The Puma at it best
 

Crank up the sound and Enjoy :)

http://www.alexisparkinn.com/photoga...titudefive.wmv

Great footage but less we forget RAF Puma wire strike Morocco :bored:

Yup saw that, perhaps if they had the wire cutter this one has fitted then the damage would have been significantly less.......... could never understand the RAF mentality of letting the wire slide up into the intakes and possible the rotors, surely a cutting blade is the best way ....

Possibly true! Problem with the Puma (or at least it was when this was researched / discussed in the late 1970s) is that the aircraft nose structure has insufficient strength to carry a wire cutter. The only place to fix cutters is above the cockpit roof, so that the cut wire ends are likely to go into the rotors in any event. At least the Polyvalent intakes tend to hold a cable down, as in this and other incidents.

The Moroccan wirestrike crew were extremely lucky to survive their incident. 230 Sqn lost an aircraft and crew in December 1979 during Op Agila, in Rhodesia, to a "small" wirestrike, which took out the main rotor pitch change rods. In those days aircraft had open intakes, any wires taken rode up over the roof and into the swashplate area. RIP Mike Smith, Archie Cook and Bob Hodges.

Nearly right.. I picked up a set of wires in N. Ireland in the seventies. The old intakes collected and their shorting together pesuaded the wires to part. Badly cracked windscreen, damaged cockpit roof and the wire ends flicked the blades but we looked at it and flew it back after a blade change. Could easily have been a lot worse.

Ah, Mike smith - one of my first students on the Whirlwind - smashing chap.

Nice Pics .......however
 

Nice video.......shame we didn't have camcorders back in the good ol' Belize days!!!:O
Who remembers 'natural arch'? or the Belmopan highway?
Good times...

Wire strikes of the Puma kind!
 

I took Bob Hodges' place in Rhodesia after he was tragically killed in the wire strike incident. The others ie Mike Smith and Archie Scott were, I believe members of 33 Sqn and not 230 Sqn.
Just wanted to ensure accuracy in the memoirs of some....
The Morocco incident was 'high' level as opposed to the 19' agl (wire height!) of the Rhodesian incident!

Belmopan Highway

Several RAF types could show the French how to do it on that road. Just south of the highway were 2 vertical precipace that you could roll (as in turn at about 70-90 degrees of roll) through; followed by a "target 12 oclock", left to right, petrol tanker..............

Oh bollox, after years of hating the RAF the good times have just rolled in.

have to say was impressed by the Puma when playing with it in Belize then joyride in NI along by Magiligan and up to the stacks were the pilot. It is a great helecopter.
How are the EX SAAF ones and are we likley to see some more from that source or some new Romanian ones?

Dundiggin,

It was a joint squadron operation (Op Agila, for the benefit of those who don't remember the Rhodesian Ceasefire of 1979-1980) and this was a "mixed squadron" crew.

Sorry to argue but only Archie Cook (not Scott) was 33 Sqn. I knew him quite well; we had been through IOT at Henlow and BFTS at Linton on Ouse at the same time.

Mike Smith and Bob Hodges were most definitely both 230 Sqn. I was on 230 at the time and also went to their funerals.

The aircraft height was likely to have been approximately 2 ft agl; it was determined that the rotor head hit a wire that was somewhat less than twenty feet agl. The rotor head on a Puma is approximately 16 feet up....

BTW, we must know each other - with your username I initially thought you might be a certain pilot of that era otherwise known as "Sp)nk trumpet"

Hello Shytorque.....
 

Thanks for putting me right on the Sqn issue. I'm sure we do know ea other. Pse pm me if you can.

Hello Shytorque.....
 

Thanks for putting me right on the Sqn issue. I seemed to remember it not being just 230 Sqn. I'm sure we should know ea other. Pse pm me if you can.

hello Nursee....
 

So far we have 2 ex SAAF ac in service and they are working well. I believe there are 4 more somewhere in the system.

There are 2 in a corner of a hangar at Kemble. I think they are ex-Venezualan (Sp?) and as far as I know, they are not even being considered for UK military service.

However for all the loyalty the old girl gets, they are knackered and have been for years. If even the Romanians have them in museums, it puts UK Defence Plc in a poor light. You do not have to try very hard to validate the need for a medium sized pocket rocket in the 21st century, and the Pumas replacement should have been approaching its mid life update now, not remaining out of sight and out of mind. Unless of course somebody wishes to steal the Wessex claim for longevity in operational service.

Cougar, NH90; dont much care, but for goodness sake somebody make a decision and get the cash out. I could imagine the Chief of Staff driving home in a second hand motor car purchased from South Africa, well actually I couldnt, but that is what the British Army are getting from the RAF. Rant over, I'll get my coat.

Shy Torque and Dundiggin

My Dad (M.H.) was in Rhodesia at the time (230) - remember it being a very nervous few hours for the family before the names of the crew where released. RIP to them all.

SD

The Puma at it's best
 

Mike Smith a great guy. Did a tour in Belize with him. Honoured to be one of the pall bearers at his funeral. RIP all three.

Low level Puma...
 

LOW??? Usually flown by Lex... 230 in the 70's - halycon days, great crews great times, desperately sad to lose the boys on Agila and at Salamanca, all stars. Was a crewman then, what a special time ( a relatively Nav free time!)

ShyTorque
Thanks for posting this, all I ever heard was the Rhodesian "rumour" that it had been shot down by SAM-7, this by a technician who claims to have examined the wreck at New Sarum.

Low Level