How it all started and why it is not complete!
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Warwickshire
Age: 59
Posts: 35
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
How it all started and why it is not complete!
Picture this..... My father was in the REME attached to the para's, got a commision and they sent him to NI in 1975. We as a family joined him August 75 at HQNI, though our quarters were in the town. It was quite entertaining then!!
So at 11 years old, one day I was as ever scratching for something to do around the HQ and saw the Helipad. Imagine then later when a Westland Scout was heard buzzing in the distance, and landed on said pad a mere 20 yards or so from where I was stood.
I must have from then spent hundreds of hours waiting round the pad for the Sioux (not many of them but did see one run across the field on skids and gently go over the inflatable sports hall!!!!), Scout, Gazelle, occaisional Wessex and once or twice a Puma. Saw them putting Hele Tele on scouts and did my damndest to get in the cockpit but was never allowed!!! I was a Heli stalker!
Well my fortune has not yet happened, and I flunked school and never tried to get into the Air Corps to fly helicopters, I flirted with the idea of a Harrier pilot, but academic grades evaded me!
I have done some light plane flying and solo'd in gliders but all of that was many years ago. But my love of flying and all things heli has never waned.
Instead I took up model helicopters, not as satisfying but nearly so and I learned about the aerodynamics, reasons they fly, and smashed a number into the ground!!!
So know I find myself reliving memories and wondering, did you ever see a boy at HQNI on the pad, most of the pilots were friendly but usually they were down and gone within minutes, though once there were 2 Gazelle parked for ages in the sun and something bigger arrived!
There has been created a superlative scale model Westland Scout, featuring a gas turbine, it really does look great. It is very expensive however but probably the only way I will get to fly a helicopter and as I star the process of finding some cash, it dawned on me if it would be possible to create a model of one I had seen in NI.
So any of you guys with good memories can tell me about a Scout at HQNI and if you saw that tiny lad, it would be a lot of fun to research it, and eventually create a facsimile. Nostalgic, yes, but nothing wrong with that.
If any of you out there are still flying Scouts in the UK, please let me know where, as some pictures would be great for the project.
And yes if there were any opportunity to sit in one, let alone fly in one, wow, that would mean a dream of on ly 36 years to realise!!!
And if yoo are still active and flying in the AAC, and know Pete Eadie, tell him hi from Pilsbury, and remind him he still owes me from that officer training academy near Camberley!
Regards,
Gaz
So at 11 years old, one day I was as ever scratching for something to do around the HQ and saw the Helipad. Imagine then later when a Westland Scout was heard buzzing in the distance, and landed on said pad a mere 20 yards or so from where I was stood.
I must have from then spent hundreds of hours waiting round the pad for the Sioux (not many of them but did see one run across the field on skids and gently go over the inflatable sports hall!!!!), Scout, Gazelle, occaisional Wessex and once or twice a Puma. Saw them putting Hele Tele on scouts and did my damndest to get in the cockpit but was never allowed!!! I was a Heli stalker!
Well my fortune has not yet happened, and I flunked school and never tried to get into the Air Corps to fly helicopters, I flirted with the idea of a Harrier pilot, but academic grades evaded me!
I have done some light plane flying and solo'd in gliders but all of that was many years ago. But my love of flying and all things heli has never waned.
Instead I took up model helicopters, not as satisfying but nearly so and I learned about the aerodynamics, reasons they fly, and smashed a number into the ground!!!
So know I find myself reliving memories and wondering, did you ever see a boy at HQNI on the pad, most of the pilots were friendly but usually they were down and gone within minutes, though once there were 2 Gazelle parked for ages in the sun and something bigger arrived!
There has been created a superlative scale model Westland Scout, featuring a gas turbine, it really does look great. It is very expensive however but probably the only way I will get to fly a helicopter and as I star the process of finding some cash, it dawned on me if it would be possible to create a model of one I had seen in NI.
So any of you guys with good memories can tell me about a Scout at HQNI and if you saw that tiny lad, it would be a lot of fun to research it, and eventually create a facsimile. Nostalgic, yes, but nothing wrong with that.
If any of you out there are still flying Scouts in the UK, please let me know where, as some pictures would be great for the project.
And yes if there were any opportunity to sit in one, let alone fly in one, wow, that would mean a dream of on ly 36 years to realise!!!
And if yoo are still active and flying in the AAC, and know Pete Eadie, tell him hi from Pilsbury, and remind him he still owes me from that officer training academy near Camberley!
Regards,
Gaz
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Florida/Sandbox/UK
Posts: 324
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
NI 1975
Strangely, at 19 years old in Aug '75 I was in the Province on my first ground tour. I was RE at that time and not allowed anywhere near Lisburn, we were based in Castle Dillon in Armagh.
I think I also got the bug during that tour and was lucky enough to go an and fly all the types you mention, only giving it up after 26 years as a soldier, then continuing to fly as a civilian.
I'm sure you'll get some responses from others who were flying in and around NI at that time, if not, get back to me as I think I have some old Scout photos somewhere.
Good luck.
Tam Macklin
I think I also got the bug during that tour and was lucky enough to go an and fly all the types you mention, only giving it up after 26 years as a soldier, then continuing to fly as a civilian.
I'm sure you'll get some responses from others who were flying in and around NI at that time, if not, get back to me as I think I have some old Scout photos somewhere.
Good luck.
Tam Macklin
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Warwickshire
Age: 59
Posts: 35
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thanks Tam,
Armagh then was a bit more, shall we say "interesting!" Hopefully will get some more responses in due course, would be great to get some pictures in due course!
Cheers,
Gaz
Armagh then was a bit more, shall we say "interesting!" Hopefully will get some more responses in due course, would be great to get some pictures in due course!
Cheers,
Gaz
Strangely, at 19 years old in Aug '75 I was in the Province on my first ground tour. I was RE at that time and not allowed anywhere near Lisburn, we were based in Castle Dillon in Armagh.
Regards
Dave
