Historic Helicopters?

It was the first production Whirlwind XA862 which was transported from the Helicopter Museum at Weston Super Mare in exchange for a Wessex which was on the dump at Colerne. The wreck of the Whirlwind was spares recovered by the Yorkshire Helicopter Preservation Group and the cockpit salvaged .

I thought XA862 was owned by the Fleet Air Arm Museum?
Of the Wessex, was that the ex-Fleet Air Arm display cab, painted different colours on either side?

chinook

My dream is that one day the UK’s most historic helicopter stiil in service, Chinook ZA718 ‘BN’ veteran of the Falklands, Gulf War 2 and many flight test episodes will be preserved at RAFM Hendon. However, even tho’ she is over 25 years old, she had a good decade or two years left in her. Other that Hercules and Canberras, whatother fixed wings in RAF service can boast that life?

I could not agree more with the above, but was this machine not recently upgraded ? maybe a decade is not long enough as the raf want to keep the chinook until 2015?

curlyboy

Don’t understand the reasoning behind that? Surely if a Sikorsky S-58 can be operated privately in Germany, it can’t be much different than operating a Wessex. What ‘design authority’? British Airways operated Sikorsky S-58Ts and Bristows operated several Wessex Mk.60s. Some were flown in USMC colours during the film “Full Metal Jacket”.

They only had one flyable during the filming of Full Metal Jacket, the other 2 were static only.
They filmed the Training and Vietnam scenes at bassingbourn Barracks, and the urban bits at Isle of Dogs.
I was in 2484 Bassingbourn Air Cadet Squadron, our hut was the old dispersal hut (as seen in the original Memphis belle), we used to go for a tour of the sets each night after cadets, dotted around the peri-track including palm trees planted in Skips!

My Claim to fame is that I have been shouted at by Stanley Kubrick, when I accidentaly rode my motorbike into the middle of a parade scene, we then watched for 2 hours and they never got it right again before nightfall….

It was the first production Whirlwind XA862 which was transported from the Helicopter Museum at Weston Super Mare in exchange for a Wessex which was on the dump at Colerne. The wreck of the Whirlwind was spares recovered by the Yorkshire Helicopter Preservation Group and the cockpit salvaged .

Now, I’m not into Helo’s, but can someone tell what is the hulk that resides at RAF Colerne?

Please note, it is not the Wessex that is listed in W&R, its far too small and it also has its tail boom still intact.

Would it help if we said it was designed by Camm or Mitchell?

No. I’d have to kill them both 😉

Moggy

Helicopters do not fly. They are so ugly the earth repels them!

A large number of the Gnomes went to the U.S for use in powerboat racing. The aircraft are incredibly strong but spares were a problem. I don’t know about the cost of
running one – the Queen was picking up the bill last time I fixed one!

The main reason I believe that a Wessex won’t go on the civil register is because of a lack of a design authority for the type. Operating a Whirlwind was problematical in itself and going the extra mile to operate a Wessex would be especially difficult and prohibitive from the point of view of paying for it.

IMHO There are at least 3 reasons why a Wessex would be difficult to fly privately;
Firstly when I was training on the beasts in ’88 they were the most expensive aircraft per hour in the RAF (£2,500 so I was told!)
Secondly, Every aircraft had a nice mixture of Green, Amber and Red lines in it’s 700, and tended to break something on each flight! (great for practicing emergencies)
Lastly, I have spoken to Tim Manna about adding one to his fleet (and volunteering to crew it!), but the RR Gnomes are in very short supply. I believe this to be due to our Dutch Friends strapping them to Tractors 4 at a time and dragging 10 ton weights on a sled up 100m of Sand! 😮

That will be a long flight James! Ok, I’ll let you know.

BW Roger

Next time , if there is a next time, I’ll be informed when it will be shown in the air, and I’ll let you know. Not going to miss it again.

You can let me know too. I’d give a lot to see a Cierva fly. (Maybe not quite as much as an air fair, but who knows?)

Hmmmm. Sounds like a once in a lifetime to me. But it would be an amazing sight for shure! 😎

Stieglitz

Next time , if there is a next time, I’ll be informed when it will be shown in the air, and I’ll let you know. Not going to miss it again.

Bw Roger

Never 😀

Would it help if we said it was designed by Camm or Mitchell?

Anyway…give some respect to helios!! 🙂

Never 😀

there is a huey and a bell 47 taking part in the helitech show at duxford this week, both static,
sorry don`t know the numbers will have a look tomorrow if I get a chance

sorry folks cas had to go to a Funeral.

So I’ll stand in .

Huey NX 41574 Graced us with it’s presence & departed with an unfogettable circiit or two to get the Awsosome approch sound (yes they were at Coventry last week). Siouix Txxxx in twirly thing Show area.
G-NOTY Scout in g/a park Allouette H-54 in Swiss markings .
Wasp/s Curtesy Tim Manna.
Looked like a Skeeter yester-day But what do I know, might of been the souix

There is a doG

Can one also mention Avro’s Finnest in new PR overall’s

Albert -the authority would have been Westland Helicopters for the U.K registered machines and they would have spoken directly to the CAA. It’s
highly unlikely that anyone else in the U.K would want to take it on.
The ‘difficulties’ in NZ was that a former UK military Wessex crashed
whilst undertaking logging operations. This proved fatal for the pilot and the investigation afterwards tended to indicate that the NZ authorities would be very unlikely to entertain that kind of operation again.I believe there is a Wessex on display as an advert for a shop – the origins of that machine are not clear.

But wasn’t the Wessex 60 grounded after various crashes in the 70s/80s which is why they all came back to the UK and were disposed off to the IHM fairly quickly? I know that civil registered Wessex HC2 have had “problems” in New Zealand and all are all probably grounded there as well.

From http://209.196.171.35/article_wessex.htm

The Wessex 60 was based on the Royal Air Force Wessex HC Mk2 but with a host of extras to make it compatible for civil operations. This included a full VFR/IFR avionics fit to allow the helicopter to operate to the British Group ‘A’ Public Transport Standards under both Visual and Instrument Flight rules.

Bristows operated them until August 1981, after the last Bristows accident, but at least one was still flying by 1987 since it flies in Full Metal Jacket. – Nermal

But wasn’t the Wessex 60 grounded after various crashes in the 70s/80s which is why they all came back to the UK and were disposed off to the IHM fairly quickly? I know that civil registered Wessex HC2 have had “problems” in New Zealand and all are all probably grounded there as well.

The main reason I believe that a Wessex won’t go on the civil register is because of a lack of a design authority for the type. Operating a Whirlwind was problematical in itself and going the extra mile to operate a Wessex would be especially difficult and prohibitive from the point of view of paying for it.

Don’t understand the reasoning behind that? Surely if a Sikorsky S-58 can be operated privately in Germany, it can’t be much different than operating a Wessex. What ‘design authority’? British Airways operated Sikorsky S-58Ts and Bristows operated several Wessex Mk.60s. Some were flown in USMC colours during the film “Full Metal Jacket”.

there is a huey and a bell 47 taking part in the helitech show at duxford this week, both static,
sorry don`t know the numbers will have a look tomorrow if I get a chance

Should be an Italian water bomber S64 Skycrane too, allegedly…