Chinooks. Not exactly stealthy, are they?
I used to live on the Western edge of the Bournemouth Control Zone in a rural gap between two built up areas. We often had military helicopters flying through this gap, especially at night around 2300 and at low level with no lights. I am currently reading the book The Workhorse of Helmand and discovered that Chinooks there operate in pairs and I believe that the ones flying low over my house was one of a pair with only one lit up. Of course this increased the noise level and the awesome effect of a Chinook coming right over your house with no lights was impressive. The change in noise level as they passed over head seemed to increase the dramatic effect. I have now downsized to a place just over a mile away so I still hear them but its not the same.
With careful planning and the right offshore wind/ topography, we took a Chinook full of interesting people to a bay N of Saxa Vord and were told by the exercise DS that no-one heard us until we made our first turn after departure some 4 miles offshore. Conversely, if you really want to be noticed - perhaps, say, by the participants in a Mount Pleasant dining-in night who've 'forgotten' to invite anyone from 78 - descend at 4-600fpm/ 100kt aiming at a point just short of the target then pull up into a 30deg bank climbing turn approx 400m short so that you don't overfly any buildings. Lifts the cutlery off the table, apparently.
Never believed the Eurocopter publicity about their 'quiet' helis - the 135 was always more audible than the NOTAR MD902, particularly around the home base(s). I'm pretty sure that the latter's 5-blade head producing vortices that didn't interact with any kind of external fan was the reason.
Never believed the Eurocopter publicity about their 'quiet' helis - the 135 was always more audible than the NOTAR MD902, particularly around the home base(s). I'm pretty sure that the latter's 5-blade head producing vortices that didn't interact with any kind of external fan was the reason.
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Living for many years in Camberley ie between Wokka world at Odiham and London Chinooks were always scooting up and down the M3 and very noisy -I would have been mostly off to one side. But is there any helicopter that's quiet? Where I live now, there are occasional Apaches and Chinooks plus assorted smaller mil types , Merlins etc, on their way to the various military bases or Yeovil? and then there are private ones which can be heard miles and miles away .
I am old enough to remember Fairey Rotodyne-now that was noise , Ospreys are incredibly noisy and someone has mentioned the A400 whose strange musical tones are a regular occurrence as they head out from Brize towards the southwest, a lot more conspicuous than the Hercs which were close to inaudible until right overhead especiallyat low level -
I am old enough to remember Fairey Rotodyne-now that was noise , Ospreys are incredibly noisy and someone has mentioned the A400 whose strange musical tones are a regular occurrence as they head out from Brize towards the southwest, a lot more conspicuous than the Hercs which were close to inaudible until right overhead especiallyat low level -
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Conversely, if you really want to be noticed - perhaps, say, by the participants in a Mount Pleasant dining-in night who've 'forgotten' to invite anyone from 78 - descend at 4-600fpm/ 100kt aiming at a point just short of the target then pull up into a 30deg bank climbing turn approx 400m short so that you don't overfly any buildings. Lifts the cutlery off the table, apparently.
But is there any helicopter that's quiet?
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While they were introduced to Lippitts Hill as ”the quietest in their class” to the local residents, EC145’s were a clattery cacophony on the ground and only slightly noisier than their predecessor AS355Ns. However, once in the air they were quite quiet - especially from below and surprisingly inaudible at observation distances using that nice 15x(?) camera/footstep thingy.
The Kent Surrey & Sussex EC135 is also occasionally on task locally; it's much quieter while orbiting, bit of a hum and occasional blade slap.
Caveat: I know naaaathiing, this is a genuine question.
I was working in my garden office this afternoon when I heard *that* sound (not unusual in my area). I was due a break, so I wandered out and looked west. A *long* time later a Wokka hove into view at reasonably low level. It occurred to me that in a hostile environment I'd had enough notice to order a MANPAD on eBay with a pretty good chance of it showing up in time. Is it just me, or does these things announcing their arrival quite so well make them a little... vulnerable?
I was working in my garden office this afternoon when I heard *that* sound (not unusual in my area). I was due a break, so I wandered out and looked west. A *long* time later a Wokka hove into view at reasonably low level. It occurred to me that in a hostile environment I'd had enough notice to order a MANPAD on eBay with a pretty good chance of it showing up in time. Is it just me, or does these things announcing their arrival quite so well make them a little... vulnerable?
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Can be quite quiet.
I had one sneak up on me once and I never heard it coming. It came from behind a 500' ridge, on the down(fairly brisk)wind side, flying way below ridge height. As it got nearly on top of me, it pulled up very steeply, popping up from out of view with a sudden rush of noise and displaying the dark underside of the body, which blotted out the sky. It frightened the life out of me, then changed heading 180 degrees and flew off to the south until it disappeared over the horizon. I rather suspect that the pilot did this on purpose.
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The Chinook is akin to the C-130….99% of the noise is kept inside!
The Huey is the Queen of racket making!
Once caused some wine glasses to tap dance off tables in a posh tented venue….and got asked for a Encore!
As to low level….rice straw on the cargo hook qualifies.
The Huey is the Queen of racket making!
Once caused some wine glasses to tap dance off tables in a posh tented venue….and got asked for a Encore!
As to low level….rice straw on the cargo hook qualifies.
On the all too infrequent occasions a Merlin has visited EGOS Field 24 (hint) they've always struck me as very quiet for their size. It would be interesting to find out what causes the faint 'wisping' noise (for want of a better word) made as they set up the approach.
Re the relatively-quiet Merlin, an ex-boss of a Puma Sqn who made Gp Capt while still in post once told us that in his time in Whitehall the subject of a new buy of Chinooks came up. After reading an MoD comparison of the merits of more Chinooks vs Wastelands (sorry, tuc, but after time on Lynx it's an opinion I hold strongly) Merlins the Minister was minded to go for the UK aircraft "as it was the quietest of the 2 contenders". Fortunately he was persuaded otherwise.
I never heard that claim from MoD about the requirement of the NI pax to discuss business en-route: farcical.
I never heard that claim from MoD about the requirement of the NI pax to discuss business en-route: farcical.
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Many years ago i was on the ground at the south end of the Great Glen in Scotland awaiting the arrival of a Bristow Bell 214 to assist us in recovering one of our machines that had come to grief.
Cloud cover sitting on the tops of the mountains reflecting the sound.
We heard it coming.... It arrived 25 minutes later!!!
Cloud cover sitting on the tops of the mountains reflecting the sound.
We heard it coming.... It arrived 25 minutes later!!!
Mind you he had an ulterior motive which I'm not allowed to reveal on these pages.
No problem T&B. They never once let me down, but I know many who had different experiences. My experience of Lynx, apart from some avionics, ended 40 years ago. It had a poor reputation for some years because support was an afterthought. And the French instruments.... They had no concept of configuration control.
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Odiham's finest fly over or near me a lot of the time. I agree they can be heard a long way off, but picking the actual track can be difficult (possibly due to reflection of buildings). I even find the infrequent 2300ish night flying quite soothing 
.
I have to say I find the noise of passing 'executive' helicopters far more disturbing / irritating.
.I have to say I find the noise of passing 'executive' helicopters far more disturbing / irritating.
Originally posted by SLXOwft
Absolutely agree on this but I am surprised by the favourable comments on the Merlin. I live right in the centre of the procedure turn onto the ILS for 08 and this is often used by Merlins. I find the noise loud AND irritating while the Chinook is just loud.
However, none of them are as irritating as the noise from a Duchess in fine pitch which we used to hear a lot before the flying schools disappeared.
As far as Westlands is concerned, my experience is as a quality manager of one of their suppliers. For many years, all our work was done under our MoD approval and was no problem. However, after they built a helicopter under the Mod system they discovered that it was for a civilian customer and the CAA would not accept it, they insisted that everything we did had to be under our Westlands approval. This brought us under an auditor who had no technical or engineering experience and the small amount of work we had wasn't worth the agro.
I have to say I find the noise of passing 'executive' helicopters far more disturbing / irritating.
However, none of them are as irritating as the noise from a Duchess in fine pitch which we used to hear a lot before the flying schools disappeared.
As far as Westlands is concerned, my experience is as a quality manager of one of their suppliers. For many years, all our work was done under our MoD approval and was no problem. However, after they built a helicopter under the Mod system they discovered that it was for a civilian customer and the CAA would not accept it, they insisted that everything we did had to be under our Westlands approval. This brought us under an auditor who had no technical or engineering experience and the small amount of work we had wasn't worth the agro.
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