Calling all ex-Wessex personnel
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Had an encouraging early response to the request for contact with former Wessex guys (all will get a credit in the book), but still looking for others. Any ex-60 Squadron personnel? Queen's Flight?
I might be able to help a little, having served 7 tours on Walter. 3 on 72, 2 on 28 and 1 each on 60 and 2FTS. I had the sad privilege to fly as the Crewman on the last Wessex flight in HK delivering them to the docks, was part of the Course Design Team at Benson that eventually became 60Sqn, and whilst serving on JATEU at Brize flew on 1 of the ex 84Sqn Cabs before they flew to Shawbury for disposal. Nearly 20 years in all and the best flying of my whole career.
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Night flying phase, 240 OCU RAF Upavon late 1970's
Once, on a hot summers day, flying around between VCPs we spied an ice-cream wagon so we did our own VCP and loaded up with Mr Softies.
It wasn't in a Wessex; they couldn't catch up with an ice-cream wagon.
It wasn't in a Wessex; they couldn't catch up with an ice-cream wagon.
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The radar and sonar combination mirrored that in Sea King HAS 1 and 2 aircraft. However, it was better in the Wessex 3 as the blinds actually kept the light out so you could actually see the radar screen properly. The radar itself was a fresnel lense system with true motion capability delivered by the Blue Orchid doppler nav system. The interface between the radar and sonar was a bearing and range strobe controlled by an in contact switch on the sonar linked to the sonar sector display target indicator. All very agricultural however it worked and could be made to work well.
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Lee,
For your forthcoming tome on the Wessex, a little more on that most fabulous and complex arrangement, the much loved Windscreen Wiper System.
This was a development from the Whirlwind, where all systems were controlled by a doll, for a doll it was, as there were numerous "dolls eyes" that winked at you from under the Whilwind dashboard whenever said doll had mischief in mind.
Clearly this would not do for the more macho Wessex, so a Genie was installed during the build at Yeovil. This genie (not in any way related to the Demon that lived in the plumbing of the "Heads" on Grey Funnel line ships. It had mighty powers) allowed electricity to be made from the noise produced by the engines through their friends, the inverters. They certainly were "in"verters as very little electricity was allowed out to the rest of the aircraft, but that is another story.
Should the pilot be wilful enough to switch on the windscreen wipers, a lot could and usually did happen.
The principal area of activity surrounded the electro-mechanical-hydro mechanism that lived on the floor of the cockpit.
The first indication of action was the leaking of copious amounts of hydraulic fluid on to the floor under the second pilot's feet, thus converting their non-slip footwear to hi-slip. What hydraulic fluid that remained was pumped up to the next device, situated close by the windscreen. It was here that much more activity was enabled by the genie, with even more mischief in mind.
At first, all appeared well. The rain was on the screen, the wiper blade wiped and then.... sufficient hydraulic fluid was allowed to leak on to the outside of the windscreen, where it would be promptly wiped, mixed with the rainwater and thus rendering the windscreen opaque. Any deliberations on their now non-existent forward view by our by now bemused aviator were rendered redundant by the next phase of the operation, as the wiper blade, having done it's work, would depart the aircraft, where it could and did impact with either a main or tail rotor blade. In this case the ensuing vibration would take one's mind off not being able to see anything ahead.
If some or any of the above was not enough, the by now fed up electro-mechanical-hydro device would promptly overheat and emit an evil smell or just catch fire.
There was one more wiper feature embodied in the Wessex and this was the separate parking arrangement for the wiper blade (not much used as there was rarely a wiper blade left to park). A secondary function of this parking system doubled up as the main flying control secondary hydraulics. Clever.
As alluded to above, there is so much more to the mighty Wessex, such as how to start a reluctant engine by the sole use of a self-loading rifle. How not to spend all of your flying pay on a new coupling gearbox. The list is endless.
It was great fun and we all loved it. What a ship.
Best wishes with your book,
Rocking Grate.
For your forthcoming tome on the Wessex, a little more on that most fabulous and complex arrangement, the much loved Windscreen Wiper System.
This was a development from the Whirlwind, where all systems were controlled by a doll, for a doll it was, as there were numerous "dolls eyes" that winked at you from under the Whilwind dashboard whenever said doll had mischief in mind.
Clearly this would not do for the more macho Wessex, so a Genie was installed during the build at Yeovil. This genie (not in any way related to the Demon that lived in the plumbing of the "Heads" on Grey Funnel line ships. It had mighty powers) allowed electricity to be made from the noise produced by the engines through their friends, the inverters. They certainly were "in"verters as very little electricity was allowed out to the rest of the aircraft, but that is another story.
Should the pilot be wilful enough to switch on the windscreen wipers, a lot could and usually did happen.
The principal area of activity surrounded the electro-mechanical-hydro mechanism that lived on the floor of the cockpit.
The first indication of action was the leaking of copious amounts of hydraulic fluid on to the floor under the second pilot's feet, thus converting their non-slip footwear to hi-slip. What hydraulic fluid that remained was pumped up to the next device, situated close by the windscreen. It was here that much more activity was enabled by the genie, with even more mischief in mind.
At first, all appeared well. The rain was on the screen, the wiper blade wiped and then.... sufficient hydraulic fluid was allowed to leak on to the outside of the windscreen, where it would be promptly wiped, mixed with the rainwater and thus rendering the windscreen opaque. Any deliberations on their now non-existent forward view by our by now bemused aviator were rendered redundant by the next phase of the operation, as the wiper blade, having done it's work, would depart the aircraft, where it could and did impact with either a main or tail rotor blade. In this case the ensuing vibration would take one's mind off not being able to see anything ahead.
If some or any of the above was not enough, the by now fed up electro-mechanical-hydro device would promptly overheat and emit an evil smell or just catch fire.
There was one more wiper feature embodied in the Wessex and this was the separate parking arrangement for the wiper blade (not much used as there was rarely a wiper blade left to park). A secondary function of this parking system doubled up as the main flying control secondary hydraulics. Clever.
As alluded to above, there is so much more to the mighty Wessex, such as how to start a reluctant engine by the sole use of a self-loading rifle. How not to spend all of your flying pay on a new coupling gearbox. The list is endless.
It was great fun and we all loved it. What a ship.
Best wishes with your book,
Rocking Grate.
Champagne anyone...?
Had a brief "career" on the mighty Wessex at 2FTS in 1994 before it was decided that helicopters and I weren't destined to be friends.... 
I'm intrigued to know why the thread starter has been banned?!
Seemed nice enough.....
I'm intrigued to know why the thread starter has been banned?!
Seemed nice enough.....
More on the Wessex Windscreen Wiper:
Hydraulics on top of Electrics!
Hydraulic Fuse!
And, possibly, the final indignity...they were crossed-over!
As the system was fitted on the Whirlwind, they (sensibly) put all the gubbins on the left - out of the Pilot's way.
When the Wessex came along.....they put the second motor on the right.
So, if you adjust the speed on them them (box on bulkhead under nose-door) remember that!
Ground check completed!
Great Beast Though!
It was early days & it did have a lot of good engineering design.
lsh
Hydraulics on top of Electrics!
Hydraulic Fuse!
And, possibly, the final indignity...they were crossed-over!
As the system was fitted on the Whirlwind, they (sensibly) put all the gubbins on the left - out of the Pilot's way.
When the Wessex came along.....they put the second motor on the right.
So, if you adjust the speed on them them (box on bulkhead under nose-door) remember that!
Ground check completed!
Great Beast Though!
It was early days & it did have a lot of good engineering design.
lsh
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Wipers? Pah!
Another cunning ploy was the Double Datum Overspeed Trip Governor. Not only would it wait patiently to attend to any overspeed, it sometimes felt the need to shut down an engine at random. Button A and button B anyone? (and that's nothing to do with old telephones)
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Murraq SAR
Hi Lee,
I was ground crew on the Wessex, arriving Feb 1968 and left March 1969.
Sharing a hangar with a Fleet Air Arm detachment operating target drones.
The time I was there we had two aircraft. If my memory serves, we ran a two shift system, 12hrs on and 12 off. Plenty of volley ball.
Mike.
I was ground crew on the Wessex, arriving Feb 1968 and left March 1969.
Sharing a hangar with a Fleet Air Arm detachment operating target drones.
The time I was there we had two aircraft. If my memory serves, we ran a two shift system, 12hrs on and 12 off. Plenty of volley ball.
Mike.
Gentleman Aviator
And of course the wonderfully "crossed over" wiper system ensured that if one pilot's wiper stopped working the other pilot had his feet swimming in hydraulic oil. So who should fly it?
Answers on a postcard to the Yeovil Glue Factory......
Some more good dits on Wessex systems....
When the RAF decided they wanted the Wessex (which became the Mk 2), they based the requirement on the already-in-service Junglie Mk 5. [off at a tangent here - why was the Mk 5 before the Mk 2? In them days if the RAF and the FAA had the same type, FAA would have odd numbered Mks and RAF even numbers. As the RN already had Mks 1 & 3, RAF got Mk 2 - and subsequently Mk 4 for TQF]. Back to the dit.
The Mk 5 had the folding tail, to save space below deck. RAF thought such a thing dangerous, Cue following dialogue:
RAF: We really like the Wessex Mr Westland, but we'd like ours without the folding tail.
Mr W: But that's the way it comes.
RAF: But we really really really want ours without the tail fold.
Mr W: OK - but it'll cost yer.
Very soon, RAF discovers you can also save space in hangars - quelle surprise! Cue following dialogue:
RAF: Excuse me Mr Westland, we really love our Wessex (Wessi?) but would love them even more if you could retrofit them with the folding tail.
Mr W: OK - but it'll cost yer.
So pay twice for what you could have had for nothing!
Next dit: was once talking to someone at Yeovil about rotor-blades, and the magnificent ones on the Sycamore, crafted by wizened old men in brown dust coats, a box of formers and a Surform. With these skills they imparted taper, washout and all those other P of F things which I can no longer remember.
The trusty NACA 0012 section of the Wessex blade only had washout.
Teeters: So how is the washout introduced?
Mr W: A process called Cold Dry Torsion.
Teeters: Wassat??
Mr W: Well, we secure one end of the blade, and apply torsion to the other until we get the required level of washout.
Teeters: So you put one end in a vice, apply a crowbar to the other end, and then heave.
Mr W: Err
Answers on a postcard to the Yeovil Glue Factory......
Some more good dits on Wessex systems....
When the RAF decided they wanted the Wessex (which became the Mk 2), they based the requirement on the already-in-service Junglie Mk 5. [off at a tangent here - why was the Mk 5 before the Mk 2? In them days if the RAF and the FAA had the same type, FAA would have odd numbered Mks and RAF even numbers. As the RN already had Mks 1 & 3, RAF got Mk 2 - and subsequently Mk 4 for TQF]. Back to the dit.
The Mk 5 had the folding tail, to save space below deck. RAF thought such a thing dangerous, Cue following dialogue:
RAF: We really like the Wessex Mr Westland, but we'd like ours without the folding tail.
Mr W: But that's the way it comes.
RAF: But we really really really want ours without the tail fold.
Mr W: OK - but it'll cost yer.
Very soon, RAF discovers you can also save space in hangars - quelle surprise! Cue following dialogue:
RAF: Excuse me Mr Westland, we really love our Wessex (Wessi?) but would love them even more if you could retrofit them with the folding tail.
Mr W: OK - but it'll cost yer.
So pay twice for what you could have had for nothing!
Next dit: was once talking to someone at Yeovil about rotor-blades, and the magnificent ones on the Sycamore, crafted by wizened old men in brown dust coats, a box of formers and a Surform. With these skills they imparted taper, washout and all those other P of F things which I can no longer remember.
The trusty NACA 0012 section of the Wessex blade only had washout.
Teeters: So how is the washout introduced?
Mr W: A process called Cold Dry Torsion.
Teeters: Wassat??
Mr W: Well, we secure one end of the blade, and apply torsion to the other until we get the required level of washout.
Teeters: So you put one end in a vice, apply a crowbar to the other end, and then heave.
Mr W: Err
