Strewth H'Wood, I just got out of the Rock and now I'll have to look at it again for all of April......and from scenic height!!!!! Top shot Big Fella.;)

Calender
 

Excellent quality for the first quarter of the year.

Top Photo's. Nice work guys.

Keep it up :ok:

MD :ok:

Every one a winner. :ok:

Thankyou to everyone involved in the production every month.

Thank you to all who contribute to one of the highlights of my month. I really look forward to seeing these photos, the clarity, composition, and color is amazing. And the subject matter isn't too bad either. Especially this lovely young lady.

May Rotorheads Calendar Directly from Nicaragua!
 

Well no, I'm not really in Nicaragua, those of you who thought I might have been the lucky one to get locked up in a cell with 4 exotic dancers :)

That wasn't me :(

Which brings me to the fact that the May calendar is ready and can be downloaded
HERE!

This has been one of my favorites, I hope you like it.

Thanks to Flying Lawyer for the great picture!

http://homepage.mac.com/helipilot/PP...ayCalendar.jpg

From a photographic viewpoint, gorgeous photo. Beautiful lighting, nice movement in the blades. Great choice.

Ned

Ya, the colors came out pretty well on that shot, eh?
Nicely done.

I'm green with envy Flying Lawyer.
Well done BlenderPilot. :ok:

It's a beautiful photograph of a helicopter that will go down in history as a classic.


BlenderPilot
When I dowloaded the photo I could see a bar at the bottom with details of the picture but when I set it as my desktop the bar disappeared.

Do I need to change any settings? :confused:

Datacon,

Since the background image takes up the entire desktop, your Windows Taskbar is covering the lower portion of the graphic. To see the caption properly, follow these steps:

If Windows 2000:

1) RIGHT Click your Taskbar
2) LEFT Click "Properties"
3) On the "General" tab of the "Taskbar and Start Menu Properties" dialogue box, SELECT "Auto hide"

If Windows XP Home or Windows XP Professional:

1) RIGHT Click your Taskbar
2) LEFT Click "Properties"
3) On the "Taskbar" tab of the "Taskbar and Start Menu Properties" dialogue box, SELECT "Auto-hide the taskbar"

Great Photo...

I look forward to a month of nostalgia...

I flew this actual aircraft from Jun'76 at Culdrose..

Last year I had the pleasure of doing a few eols in it again with its then owner...

:cool: :ok:

Sure did! Not sure if I EOL'd in it though although I did do my Zennor moor wazzex in it!! I think that was S8 or 9. Great fun indeed. 1997 last course at Culdrose.

i did too, i was last course but two at the old 705.....trying to work out who you are cobalt....

I flew this aircraft to Shawbury on its last ever RN flight and the last ever 705 NAS sortie! Also had the pleasure of displaying in it as part of the Sharks on my first 705 tour and as solo on Field Gun diplays at Culdrose on my second time around. Fantastic fun, fantastic aircraft and a terrible shame about the DHFS mularkey, still convinced it was a step in the wrong direction. :{

Up & Away

I don't own XW895. I flew it for a photoshoot for a feature about ex-mil Gazelles in Pilot couple of years ago, after it had been modified to civvy spec and before it was sold. According to G-INFO, it's now owned by someone in Teesside.

Interesting to read posts by pilots who flew it in the RN.

Tudor Owen http://www.mwhelicopters.co.uk/MWHelicopters%20Left.gif

It appears in my log book quite a lot aswell. The most notable being the 50th anniversary of Taranto formation at Portland. As I remember it was the biggest formation I've ever been involved in. I think we managed almost everything the FAA had at the time with Jetstreams and Harriers over the top. The formations at the 3 gathering points seemed big enough then we had to join it all up. Good organisation and well executed. At least that's my memory of it, it was a Taranto night after all!!!!!!

Great pic Flying Lawyer, amazing clarity.

Well done :ok:

Cheers,

Hollywood:cool:

Log book entry: XW895: 12th July 1990, sharks practice at Predannack overhead the autofield, barrell rolls and torque turns :ok:

Now where did those tail cone creases come from :uhoh:

I also remember demonstrating jack stall: accelerate to Vne in a dive, then pull like f**k (aft) on the cyclic:\

The Gaz used to lurch to the right, (I think) and pull up, the controls froze solid for those few precious seconds:eek:

We were never told how many pitch change rods we went through!!!

well i never

its not owned by anyone in middlesbrough any more i bought it 2 months ago its now in yeovil being serviced and shortly it will join my raf gazelle and 600 in yorks thanks for the pics they are great any ifo on the history or pics would be greatfully accepted same goes for xx382

steve atherton

tudor
who was the left seat was it Ian K ex aac
steve

tc
do we agree about the gazelle then

One of the best light helos ever invented.
You are a very lucky man.......




















To have flown one of my demo models;)

Steve

No, my pax was an ex RN observer, not ex AAC.


Here's another pic taken over Leeds Castle, Kent. It's a pretty background but Blender chose the other shot because this one is too 'busy' for the desktop calendar picture. I agree with him but you may like it for your collection.

http://img48.photobucket.com/albums/...Castle_COR.jpg


Tudor

BTW, the CAA G-INFO database still shows the aircraft registered to the previous owner.

RN Gazelle XW895
 

I flew my first solo in this aircraft in Feb 1977, and flew it a lot during the RNPC, and later on the IRI course, and later still as a Trapper.

they dont rush do they" it will change one day hopefully

Hey Dakotaman, Me too! First solo, all the way round NT Predannack, although a bit after you.

Ah, the EOLs. It was only on beefers course that I discovered you had to move the sticks - they always seemed to move on their own during training!:=

Passed my FHT on 705 NAS in XW895 in '77 to earn "Wings of Gold" lovingly stitched into dyed-in-the-wool dark blue barathea - a special day

Believe the unit is the post-IHC phase of a tri-Service light helicopter course now.

Once only

Back in the saddle after summer leave 1979.

5/9/79 2 hrs with 'The squeak from Gweek' Revision & Advanced Autos.

FL,

Your nav is not quite as accurate as your legal skills; Leeds Castle it aint....:p

Ooops! :uhoh:
I was working too hard keeping in close formation with the camera ship to ask at the time and have since been told, wrongly it seems, that it's Leeds Castle.

Any ideas? The photoshoot was over East Sussex and into Kent.

:confused:

Hmmm,

Nothing exciting- failed one sortie in XW895 (D16 whatever that was) and low level EOLs, ahhh those zoom climbs, you've got to love them!

Hever Castle :ok:

Oldpinger, D16 was advanced autos (part 2). The best trip I managed in it was the 50th anniversary of Taranto formation at Portland. An excellent formation and a good Taranto night.....I think!!!!!!

We used to teach helicopters step up on formation leader. no??

Might have been alot easier for you to have been the formation leader and let pilot of the other aircraft (who can speak on intercom to cameraman) formate on you for best angle/picture etc.

topilot... or to pprune

D7 (Basic autos) in Dec 95 and D9 (EOLs) in Jan 96!

Strangely enough, they were my only trips in that cab, even though my course didn't finish 'til May 96.

Happy days!!:ok:

Just checked the old parchments and I did my D40 IF Test (didn't do an actual IRT on BFT course) with Mark Osman on 30 Jul 1984...and passed! Only did two other trips in that machine all course...but boy what a happy summer of love that was - happy days:O

I also did D40 in this cab 10 years after fuel2noise and also passed. Lucky aircraft? Great days at 705, as was, and miss the Gaz-slick a lot!

Night solo circuits July 1981. Can't believe I used to fly an aircraft without a bog, galley or a bed.

Spud. Not just a bog and galley. What about a lovely hostie bringing you a coffe with a smile :O That would have been something to distract you in the middle of a 360 auto to the autofield.....

Spud, It didnt have a bog, galley or bed; yet most cabs on 705 managed OK without the mods, including the occasional discerning hostie, one suspects.

Fuel2noise: XW895 Chelsea Barracks & rtn 3.55 DCO....via Chatham House SRZ......

ppfn

peterperfect: I did Chelsea Barracks for my landaway but that was in XW897 6&7 Sep 1984.... got my beefer laid in West Kensington so passed the trip ('Captaincy 1 & 2' if I remember it was billed); now those were the days.

My only trip in this wonderfull piece of engineering was on Jan 22 1980 with that wonder on the accordion Nige North. D16 Advanced PFLs on the menu that day.

...with all this top-grade notsalgia for the Gaz-piece I wonder if 'those who touched the hem of the 705 garment' could reach into our pockets and acquire one to re-kindle those fondest aviation moments? Base it in a cornish field somewhere and then have some fun. As an aside we could even re-create the extra-curricular activities so essential in forming the Fleet Air Arm heros of our generation. Any takers??