Sea King Programme

Sea King ZA298 got mentionted “by name” (well, OK, serial number) several times, so I hope that it does eventually get preserved one day – the FAA Historic Flight perhaps?

After being shot down more than once, and still getting up to live and fight another day, ZA298 deserves to be spared, not reduced TO spares…

(Royal Navy Sea King ZA298 at Yeovilton Air Day 2012 – sourced from Flickr at http://www.flickr.com/photos/20998733@N04/7430266716/)

Oh, and the incident referred to in the programme was this one http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2084998/Royal-Navy-Sea-King-ZA298-war-downed-Taliban.html

ZA298 is up there with Chinook “Bravo November” as a long serving, long surviving chopper, and has earned a place in a Museum (FAAM perhaps?)

For a start, it’s ROYAL NAVY Historic Flight (I wish people would at least get the name right); secondly, there is very little chance RNHF will take delivery of a Sea King at any point. Let’s be sensible here, it’s tough enough keeping the existing fleet of (relatively simple) historic aircraft flying let alone add to it with a (relatively complex) aircraft like a Sea King.

But I feel sure ZA298 will ultimately find a good and suitable home.

HAR.3A ZH541 at Chivenor during 2007, going off on a job.

The jungle came about if I remember correctly because the standard Sea King struggled to lift the RM BV202/206 snow cats, so excess weight such as soundproofing, sponsons and retractable gear was removed to increase its lifting capacity to support the Royal Marines.

We did an airshow with our new Chinook at Fleetlands with a New Commando ( Junglie ) in attendance, the Navy guys were really proud of the way the lighter Junglie could whizz around the sky, they were even more impressed with the Chinook doing its bit and its climb performance, they were stunned when after its rolling landing, the ramp dropped and a Landrover with crew towing a 25 pound field gun rolled out of the back 😀

Despite what some forumites would have you believe about the BBC I am greatly encouraged by the emphasis that they are currently placing on aviation.

I am personally aware of at least three different aviation series that they are commissioning at present. What’s more they’re also talking to different aviation museum /groups about filming at their locations – what’s even better some are even talking about filming fees!! 🙂

Good program and glad that the beeb are showing more than just period dramas and soaps, more of this sort of thing wouldn’t be a bad idea.

An exciting life!….This S-61 has been to the bottom of the North Sea, was salvaged and now its a Shortski (Sea King length) in the US and has outlived the Scilly Isles heli-route it started on nearly half a century ago

G-ASNL by A30yoyo, on Flickr

and just off-shore….

demo4 by A30yoyo, on Flickr

Sea King Programme

Sea King ZA298 got mentionted “by name” (well, OK, serial number) several times, so I hope that it does eventually get preserved one day – the FAA Historic Flight perhaps?

After being shot down more than once, and still getting up to live and fight another day, ZA298 deserves to be spared, not reduced TO spares…

(Royal Navy Sea King ZA298 at Yeovilton Air Day 2012 – sourced from Flickr at http://www.flickr.com/photos/20998733@N04/7430266716/)

Oh, and the incident referred to in the programme was this one http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2084998/Royal-Navy-Sea-King-ZA298-war-downed-Taliban.html

ZA298 is up there with Chinook “Bravo November” as a long serving, long surviving chopper, and has earned a place in a Museum (FAAM perhaps?)

Being thoroughly ignorant, I enjoyed the programme very much

Richard

XV372 was never delivered .Think it was at WHL ,the went as a hulk elsewhere.Flew xv370/1/3, the XV642/3 as first production Mk1s.
Whilst it was an SH-3 basically,it was to a much greater extent a much better aircraft,heavier max t/o weight,better avionics/Sonar AFCS,and uprated Gnome engines.Albeit the T-58 was the basis for the Gnome,but it had `electronic governing` in 1960(an early FADEC)(in the WW10),with manual reversion.However, it was not without it`s problems in the AFCS(should have had the Wessex3 system of duplex autopilots) as initially an autopilot runaway could be eye-watering,at 40 ft ,night,over the oggin,in the hover..and probably still are..!
Spent a lot of time doing `AFCS runaway ` trials,deck-landing trials and icing trials in Canada, to iron out a lot of the `bugs`.Considering the USA only operated the aircraft at about 18000lbs, I think `we` could go to 22000lbs as an `overload.
In retrospect/hindsight,there are several changes I would have made(had I had the `power`) to the engines,particularly; however, it is a great aircraft,whether it`s operated by blue/dark blue/civvie..long live the -King…

I thought the programme was an opportunity missed, the entire programme devoted to the Royal Navy Sea Kings with just a cursory reference to the RAF because of Prince William’s connection. I appreciate this wasn’t really an aviation enthusiast’s programme, but they could have dug out some footage of ’66’ rescuing the first man on the moon after he splashed down surely and there was no mention of Igor Sikorsky either. As for keep harping on about how ‘British’ it was….well, the engines were British I suppose but certainly not the design!

Sea King

A great workhorse and a handsome beast to boot!

It wasn’t really about the SK per se, more what it did and when. I had really expected them to credit the Yanks a bit more than they did but that wasn’t the nature of the programme, I suppose.

I only watched half of it. Got fed up with pics of blubbering reminiscences and rose-tinted memories. A programme to stir up emotion rather than to present hard fact. Still, nice to see stuff on telly these days about any sort of aeroplane. There has been a shift in recent years to acknowledging what amazing things they are.

Yes, I built the kit and rank the SK as my fave chopper. I have had the Hasegawa 1/48 kit on my shelf for years, must get round to building it. I just love those 60’s/70’s USN schemes for their aircraft and with all that colour it only added to the beauty of the beast.

Anon.

Great pics on this thread too – thanks pagen and others.

Because they were discussing the Brit version and times was only an hour long. So spotters were not catered for :D:D:D:D:D

Nothing to do with ‘spotters’, but giving due respect to the people that came up with it.
The line about us improving it by putting in British engines was a typical example of lack of research, like the Sea King airframe itself the RR Gnome was based on the American GE T-58.
Would have been nice to have seen ‘Rescue 80’ of the Penlee Lifeboat disaster be mentioned, especially as its likely the cab preserved at the FAAM.

It’s great to see a programme on the Sea King, but some of the lines were a bit Blue Peterish for my taste.

CKing, I remember when ‘507 was in the RAE colours at the Farnborough shows, flying with a fire rig suspended underneath I think?

Must watch it on the Iplayer. The Sea King is cracking and given me some of my funnest times at work.
In 2001, we were doing a trial at a base full of the oldest SKs in service – Canada. They had a cracking zap – Operating yesterdays aircraft – tomorrow. So many stop drills holes, like collanders!

I’m wondering if they might have made a typo on the end credits, I think it should read MMXII, ie. 2012.

Good to see a relatively obscure type getting some well deserved limelight, and a helicopter at that.

I watched the credits at the end – and the BBC Copyright was MMVII – 2007.

So not exactly new……

But interesting

Ken

I suspect you misread MMXII, as they talked about a recent rescue involving Prince William from last summer.

I watched the credits at the end – and the BBC Copyright was MMVII – 2007.

So not exactly new……

But interesting

Ken

Because they were discussing the Brit version and times was only an hour long. So spotters were not catered for :D:D:D:D:D

The program didn’t really talk about it’s American history but more so it’s Service than design 🙂

[QUOTE=pagen01;1996303

Sea King HC.4 ZB507 F 28 Feb 13 by jamtey71, on Flickr[/QUOTE]

ZB507!!!!!! I used to work on her at Farnborough!!!!! It was delivered there, brand new and I spent three happy years dealing with her from 1982-85. Glad to see she’s still around.

Rgds Cking (Geddit?)

I never did, but I used to have the Dinky one which could winch up the Apollo capsule!