Happy Birthday - Sea-King 50th Anniversary
On Friday, Nov. 11, in a stirring ceremony fit for a hero, the U.S. Navy retired the last operational UH-3H Sea King helicopter. The ceremony brought to close a 50-year tradition of Uh-3H Sea King service to the U.S. Navy.
The ceremony was held in Hangar 109 at the Naval Air Station Patuxent River at 11 a.m. After the ceremony, the helicopter was not through with its service to the country. It was passed on to the U.S. Marine Corps. However, the ceremony forever closed the door on the historic craft’s service to the U.S Navy.
The ceremony was held in Hangar 109 at the Naval Air Station Patuxent River at 11 a.m. After the ceremony, the helicopter was not through with its service to the country. It was passed on to the U.S. Marine Corps. However, the ceremony forever closed the door on the historic craft’s service to the U.S Navy.
Beefer old lad......leave Obama out of this please!
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Still the King
The Sea King’s not done yet | Shephard Group
It may be the oldest aircraft in the Air Force. It may even be slated for decommissioning and replacement.
But the Sea King’s not done yet.
“That aircraft is still contributing significantly to current operations,” says Major Wayne Joy. As staff officer for the maritime helicopter project at 12 Wing Shearwater, he is responsible for all activities related to the transition from the CH-124 Sea King to the soon-to-arrive CH-148 Cyclone.
“It doesn’t do us any good as a community to focus on that system [CH-148]. That doesn’t drive what we do,” he continues. “What drives what we do is current operations, meeting the expectations of the country and the Navy, and getting out there and supporting those operations – be it in Haiti, the Horn of Africa or the Gulf [of Aden]. We are fully engaged in that, and we are very, very busy.”
That said, Maj Joy and many others at 12 Wing are also busy figuring out how best to use the Sea King to prepare the aircrew and technicians for the Cyclone. There is no comparison between a helicopter brought into service in 1963 and one introduced in 2010, Maj Joy says, but they are both maritime helicopters, and keeping those skill sets alive is vital.
“We still need to train aircrew and technicians to fly this thing because when we move into the new aircraft, we’re taking our community and converting it onto the new aircraft,” he explains. “If we were to let the Sea King community fizzle out, and then step into the new aircraft starting from zero, a lot of those maritime helicopter components would be lost, and the risk level for things like landing on a ship and operating a helicopter at sea goes high.”
The Sea King will continue flying well into 2012. Aircrew and technicians will be trained on the Sea King as long as they can gain six months of experience working with the CH-124 before entering conversion training for the CH-148.
In the meantime, a lot of work is going into easing the transition and equipping the CH-124 to mimic some of the capabilities of the Cyclone. Unlike the Sea King, the Cyclone is night-vision-goggle-compatible, which will take some getting used to by both pilots and crews.
“We’re introducing night-vision goggles in the Sea King because, with the new aircraft, that’ll be part of our day-to-day operations, and operating with NVGs is significantly different from flying unaided,” Maj Joy explains. Flying with night-vision goggles means no depth perception, little to no peripheral vision and a lack of contrast in the image presented due to the green wash imposed by the goggles.
Another significant difference that Maj Joy and his team hope to prepare Sea King crews for is the overabundance of information that will be available on the Cyclone. Whereas the tactical crew on a Sea King must continually input information on contacts they are tracking, the numerous software systems in the Cyclone will enable it to track many contacts independently. This will allow the crew to take a more strategic role in analysing the data rather than constantly updating it.
To prepare the tactical crew for this flood of information, Maj Dwight Bazinet developed the augmented surface plot which fuses GPS with map information and radar. Instead of a straight radar image, the ASP presents the radar picture overlaid on a map of the area, with objects such as navigation buoys already identified so that the crew can focus their attention on other, more important, contacts. The ASP can also be loaded with information before a flight to simulate the conditions in a Cyclone and help the tactical crew learn how to manage the influx of data.
“The Sea King and the Cyclone are generations apart; no comparison can be made between where we are now and what we’re getting with this system,” says Maj Joy. “We have to demand more from the people who are operating the Sea King now because the new aircraft is going to demand so much more from them. That’s why ASP is so important, because they can sink their teeth into that and see how fundamentally different it’s going to be in the aircraft.”
By Lesley Craig - Canadian Armed Forces
But the Sea King’s not done yet.
“That aircraft is still contributing significantly to current operations,” says Major Wayne Joy. As staff officer for the maritime helicopter project at 12 Wing Shearwater, he is responsible for all activities related to the transition from the CH-124 Sea King to the soon-to-arrive CH-148 Cyclone.
“It doesn’t do us any good as a community to focus on that system [CH-148]. That doesn’t drive what we do,” he continues. “What drives what we do is current operations, meeting the expectations of the country and the Navy, and getting out there and supporting those operations – be it in Haiti, the Horn of Africa or the Gulf [of Aden]. We are fully engaged in that, and we are very, very busy.”
That said, Maj Joy and many others at 12 Wing are also busy figuring out how best to use the Sea King to prepare the aircrew and technicians for the Cyclone. There is no comparison between a helicopter brought into service in 1963 and one introduced in 2010, Maj Joy says, but they are both maritime helicopters, and keeping those skill sets alive is vital.
“We still need to train aircrew and technicians to fly this thing because when we move into the new aircraft, we’re taking our community and converting it onto the new aircraft,” he explains. “If we were to let the Sea King community fizzle out, and then step into the new aircraft starting from zero, a lot of those maritime helicopter components would be lost, and the risk level for things like landing on a ship and operating a helicopter at sea goes high.”
The Sea King will continue flying well into 2012. Aircrew and technicians will be trained on the Sea King as long as they can gain six months of experience working with the CH-124 before entering conversion training for the CH-148.
In the meantime, a lot of work is going into easing the transition and equipping the CH-124 to mimic some of the capabilities of the Cyclone. Unlike the Sea King, the Cyclone is night-vision-goggle-compatible, which will take some getting used to by both pilots and crews.
“We’re introducing night-vision goggles in the Sea King because, with the new aircraft, that’ll be part of our day-to-day operations, and operating with NVGs is significantly different from flying unaided,” Maj Joy explains. Flying with night-vision goggles means no depth perception, little to no peripheral vision and a lack of contrast in the image presented due to the green wash imposed by the goggles.
Another significant difference that Maj Joy and his team hope to prepare Sea King crews for is the overabundance of information that will be available on the Cyclone. Whereas the tactical crew on a Sea King must continually input information on contacts they are tracking, the numerous software systems in the Cyclone will enable it to track many contacts independently. This will allow the crew to take a more strategic role in analysing the data rather than constantly updating it.
To prepare the tactical crew for this flood of information, Maj Dwight Bazinet developed the augmented surface plot which fuses GPS with map information and radar. Instead of a straight radar image, the ASP presents the radar picture overlaid on a map of the area, with objects such as navigation buoys already identified so that the crew can focus their attention on other, more important, contacts. The ASP can also be loaded with information before a flight to simulate the conditions in a Cyclone and help the tactical crew learn how to manage the influx of data.
“The Sea King and the Cyclone are generations apart; no comparison can be made between where we are now and what we’re getting with this system,” says Maj Joy. “We have to demand more from the people who are operating the Sea King now because the new aircraft is going to demand so much more from them. That’s why ASP is so important, because they can sink their teeth into that and see how fundamentally different it’s going to be in the aircraft.”
By Lesley Craig - Canadian Armed Forces
Trio of Sea Kings reach 45 yrs service
Trio of Sea Kings reach 45 yrs service
The photos attached to the article show a very young JGE next to Andy Granuzzo who became Admiral USN and was definitely one of the Nice Guys. Re the article, I flew all three HAS1 mentioned when they had less than 1-200 hours in their F700s. To think they now share ~50,000 hours between them 
In true Naval fashion a small glass has been raised at Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose in celebration of the remarkable careers of three of its legendry SeaKing helicopters.
The trio have each clocked up over 45 years of Fleet Air Arm service and were among the first batch to arrive on 700 (Sea King) Naval Air Squadron (700 (S) NAS at RNAS Culdrose in August 1969.
Built by Westland Helicopters at Yeovil, these Sea Kings was originally designated Helicopter Anti-submarine Mk 1s (HAS Mk 1) and have morphed through several configurations over their long and distinguished careers. Two are now Sea King Mk 5s, XV 647, and XV 648 with 771 NAS for Search and Rescue duties and XV 649 has been modified into a Mk 7 ASaC, the Airborne Surveillance version of the Sea King. All three are still operational and still pulling their weight on the flight-line.
700 (S) NAS with Lieutenant Commander Vic Sirett as Commanding Officer took delivery of six Sea King HAS 1s for trials and development. Each aircraft went on to achieve over400 hours flying in their primary Anti-submarine role in addition to load lifting, Search & Rescue, deck landings, troop carrying and the use of the general purpose machine gun. By the beginning of 1970 the Sea King had started to enter operational service. 706 Squadron received the new aircraft in January to replace its Wessex Mk 3s and the first front line squadron to operate the type, 824Squadron reformed on 24February.
The Sqn disbanded in May 1970 shortly after Vic Sirett demonstrated in XV 649 the Sea King’s long range capability, flying non-stop from Lands End to John O’Groats, a distance of nearly 700 miles in 4 hours and 19 minutes. For the flight and the successful introduction of the Sea King into RN Service, Lt Cdr Vic Sirett was awarded the Boyd trophy for 1970. By June 826 Squadron reformed with the Sea King and 824 Squadron embarked HMS Ark Royal for the aircraft’s first operational deployment.
The service histories of these particular Sea Kings are testament to the versatility of the aircraft over the years. Beginning as HAS Mk 1’s they were upgraded to HAS Mk2s in the 70s and then two were converted to HAS Mk5s and XV 649 to an Airborne Early Warning asset then a Sea King ASaC Mk 7, the final variation of Sea King.
“These aircraft were built from 1950s technology, the hydraulic systems are as reliable today as they were in 1969, which could these days be considered simple technology, however if it ain’t broke don’t fix it”, said Warrant Officer Ian Mitchell ,WO Engineer with 771 NAS and has worked on Sea Kings for most of his Naval career. “XV647 and XV648 have stood the test of time well, they’ve transformed from Mk 1s to Mk 5s having all sorts of modifications fitted and removed, even to this day we are still fitting new equipment”.
MaritimeSeaKing Commander at RNAS Culdrose, CDR Vee Dale-Smith, herself a Sea King pilot has flown them at Culdrose and on Operations in the Middle East. “As the Sea King comes to the end of its service with the Fleet Air Arm, these three Aircraft typify the excellence of the original concept and design. Over the past 45 years these three in particular have served all over the world on operations and embarked on all Royal Navy’s capital ships. Without doubt, everyone who has had the privilege to work with the Sea King over the years has developed a unique bond and loyalty to this fabulous helicopter and will have many an interesting tale to tell of their experiences”.
Between the three they have nearly amassed 50,000 flying hours which has seen them flown across the world where ever the Fleet Air Arm has ventured; from Carrier Task Group tasking in the Falkland’s during 1982 to providing “Over-watch” during 2014in Afghanistan, flying in temperatures that range from minus 35 degrees in the Arctic to over plus 50 degrees in desert conditions.
Sea King helicopters will be decommissioning over the next two years from the Fleet Air Arm and replaced by New Merlin Mk 2s and “Merlin Crowsnest” - which will take over the Airborne Surveillance task for the Fleet, serving on the Queen Elizabeth Class carriers.
The trio have each clocked up over 45 years of Fleet Air Arm service and were among the first batch to arrive on 700 (Sea King) Naval Air Squadron (700 (S) NAS at RNAS Culdrose in August 1969.
Built by Westland Helicopters at Yeovil, these Sea Kings was originally designated Helicopter Anti-submarine Mk 1s (HAS Mk 1) and have morphed through several configurations over their long and distinguished careers. Two are now Sea King Mk 5s, XV 647, and XV 648 with 771 NAS for Search and Rescue duties and XV 649 has been modified into a Mk 7 ASaC, the Airborne Surveillance version of the Sea King. All three are still operational and still pulling their weight on the flight-line.
700 (S) NAS with Lieutenant Commander Vic Sirett as Commanding Officer took delivery of six Sea King HAS 1s for trials and development. Each aircraft went on to achieve over400 hours flying in their primary Anti-submarine role in addition to load lifting, Search & Rescue, deck landings, troop carrying and the use of the general purpose machine gun. By the beginning of 1970 the Sea King had started to enter operational service. 706 Squadron received the new aircraft in January to replace its Wessex Mk 3s and the first front line squadron to operate the type, 824Squadron reformed on 24February.
The Sqn disbanded in May 1970 shortly after Vic Sirett demonstrated in XV 649 the Sea King’s long range capability, flying non-stop from Lands End to John O’Groats, a distance of nearly 700 miles in 4 hours and 19 minutes. For the flight and the successful introduction of the Sea King into RN Service, Lt Cdr Vic Sirett was awarded the Boyd trophy for 1970. By June 826 Squadron reformed with the Sea King and 824 Squadron embarked HMS Ark Royal for the aircraft’s first operational deployment.
The service histories of these particular Sea Kings are testament to the versatility of the aircraft over the years. Beginning as HAS Mk 1’s they were upgraded to HAS Mk2s in the 70s and then two were converted to HAS Mk5s and XV 649 to an Airborne Early Warning asset then a Sea King ASaC Mk 7, the final variation of Sea King.
“These aircraft were built from 1950s technology, the hydraulic systems are as reliable today as they were in 1969, which could these days be considered simple technology, however if it ain’t broke don’t fix it”, said Warrant Officer Ian Mitchell ,WO Engineer with 771 NAS and has worked on Sea Kings for most of his Naval career. “XV647 and XV648 have stood the test of time well, they’ve transformed from Mk 1s to Mk 5s having all sorts of modifications fitted and removed, even to this day we are still fitting new equipment”.
MaritimeSeaKing Commander at RNAS Culdrose, CDR Vee Dale-Smith, herself a Sea King pilot has flown them at Culdrose and on Operations in the Middle East. “As the Sea King comes to the end of its service with the Fleet Air Arm, these three Aircraft typify the excellence of the original concept and design. Over the past 45 years these three in particular have served all over the world on operations and embarked on all Royal Navy’s capital ships. Without doubt, everyone who has had the privilege to work with the Sea King over the years has developed a unique bond and loyalty to this fabulous helicopter and will have many an interesting tale to tell of their experiences”.
Between the three they have nearly amassed 50,000 flying hours which has seen them flown across the world where ever the Fleet Air Arm has ventured; from Carrier Task Group tasking in the Falkland’s during 1982 to providing “Over-watch” during 2014in Afghanistan, flying in temperatures that range from minus 35 degrees in the Arctic to over plus 50 degrees in desert conditions.
Sea King helicopters will be decommissioning over the next two years from the Fleet Air Arm and replaced by New Merlin Mk 2s and “Merlin Crowsnest” - which will take over the Airborne Surveillance task for the Fleet, serving on the Queen Elizabeth Class carriers.
I got to meet Rear Admiral Granuzzo when he was CINC Iberlant in the 90's. I don't recall him getting any further stars. A good man. EDIT: He retired with 2 stars as shown here. (I hadn't realized he was an exchange pilot with the Brits, that was a very sought after posting among helo pilots).
VH-3's are still carting US presidents about ...
VH-3's are still carting US presidents about ...
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Happy Days
Along with JE I had the pleasure of flying those early Mk 1's along with Paul Hardcastle and Graham Lee. We were together on the very first Sea King Conversion Course straight out of OFT on the Wx3 in January 1970.
I can remember one night when we were doing some dunking in Falmouth bay along with the 700S boys and the fog came rolling over Looe Bar and over the airfield causing panic in the tower. The Air Traffickers made frantic calls and ordered us to return immediately. We explained that we had enough fuel to divert to Lossiemouth if the airfield weather got too bad. Suddenly folk began to realise we were in a completely new era of helo ops.
G.
I can remember one night when we were doing some dunking in Falmouth bay along with the 700S boys and the fog came rolling over Looe Bar and over the airfield causing panic in the tower. The Air Traffickers made frantic calls and ordered us to return immediately. We explained that we had enough fuel to divert to Lossiemouth if the airfield weather got too bad. Suddenly folk began to realise we were in a completely new era of helo ops.
G.
