Aeroventure at Doncaster completes the A to Z of ‘Penguin’ helicopters

The Air Museum at Doncaster completes the A to Z of ‘Penguin’ helicopters.

Westland Whirlwind HAR 1, XA870 is joined at Doncaster by Westland Lynx HAS 3S (ICE), XZ246 to complete a ‘First and Last’ of the Antarctic Patrol helicopters.

The South Yorkshire Aircraft Museum (SYAM) has just obtained the final helicopter to be embarked on the Antarctic Patrol ship, HMS Endurance. This very distinctive helicopter, a Westland Lynx, XZ246, has bright red markings, nose and tail, with large painted penguins adorning the doors.

It will join the very first of the Antarctic Patrol helicopters, a Westland Whirlwind, XA870, which served aboard HMS Protector, back in 1955. This was when the tradition of painting ‘cartoon’ style penguins, known in aviation as ‘nose art’, on these brightly coloured helicopters, which has lasted for 53 years.

HMS Endurance ended her active service in 2008 when she nearly sank in the sea off southern Chile. The Lynx, now at SYAM, was aboard at the time and only flew off once a rescue ship arrived to tow the stricken ‘Endurance’ to port.

The Museum, located at Doncaster Lakeside, has a considerable collection of aircraft and artefacts commemorating the Falklands War of 1982 and this exhibition is supplemented by the Antarctic patrol helicopters from ‘Protector’ and ‘Endurance’. These ships were based at Port Stanley, capital of the Falkland Islands, when on patrol and their helicopters were familiar to the Islanders whenever they were in port. The Museum also has a Whirlwind HAR 9, XN386, from the earlier HMS Endurance, 1976, which is currently under restoration.

Since the loss to service of HMS Endurance, she has been replaced by a new ship, also named ‘Protector’, in honour of her predecessor which served as a netlayer in World War II before being assigned to the Antarctic Patrol from 1955 to 1968. This new patrol ship does not have the capability to operate her own helicopters, although there is a landing deck, which means that there will be no more ‘Penguin’ badged, brightly coloured helicopters.