What happened to all the retired Lynx ?
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Planet Moo Moo
Posts: 1,279
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The Mk 3 was great fun, the MK 3S Gulf Mod (cut holes and stuff fans in them) worked pretty well in hot areas but the Mk 8 was a bit of a whale in comparison. 
Still the best chopper for wild deck work IMVHO.
Still the best chopper for wild deck work IMVHO.
Yes, I should've qualified my response by saying that all but 3 hours of my time on Lynx were on the Mk 1 - the Mk 7 was just coming in as I moved back to my parent service. I later learned that under the 'reorganisation' of airworthiness - perhaps 'filleting and gutting' would be a better expression - from which HM Forces are still suffering, the Lynx Mk7 service-intro was run by the same 'team' that had responsibility for the Chinook Mid-Life Update from Mk1 to Mk2. I had just assumed that the Army always introduced new variants with no Aircrew Manual, no Instructor's Guide, no FRCs and everyone just had to make do. Little did I know that this was the first sighting of the "new normal", which would in part lead to such tragic loss of life on the Mull and the miscarriages of justice that have still not been properly redressed. Shameful.
The fellas from the RN with whom I had the pleasure of working alongside from time-to-time were full of praise for the Mk3 (apart from its ditching properties, particularly if the floats didn't properly deploy), and were clearly capable of doing remarkable things with the beastie. I wish I'd remembered to include diginagain's description from post #37, which I often used to hear from AAC colleagues
The fellas from the RN with whom I had the pleasure of working alongside from time-to-time were full of praise for the Mk3 (apart from its ditching properties, particularly if the floats didn't properly deploy), and were clearly capable of doing remarkable things with the beastie. I wish I'd remembered to include diginagain's description from post #37, which I often used to hear from AAC colleagues
I never realised the Lynx was so hated by its pilots.
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: Hampshire, England
Posts: 56
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The Mighty Lynx wasn’t hated. We were constantly frustrated by it’s performance and serviceability, especially the Mk1. But once you understood the complexities of the Mk1 GTI, Mk2.5, Mk3.5, Mk3.5 Turbo & all the other combinations we had before the Mk7 it was treated with respect and loved. Even for those that suffered the odd Lynx bite.
Below the Glidepath - not correcting
It was simply not crash worthy in any way, as many BOIs were to point out, and post crash fires were common. In 1994 when Les Berrisford and his pilot lost their Main Rotor Blade at 2,000 feet with predictably tragic consequences in XZ650, confidence in the Lynx was severely eroded. It was hard to fly a Lynx and not consider that particular outcome at some point. Westlands and the MoD did the usual dick-dance over accountability on that one, finally saying it was a one-off event caused by unique manufacturing circumstances, only to have Gazelle ZA777 have a tie-bar failure and blade loss in 2001 with the loss of Simon Hill. In 1999 the Leicester Lynx crash (XZ 199) took 3 lives in a post crash fire following an in-flight mechanical break up.
Flying carries risk, and military flying even more so. We all know that when we sign up, but the cavalier disregard for the safety record of the Lynx (not forgetting all the Royal Navy and foreign losses) and the wilful ignorance of the post-crash fire risk by the authorities is still shameful.
It seems cruelly ironic to say how nice it was to fly when it has killed quite so many friends and colleagues.
Good post Two's In
Thanks for that perspective Two's In. I only worked on RN Lynx avionics, but was vaguely aware of the tie bar issue being discussed next door in the mid-late 90s. But I do recall in 1987 the RN attrition rate (which determined future buys, from which Westland calculated shopfloor loading, but patently did not reflect reality) being increased from 30k to 40k hours. Quote a large leap, with little or no evidence, and had the effect of chopping Lynx funding. Another issue was trend analysis being cancelled in 1991 as a savings measure, which may explain being sometimes suddenly bitten.
Going further back, I recall my Divisional Manager on the phone to Intertechnique about the Fuel Quantity Indicators. (You'd get a batch of 10 to repair, all different inside, with no AP, repair manual or spares. From day 1 repair was by cannibalisation). 'They're sh**e. Ye may as well hang oot the ******* door wi' a ******* dipstick. What, ye dinna understand? Dae ye no' speak ******* English'. Er boss, neither do you, and he's French.
Going further back, I recall my Divisional Manager on the phone to Intertechnique about the Fuel Quantity Indicators. (You'd get a batch of 10 to repair, all different inside, with no AP, repair manual or spares. From day 1 repair was by cannibalisation). 'They're sh**e. Ye may as well hang oot the ******* door wi' a ******* dipstick. What, ye dinna understand? Dae ye no' speak ******* English'. Er boss, neither do you, and he's French.
I wasn't a fan of the Gem oil system - the white metal bearings were at the end of the oil delivery system so that any drop in pressure or slight blockage immediately put you at risk of a catastrophic failure.
Loved the fuel gauge on the AH1. Simply by offsetting the selector a few mm's the needle fell to zero. Always a joy to watch your fellow aviators face on a quick instrument scan :-)
Join Date: May 2008
Location: North of East, South of West
Posts: 38
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like
on
1 Post
As to the original question; You'll find most of their locations here Demobbed - Out of Service British Military Aircraft - a few are spread across SPTA, some are paintball targets. Some are still intact.
Fun to fly, nightmare to maintain.
Fun to fly, nightmare to maintain.
Join Date: May 2008
Location: North of East, South of West
Posts: 38
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like
on
1 Post
As to the original question; You'll find most of their locations here Demobbed - Out of Service British Military Aircraft - a few are spread across SPTA, some are paintball targets. Some are still intact.
