Good old Walter Wessex to fly again
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Hanging off the end of a thread
Posts: 32,868
Received 2,820 Likes
on
1,202 Posts
Good old Walter Wessex to fly again
All be it a Navy Cab, but hey ho, it will be good to see.
https://www.navywings.org.uk/news-bl...ock-alexander/
https://www.navywings.org.uk/aircraf...raft/wessex-5/
https://www.navywings.org.uk/news-bl...ock-alexander/
We now have fifteen aircraft within the collection and with a fair wind see a Wessex V return to the skies next year.
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Hanging off the end of a thread
Posts: 32,868
Received 2,820 Likes
on
1,202 Posts
As a kid in North Devon I used to love seeing the RAF SAR Wessex from RAF Chivenor land in Rock Park, Barnstaple to offload casualties (usually surfers!). The noise and smell was awesome.
Some years later, I was working on the Gas rigs off the North Norfolk coast and used to be flown there and back in a Wessex. Very cramped, full of people and cargo so zero chance of a smooth exit in the event of an accident.
My perfect job in the RAF would have been rear crew in an SAR Helicopter, but it wasn't to be.
Great machine and would love to see it fly again.
Some years later, I was working on the Gas rigs off the North Norfolk coast and used to be flown there and back in a Wessex. Very cramped, full of people and cargo so zero chance of a smooth exit in the event of an accident.
My perfect job in the RAF would have been rear crew in an SAR Helicopter, but it wasn't to be.
Great machine and would love to see it fly again.
"Mildly" Eccentric Stardriver
Wyler.
IIRC, that North Sea Wessex suffered a fatal accident. I was offered a job on it many, many years ago, but stuck with fixed-wing instead. Agreed about the ideal rotary job. For me, the front end of an SAR Wessex/Sea King, but I was SH.
Herod (78 Sqn Wessex, Khormaksar, Sharjah. 72 Sqn Wessex, everywhere from N.I. to Singapore.)
IIRC, that North Sea Wessex suffered a fatal accident. I was offered a job on it many, many years ago, but stuck with fixed-wing instead. Agreed about the ideal rotary job. For me, the front end of an SAR Wessex/Sea King, but I was SH.
Herod (78 Sqn Wessex, Khormaksar, Sharjah. 72 Sqn Wessex, everywhere from N.I. to Singapore.)
Herod
Did not know about the accident. We were crammed in like sardines with the cargo. Rear crew was just a youth who held up a card to tell you which rig you were approaching. Had to refuel as well which meant climbing out, standing near the edge of the refueling rig and then clambering back on.
Even worse on the trips home as we all had loads of bootleg whisky etc that we bought from the Dutch boats that came alongside to ply their trade. When we got back to Gt Yarmouth it was 'accepted' that the Customs staff would relieve you of one bottle per pax so we all bought one extra.
Single pilot as well I seem to remember.
Did not know about the accident. We were crammed in like sardines with the cargo. Rear crew was just a youth who held up a card to tell you which rig you were approaching. Had to refuel as well which meant climbing out, standing near the edge of the refueling rig and then clambering back on.
Even worse on the trips home as we all had loads of bootleg whisky etc that we bought from the Dutch boats that came alongside to ply their trade. When we got back to Gt Yarmouth it was 'accepted' that the Customs staff would relieve you of one bottle per pax so we all bought one extra.
Single pilot as well I seem to remember.
North Sea Wessex suffered a fatal accident.
I was given, and had to brief a cabin attendant who sat on the left hand seat. I programmed the waypoints and platforms into the Decca Tans and off I went.
500ft. to Bacton and picked up a few day trippers. The Tans told me which way to go to the Leman field and when I arrived it was about 200ft and half a mile. I used the radar to align myself with the field and carried on because a Wessex was plodding between the decks.
I was having to use the radar to approach a deck when the Wessex said something like he was going to the same place so I broke off the approach and exited the field to the north. I then turned in, reoriented to my map and started another approach.
There were a few fishing vessels I had seen on my travels and my track took me to the east of one these. As I passed it I noticed a glow high on my starboard side which became.
SHELL LEMAN
and there was a platform twice as big and high as the platforms I had been briefed about.
At that I pointed the aircraft at a clear part of the sea between the Leman field and Yarmouth and flew it back.
I didn't go back until I had had a COMPLETE area brief.
