Puma in the what role?
 

http://www.alexhamilton.net/images/b...ver-Basrah.jpg
see:
http://www.alexhamilton.net/big-cats-over-basrah.htm
'Big Cats over Basrah'
My first commission for the Royal Air Force.
A Puma helicopter from 230 (Tiger) Squadron over Iraq's 2nd. city of Basrah during Opration Telic III in 2004. The Squadrons surveillance aircraft first deployed to Iraq in October 2003 and were constantly in the forefront of combat support operations against local insurgents and Former Republican Guard Extremists. The ever-present threat from ground fire is evident, and the Puma is seen deploying its flares to combat a possible Surface to Air Missile launch.
"There is a first time for everything! When I joined the Guild of Aviation Artists, one of my goals was to become more involved with professional pilots, and their organisations. As you might notice from my gallery, this has largely been aimed at the RAF. You can maybe then imagine how proud and excited I was when I recently handed over my first commission for the RAF.
The Squadron was 230 Sdn. operating the Aerospatiale Puma HC1 in the surveillance role. They had contacted me with regard to having a pictorial record of their recent deployment to Basrah, Iraq.
I had never painted a helicopter before, so this would be the first. My initial brief was in the hallowed rooms of The RAF Club (also a first for me!). They had a pretty good idea of what they wanted in as much as a back three-quarter view of the aircraft firing decoy flares over the city......."
see
http://www.alexhamilton.net/news.htm
Years ago one of the big Jane's yearbooks revealed that Pumas in NI were using a Ferranti Barr and Stroud thermal imager (?) called 'Pleasant 3', IIRC, and more recently a read something about P4 (perhaps on another platform) while Doug Barrie in Av Week wrote obliquely about some new surveillance kit on UK helos in Iraq that he called 'Broadsword', but I have to confess that this was all new to me......

Re: Puma in the what role?
 

No disrespect to yourself Jacko, but anyone with any sense won't be replying. Obviously, I do not include me in that ;)

Re: Puma in the what role?
 

Except that presumably the Squadron ascertained that this much, at least, was releasable, since the captioned print will be being sold widely.

In any case, I never really understood why the RAF were so coy about Puma, when the AAC were so open about Chancellor Lynx, Finch Gazelle et al.....

Re: Puma in the what role?
 

I'm not sure about what was in the back of the P3's in Ulster but I do remember hearing about a somewhat embarrassed Puma pilot managing to land with his wheels up on spot 6(?) (the one furthest from buzzard) at Red850 one night.

I'm not sure the exact details as I was enjoying my stint in Golf40 at the time but I understand the damage was very minor.

Re: Puma in the what role?
 

Whatever it is it can't be that hard to use as they let commisioned ALM's operate it:E

all spelling mistakes are "df" alcohol induced

Re: Puma in the what role?
 

The military Puma was designed to have the facility to land gear up - if you see a picture of one in flight with it retracted you will see that the wheels protrude slightly and there are no doors, only open bays.
Then they spoiled the concept by fitting aerials underneath :sad:
To overcome this we used to carry a "sandbag plan" which could be given to a ground support party to build a platform to land on. Then I think that idea was binned; after the Cold War as it wasn't practical as there weren't the same number of ready filled sandbags to hand.
The one aircraft I saw land wheels up after a gear failure was at RAF Odiham in about 1987 - in this case the fire crew just dug holes in the grass for the belly aerials and all was well.

P3? Sorry, no - it never existed. P4 never did either, nor will it's replacement. :E

Re: Puma in the what role?
 

That circuit breaker was fantastic!! You could pull it to inhibit the warning about the gear being up AND pull the gear circuit breaker. How many students were convinced they saw 3 greens??
Oh, those were the days, pull up a sandbag and I will tell you about it.... Oh sorry, no sandbags left. Odiham actually had a ready dug, Puma wheels up pit after that last mishap in 87. Bessbrook didn't :mad::\

Re: Puma in the what role?
 

So I guess the R850 incident was caused by 2/3 Qualified Puma operators all thinking they had seen 3-greens, and not a 'student' with only a handful of hours on the thing!

Furthermore, the resetting of said CBs were part of the pre-landers, were they not??

As for the Puma being designed to land gear-up; the B737 doesn't have doors over it's main wheels, is that for the same reason???

H P
:)

Re: Puma in the what role?
 

One of my last 33 Sqn trips ended up with hours of hovering and low level 'in flight refuelling' because (it turned out) of a dodgy green light. Yes, John Gill and I DID check all the CBs and alternative lights!

Ground crew eventually wheeled out one of those low loader trailer jobbies, already set up with the sand bag plan on it. I think they unscrewed a couple of aerials whilst we hovered, to minimise damage.

Got a feeling it ended up being a 2:40 engine air test authed for 15 mins!

Oh how we used to have fun.....

PS

R850 incident will have had 4 qualified crew (just to rub it in) if pre-'85, and on a PII-ing sortie.

CG (NVG retd.)

Re: Puma in the what role?
 

Captain Peacock,

R850?

Fondest,

Mrs Slocumb

(and pussy)

Re: Puma in the what role?
 

On the subject of Puma 'WTF's

http://images.airliners.net/photos/m...1/2/721213.jpg

Finningley '75.......

Re: Puma in the what role?
 

It's for testing the depth of the snow. :)

Re: Puma in the what role?
 

Bollocks! I was sure it was for sticking leprechauns.....

Re: Puma in the what role?
 

Jack,

In any event, nice painting! Would you have to charge more if asked to do a twin rotor job?!

Re: Puma in the what role?
 

Not my painting, but I'm sure the artist (Alex Hamilton) would charge much the same for a Chinook as for a Puma.

I suspect that he's at the stage of accepting all commissions, not at turning them away.

JN

It is a dmaned fine painting, though!

Re: Puma in the what role?
 

Jacko
what was that advert with Thierry Henry? Was it Renault or Peugeot? Along the lines of "its not what you show that counts, but what you dont show" vavaVOOM!
Tigs

Re: Puma in the what role?
 

Jacko, That looks like a downlink aerial to me - could that photo have actually been Finningley '77 rather than '75?

A Puma was used that year as an airborne TV camera platform for the Queen's Silver Jubilee airshow. :ok:

Or it might be a white stick for blind flying ....... :E

Re: Puma in the what role?
 

I thought it was the automatic loadmaster device.

Are we down yet?
Are we down yet?
'dink'
6 inches to go!

;)

Re: Puma in the what role?
 

Wheels up?. I had the first one at Odious in '71. Night flying in the circuit - select gear down - big bang and lots of lights. Turned out the nose jack had blown its collar off (a retrictor was later fitted). Refuel in the hover while sandbags were found (the problem hadn't been considered until then). Eventually landed on the two main legs and bags under the nose. Oh happy days (or nights)!

Re: Puma in the what role?
 

It's better to look good than be good - get the gear up!

ABiW - You weren't referring to Spermbank were you?