Calling all ex-Wessex personnel

[Herod]

WASA, this Squadron Print was still on the Armada crewroom wall 4 years ago.

OK, I'll date myself. XR 505. Last flown March 13th 1969. Display rehearsal. Display for Gen Le Contain (?) C in C (?)

[peterperfect]

Herod,
Heres your trusty steed (as found 4 years ago) you flew for the display in 1969.
The rest of the storage area was not a pretty sight and mainly bits and pieces of cannibalised Wx2.
However on the plus side, XR 505 was relatively complete, it was under engine and intake covers and apparently it is the airframe closest to full flying condition.
See photos attached. For the spotters yes, a H34 is sandwiched in the line as well.
I won't show you the rest, I hate to see/hear grown Wessexmen and women cry.

[Herod]

Thanks Peter,

Now all I need is a BIG lottery win, and we get her back here and flying. You really shouldn't have included that last picture though.

[Saintsman]

Another one missing from the list. Manston SAR. The aircrew were 22 Sqn, but the groundcrew were ASF.

[Lee Howard]

Technically still 22 Sqn, though...

Nice (in a bad way) pics of he cabs in Uruguay. I used to have photos of them being loaded and unloaded from the ships but need to do a bit of digging to find them again.

[Al-bert]

Manston SAR. The aircrew were 22 Sqn, but the groundcrew were ASF.

and didn't it show? On detachment once from a SAR Flt 'somewhere in Wales' I landed from a training sortie with a U/S PTR 175 (UHF). I was informed by the shift boss at ASF that we'd be 'off state' for approx an hour and a half (other A/C was U/S too) because it was ASF's lunchtime! I offered to do the box change myself (ten minute job IIRC) along with some career advice and very grudgingly lunch was delayed for 15 minutes. I believe things did improve there, eventually.

[zetec2]

What about SAR Wing Engineering Flight at Finningley, some tales to be had from there (correct Brian ?).

[Shackman]

Zetec2 - and their later re-incarnation at St Mawgan (HMF?). Of note the last Wessex out of there was XV729 which I took back up to SARTU on 10 May 96. Some guys there had worked on the Wessex for years (and moved down from Finningley) and were quite sad to see the end of line (so to speak)

[NutLoose]

Don't forget there are still some flying, one in the UK I believe.

[DunWinching]

XV729 is alive and well, still dripping OX 38 but now registered as 9G-AEL. Flew it 3 years ago.

[NutLoose]

9G-AEL is back in the UK

I am talking about G-BYRC formerly XT 671

https://publicapps.caa.co.uk/modalap...llregmark=BYRC

what happened? it shows the reg cancelled

Welcome to The Wessex Club - Home of the Wessex Enthusiast

https://en-gb.facebook.com/The-Wesse...6560906816937/

[Herod]

Here we go again "when I was no'but a lad" XT671 25th June '70. Up-country Malaysia as part of Op Bersatu Padu.

[DunWinching]

Does Matron know you are out?

[Shackman]

Herod - Snap. 25 Jun 70 Ex Bersatu Padu - only 9:35. I vaguely remember charging around at low level (100 ft or so) over the Malaysian jungle in the Shack, but no idea why!!

[Herod]

Shackman. Probably looking for me. I know we did quite a bit of "Go somewhere away from here, land, camouflage self and aircraft, come back in four hours" FJs looking for us I believe. Probably exactly that. Earlier in the day 25/01 "dispersal up-country". XT671 was 25/02

[Shackman]

And 20 years later I was flying 671 at Benson!

[Lee Howard]

All,

Some great contacts being made and some useful gen/tales being forwarded to me via PM and e-mail. Please do keep them coming. Any ex-28 Sqn guys out there with details of policing Hong Kong?

Lee

[Hueymeister]

Had a great deal of fun chasing Chugfei's and Daifei's (sp?) around the SC sea at night lobbing para-flares for the HK police to chase them...

[bobward]

Lee,
I used to live close to North Denes airfield in sunny Norfolk. I've a few shots of Bristow's Wessi if you'd like copies. They are scanned slides but photo-shopped up nicely.....

[Lee Howard]

bobward - many thanks. PM sent!