Anyone flown the Wessex?
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Those Lynx/Gazelle/Scout chaps were useful at 2000' illuminating our landing sites with their nightsun on wet nights in N.I.
Set yourself up on a DECCA approach - 500' call for the light and watch a field being lit up 1K away!
GPS would have been nice in those days.
Set yourself up on a DECCA approach - 500' call for the light and watch a field being lit up 1K away!
GPS would have been nice in those days.
Decca - now that brings back memories, I know someone who thought it would be a good idea to offset his decca approach one lane to the left to compensate for the crosswind!!!!!
As for nightsun I did the self drive variety where the crewman was the only one on goggles and had to try and position the light (switched off) pointing at the desired field during your pre recced IP to target run. When he was sure he had the field identified you called "illuminate, illuminate" and the beam was supposed to appear right on target so you could fly your approach into the field. A great idea but I was trying to get into a field 500m E of Middletown with a stonking easterly wind blowing - as we whistled downwind towards the border, the crewman was obviously having difficulty identifying the field but eventually he thought he'd got it so I called for the light. I was expecting to see the beam lancing into the 2 o'clock but it actually appeared in the 4 to half four!! Not fancying a bolloc*ing from the boss for a border incursion I employed the well known split-a*sed turn into wind to discover it was snowing and the crewman had completely lost the field. We went home and said the wx was too bad - I think the troops we were supposed to insert were rather pleased!
As for nightsun I did the self drive variety where the crewman was the only one on goggles and had to try and position the light (switched off) pointing at the desired field during your pre recced IP to target run. When he was sure he had the field identified you called "illuminate, illuminate" and the beam was supposed to appear right on target so you could fly your approach into the field. A great idea but I was trying to get into a field 500m E of Middletown with a stonking easterly wind blowing - as we whistled downwind towards the border, the crewman was obviously having difficulty identifying the field but eventually he thought he'd got it so I called for the light. I was expecting to see the beam lancing into the 2 o'clock but it actually appeared in the 4 to half four!! Not fancying a bolloc*ing from the boss for a border incursion I employed the well known split-a*sed turn into wind to discover it was snowing and the crewman had completely lost the field. We went home and said the wx was too bad - I think the troops we were supposed to insert were rather pleased!
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AHHHHH the Wessex..a lovely old bird. It taught me how to get the best out of a heavy /underpowered machine..which is paying dividends now flying the UH-1D. It was quite forgiving, but didn't like being downwind, as I found out with 'Windy' in Castlederg..and yep the inerta switches do go off at 4G...bounced right back up into the air ..still flyable! Got chinooked back to V813 and then 'queenmaried' to Benson...still have the piccies and the sore back to prove it. EESDL even showed me some spiral death-dives in one. Hey EESDL..are you doing that to your studes in your Tincano?
Join Date: Jul 1999
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Aaaah, Wessex!
Lovely aircraft to fly...but provided some amusing moments with ground resonance on board ship - broken legs off the float canisters etc. I believe the "computers" got a bit tetchy towards the end as well.
Still, when Sikorsky built the Blackhawk they took the best bit - the tail wheel, which must have saved a lot of enthusiastic young pilots from gouging holes in the ground with their airframes. (Puma, Lynx, NH90, EH101 etc etc)
Still, when Sikorsky built the Blackhawk they took the best bit - the tail wheel, which must have saved a lot of enthusiastic young pilots from gouging holes in the ground with their airframes. (Puma, Lynx, NH90, EH101 etc etc)
Join Date: Dec 2001
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I'm not aware of anyone doing deliberate loops in a Wessex Mk1 at flying displays, just some very fancy wing overs. However I do know someone did a loop by mistake in a Wessex Mk5 during its IFTU off the coast near Torquay. The engineers were asked to carry out some very discrete checks but no harm apparently occured.
It's been done more recently than the 60s, like early nineties but you're not getting any more info out of me! Not untill the 30 year rule has lapsed.
The story goes that it started off with a few extravagant wing-overs then the Crewman and Co were dropped off in a field then the story runs cold.
The story goes that it started off with a few extravagant wing-overs then the Crewman and Co were dropped off in a field then the story runs cold.
Join Date: Nov 2001
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Don't know about looping it but it can certainly be barrel rolled. The powers that be dont like it however and it has not been done "legally" as far as I am aware.
You would have to be very careful to maintain speed and G over the top or the fully articulated head would try very hard to clap hands when upside down !!!
You would have to be very careful to maintain speed and G over the top or the fully articulated head would try very hard to clap hands when upside down !!!
Join Date: Nov 2002
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I always felt that if it all went pear shaped that I would be looked after in the cabin - built like a brick ****house.
There's a lot of affection for the old girl from those that flew in her in NI.
There's a lot of affection for the old girl from those that flew in her in NI.
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I had the pleasure of a trip across most of Cyprus (ESBA ==> WSBA) in one last July whilst playing pongos, brilliant fun all that low level stuff, very memorable! Only wish I could afford one myself! 
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Join Date: Oct 2002
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If you want to buy one try this link, only at 55K at the moment but I can't see you flying it on a ppl!
Lowlevelhell - they were good workhorses but underpowered - the engines were good but the weak link was the coupling gearbox and the angled driveshaft up to the MRGB - the max Tq was limited by those components not the engines. The RR gnomes were good engines but the Military ones don't have a manual throttle option if the electric fuel computer freezes or runs away so any computer malfunction results in a frozen power or an engine shutdown.
It is not very good at altitude and soon runs out of TR authority at moderate DA.
It's still the queen of the skies and that undercarriage gives a comfy landing even when you cock it up.
If the ones you are flying are ex 72 Sqn (NI) you can bet they have seen a hard life.
It is not very good at altitude and soon runs out of TR authority at moderate DA.
It's still the queen of the skies and that undercarriage gives a comfy landing even when you cock it up.
If the ones you are flying are ex 72 Sqn (NI) you can bet they have seen a hard life.
Avoid imitations
Join Date: Nov 2000
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The Queen? A bit like Danny La Rue, then?
(In my day they were known as "Walter" the Wessex).
Larry the Lynx
Percy the Puma
Gary Gazelle
but I'll refrain from saying what we called the Chinook.
(In my day they were known as "Walter" the Wessex).
Larry the Lynx
Percy the Puma
Gary Gazelle
but I'll refrain from saying what we called the Chinook.
Avoid imitations
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Wandering the FIR and cyberspace often at highly unsociable times
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Originally Posted by nutcracker43
Shy Torque
Clearly you are a child of the 90s. I stopped flying the Wessex in '84 and never heard it referred to as Walter.
Lovely aeroplane, though!
NC43
Clearly you are a child of the 90s. I stopped flying the Wessex in '84 and never heard it referred to as Walter.
Lovely aeroplane, though!
NC43
I wish, I wish....I last flew it in 1978!
But the kiddies in NI were using those names in the early 90s
