Upgraded Pumas off to Afghanistan this month
Avoid imitations
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Great to see the RAF being provided with a Puma with a performance it has desperately needed.... since 1971.
Only took a mere 44 years to finally get them up to scratch!
Question for the historians amongst us:
Was the HC1 the longest serving Mk1 aircraft in RAF history?
Only took a mere 44 years to finally get them up to scratch!
Question for the historians amongst us:
Was the HC1 the longest serving Mk1 aircraft in RAF history?
The HC.2 is earmarked to remain in service until 2025,
'Question for the historians amongst us:
Was the HC1 the longest serving Mk1 aircraft in RAF history?'
Think that the VC10 C.1 may have just squeezed it, unless you consider that the upgrade to C.1K disqualifies it. And the Hawk is fast catching up.
Was the HC1 the longest serving Mk1 aircraft in RAF history?'
Think that the VC10 C.1 may have just squeezed it, unless you consider that the upgrade to C.1K disqualifies it. And the Hawk is fast catching up.
Avoid imitations
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CG, I understand that Stan did his last sortie on this mortal coil many years ago. Last time I saw him he was delivering flowers, by van. That was over twenty years ago.
I still have an RAF reserve commitment (I think they would be extremely desperate to make the relevant search for my whereabouts) but both you and I predate the HC1 by quite some years. Clear for chock!
I still have an RAF reserve commitment (I think they would be extremely desperate to make the relevant search for my whereabouts) but both you and I predate the HC1 by quite some years. Clear for chock!
What is AST404?
I keep reading this term AST404, but can’t find any explanation about it.
What is/was it? An upgrade program? What does AST stand for?
Thanks in advance
What is/was it? An upgrade program? What does AST stand for?
Thanks in advance
Air Staff Target
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I would say the longest service is the Chipmunk DHC-1 ( T10 in RAF speak.)
Entered RAF service in 1952 and is still serving on the BBMF as a conversion trainer come runaround hack in 2022. 65 years and counting...
https://www.memorialflightclub.com/b...5th-birthdays/
Entered RAF service in 1952 and is still serving on the BBMF as a conversion trainer come runaround hack in 2022. 65 years and counting...
https://www.memorialflightclub.com/b...5th-birthdays/
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I think there are one or two other aircraft serving on BBMF which might be slightly older.
......1985 ish and still going, albeit after a little rest for a couple of years!
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https://www.europeanairshows.co.uk/p...bbmf-lancaster
AST 404 was a requirement for a Wessex / Puma replacement in the mid 1980s. The Black Hawk was the obvious choice, but Westland offered the world—beating WG30…..it ran out of steam, reappeared a few years later as a Chinook buy but got politicked into Merlin. Lucky us……