RAF Odiham's Flt Lt Ian Fortune on the Beeb
 

BBC News - RAF Chinook pilot tells how his helmet saved his life

:D

Well done Chopper. Lucky it missed your 'pizza hand'; that would have been a drama!

Receiving the highest bravery reward?
 

A similar incident happened to an AAC Lynx pilot in Baghdad. He didn't receive an award!

..suggest the AAC pilot complains to his CO

Great job guys and girls.

Ian F
 

Give him an AFC, DFC and a KFC !

Interview on BBC news in a few mins

Helidriver.....

He got a nice cracked windshield and helmet though! Alpha helmets......bulletproof! If I remember rightly he had a bloody face too. :}

Now Keith R - he got proper shot! Nice scars to prove it too......:eek:

Great job on the Beeb News....

Galantry award thoroughly deserved. The work these guys and gals do is utterly fantastic...

See the BBCs report at BBC News - RAF Chinook pilot tells how his helmet saved his life

Wonder why nobody, certainly not on TV, has mentioned that this was ZA718 - Bravo November - the RAF's most famous aircraft?

.. probably to avoid someone suggesting it's a (nearly) 30 yo aircraft!

Bit like Geo Washington's axe in the Smithsonian ... it's had two new heads and three new handles ...but it's still the same axe!

Begs an interesting question (excuse thread drift) how much of Langers' original BN was still there for Ian Fortune .....:confused:

'Flying so low to the ground, with medics in the back struggling to sedate the wounded, there was no time to hand over to the co-pilot.'

Would somone like explain this? What was the LHS doing?

Gallantry? OC Flt get a grip.

As helidriver said above, ummm............

Astounded by the lack of grace on here. Come on fellas, my guess is that the 'Gallant Hero' isn't too keen on the PR spin or the 'award' should it come. And even if he is, so what? Goodness knows all helo crews deserve more public recognition for the outstanding job they have done unsung for years. Yes I am sure there are lots of instances of equally brave/lucky/unlucky* individuals doing things that never will receive the recognition they deserve. These awards owe equally as much to political expediency as they do to objective assessment. That's life.

He's in a situation that plays well in the media and engenders public support for all of us.

*delete as appropriate if you are really that arsed. :ugh::ugh:

Grabbers well said. I too cannot believe the reaction of some on this thread given the subject. Helidriver and gijoe's tone smack of individuals with a large chip on the shoulder coupled with a dose of childish jealousy.

Of course there are multiple acts of bravery taking place every day in theatre across the whole spectrum. And yes, due to the nature of Ops many of these acts are not duly recognised. That should not diminish the achievements of those who do get the normally elusive recognition. In this case thankfully Fortune's Boss did the right thing and wrote him up for what was clearly an outstanding act of bravery in the air.

To all those on 'SH', thank you for the fantastic job you continue to do for all of the guys and girls on the ground in the sandpit.

gijoe,

The LHS (non handling pilot) was probably doing their job - ie non handling mission management.

The fact it took Ian a few seconds to realise what had occurred (and he was the one that had been hit) suggests the NHP may be forgiven for not wrestling control from him at the moment of impact.

At 50' and 140 kts, how long do you think it would take to potentially impact the ground?

If you have flown a Chinook IRT in Helmand, then I will bow to your informed decision from 4500 miles away, if not probably best to say nothing.

Either way, probably best if you avoid slagging people of in events of which you know little about.

Pr1ck!

Helldriver and gijoe

Perhaps the reason why the guy in the AAC did not get an award for gallantry is because his boss couldn't be arsed to write him up for one. That's all it would have taken.

Some folks on here make me laugh with the attitude of 'well he's just doing his job'!, yes he maybe, but what is wrong with recognising achievement when our guys and gals 'just do their job, but do it bloody well'. It is because people have bosses like Helldriver and gijoe that they don't get awards for gallantry when they are well due. Tell me, do you two say 'bah humbug'! at christmas to little kids as well?

Gentleman Jim

'Bravo November' Returns

RAF - Chinook Returns

RAF - Royal Air Force CH47 Chinook 'Bravo November'

RAF - News by Date


TJ

OK, I'll bite,

If Ian performed continiously throughout his tour tour before and after this incident then fair play! As for sour grapes, I already have the recognition for my my tour thankyou! This is not about sour grapes, and I sincerely offer my wishes to Ian, however, if he is honoured for this incident then then there are many others who should be also. My platoon Sgt in Afghanistan had a round stuck in his helmet after a contact, however his MC was awarded for many other other acts after this incident.

My isssue is not with the SH fleet, it's pilots or groundcrew. It's with with a system that suggests that if aircrew is shot at then they derserve "the highest gallantry award".

Many individuals who comment on here do so without practical experience. If you haven't served there, and I mean in a FOB within Helmand on the ground, then back off!

Ian, well done on your luck, you had a great team behind you.

h

ok helidriver,

some interesting points. I'm sure your platoon sgt deserved his MC in every sense of the spirit in which the award was given. Well done to him, though I'm sure you'd be a bit teed off if everyone on here wanted to second guess his every decision and decide by committee whether he deserved an award or not - so I suggest you back off.

I have the greatest respect for those in the FOB's, god knows Ive seen nearly all of them at one time or another.

However, you are unlikely to find many people on here assigned to FOB's in theatre......

it is afterall, a site for military aircrew. Most spend their time flying on ops, which involves, rightly or wrongly, operating from MOB's.

I do however, accept your fire is directed mainly at the system. Not much anyone on here can do about that - this place is mainly a talking shop for the eternal dit spinners of military aviation.

Helidriver - If every SH mate (including CHF and AAC) or indeed every AH mate got a bravery award from

"a system that suggests that if aircrew is shot at then they derserve "the highest gallantry award".

then there would be very few Helicopter crews out there without bravery awards. The bar is continually being raised by the level of operations being conducted and the bravery of the crews. Ian sat in his 20 ton bullet magnet watching the dust puffs as bullets hit the ground all around him, he then took a round through the front screen as he was transitioning with a load of pax down the back (including wounded servicemen). That round hit his head. He continued flying, got back to Bastion, got stiched up and has continued flying since.

The 'system' quite rightly should (and hopefully will) reward that level of courage. Many people do many brave and heroic things on ops, on the ground and in the air, not all get recognised, but some do and some must - usually down to the write up.

As MGD states, this is primarily an aviation forum, if you don't agree with that then please pop over to ARRSE to voice your concerns with the system, where you will get a more sympathetic ear....:}

Had a chap who took a 7.62 through the windscreen and entered the space between his head and helmet just above ear level. Bullet zipped around twix head and helmet and exited back out through the windscreen. Even the award concious US didn't feel it merited a purple heart as no blood had been spilt. Neat haircut though he sported for a while.