Scout roles.
 

No problem! and no, those are not my initials! I was a "greeny" and worked on Scouts for 15 years. My last connection with the Scout was at Netheravon. I was with 656 (we had Lynx and Gazelle) but the boys next door (653) had the last Scouts. It was a sad day indeed when I watched the 12 aircraft farewell flypast.
GH

I led the absolute final Scout fly past at MW 30th March 94 in XT636 which included all the 666 Scouts, 18 in total. I managed to fly several more times 50+ hrs in a Civilian registered Scout at Wattisham a few years later.

Considerably different to what I fly now!

I'm sure that during my time in Germany 81-86, and during my time at Nethers in 658 back in '86, 653 were in Soest :confused:

We can all make a mistake with a few numbers, I didn't know that all scouts were not capable of ATGW! I stand corrected.

I am the last person to fly XT626.

You may well be Sloppy link but not on the 30 Mar 1994 when the Scout AH1 final fly past of 18 aircraft took place at Middle Wallop. I'm guessing you mean in the HAF?

Yep. On the civil register now, G-CIBW.

Enjoy! But tell me by PM if you prefer - is it operated on an AOC/License?

The Historic Flight as an MoD organisation is sadly no more, for there is not the funding or enthusiasm to assure the aircrafts airworthiness. BBMF are publicly funded and the RNHF have single service champions throughout their chain of command and it this that keeps them going, unfortunately, army aircraft do not garner the same level of single service support. A trust is being formed with the involvement of HQ AAC to run the aircraft as a civil operation piloted by volunteers on a PPL, the engineering will continue at MW. There are a lot of hurdles to overcome, obtaining the CofA/PtF from the CAA, securing sponsorship, getting a PDA, finding trustees to name a few. Pilots are OK for the moment but qualifying new pilots could be a challenge for the Scout but not insurmountable.

I'm guessing there will only be 1 or 2 civil licensed pilots (ex QHI's) out there with Scout operational experience at the right age 50/52 - racking my brains I can think of a couple - those are the guys you ought to try to get interested. Good luck.

The issue is as a non-EASA aircraft, getting the thing on your licence is the hard bit, in the main because there is not a TRTO out there to put you forward for the test although, there are examiners out there, I know two of them, you probably know one of them.

Can't they fly under the with the same mandate, whatever it is called, for the civvies to fly AH and FBH or am I being a simpleton.

Scout farewell flypast.
 

18 Scouts! Wish I'd seen (and heard) that!

Title error.
 

Absolutely correct. It was '58. Finger trouble!

FBH.....are now Cobham, it is Inzpire who fly AH. They are classed as state aircraft effectively meaning we can make up our own rules, the HAF will be pure civil aircraft and therefore are bounded by CAA regulation. It is because the governance and airworthiness was withdrawn from them they cease to be state aircraft and ergo, they are now on the civil register with the regulation that applies. We'll get there but it is a long and tortuous road.

I wish you luck but who ever made the decision not to fund them did you absolutely no favours - surely they attracted some revenue? Why on earth make them civil as they were state owned anyway.

Seems to me you need to call on at least 2 ex Generals (GC and NC, both good Scout pilots in their time) to help. Maybe you already have.

All the time they are state registered and operated they have to conform to MAA regulation which they could not because the funding to assure them was withdrawn. The main issue was a lack of enthusiasm from 2* HQ along with even less enthusiasm from HQ Army and even less than that from MoD centre. Have tried various "friends" in the higher echelons but there is only so much they can do. We're on our own.

Bit before my time, but for you …… ?


ARMY AIR DEMONSTRATION - British Pathé

1:05
ARTILLERY ENTERTAIN PUBLIC - British Pathé

Beyond me Sid I'd be surprised if many of them were still around but I do remember the spectacle of Honest John firing at Ell Barrow for several years.

Sid, I know who you are......