The Scariest Helicopter Ever
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I'm surprised that the Bristol Belvedere hasn't been mentioned up until now.
A bit before my time, but I have talked with those who flew it, and feared it. The engines were started with Avpin (an explosive, and deadly corrosive liquid), and start fires were common.
They told me that they would not strap in until the engines were started. The concept was to stand in the jump seat position, lean forward to press the engine start switch, and be prepared to run!
In addition, the sync shaft between the two rotors was none too sturdy, and a failure of that in flight was fatal.
A bit before my time, but I have talked with those who flew it, and feared it. The engines were started with Avpin (an explosive, and deadly corrosive liquid), and start fires were common.
They told me that they would not strap in until the engines were started. The concept was to stand in the jump seat position, lean forward to press the engine start switch, and be prepared to run!
In addition, the sync shaft between the two rotors was none too sturdy, and a failure of that in flight was fatal.
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Enstrom Probs
Hallo Brian ... what a fantastic story. My first thought was that we all know a series of snags/errors etc, can build up and lead to the accident. Here's a situation where a series of problems happening in the right order, lead to a safe landing!!! Wonderful industry is ours. Thanks. Dennis Kenyon.
Every time I see an R-22....I eat a couple more Double Cheeseburgers and Fries....along with a huge Chocolate Milk Shake.....and ensure i never get within the Payload limit of the dastardly things!
I am not a rotary pilot, although I have flown a few times in RAF helicopters over the years, even a bit of stick time too, but on the basis of everything I have read, nothing would induce me to even climb into an R-anything
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This thread wouldn't be complete without mention of the Mini-500.
Re: the Helistat, its spiritual successor the Skyhook International JHL-40 -- which was to have used four complete CH-47 drivetrains -- appears to have gone the way of every other heavylift airship concept, with the original 2012 EIS date long forgotten and with the program now on indefinite hold pending the availability of $100M of public funding...
I/C
Re: the Helistat, its spiritual successor the Skyhook International JHL-40 -- which was to have used four complete CH-47 drivetrains -- appears to have gone the way of every other heavylift airship concept, with the original 2012 EIS date long forgotten and with the program now on indefinite hold pending the availability of $100M of public funding...
I/C
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KG86
Some slight exaggeration of the Belvedere problems, the starter system did use Avpin, but this was also used on the Hunter, and other aircraft with no problems, as an engine fitter on both aircraft, I was well used to handling the stuff, and there was no problem. (unless you accidently drank it, as one of our guys did with no lasting results). The problem was that unlike the Plessey system on the Hunter, the BTH system on the Belvedere , and Wessex 1 was cartridge initiated, ie, the cartridge operated on a piston, to pump the Avpin.
Sometimes the seals leaked, allowing the Avpin into the breach, resulting in an explosion, I don't believe anyone was hurt by this, it happened to me once, as I was sat in the co pilots seat, but it was the rear engine.
There was no jump seat as such, there was a bulkhead behind the pilots seats, then the front engine, then the crew mans seat facing aft, by the door, there was a walkway to the left of the front engine, behind the co pilots seat, alongside the engine. You had to be sat in the seat to operate the controls, as the rotor brake had to be off to operate the starter, and the rotors started turning immediately.
The yaw cables were always a source of worry, as unlike a conventional tail rotor aircraft, where a breakage would only lose you the tail control, on the Belvedere, a cable breakage would lose you all azimuth control of both rotors. This did happen at least once to my knowledge, to a pilot in Aden who was decorated for getting the aircraft safely onto the ground, unfortunately he was killed shortly after when an aircraft disintegrated in the air, the reason for which I don't think an answer was ever found.
People did talk about sync shaft failure, but I don't think there was ever a recorded case of this.
One of the biggest problems was Bristols illogical engine numbering system, the engines were number one at the front, and number Two at the back, but the controls and instruments were lateral, and for some reason, Bristol made number One on the right, and number Two on the left, because the Captain sat on the right. This of course was totally at odds with convention, and was possibly considered the cause of the first fatal accident in Germany, when it was thought that one of the pilots shut down a good engine after a failure of one.
Whatever ones thoughts of the Belvedere, tribute must be given to the work they did in Borneo, during the confrontation with Indonesia, when the poor old indons came across the border, in what they thought was thick jungle hundreds of miles from anywhere, and suddenly came under 105mm artillery fire from a hilltop where a Belvedere had dumped a gun.
For all its faults
What other aircraft in 1959 could cruise at 129 knots , sometimes going up to 140, had an all up weight of 22000 lbs, and could maintain altitude, AUW on one engine.
Some slight exaggeration of the Belvedere problems, the starter system did use Avpin, but this was also used on the Hunter, and other aircraft with no problems, as an engine fitter on both aircraft, I was well used to handling the stuff, and there was no problem. (unless you accidently drank it, as one of our guys did with no lasting results). The problem was that unlike the Plessey system on the Hunter, the BTH system on the Belvedere , and Wessex 1 was cartridge initiated, ie, the cartridge operated on a piston, to pump the Avpin.
Sometimes the seals leaked, allowing the Avpin into the breach, resulting in an explosion, I don't believe anyone was hurt by this, it happened to me once, as I was sat in the co pilots seat, but it was the rear engine.
There was no jump seat as such, there was a bulkhead behind the pilots seats, then the front engine, then the crew mans seat facing aft, by the door, there was a walkway to the left of the front engine, behind the co pilots seat, alongside the engine. You had to be sat in the seat to operate the controls, as the rotor brake had to be off to operate the starter, and the rotors started turning immediately.
The yaw cables were always a source of worry, as unlike a conventional tail rotor aircraft, where a breakage would only lose you the tail control, on the Belvedere, a cable breakage would lose you all azimuth control of both rotors. This did happen at least once to my knowledge, to a pilot in Aden who was decorated for getting the aircraft safely onto the ground, unfortunately he was killed shortly after when an aircraft disintegrated in the air, the reason for which I don't think an answer was ever found.
People did talk about sync shaft failure, but I don't think there was ever a recorded case of this.
One of the biggest problems was Bristols illogical engine numbering system, the engines were number one at the front, and number Two at the back, but the controls and instruments were lateral, and for some reason, Bristol made number One on the right, and number Two on the left, because the Captain sat on the right. This of course was totally at odds with convention, and was possibly considered the cause of the first fatal accident in Germany, when it was thought that one of the pilots shut down a good engine after a failure of one.
Whatever ones thoughts of the Belvedere, tribute must be given to the work they did in Borneo, during the confrontation with Indonesia, when the poor old indons came across the border, in what they thought was thick jungle hundreds of miles from anywhere, and suddenly came under 105mm artillery fire from a hilltop where a Belvedere had dumped a gun.
For all its faults
What other aircraft in 1959 could cruise at 129 knots , sometimes going up to 140, had an all up weight of 22000 lbs, and could maintain altitude, AUW on one engine.
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After 3500 hours on Lynx I had to gain a type rating for licence issue, 6.5 hours of terror in an R22 later and I escaped back to the relative safety of turbine twins in AS355 and EC135. Hats off to all Robbo drivers!
Dave,
I had many a great evening at the Lakers Pub listening to Jack Trigg recount his experiences flying the Belvedere. What a grand Character he was to listen to while telling his stories.
I had many a great evening at the Lakers Pub listening to Jack Trigg recount his experiences flying the Belvedere. What a grand Character he was to listen to while telling his stories.
Dave B, concur with everything you said; unfortunately the `Bevelgear` was designed to carry torpedoes for the Navy, hence the `mantis` like u/c and attitude on the ground. So, it was given to the AirForce to operate in the tropics and the sandy places of the ME, with all the problems of dust, erosion, torrential rain, etc, and as said this led to a lot of problems, which in the fullness of time and tireless `enthusiasm` from the engineers, built up experience and serviceability, so in its latter days 66 Sqdn had a whole Sqdn flypast (somewhere on tube). One aircraft was lost in Borneo in `63 or 64, due, I think to the cables coming off the runners in the fuselage, and it went sideways. The PFCUs were all at the front, so cables/pushrods from there to the front/rear gearbox/rotors.
One aircraft had a synch shaft failure, possibly on airiest at Seletar in about `67, but landed ok. The rotors didn't have the same overlap as a Chinny, also had more vertical separation, and each engine drove each rotor, as long as the throttles were matched. A great aircraft, once it was `going`, like a train, but slowing down was best done in a turn (my experience of a few trips as an itinerant co-pilot..), and you also had to be careful to keep the yaw to a minimum as shown by the `OMD`(OLD MAID`S Delight) ..the bit that sticks out the front..
SAS, didn`t know Grandad had gone to Bevs? (JT, anyone over 30 was `old`, anyone over 40 was ancient to anyone who was 20 or so...)
One aircraft had a synch shaft failure, possibly on airiest at Seletar in about `67, but landed ok. The rotors didn't have the same overlap as a Chinny, also had more vertical separation, and each engine drove each rotor, as long as the throttles were matched. A great aircraft, once it was `going`, like a train, but slowing down was best done in a turn (my experience of a few trips as an itinerant co-pilot..), and you also had to be careful to keep the yaw to a minimum as shown by the `OMD`(OLD MAID`S Delight) ..the bit that sticks out the front..
SAS, didn`t know Grandad had gone to Bevs? (JT, anyone over 30 was `old`, anyone over 40 was ancient to anyone who was 20 or so...)
Last edited by Senior Pilot; 13th Mar 2014 at 02:22. Reason: Add 66 Sqn video
Senior Pilot,many thanks for the memory..
Indeed Jack was....or at least substituted for George Puddy and Ken Smith.
He was very much the epitome of what a "Real Helicopter Pilot" was all about.
His tale of flying to Normandy one day early in June.....in a Tiger Moth was hard to beat!
All three of the fellows were real Gentlemen and always a pleasure to deal with.
He was very much the epitome of what a "Real Helicopter Pilot" was all about.
His tale of flying to Normandy one day early in June.....in a Tiger Moth was hard to beat!
All three of the fellows were real Gentlemen and always a pleasure to deal with.
If I recall rightly the issue with the Belvedere avpin was that on a mis start the fuel could gather in a u-bend ,resulting in a double dose on the second attempt and an explosion. At least one aircraft lost it's back end in the subsequent fire and another lost the front end so both were cannibalised to make one good one. Westland then made up a spare nose section out of of another crash, caused by a double engine close down in error , but it was never needed.
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The one that I was involved with was the first start of the day, when I was flying with our squadron commander who was in the captains seat.
As well as avpin getting where it should not have been, the other little trick was instead of one of the Three cartridges in the breech firing as it should have (it gave you Three starts before you had to reload), all Three would go off together, and blow the breech apart.
If any one comes across a Belvedere in a museum, take a look at the panel fit, door and window operation, and standard of the riveting and general structure, it makes messrs Westland and Sikorsky products of that era look like they were built by amateurs.
As well as avpin getting where it should not have been, the other little trick was instead of one of the Three cartridges in the breech firing as it should have (it gave you Three starts before you had to reload), all Three would go off together, and blow the breech apart.
If any one comes across a Belvedere in a museum, take a look at the panel fit, door and window operation, and standard of the riveting and general structure, it makes messrs Westland and Sikorsky products of that era look like they were built by amateurs.
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There's so much nonsense written about so many things on this site these days. I never found a scary helicopter in quite a few years and more than a few hours. Yes, when I was a (very average, inept) student, they all seemed difficult, but later on I realised they were all just helicopters with their own individual quirks and problems. I was only ever scared twice, and each of those was by people, not helicopters. I realised after not too many years that the most unpredictable, unreliable part in any helicopter (or flying machine) was the MMI (man, machine interface) 
Soggs.......seems you done something right....you are still with us!
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Sadly no longer flying SAS, though at least I'm still working and still in Africa and may be going to visit Mogadishu soon, so life's still an interesting adventure 
You are so right about the quality of the Belvedere. The one at the Helicopter Museum is unpainted at present and the finish is first class. .......almost a shame to paint it!
Sending you a pm too.
Sending you a pm too.
