The AH9A is still in service, I believe planned OSD is 2019

Thanks - good to know it's not quite goodbye to the Lynx just yet.

I worked on the weapons carrying equipment for Lynx and other choppers, The public see naval choppers pulling people out of the drink, and think that is their main job. A Lynx and its hopeful better replacement is virtually a destroyer or frigates main armament. a 4.5" gun, and deck launched torpedoes have limited range, bur a Lynx could carry four torpedoes over the horizon.

I flew Chipmunks in 1951, are the same ones still flying. Came top of that course, but failed when given more difficult things to fly, so ended up Navigator.

This makes me feel old as I remember the Lynx IFTU taking place at Middle Wallop at the time I retired from the AAC! :-(

Oh, we did that as well.

there's also the RN Swordfish...............

Report in The Register

Man,2 flags ,or semaphore lamp...any in stores...?

Gazelle is in its 50th year which can't be far off?

Good heavens, why ever would we want to share information?:ugh:

Ref the comments about the Wildcat just being 'another Lynx', this always shows those who have done the Wildcat course from those who haven't. :ugh:

Incidentally, my book on the Lynx (officially licenced and approved by the Royal Navy and with full co-operation of 815 NAS and LWMF) which looks at the aircraft not just from the aircrew side but also from the mainter's viewpoint, is still available via: https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/Books/Wes...ds=lynx+manual

No personal gain from sales, I might add!

Yep April 7th hence why there is an event at MW for the 50th anniversary of the lovely Gazelle

Gazelle 50th Anniversary Commemorative Fly-in | Threshold

cheers

Aren't you forgetting Dakota ZA947, also serving with BBMF?

Re the Gazelle

The prototype Sa340-001 flew with a tail rotor from the Alouette 2 and a rigid rotorhead, the fenestron didn't fly until 1968 on -002. 002 is in a museum at Toulouse.
Search for Aerospatiale Sa340
The production prototype didn't fly until august 1971.

An early pre production aircraft is an the museum at Newark.

It didn't start in Squadron service with the UK mil until 1974.

Wildcat is referred to as a Lynx MK10 by a number of people!!:ok:

Just this minute a flight of four Lynx flew past Hastings heading west along the coast. Unusual to see so many at one time.

They'd be Wildcats!

825 NAS Wildcats heading home from a continental NAVEX.

I'm with Rotate-too-late on this one. Only have time on the Army Lynx, mostly Mk1 and briefly Mk7; never knew an aircraft so poorly designed for its main task.

Lookout while low flying was like sitting inside a house and peering through the letterbox. Unable to hover for more than 5 minutes per sortie with OAT >30 deg C (hyd limitation), in fact unable to hover with 2 up, half fuel and 8 empty TOW tubes on a summer's day.

Most serious occurrence I've ever had in any a/c was in a Lynx transitting at 4000' through Brize airspace. Vibration started, PAN declared and by the time I'd put her down at Brize the whole airframe was shaking violently. Main gearbox on its way out.

Kudos to the AAC pilots who made a relative success out of such a heap of poo, and of course to the RN small-ship flights who did so well with it.

Was forced onto the Lynx after APC after a tour in the chicken-leg and hated the 1, tolerated the 7 after transitioning through various options of engines and MRGB, then helped introduce the 9. Never truly felt any confidence in completing every trip, although I seem to have survived, albeit with long-term knee and back issues. Echo the comment on visibility.