Sav, that sounds like the Nab Tower off the eastern end of the Isle of Wight.

Treadi,

Definitely NOT the Nab...

There are some concrete structures off the south coast that were converted to plush accommodations and resemble round co-centric forts but now with helipads. :roll eyes:

The Nab tower was a piece of !!!! metal deck that sloped from one side to the other and the BO105 was the perfect size to fit :ok:

Griffo, do you mean the three in the Solent, or are there more out there?

Energetic bunch, our forebears...

It would seem to be the searchlight tower of the Shivering Sands fort: Radio Sutch.

Ah no, Senior Pilot, I was referring to Sav's last para about his trip from Lee-on-Solent... :)

Inspired by Griffo's "At odds with the world" photo in post 607 on page 31 and more than six months in-the-waiting to obtain these images un-watermarked and with the photographer's permission .. I am thrilled to be able to present these great Bölkow shots:

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-g...2/DSC_3660.JPG
Swedish Air Force MBB Bo105CB3 09217
(Photo: ©Rickard Gillberg/Nordic Rotors)

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/--...2/DSC_3626.JPG
Swedish Air Force MBB Bo105CB3 09209
(Photo: ©Rickard Gillberg/Nordic Rotors)

These images were taken on 16th September 2005 on the outskirts of Stockholm by Swedish photographer and helicopter pilot Rickard Gillberg (also the Head of Publishing at Nordic Rotors) during his visit to 'Team Vingarna' (the Swedish Armed Forces helicopter display team). Rickard joined 'Vingarna' during one of their practice sessions and captured these striking images.

In their day (between 1995-2010) the Swedish Armed Forces Helicopter Wing operated more than twenty HKP 9's (Bo105's).

Hi Guy's, the forts look like the collection of forts of the North Kent coast, i fly over them every day, I don't think there are many I would land on now, and certainly not shut down! very interesting to look at though

Essex Oil's LongRanger
 

Back on page 15 (post 289) I made reference to a LongRanger which was owned by Essex Oil founder David Thieme. In my reminiscence I recounted how wonderfully impressive this craft was - she was one of Europe's fist LongRangers pre-dating even Ferranti's G-BFAL.

When I encountered her it must have been the summer of 1978. She was still on the French register flying as F-GCGZ. In those days Ferranti Helicopters performed almost all of Team Lotus' charter requirements and, when their fleet was fully committed the Colonel would sub-charter the chaps from Manfred Mann.

I was at Biggin Hill (during the Brands Hatch Grand Prix) and had been 'dumped' there in between shuttles when this azure apparition made a high speed large semi-circular sweeping approach opposite what in those days was the Air Touring Club (distinctive back then for its fleet of yellow Rallye aircraft). In waltzed this 'stretched' JetRanger (it was my first time to see a LongRanger 'in the flesh' as it were) in a most impressive colour scheme and .. as a youngster .. pretty much took my breath away!

There was no holding me back and as soon as she was shut down I was standing next to the driver pummeling him with questions. The craft's azure finish was overlaid with a crimson flash complimented by 'mirrored' silver accents. Inside she sported an all-white leather ensemble set off with lush sheepskin carpets. It was quite simply the most beautiful helicopter I had ever seen.

She was owned by David Thieme the oil trader who for a couple of years became the official sponsor of Lotus Team and it was doubtless Thieme who urged Colin (Chapman) to trade-up to something more 'respectable' (sorry Dennis) and which led to the purchase of G-AYTF .. the Dancer.

The first time I flew the Dancer (1980) she was wearing the 'Essex Motorsport' livery (identical to Thieme's LongRanger) and I was as chuffed as a youngster could be. I have the photos in Blighty and will retrieve them when next there.

I think it was probably the following year (1979) when Thieme had the craft transferred onto the Monégasque register when she became 3A-MSX (and where I think she was upgraded to an LII) . From her time with Essex this craft went on to serve in Spain where she flew as EC-DYO and later in Switzerland flyung as HB-XRX.

I never imagined that I would see this wonderful craft again and you might appreciate my surprise therefore when the Swiss photographer Anton Heumann wrote to me saying "Oh, but I have a picture of that helicopter":

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-F...CGZ%25255D.jpg
Essex Oil's distinctive Bell 206L-1 LongRanger II 3A-MSX landing at Bern Belpmoos Airport in Switzerland in 1980 (Photo: Anton Heumann)

The image (while deeply appreciated) does not do justice to how wonderful this craft appeared in real-life but .. I am thrilled to be reminded of what was for me a very special piece of machinery.

More Navy Nostalgia
 

Hiller of 705 NAS at CU 1968

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7144/6...69a8d03c_b.jpg

Sea Kings of 824 NAS fly past the last of the beautiful old 'open-bridge' Cavalier Class Destroyers in 1970. From Wikipedia http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7175/6...ecb84704_b.jpg

When you lived on a 'real' carrier back in the '70s you had to put up with the occasional 'visitor'.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7029/6...446daa77_b.jpg

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6041/6...05d28e49_b.jpg

G. :ok:

Great shots (as always) Geoff but .. what is that ahead of the F4?

Looks like a Tu-16 Badger to me.

Continuing the MBB theme ..

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-N...son%252529.jpg
MBB BK117A-1 D-HBKA at Farnborough on 5th September 1980 (Photo: Derek Ferguson)

This example was the second (German) prototype of the BK117 (Kawasaki only built one prototype) and was exhibited at Farnborough 1980. German and Japanese certification was achieved in December 1982 with US certification in March 1983.

Some 450 117's were manufactured; around 330 in Germany and about 120 in Japan.

Mystery Gazelle
 

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-b...2520Norway.jpg

I managed to secure the above image which credits the Gazelle pictured as being XX377 but .. extracts from the MoD report into the loss of 377 read:

My questions are: a) Would there be snow on or within the vicinity of Mount Pleasant in June? and b) If XX377 had been 'skewered' by a Seadart .. would she still have the bulk of her fuselage intact (perhaps if the missile hit the rotors but .. unlikely).

I am wondering therefore if this image is not in fact either XX378 or XW905 both of which crashed in whiteout conditions in Norway in their recovery efforts in response to the whiteout and subsequent crash encountered by Puma XW234.

Any 'enlightenment' is welcome!

Savoia, you're right... it's XW905. Photo taken probably 25Feb82.

Btw, good find :ok:

1982: A busy year for accidents
 

Zishelix, Merry Christmas!

Well I hope one can be excused for getting a little confused as '82 (with the advent of the Falklands Conflict) was a busy year for UK mil rotary accidents:

First there was this three cab pile-up in Voss, Norway on 24th February involving a Puma (XW234) and two Gazelles (XW905 and XX378) on training exercises. A summary reads: "During exercises in Norway in February 1982 an RAF Puma suffered a whiteout. It force-landed near Voss suffering only slight damage. An RAF Gazelle, XW905, was sent with ground crew to assist the Puma but also suffered a whiteout and crashed. An Army Air Corps Gazelle, XX378, was then sent to assist both of the downed aircraft but it too suffered the same fate."

The following month, in March, a Navy Gazelle, XX397, from 705 Squadron crashed in Cornwall during a wing-over manouevre.

Then in April there was the two cab pile-up involving Wessex Mk 5's (XT464 and XT473 from 845 Naval Air Squadron) on South Georgia island during their attempt to extract SAS troops.

On the same day in May two Army Gazelles (XX402 and XX411) were both downed (in separate locations but related duties) by small arms fire in the Falklands.

Then in June was the tragic incident involving Army Gazelle XX377 which was downed (by mistake) by HMS Cardiff. Five days later, on 11th June, another Gazelle (XW896) flew into rising ground in the Suffield training area in Alberta, Canada.

In August Gazelle (XX452) crashed at Andover after the instructor crossed his hands on the controls during a training exercise and in December Gazelle (XX400) flew into power lines in County Armagh.

And there were more besides!

Reckon that one was preventable....CFS can sure teach some silly stuff! That is one exercise that should be left to the coloured pencils exercise.:ugh:

Sav, UK Serials (Losses), right? :)

SAS
 

Forgive my dimness if you already get it, but we didn't teach anyone how to cross their hands and instruct at CFS(H), we allowed student instructors to see how quickly things could go wrong if they did....with a staff instructor in the other seat.

Tam

If I remember well, there was few comments on this thread about SABENA's rotors... an old postcard just found.

Zis, yes, on page 12 there is a piece on Sabena's rotary fleet which, at one point, was moderatley substantial (for the day) and mainly consisting of S-58's.

Your image shows one of their Bell 47's (a D model with the enclosed tailboom). There were only three D's listed on the Belgian register in the 'SH' sequence and which were respectively: OO-SHX, SHY and SHZ and your image is therefore most likely to be one of these. The craft appears to be landing at some sort of stadium and it would be great if someone recognised the building or .. perhaps it was an early Zaventem?

More Bölkow Classico ..

Well, as the Swedish Air Force were preparing to dispose of their Bölkows .. the Albanians were gearing-up to take delivery of theirs:

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-9...2525202006.jpg
The first Bo105E-4 enters service with the Albanian Air Brigade in 2006

And .. more Bölkow "At Odds with the World" cabin shots:

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-X...2520105CBS.jpg
Red Bull display pilot, Chuck Aaron, pulls his 105CBS into the vertical as he prepares to go 'over the top' in one of his trademark loops

Richard Seymour Retires

Somerset pilot who became a voice for helicopters | This is Somerset

Harry Dubinsky
 

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-D...go%252520s.png

Harry Dubinsky flew with the Canadian Navy until 1958 after which he joined Kenting Helicopters flying S-55's.

When Kenting was contracted by the US Air Force to help with the DEW (Distant Early Warning) line construction on Baffin Island, he flew in support of the construction of their radar sites.

Kenting went on to be contracted by the Canadian Army Topographic Survey to assist in mapping of the Canadian Western Arctic Islands. Dubinsky was appointed detachment commander flying S-55's. This was the first ever accurate mapping of these Arctic Islands using telerometers. They mapped Banks and Victoria Islands.

From late 1960 Dubinsky flew S-55's out of Greenland in construction support for the DEW line. Later in life, he became District Manager of the Canadian Coastguard vessels in Hayriver, North West Territories.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-1...55%2525202.jpg
Harry Dubinsky (right) with members of the Canadian Army Topographic Survey Corps in 1962

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-z...55%2525201.jpg
Harry Dubinsky with Kenting's S-55 CF-JJD in 1962

With thanks to Harry's daughter, Gale, for these images.

I just love reading the threads about do we have this bit of equipment and should we allow this or that - we never thought about that in days of old and we were...............................simplistic.
http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/l...od/WW703-1.jpg

D

Reference Richard Seymour above - he used to have a beard............:rolleyes:

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/l...vyPhotos36.jpg

Oh dear................

and somtimes he took his duties too seriously...................

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/l...yPhotos121.jpg

D

Ah Bast0n, as always .. wonderful stuff and a great graphic reflection of the former post!

Yes, it is a different world now. Back then was the 'age of innocence' when many aspects of the industry were still being pioneered. I have always felt that those who were exposed to operations in the 50's through 70's were privileged indeed!

Regarding Seymour .. this comes as no surprise. He was even wearing your FAA tie in his shot for the Somerset Recorder (or whatever it was). Who, out of interest, was the chap on the port side in the 'bone dome' photo?

Also, on your coveralls you are wearing two squadron badges .. any details please?

And .. one sees in your 'Hard at Work' shot with Riccardo that you have lept from Lt to Lt Cmdr!

New Year's Appreciation
 

It is with immense satisfaction that I present the latest Medal of Appreciation to a PPRuNer whose contributions are, in a word, superb!

Congrats Bast0n! :D

Oh I say!

First HM the Queen, then Prince Charles and now this. Thank you so much Savoia.

Below another memory.............what a cracking helicopter to go wave jumping in the storms around the Cornish coast. Single everything, no ASE no nothing but pure fun - single pilot day, night, imc you name it. The only major problem was that it had two anti colls mounted at an angle, one on top and one under the nose, and in cloud or at night the twin beams rotating in opposite directions crossed over in front of the aircraft - very offputting to the old scan! See other threads for todays view on that lot:rolleyes:

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/l...toscan3463.jpg

David

Savoia

Reference the picture of Neddie Seagoon with a beard, the chap on the left is Chris Clay and the badges on my magnificent breast are Seahawk SAR and 707 Squadron. Hope that fills in a bit of your encyclopedic knowledge!
D

I see Neddie Seagoon is looking very smart these days, though he still hasn't purchased a comb!

Everybody I know seems to be retiring for some odd reason! Is it old age? I suppose I'll also have to sometime.

David,
Is that photo of Whirlwind W taken near Bario? And who was flying it? Brings back memories of the flights I did in the Whirlwind to Nanga Gaat & Bario!! Where did you get all these photos from, I don't recall seeing you with a camera!!:confused:

Whoops, sorry about that DAVID, long term memory loss!:ugh:

A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL:)

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/l...toscan3462.jpg


This picture of VZ 965 is interesting in many respects. If you look closely you will see that it is being tracked by the old “flag into the rotors” game that was always a laugh and full of exciting possibilities!
This aircraft was in the Station Flight hanger at Culdrose when I was the SAR pilot,(WW7s, 1966), and just sat there unused. It was in superb condition almost as though it had been restored for a show. Tony Thurstan was the boss of the flight and when I suggested that we dragged it out and played with it he agreed. He had flown Dragonflies in the distant past and so once we had it up and running he checked me out to go solo on it – I am still not sure as to the legality of that check out! I was the last person to qualify (?) solo on a Dragonfly in the FAA.
I remember that it had some interesting traits like trying to roll onto its left side on take off as it had no built in cross coupling in roll as you raised the collective, and landings were equally affected.
At one stage a tail rotor driveshaft bearing got a bit wobbly and of course there were no spares, but the FAA Museum came up trumps and we did a straight swap with the museum aircraft.
I used to use the aircraft for fun – going out to the Scillies in very early spring and collecting bunches and bunches of early daffodils which we the sold back at Culdrose to beef up our party fund. The landlord of the pub in St Marys came out to he airfield to collect us, resplendent in our two piece grey goonsuits, and treated us to lunch – but of course no beer………………………….(oh dear, not a good way to start the New Year!). We also used to collect those big orange fishing markers that broke loose in the storms and sell them back to the fishermen at a knock down price for the same reason. As an aside, using a Whirlwind, we found a very smart yacht dinghy floating off Looe Bar in a bit of an onshore gale. I lowered the diver into it on the winch and he tied a line to it and going backwards, as the wind was too strong to turn around in the hover, managed to tow it and surf it up the beach on the back of a big wave. It had a pot of paint and a paintbrush in it but no markings. We reported it to the Coastguard but no one claimed it and it became ours – a big party that year!
Eventually the Dragonfly met a sad end. We foolishly let someone else fly it and it had an oil leak with lots of smoke at Preddannack and an incident signal was raised. All hell was let loose as the Command at Yeovilton did not know the aircraft existed, in a time of big cutbacks, and off it went on a lorry. It ended up believe it or not as a cropsprayer in Cyprus!
Happy days, David.:ok:

Not nostalgia but perhaps of interest to some of you. My apologies if you have seen it all before. Happy New Year.

Drohnen: Spione am Himmel - SPIEGEL ONLINE - Nachrichten - Wissenschaft

http://cdn3.spiegel.de/images/image-...eryV9-vath.jpg

Oddest Forced Landing Site?
 

This must surely rate as the oddest forced landing site ever for a helicopter - unless you know better....?

On 21 February 1950, whilst flying in Ireland, Royal Navy Sikorsky Hoverfly FT837 suffered a "seized tail rotor". A forced landing was carried out in an open grave in St. Mary's Collegiate churchyard, Youghal, County Cork. Although the helicopter was a write-off it was not the pilot's final resting place as he and his crew were uninjured!

A photo of the crashed aircraft was taken by Mikey Roche at the time and was shown in his photo exhibition in Youghal last year but I have not been able to locate this photo online anywhere.

Bast0n, great stuff as ever! Have always wanted to fly a helicopter with a rotating beacon, you know, one which makes a racket and draws plenty of amps from the battery!

Great fun regarding the Dragonfly! My godfather would tell me of his days at Boscombe Down and how when a new type arrived he and the other drivers would forego any formal type induction and give themselves a 'scare' all by means of keeping themselves on their toes (or so the story goes!). Strange lot those test pilots, lol!

Cheetah, there's probably a UAV thread somewhere (although I'll confess to having not looked for it) but the contraption certainly 'looks the business' being purpose-designed (one assumes) instead of converted from an existing piece of machinery.

C16, it will be interesting to see whether any leads emerge which could eventually uncover this image. Let's keep our fingers crossed.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-X...go%252520s.png

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-E...7B1%25257D.jpg
A Royal Navy Whirlwind from HMS Victorious c. 1963

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-1...%252520Map.png
The route followed by HMS Victorious on her 1963-64 expedition to the Far East

And in today from Mick West ..

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-4...go%252520s.png

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-X...est%252529.jpg
Court Line Aviation Bell 206A G-AXMM at Bembridge on 4th July 1971 (Photo: Mick West)

This craft was bought by Freddie Wilcox in July 1969. She was the 10th Bell (as opposed to Agusta-Bell) 206 in the UK. In 1974 she was bought by Appledore Shipbuilders of Devon and in the same year moved on to a Mr 'Walter Holmes' of 'Refuge' House, Bedford Street, Leeds and which can only be 'Wally' Holmes of Heli-Leeds and about which I shall say no more.

AXMM went on to collect a string of owners and flew variously as: G-ROGR, G-RODY, G-OBHH and latterly as G-WLLY.

WLLY met her demise on 21st December 2005 tragically claiming the lives of both her occupants. An excerpt from the accident report reads:

Note the spelling mistake on the map, unless Gibralta is another British Territory !

Tarman

Tarman

When one is a "Proper Chap" one spells it Gibraltah and pronounces it accordingly.....................:ok:

D

A new Year Flypast to set the pulses racing to see what other pictures come out of the wood work in 2012.

This is Culdrose Station Flight/SAR plus the WW9 used for senior officers (fixed wing) to rotary - or at least up to solo standard.

David

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/l...irlwind013.jpg

and the break!!

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/l...irlwind014.jpg

and a head on for luck!:rolleyes:

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/l...irlwind016.jpg

Of Culdrose and Whirlwinds ..

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-u...20Cornwall.jpg
Whirlwind HAS 7 helicopters of No. 815 Squadron Fleet Air Arm flying in formation near the Royal Naval Air Station at Culdrose in Cornwall

And yes, Marines fly too ..

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-8...520Learoyd.jpg
Lt Learoyd at the controls of a Westland Whirlwind during his flying training in Singapore in October 1961

Under a scheme to provide Royal Marine Commandos with a contingent of their own aviators, 24 year old Roger Learoyd of Wallington, Oxfordshire (pictured above), becomes the first Officer of the Corps to specialise as a helicopter pilot.

Bast0n's Badges ..

The badges worn on Bast0n's coveralls in post 1159

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-v...52520small.jpghttps://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-P...52520small.jpg