Free Flights With The RAF
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Joined: Apr 2002
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From: UK
Free Flights With The RAF
So this is why there are so many TDAs in Snowdonia.........does TDA now mean "Temporary Damsel Action" ?
Reported today:
RAF pilot took women on 'jolly' in helicopter
A leading RAF search and rescue pilot took two young women out in his helicopter to impress them, a court martial was told yesterday.
Flt Lt Mark Dennis, 45, a pilot of Sea King helicopters for 14 years, took his friend, Suzy Goodson, and another woman, Lee Scott, on a low-level flight over the mountains of Snowdonia National Park.
But he did not have authorisation for a sortie, which appeared to be a "jolly for Suzy", the RAF court martial at Devonport, Plymouth, was told.
Dennis, described as "one of the top Sea King pilots in the country", was visited by the women at RAF Valley, Anglesey, on May 30.
He took the pair, who were both members of mountain rescue teams, up in a Sea King helicopter for a training flight.
Dennis earlier admitted two counts of disobeying standing orders by failing to gain authorisation for the women. The board gave Dennis a reprimand.
Reported today:
RAF pilot took women on 'jolly' in helicopter
A leading RAF search and rescue pilot took two young women out in his helicopter to impress them, a court martial was told yesterday.
Flt Lt Mark Dennis, 45, a pilot of Sea King helicopters for 14 years, took his friend, Suzy Goodson, and another woman, Lee Scott, on a low-level flight over the mountains of Snowdonia National Park.
But he did not have authorisation for a sortie, which appeared to be a "jolly for Suzy", the RAF court martial at Devonport, Plymouth, was told.
Dennis, described as "one of the top Sea King pilots in the country", was visited by the women at RAF Valley, Anglesey, on May 30.
He took the pair, who were both members of mountain rescue teams, up in a Sea King helicopter for a training flight.
Dennis earlier admitted two counts of disobeying standing orders by failing to gain authorisation for the women. The board gave Dennis a reprimand.
Joined: Jul 2000
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From: London
A risky thing to do without authorisation in these modern times, even though both passengers were members of mountain rescue teams, but I'm pleased to read the board took a sensible line and only gave him a reprimand.
Shame it got as far as a Court Martial.
Shame it got as far as a Court Martial.
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 3,670
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From: UK
We fly anyone who has a direct link with emergency services: fire coast guard and especially MR teams. How else do they get a feel for our perspective.
Why this pilot got repremanded for doing the same thing is confusing...must be more to this......
Why this pilot got repremanded for doing the same thing is confusing...must be more to this......
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 687
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From: Up north
In "the good old days" this was done on a regular basis to give MRT members air experience. There was no specific permission needed so long as they were bona fide members of a team and we gave them a full brief on being winched, hover jumped etc. It was better to give them experience in a controlled way rather than in a blizzard while searching for a lost soul.
I suppose the comment "one of the top Sea King pilots in the country",
was a reference that he took TWO women on the trip which says something for the stamina of a 45yr old
HF
I suppose the comment "one of the top Sea King pilots in the country",
was a reference that he took TWO women on the trip which says something for the stamina of a 45yr old HF
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 173
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From: UK
During my SAR tours with the RN we could take anyone with a connection to the emergency services for a famil flight without any specific authorisation. It was just taken as part of spreading the word and maintaining the RNs profile.
We frequently took people with us from lifeboats, coastguard, hospitals, police, fire, ambulance etc etc !!!!!
It was a bonus if they were young, female and pretty as well !!!!!
We frequently took people with us from lifeboats, coastguard, hospitals, police, fire, ambulance etc etc !!!!!
It was a bonus if they were young, female and pretty as well !!!!!
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 902
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From: Wiltshire
A Top RAF pilot took two "attractive" young women out in his helicopter to impress them, a court martial heard yesterday. Flight Lieutenant Mark Dennis, 45, who has flown Sea King search and rescue helicopters for 14 years, took the pair on a low-level flight over the mountains of Snowdon National Park.
He did not have authorisation to take the passengers with him for a sortie described as a "jolly", the RAF court martial at Devonport Naval Base in Plymouth was told.
Flight Lieutenant Jim Morris, prosecuting, said Dennis had been referred to as "one of the top Sea King pilots in the country".
On Bank Holiday Monday, May 30, his friend Suzy Goodson visited him at RAF Valley on the island of Anglesey.
Dennis took Miss Goodson and Lee Scott, respectively members of mountain rescue teams in Exmoor, Devon, and Holyhead, on Anglesey, up in a Sea King for a training flight.
Dennis claimed he believed at the time he was allowed to authorise the women to join the flight himself, but accepted he was wrong.
Dennis earlier admitted two counts of disobeying RAF orders by failing to get authorisation for the two women.
The board yesterday found him guilty of making a false entry on his post-flight authorisation sheet .
The board gave him a reprimand, one of the lowest punishments available.
He did not have authorisation to take the passengers with him for a sortie described as a "jolly", the RAF court martial at Devonport Naval Base in Plymouth was told.
Flight Lieutenant Jim Morris, prosecuting, said Dennis had been referred to as "one of the top Sea King pilots in the country".
On Bank Holiday Monday, May 30, his friend Suzy Goodson visited him at RAF Valley on the island of Anglesey.
Dennis took Miss Goodson and Lee Scott, respectively members of mountain rescue teams in Exmoor, Devon, and Holyhead, on Anglesey, up in a Sea King for a training flight.
Dennis claimed he believed at the time he was allowed to authorise the women to join the flight himself, but accepted he was wrong.
Dennis earlier admitted two counts of disobeying RAF orders by failing to get authorisation for the two women.
The board yesterday found him guilty of making a false entry on his post-flight authorisation sheet .
The board gave him a reprimand, one of the lowest punishments available.
Joined: Jan 2000
Posts: 1,113
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From: UK
Don't know what its like now but about 10 years ago, if we didn't have at least one femail pax on the SeaKing SAR cab training out of Mount Pleasant, the engineer monitoring the start would invariably ask if we had "forgotten the role equipment"
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 172
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From: midlands
Character, Yes.
Good Pilot, absolutely Yes - at least when I knew him.
Lucky to get away with this ......... Oh yes.
I thought he really had used up all of his 9 lives this time. Best he doesn't put a foot wrong for the next 10 years! I think the papers have focused on the 'sensational' element rather than the real charges.
Good Pilot, absolutely Yes - at least when I knew him.
Lucky to get away with this ......... Oh yes.
I thought he really had used up all of his 9 lives this time. Best he doesn't put a foot wrong for the next 10 years! I think the papers have focused on the 'sensational' element rather than the real charges.
Joined: Apr 2000
Aviation Qualifications: ATP+Mil
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From: EGDC
Ah standto - but have you got big t*ts?
As ever we have shot ourselves in the foot by not managing the PR properly - Mark broke some rules and was found guilty - albeit with a minimal punishment but to read the papers you would believe he was completely exonerated. And anyway, military prosecution v civvy lawyer - no contest and a result for the defence.
As ever we have shot ourselves in the foot by not managing the PR properly - Mark broke some rules and was found guilty - albeit with a minimal punishment but to read the papers you would believe he was completely exonerated. And anyway, military prosecution v civvy lawyer - no contest and a result for the defence.
Below the Glidepath - not correcting
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 1,886
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From: U.S.A.
Remember transiting Portland to Cherbourg with a gaggle of Gazelles from Teeny Weeny some years ago and had the Navy's finest SAR Wessex alongside (the one with the playing card). Arrived at Cherbourg and saw a huge bunch of very good looking splits in barrack rig pour forth out of said Wessex, heading for the Duty Free shop. The only question was where were they ever going to put any downed crew with that lot on board? Must be different rules these days.