What is it about the Wessex that makes people so fond of it?
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From: Downeast
Igor got it very right with that design....and with the two very nice Gnomes in her....the Wessex she was really a good one! The 58T with the Pratt and Whitney PT-6-6's made for a very good ride as well.
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From: Somerset
Last time I did not achieve 140 degrees of bank in a WessexI had to change my laundry. I would love to see a photo of it being done..............
Oh - I have found one of me doing it after all.......................
PS - a lot of you forgot my significant birthday - but presents still welcome!
Oh - I have found one of me doing it after all.......................
PS - a lot of you forgot my significant birthday - but presents still welcome!
Last edited by bast0n; 15th July 2012 at 08:48.
Joined: May 2002
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From: Downeast
A few hours of training after the photo was taken....and Bas finally got the grip on hovering.
This video has been posted before....but it does add to the discussion about how the old Girls could dance in the right hands.
This video has been posted before....but it does add to the discussion about how the old Girls could dance in the right hands.
Last edited by SASless; 15th July 2012 at 12:12.
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From: Downeast
A dear fellow working at Bristow/Teeside late 70's had a bit of "Unusaul Attitude" recovery practice one night departing a pumping station homeward bound from the Ekofisk. Seems the cabin attendant walked on the overhead for a bit. The aircraft had a major rebuild after severe damage was found to the swash plate knuckles that almost resulted in the loss of the p/c links.
They are tough birds!
They are tough birds!
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From: In the shadows
Mrs C16 recently gave me a birthday present of this carved wooden model of my favourite mount from 1965. It's totally handpainted - no decals - and the fuselage is 15 inches long. Just superb and it brings back many happy memories.
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From: In the Haven of Peace
The Teeside incident was indeed an S58ET and I seem to remember that the unusual attitude was attributed to jack icing. The 58 on the Teeside contract was a bit different because Lawrence B had got his payload sums wrong and part of the resultant aircraft lightening programme was the removal of the bifilars. The 58T was normally smoother than the Wessex, but was much rougher after they were removed.
I'm getting a bit more ancient now and can't remember the name of the pilot, although I can remember his face clearly - a former crab Squadron Leader I seem to remember
I'm getting a bit more ancient now and can't remember the name of the pilot, although I can remember his face clearly - a former crab Squadron Leader I seem to remember
Joined: May 2002
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From: Downeast
The fellow at Teeside was Rip Pearson as I recall.....who always seemed to have the last flight of the day.
Yes....the genius of Lawrence!
I can recall cheating on the sums and being able to offer two passengers. If we had done it the same way the GOM operators did it...we would have loaded up all the seats and gone full fuel....with the limiting factor being the ability to get the aircraft airborne with no consideration of maintaining flight on one engine.
Um is right.....I would have loved to have flown the Wessex but it was not to be.
Yes....the genius of Lawrence!
I can recall cheating on the sums and being able to offer two passengers. If we had done it the same way the GOM operators did it...we would have loaded up all the seats and gone full fuel....with the limiting factor being the ability to get the aircraft airborne with no consideration of maintaining flight on one engine.
Um is right.....I would have loved to have flown the Wessex but it was not to be.
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From: NE Jockland
Originally Posted by Savoia
Westland Wessex HU5 XT772 'Green Parrot' of 781 Naval Air Squadron (for another [better] image of this craft see page 9) departing Battersea Heliport in 1978 (Photo: Anton Heumann)Nice to see the RN Ensign on the nose.
Wasn't she known as "The Admirals Barge"? That particular old dear (don't ask how I remember the tail number, some just seem to stick in the mind for some odd reason) ended up nailed 20 feet up on the inside wall of the SARTU/22 Sqn hangar at RAF Valley as a winching/procedural training aid in '84/'85-ish. The lecky system was re-hashed to roughly correlate with the maintenance manuals. Hyds were provided for the winch from a noisy old Mk2 hyd rig. I'm led to believe that she's no longer there... but even now I still use a small lamp, that I pinched from her, as a makeshift voltage tester
Fantastic thread Gents.
Last edited by Walrus75; 17th July 2012 at 21:36.
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From: In the shadows
ukserials.com website agrees with you - it went to Valley on 24/2/84 and if you click on the reg on that site there is a photo of it hanging on the wall!
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From: Dubai
Walrus - Admiral's Barge was more often used for the fixed wing.
The Heron at Yeovilton was FONAC's (Flag Officer Naval Air Command) Barge.
The Wessex Vs were the Green Parrots. They even had a slot by the cabin door for the appropriate metal flag plate denoting the Flag Rank of the passenger to be dropped into.
Woe betide you if you made a mistake with the number of Balls the Admiral merited!
Sad to see the ultimate fate of XT 772 but I guess if you give something to the Crabs to look after....
The Heron at Yeovilton was FONAC's (Flag Officer Naval Air Command) Barge.
The Wessex Vs were the Green Parrots. They even had a slot by the cabin door for the appropriate metal flag plate denoting the Flag Rank of the passenger to be dropped into.
Woe betide you if you made a mistake with the number of Balls the Admiral merited!
Sad to see the ultimate fate of XT 772 but I guess if you give something to the Crabs to look after....