Griffins In Akrotiri
 

Front page of the local rag details contract signing to provide 4 Griffin helo's to replace Wsx and Gazelle currently based in Cyprus. Contract will be run by FBH who are responsible for Shawbury contract. Paper describes a Helo that is, bigger, faster and can carry more than the Wsx. It will be interesting to see if 4 Griffins can do the job of both the Wsx and Gaz sqns in Cyprus.

P.S. Welcome 5, you will provide a respite from the 'Mighty Reds).

The last time I saw 4 Griffins in Cyprus they were all attached to the same aeroplane. But we had an Air Force in those days.....

Don't you mean the Merlin??

Weren't Griffins Spitfire engines? Come to that, so were Merlins.

He means shacklebombers............

That was back in the days of the Imperial Air Power Club

By the way, the Cypriot guy is looking to sell one of his, I think it's the one that almost flew, he has something like 20 40' containers of spares. Shame BAe won't release the design authority

Tony

The Griffin is the military designation of the COMR (Contractor owned military registered) Bell 412 helos currently used by 60 (R) Sqn at RAF Shawbury and SARTU (SAR Trg Unit) at RAF Valley for advanced RAF helicopter training. The Cyprus ac will be supplied by the same contractors, but the unit (presumably still 84 Sqn??) will be 100% RAF manned. The 412 seems a good ac to take both the Wessex & Gazelle roles.

Griffin indeed a good aircraft. Lots of details to be finalised on the contract (apparently). There may be a split with 2 aircraft optimised for SAR (radar and fully coupled FCS, possibly even FLIR), and 2 in a more SH utility role. First ac is due in Cyprus on 1 Jan, with take over on 1 Apr. I hear the first ac is arriving at Redhill very shortly to begin the mods required. Strangely I understand that this has yet to be 'officially' announced!

Did somebody say Shackletons?

Well..When I Was On Shackletons I remember the time that...ngghh ummpphh aaarrrghh Stop IT!!!

Sorry about that chaps had a bit of a runaway up and had to go and beat myself. I nearly got nostalgic for a moment. But speaking of WIWOS - is the Lakeside still going down on the strip and are they still trying to sell Kokinelli when they couldn't give it away 20 years ago? BEagle - you seem like a man who would know these things...

Yes indeed! Seems that people are actually paying for Kokinelli these days! "Full kebab - who halloumi, who liver?" now costs more than a fiver - the village is bigger than ever, Chris' is by no means the best kebab place but you get a deal on taxis! Nose-warmers with tahini, village salad, sheesh, sheftalia, racing chicken, halloumi and lountza......nothing much has changed in the last 30 years except the price - and Block 101 is still b£oody awful!

Was chuffed to bits to find a Curry Restaurant on Akrotiri when I was deployed there a couple of years back. Even more chuffed to find out the owner came from Birmingham, and had established his credentials, by having a restaurant on the Ladypool Road, prior to going to Cyprus. Blimmin good Curry too from what I can remember

Also found out that the tough American detachment, couldn't play Beach Volleyball to save their lives..........

Tony :0)

I've eaten twice at said Indian, and both times it tasted wonderful. Unfortunatly, (possibly just a coincidence) both times, I squirted for the full Albert flight home the next day. Not pretty.:eek:

And just to stay way off topic...Is Chris still behind the bar serving rip-off brandy sours by the jug? And is Mr George ("very good the gentlemen, thank you Mr Dunhovrin, Officers' Mess Number One") still in the dining room?

Ahhh nostalgia. And to think I hated being there at the time. Well having to work there anyway...Eye of toad, leg of newt, number three up the chute. Back to the block...!

Firmly off topic
 

The Lakeside restaurant is all boarded up now I'm afraid.
Chris no longer runs the mess bar - for various reasons. Instead he now runs hire cars, taxis and restaurants. His son also runs riots.....

George is now chief bar meister at the OM.
Should you find yourself on 3hr standby there (working for Hezbollah Air Tours Ltd for example) may I recommend his new "Tasty, Refreshing Beverage"?
Alcohol free. Apart from the peach schnapps.......hmmm
Thank you George :rolleyes:

It may not have been 'officially announced', but the front page of the Forces Weekly newspaper seems to be about as official as you get out here, this includes quotes from various parties.

It's been common knowledge in the commercial side for quite some weeks now (hadn't really considered it was supposed to be secret!;))

In fact the engineering jobs for this contract have been posted on the Internet for about 3 weeks.

Want a 412 job?

Another sunshine post is lost to the AAC, I would have thought that this would have been an ideal chance for JHC to show just how purple they are with the formation of a joint unit but then again, it was a Crab idea, Commanded by a Crab with the next boss a Crab so why am I surprised?

Sloppy,

Can't remember the AAC having a SAR capability!!!

Sloppy Link

- JHC have been given the opportunity more than enough over the last 2 years to provide constructive input and support to the process as to the structure of the new unit at AKR. In the main they have been unhelpful, and sometimes downright obstructive. The attitude of JHC staff officers to 84 Sqn and the issues associated with it has always been "it's a SAR unit isn't it, that is 3 Gps problem".

Because of that and many other issues the decision was made that the unit would remain all RAF (the proposal to have a AAC exchange was still there for some time) as we now have enough ex-AAC guys who have crossed over to the RAF to provide someone with recce experience for the ex 16 Flt role that the Griffin will take over. Without being rude it is also a lot quicker and cheaper to train a SAR guy to hover at a couple of thousand feet and use electronic kit, than it is to teach SAR from scratch to pilots with no experience of that demanding role. The current plan is for the unit to have no input from JHC, it will take it's inputs from 3 Gp and SAR Force HQ from Apr 03 onwards.

It was not a crab idea, it was an MOD idea, the fact that 84 Sqn is commanded by a crab has nothing to do with it (it's an RAF Sqn, who should it be commanded by?). If you are referring to CBF, then he and his staffs were attempting to get the best capability they could for the island in terms of SAR/SH and C2 assets that they could, with the limited budget they were given for it by PJHQ. Personnally I think that in the face of huge obstacles put in the way by lots of people, the solution is the best Cyprus could have got from a COMR solution (in which there was no choice).

Therefore your post is not just ignorant, but devisive and pointless. If you have someone that you want to criticize about this decision, aim it at your AAC bretheren who did nothing to save the posts within the corridors of JHC (the previous OC 16 Flt spent a huge amount of effort trying to save 16 Flt, and trying to ensure AAC input on the new unit, with no support from JHC!). If you want JHC to be purple, try leading by example and not posting Army-centric threads criticizing everybody elses jointery.

Grow Up.

Well said, EP!

Back in yer box, then SL?:) :)

That'll be a reaction then! We do OK, still got Brunei (v.g.) and Belize (not so v.g.) doing.......remind me someone......Oh yes, liaison/troop lifts and....SAR! Byee.

Oy Passenger
You be talkin common sense, which is not allowed on this forum. Get off the fence and tell the gentleperson what you really think.

Head down, Look out for the flack