Helo Detachments
 

Hey guys, quick question to the helo pilots/navs, or anyone who knows, how long do you guys spend out of area? as opposed to mulits or fj's

cheers

DD

Trying to work out which fleet to go to?

No other aircrew present in the aircraft then? :}

Do you think he means the door openers in the cabin ???

Door openers
Which reminds me; A certain TA warrior back in the heyday of the Cold War. On exercise in Germany and riding into the black inky darkness of the North German Plain in one of 230's cabs (Puma?). Inbound to the drop off, 'clear doors' says the front office and the loady slides the doors back. Said TA is on a headset too, all wound up ready to lead his lads into battle. As the doors open he throws off the headset and leaps into the night. This comes as a surprise to everyone else as they are still at 200ft/50kts.:ooh: Urban legend or what??

Green Flash - Not an urban legend is the amount of squaddies that at night used to jump out of the portside door of Lynx aircraft that had landed on spot 4 at R850 and go sailing over the 8ft drop towards the floor via a nice sturdy fuel pipeline.:eek:

Always used to make me wince as I had once been knocked over the same drop by a charging squaddie whilst I was walking around to earth the a/c prior to a RTR.

From your post it sounds like you are still in training, once you are CR expect to be away for 5-6 months a year every year for at least the next 3-6 years? But its been that way on rotary for at least the last 5 years.

Green Flash

Not an Urban legend. It was a 230 sqn aircraft, but it was at STANTA, not germany. The TA major was not on headset but he did step out at 250 ft. Two soldiers tried to follow him, but for their warrant officer they would have done. How do i know it's not urban legend?? I was on the aircraft!!

Tigs

Thanks. I heard this story late into a Friday beercall at EDUO (in the Firemans bar, for those who knew it) many moons ago. I assume the 250ft would have had the expected effect?

1988, If I recall correctly? I could have been that pilot but another beefer took my place on the 230 tour.

On aggregate, a lot longer in a shorter time frame


Oh yeah, what is a 'mulit'?:}

Maybe this will help explain what a mulit is

http://www.sepiamutiny.com/sepia/archives/000857.html

..and weren't "helos" what the Senior Service used to call their rotaries? Everyone else used helis. Not that I can be bothered to get excited about the subject; p'raps someone's achieved promotion by rewording the Defence Writing JSP on the subject in the many years since I left.

Greenflash
it was approx 175, and it most certainly did, poor chap was wearing the full clansman (not that would have made a difference at that height)


ShyTorque
Check pms

5-6 months is average however there are a few individuals who spend longer than this away (myself included).

If you join the RN you can expect to spend about 65% of the year away. Some trips are a matter of weeks, some a matter of months. You wouldn't be expected to deploy for more than 9 months at a time. Most deployments are about 6 months, the better ones about 7-8 months

So any time from 6 to 9 months then.

You wouldn't be saying that if you needed picking up once you had ejected or gone done somewhere would you...? :=

The proper terminology for the members you referr to is "Cabin Monkey"
Similar cabin exit story happened in Iraq circa 2004 or so with the US Army... some colonel wanted his bronze star for improving safety, so he went against aircrew concensus and changed the open-door policy on comabt assaults and said the doors would remain closed until short final, when they would be slid open by the cabin monkeys. Unfortunately a dark night came and, while on short final, the doors were slid open... one infantry officer decided it was time for him to go wage war and took a 100 foot leap.:(

Needless to say, doors were left open from then on, but I still be the colonel had a safety bullet on his bronze star paperwork.
Mike

We were having some trouble with an Infantry unit who frequently tried to beat our rear-crew to the doors on finals. We managed to put a stop to it by inviting OC Doorgunners on a few serials.

Big bloke with a big badge, our RSM.