The Sea King Helicopter

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weeladdie18
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The Sea King Helicopter

Post by weeladdie18 »

One cold January day in 1964 , I walked into a supervisor's office to start my working life learning all about the British Aircraft Industry. Another young lad took me on a guided tour of the factory.
There was an experimental version of the Sea King Helicopter in the Experimental Shop.

In 1968 the aircraft was commissioned by the Navy. ....When I moved down to Cornwall
a decommissioned Air Sea Rescue version of this aircraft
was positioned on the corner of the Air Station
as close as possible to road to the supermarket café which I regularly visit for breakfast.
I am not sure why the Navy positioned it there without my personal approval.

Last year there was a version of this Search and Rescue Helicopter on display in the
National Maritime Museum in Falmouth.
Last week I visited a display of several cut away sections of the sub assemblies of this Aircraft in the
local museum.

As far as I can remember the last of these aircraft flew out of the local Air Station on
the 16 October 2018..... 50 years service with the Navy......... 54 years after I first saw the aircraft.

The Air Station was opened the year after I was born......From the café I can see something going round
on the top of one of the buildings on the airfield.....I remind people that it is the key which is used
to wind up the Commander of the Base every Monday Morning , ............
.......so that the Air Station operates like clockwork .............Weeladdie.......
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crfriend
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Re: The Sea King Helicopter

Post by crfriend »

weeladdie18 wrote:In 1968 the [Sea King helicopter] was commissioned by the Navy. ....When I moved down to Cornwall a decommissioned Air Sea Rescue version of this aircraft was positioned on the corner of the Air Station as close as possible to road to the supermarket café which I regularly visit for breakfast.

I am not sure why the Navy positioned it there without my personal approval.
Well, you were likely out of the line of personnel looking after the type, and since it was -- and remains -- an iconic type it's not surprising in the least that at least a few are preserved as models and icons.

SAR is, by far and away, the noblest function of the armed services, and the tools they use in their line of work derive their nobility from their function. No line of work is tougher or more demanding than SAR, for it virtually goes on in horrid conditions that would ground sane pilots and crew; yet these folks answer the call unhesitatingly. Bless them and their machines.
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FranTastic444
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Re: The Sea King Helicopter

Post by FranTastic444 »

So presumably you worked at Culdrose, Weeladdie? I went there once for a airshow but unfortunately the weather was poor so the flying was greatly reduced. They did though get every rotary wing aircraft they could get their hands on and simulated a ground attack - impressive.

I remember climbing Helvellyn years ago and as we were on Striding Edge we got buzzed by a Sea King with the crew waving to us as they passed below us. I was so impressed that I never even put my camera to my eye to take a picture :-)

For our American friends, any excuse to link to a video of an Osprey passing through the Mach Loop. And, keeping it more on topic, here is a Sea King in the Lake District.
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beachlion
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Re: The Sea King Helicopter

Post by beachlion »

I see those Ospreys quite often when I'm sunning my buns at Sandy Hook, NJ. Beachgoers must be interesting because they go straight over length of the beach. ;)
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I'm still a little plane crazy. :oops:
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FranTastic444
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Re: The Sea King Helicopter

Post by FranTastic444 »

I was working in NYC and taking my lunchbreak when Michelle Obama decided to visit town (she was doing a speech at the UN) by landing at the heliport down at the southern tip of Manhattan. Whilst her Presidential whirlybird was on the ground there were a number of Ospreys circling around - man do they kick up a noise and some dust when they are low level :-)
weeladdie18
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Re: The Sea King Helicopter

Post by weeladdie18 »

I enjoyed the video of the Royal Air Force yellow S.A.R. Sea king, .....the whole sequence went
into the Jets , the Harrier jump jet ,...the modern carriers ...the hovercraft emerging from
the assault ship ....all fascinating stuff.

Aircraft fly low level along the coastline to practice their skills at low level attack and survelance.

The story was that when the Navy were returning to Portland Naval Air Base they buzzed the
Married Quarters in Weymouth where the Navy Wives were topless sunbathing in the roof garden.

At Yeovilton in Somerset there is a retired Sea King and there was a simulator of a flight in the passenger
area of the Aircraft..... ...That was the Naval Fleet Air Arm Museum.

When we lived up that way and the wind turned Northerly ,It was claimed that it would soon snow
if we could hear the Phantoms on the runway which was 8 miles away.
I left that neck of the woods nearly fifty years ago................. ....weeladdie
weeladdie18
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Re: The Sea King Helicopter

Post by weeladdie18 »

To clarify several points, I never served in the armed forces.....
Culdrose Air Day at the end of July was usually wet or cold...
I remember one year the
R.A.F. Red Arrows Acrobatic Flight carried out a flying display...Soon after that display one
of the pilots died during a flying accident at a subsequent display.

It was interesting to note the number of Sea Kings on display carrying N.A.T.O. Countries
aircraft registration.
weeladdie18
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Re: The Sea King Helicopter

Post by weeladdie18 »

Civilian Search and Rescue is only the third tasking for Naval Helicopters..
The primary duties of these aircraft are Naval Tasking :
Military Duties and flying alongside the carriers during aircraft launch and recovery.

I remembers seeing a series of motor drive stills of a Sea Vixen landing with a jammed throttle control,
the arrester wire did not hold the plane,...it bounced off the deck of the carrier,
the pilot ejected and the aircraft went for a swim.
.......an interesting diversion for the team on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier.
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