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It was interesting to see that the RAF's oldest Chinook helicopter, Bravo November, has been retired but, fortunately, it has now been preserved at the RAF Museum Cosford. This was the only Chinook available to British forces in the Falklands war following the sinking of the Atlantic Conveyer.
Retirement of Bravo November‘ heralds transfer of older UK Chinooks
I'll bet if Gil Boyd checks his parachute log he's jumped it at least once...
Three actually Jim............no duff;)
Very brave crew down south moved 2 PARA lock stock and barrel.
Shame it didn't come to OUR museum at Duxford make a great entrance way into Airborne Assault museum!
I believe you...the odds were good.Quote:
Originally Posted by Gil Boyd
Pilot was Squadron Leader Dick Langworthy and his co-pilot Flight Lieutenant Andy Lawless moved two companies from Goose Green to Fitzroy in atrociuos conditions, brave men rewarded with medals commensorate with their selfless bravery.
We were watching and wishing we could join you. I remember all that. That was a DFC. Here's what Wiki tells about BN history. Bravo November - WikipediaQuote:
Originally Posted by Gil Boyd
More... PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Chinook, the Early years...Big Pics
I remember seeing this when it was first shown on UK TV, the aircraft having just picked up seriously wounded soldiers in Afghanistan and then the pilot getting shot.
Chinook Pilot takes a headshot... then flies the thing home - YouTube
I remember my first ride in a CH-47D model. The thing was leaking hydraulic fluid from the roof of the cabin. Of course it was a little disconcerting, so I mentioned it to the crew chief. He said," Not to worry Captain, it only a problem when it stops leaking."
I remember that Boeing Vertol (Helicopters) use to publish really nice unit posters for units using the CH-47. I wonder if they did the same for UK units?
We had the predecessor, the Bristol Belvedere - or Bedeviller - in Malaya. Nobody ever wanted to move in one because they all carried their own fuel supply, in 44 gallon drums strapped in the fuselage! Load carrying capacity, zilch! Then we saw our first US air forceChinooks......
Belvedere landing to resupply the 2 PARA outpost in Borneo on the Indonesian border.
Plaman Mapu where 36 lads of 2 PARA who were left in camp as others did fighting and ambush patrols, saw off an attack by 400 Indonesian SF on the 27th April 1965 which saved the Malaysian Federation from collapse against President Sukarno's efforts to take over the whole of Malaysia/Borneo/Sarawak and Brunei.
The Bristol Belvedere 192 - YouTubeQuote:
Originally Posted by Peter Laidler
The beauty of the Belvedere helicopter was, like the Wessex, the pilot can actually cast his head and eyes out of the cockpit and look down at abseilers or picking up loads. Sadly the Chinook and Merlin don't achieve that sightline for the pilot. Here's a link of Guards PARA abseiling in Malaya in 1968 on our Paradata system at the museum:
Belvedere helicopter dropping soldiers from Guards Para Coy into a patrol area, Malaya, 1968 | ParaData
Malaya/Malaysia was a strange scenario when I was there in the 60's. The Malayan government called it Malaysia, supposedly to encompass the whole of Malaya, Sarawak and Borneo - or whatever, to placate the people into the 'one country' ideal'. While we, the UK Aust and NZ were still their protective armies. To us it was Malaya and we were not allowed to call it Malaysia in any correspondence or conversation. Even our mail/letters were sent to Malaya!!!!! Malaysia was a political name according to the powers that be. That was the gospel according to the times. So Malaya it remained. To be honest, it was a bit farcical because the Police remained The Royal Federation of Malaya Police (or FMP in our operational paperwork) while the different Infantry Battalions of the Malay Infantry remained Malay too. Such as our nearby regiment, 4th Royal Malay (or Malayan) Regiment which was 4RMR and never Royal Malaysian Regt. They remained MALAY or MALAYAN
After we left and the Malayan Army got a grip of the jungles and insurgents in Malaya, Sarawak and North Borneo they could call it whatever they like. Even though at times, especially on ops or military training days under military training ogres like Muffer here, Malaya felt like a steaming dank sxxxthole, they were good, stirring times for a 20 year old.....
I have to say that if you needed reinforcements, supplies or evacuations and the weather was monsoon like or howling a gale - or at the weekend when the RAF/RAAF were not available, the very best helicopter crews were the RN or RAN air crews. To then crap weather and weekend working were the norm!
Peter,
Spot on it was odd. We lived at RAF Seletar 1960-1963 and dad spent his whole time abseiling out of Wessex's to recover RAF aircrew where planes like the Hastings kept piling in, into remote jungle areas. Something to do with a major pin failure in the tail section well known about apparently. The same issue Peter, if you remember as the fatal crash near Abingdon I think it was called Little Bawden in 1965 killed 40 PARA's and RAF crew.
I went back in 1973 with 2 PARA on a Jungle Warfare course based at Pulada Malayan Army Barracks north of Jahore Bahru. We were issued live rounds as insurgents were pushing south at the time of our course, so we were really on live ops and not training. Really strange, and you know its going to be hairy when the Malays let you take the lead :lol: