my Helicopter Training.
The 51,55, and 58 Models were built under license in the UK and were known as Dragonflies, Whirlwinds, and Wessex's.
The Wessex and S-58T were both Twin Engined Turbine versions of the S-58 with the Wessex being the only version with a single Turbine Version as well.
Why is it that everything I've worked on flown in or walked past is now either historic or in a bloody museum?
I know the feeling when I visit the US Army Aviation Museum at Fort Rucker, Alabama.
I see one of my Chinooks on display then look around at all the young nubbin Aviators with their shiny new Wings and I begin to want to set them on my knee and tell them how it was in the Old Days.
Hard to imagine it was 47 Years ago I started my Helicopter Training.
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Boudreaux Bob, Sadly I think you're right about the old age bit!
As to the youth of shiny winglets, a colleague remind me that Leonard Cheshire was a Group Captain at 21!
I've never even heard of a Wessex with a single turbine every one I worked on had 2.
As to the youth of shiny winglets, a colleague remind me that Leonard Cheshire was a Group Captain at 21!
I've never even heard of a Wessex with a single turbine every one I worked on had 2.
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When they added the second engine....they added one just like the first one and gave the Wessex true Single Engine Capability as compared to the S-58T version with the Twin Pac Pratt and Whitney setup.
The 58T with the -6 Engines did quite well although still not in the class of the Twin Engined Wessex during OEI operations.
http://www.aviastar.org/helicopters_eng/west_wessex.php
The 58T with the -6 Engines did quite well although still not in the class of the Twin Engined Wessex during OEI operations.
http://www.aviastar.org/helicopters_eng/west_wessex.php
