A trip this weekend to the SAR unit at Lee-On-Solent, offered a chance for a very different kind of flying. The SR61 ‘ India Juliet’ is well-known from the recent ‘Holiday Rescue’ prog on BBC1.
Following a briefing on safety procedures, self and friend Jane were bundled into immersion suits and shown the drill for winching. The wind was just strong enough to practice this, as on a calm day, the power becomes critical in the event of one of the engines failing. After take-off we practiced winching on the airfield from 60 feet. Once on the ground, the rotor-wash is astonishing, and can easily sweep you off your feet.
Leaving the circuit, we went out over Southampton Water, looking for ‘trade’.
First target was a small coaster, which we called up on the radio, and asked if they would like to take part in a winching exercise. The deck at the rear was very small, and it took a few attempts to get the winchman onto the vessel, where he stayed for a couple of minutes chatting with the skipper, before being plucked up again.
We headed east, looking for something a bit bigger, and soon spotted a french freighter. Dropping down to 100 feet, hovering near the bridge. A slight delay was caused by the problem finding what frequency they were using, but soon we were in contact, and we had the captain stating he was happy to oblige.
Jane was first out, and in just a few seconds was down on the open deck of the freighter. I was next to put the strop on, and sit on the lip of the open door. Moments later I was suspended beside the helicopter, and then descending swiftly, trying to use my camera, despite the buffeting of the wind.
The contrast is total, from the cosy interior of the helicopter, to standing on the steel deck of a ship, on the high sea just 20 seconds later. Happily this was not a one way trip, and the crew were kind enough to reel us back in after a short interlude.
Buffeted and breathless, we strapped in again, taking the time look out over Portsmouth, and the old forts in the Solent. Most training flights are 45 minutes in duration, and so it was time to clatter back to Lee, to conclude a highly memorable trip.
The SR61 may not be seen much longer in the Solent, as a new operator will be running the SAR unit from next year.
By: wessex boy - 8th March 2006 at 07:36
A Couple of pictures of an RAF Sea King training with the Aldeburgh Lifeboat (Suffolk), they do a demo every Carnival day (3rd Monday in August) they launch both Lifeboats and winch the Mayor down onto both at speed.
The Lifeboat then runs as fast as it can into the beach to be recovered….. 😮
By: Dave Barrell - 7th March 2006 at 21:11
I agree – SAR is a heroic job, I haven’t had much experience save for myself and DP having a very close encounter with a big yellow Sea King one evening at Swanton Morley, during the local beer festival…!! But that’s another story….
Anyways, yes you are correct with the WWII fighter aircraft…. 😉
By: Propstrike - 7th March 2006 at 20:27
DB, very atmospheric shots of the ’52 there, but what is that wingtip in the foreground, it looks to me like a certain well-known fighter of WW11 !
I should have said a bigger ‘thank you’ to the Bristows guys. Despite the unusual circumstances, I had complete confidence in them, and was very at ease with the whole procedure. There are not too many really heroic jobs around these days, but SAR is right up at the top!
By: wessex boy - 7th March 2006 at 08:47
Great Picks of the winching!
I was winched a couple of times into a Sea King on Combat Survival & rescue training, and yes, you do get blown about a bit!
What’s even blowier is being the hooker on underslung loads, on Crewman training we had to stand perfectly still whilst the trainee talked the Cargo hook (SACRU) through the eye of the strop, which meant a wobbling Wessex just a couple of inches above your bonedome, with the wheels at shoulder height!
My biggest regret of my fore-shortened RAF career is that I was chopped 2 days before doing a 2 week Initial SAR training course at Valley. I spoke to some of the guys that did it, and they said that the accuracy of mouth-music required by the winchman to talk the aircraft into position was an order of magnitude greater than most of them could muster 65 hours into their RAF Career.
By: Dave Barrell - 6th March 2006 at 22:11
It was a great flight Big Nose, something I’ll never forget but it was marred a bit by you punching me on the chin before take off!
Oh sh!t yes!!! I am so sorry, I swear he didn’t pay me to do that………
😮
By: Bee Bee - 6th March 2006 at 22:05
It was a great flight Big Nose, something I’ll never forget but it was marred a bit by you punching me on the chin before take off!
By: Dave Barrell - 6th March 2006 at 22:02
And some more—
By: Dave Barrell - 6th March 2006 at 21:42
Fantastic pics and experience Mr PS!!
More of a normal weekend for me although I do have some pics from Saturday when I took Bee Bee for a flight in a Yak 52 out of Norwich, I’m notoriously bad at attaching them but I’ll have a go..
I would also just like to thank Boomer for taking the pics and Dale and Andrea at Anglia Flight/Happy Landings Bar, Hangar 10 for the extraordinary hospitality. Many thanks to them.
If anyone anticipates going to Norwich then give em a call, cheap landings, no security and top class grub.
Not forgetting this Thu (9th) evening with a video presentation about the original Moushold aerodrome and Meteors at Norwich in the fifties, all welcome..
Needless to say we managed to dodge the snow showers, had great fun zooming around the towering cumulus and landed back with grins on our faces!!
By: ollieholmes - 6th March 2006 at 03:17
Lucky you, a lovely set of photographs there.
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March 5, 2006 at 11:16 pm