AeroShite - Long live the 'King.

[fatharris]

Now, I'm a sentimental young chap, I get an emotional bond to my machines over the time I get to know them, which brings me to the subject of the topic - the Westland Sea King. Since the first one was delivered in 1969, they've been a big part of the Armed Forces - namely the RN. It's the only aircraft type I've worked on in my career, I've been to war with them, I've flown in the back of them around Europe and the UK for various jollies, and I've helped modify them with new advances in equipment. I've grown very, very fond of the old girls in my time, and I'm proud of what they've done. Over time, I learned each of their little foibles, nuances and niggles, and fixed some truly horrific faults!

 

Why the topic? Well, after literally hundreds of thousands of hours in the air, they're being retired from service. Today, there was a flypast at the former Westlands factory in Yeovil featuring all the current serving Mark of Sea King (3/4/5/7) before the Mk3, 4 and 5 get decommissioned at the end of the month. This, it turned out, was the last flight for a 771 aircraft, barring the final flight to the storage facility. Thankfully, I was in the area, having been to Guildford for a dental appointment, and seeing the post on Facebook about the flypast, I packed my cameras.

 

Unfortunately, my camera is crap, and the light wasn't on our side, so I'll post a few of the artsy ones I managed to salvage, and a few from my time on the squadron. If anyone is interested, on BBC 1 SW on Monday 21st March, there's a 30-minute show about the work that 771 Sqn have done over their history, covering the Search and Rescue role in the South West.

 

Westlands Flypast 170616 by Glenn Harris, on Flickr

 

Westlands Flypast 170616 by Glenn Harris, on Flickr

 

Westlands Flypast 170616 by Glenn Harris, on Flickr

 

Westlands Flypast 170616 by Glenn Harris, on Flickr

 

20150827-DSC_0338 by Glenn Harris, on Flickr

 

20160130-DSC_0068 by Glenn Harris, on Flickr

 

20160130-DSC_0122 by Glenn Harris, on Flickr

 

20150822-DSC_0166 by Glenn Harris, on Flickr

 

20150822-DSC_0168 by Glenn Harris, on Flickr

 

Fear God, Honour the King.

 

Anyone else have a particular attachment to an aircraft? Car?

(Sorry for going on and on, it's a big chapter of my career/life that's coming to an end.)

[spartacus]

I'm possibly not the only one on here who knows how you feel. It's almost like sending an old dog to 'the farm'.

[Parky]

What are they being replaced with?

[mercrocker]

Depressingly, almost every week that goes by seems to bring news of the demise of something, or somebody, fundamental to my bygone memories.    I felt exactly the same way about the Routemaster, Bedford TKs and Post Office Pashleys.    I seem to have lived through a half century of iconic machinery which has come to a dramatic end.

[fatharris]

What are they being replaced with?

The SAR side of it has been handed over to Bristow, so no replacement needed there, Merlin has replaced it in other roles.

[dollywobbler]

Pretty sure a red and grey one of these flew past my house earlier in the week.

[taxi paul]

I do like aircraft and helicopters. Not in an anorak way , just amazes me that they get off the bloody ground. Always like to see the fighter jets and sea kings buzzing round snowdonia when I am down that way.

[carlo]

I love most 'planes but feel a particular attachment to the DC-10 as when I was a plane spotter in the 70s they were usually the highlight of the day!

 

Strangely though although I love flying machines I will never get on one in the air as I'm bloody terrified of flying...

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

For me. the Boeing 747 is the ultimate icon of the skies. Flying now for 46 or 47 years, I can't imagine how many millions of folk have flown in one. A truly amazing design that has yet to be bettered in any meaningful way.

[midnite]

 

for me its these 2, in particular the lightning being my favorite fighter jet of all time, a plane that although flawed in its armament capabilities, and short range, is the greatest plane we ever invented, with a climb rate that makes a modern typhoon look like slug in comparison, if you want to make a getaway fast or be somewhere really quickly, this is your weapon of choice, the tsr 2 was going to be our supersonic nuclear strike bomber, but was stabbed in the back by the government of the day due to i think, us getting approval for a loan from the old eec and the yanks having a say in it, and they would only help us to get the loan we needed at the time if we scrapped the tsr 2 project, bastards.

 

with this plane we would have been the dominating super power of the day, years ahead of the yanks, and decades ahead of the russkies, this was a plane that on only one of its 2 afterburners, left the lightning( on both afterburners) for dead, which in turn the lightning on both afterburners could leave concorde for absolute dead on acceleration, so it shows you how quick that plane was. 

[rml2345]

The day the last 747 flies will be a very sad one indeed.

[midnite]

i was in yeovil yesterday right by westlands and never saw a damn thing, typical

[dome]

As someone who grew up in the Southwest of Scotland the Sea King was a regular sight in and around Gannet. I saw the last flypast from there when it flew over my work-I have some average photos of it which I'll add.

 

As an aviation geek the list of aircraft which I don't like is longer than the list I do. As a kid it was the Victor and Phantom to name just 2. Was well chuffed to see a Viggen fly at Prestwick last year too.

 

 

Unfortunately, my camera is crap

 

 

What's up with the camera?

[fatharris]

I mean, in comparison to the penis-extender 10000 that everyone else had, I had a 200mm lens but that wasn't touching the sides of what I needed.

 

Probably better to reword it to "crap camera work"! I am finding it very awkward to eradicate motion blur or get a sharp photo but I think that's a fault on my part.

 

 

Works nicely on a tripod though

[HillmanImp]

What are they being replaced with?

 

[twosmoke300]

You must have a very fast shutter to capture a spaniel stood still - or is it stuffed?

[fatharris]

The amount of treats behind the camera to keep him still was extraordinary.

[dome]

I mean, in comparison to the penis-extender 10000 that everyone else had, I had a 200mm lens but that wasn't touching the sides of what I needed.

 

Probably better to reword it to "crap camera work"! I am finding it very awkward to eradicate motion blur or get a sharp photo but I think that's a fault on my part.

 

 

Works nicely on a tripod though

 

It does take a bit of getting the hang of. 90% of the pictures on my site were taken with it, I had a 70-300mm Sigma lens which did most of that and I can thoroughly recommend-you'll get one ofr less than £100. If you want a lens for close up stuff (and dogs ) then try an F1.8 50mm Nikon lens-you'll get one for under £100. I had some decent success with my 50mm for motorsport type stuff too. It's a fixed lens so in true Viz Top Tip fashion simply stand closer to the object you wish to photograph

 

www.trdimages.com

[brickwall]

 

for me its these 2, in particular the lightning being my favorite fighter jet of all time, a plane that although flawed in its armament capabilities, and short range, is the greatest plane we ever invented, with a climb rate that makes a modern typhoon look like slug in comparison, if you want to make a getaway fast or be somewhere really quickly, this is your weapon of choice, the tsr 2 was going to be our supersonic nuclear strike bomber, but was stabbed in the back by the government of the day due to i think, us getting approval for a loan from the old eec and the yanks having a say in it, and they would only help us to get the loan we needed at the time if we scrapped the tsr 2 project, bastards.

 

with this plane we would have been the dominating super power of the day, years ahead of the yanks, and decades ahead of the russkies, this was a plane that on only one of its 2 afterburners, left the lightning( on both afterburners) for dead, which in turn the lightning on both afterburners could leave concorde for absolute dead on acceleration, so it shows you how quick that plane was. 

 

 

My dad was a designer and metallurgist on the TSR2. He still bemoans its demise quite often - usually at the dinner table.

[fatharris]

Today was a very emotional day, after many decades of service, 771 Sqn Decommissioned today.

 

A few pictures of the hangar prepared for the ceremony:

 

 

 

 

Tonight, we drink and celebrate all the squadron has achieved, before mounting one of our aircraft as a gate guardian as a testament of the legacy left behind.

 

I've said it before and I'll say it again: the years I've spent at 771 have been and will always be the best years of my life, I found something I loved, found a way to get paid for it, so I never worked a day.

[twosmoke300]

I've been in there ! 😀

[cort1977]

Years ago I was in the reserves and did a few sessions practicing helicopter drills, essentially jumping out of the hovering beast and going in to all round defence.   All good fun but my abiding memory was the way the pilots threw that massive chopper around, it felt like they were doing 300mph at about 20ft with trees flashing past the windows before stopping dead and us all jumping out.   All the offshore civilian helicopters that I have been in since have been so tame in comparison.

 

Sad to see the old girls retiring but anyone associated with them can be proud of all they have achieved.

[oldcars]

The SAR side of it has been handed over to Bristow, so no replacement needed there, Merlin has replaced it in other roles.

I'm not up on Helicopters but sure i used to see a lot of these about Leuchars when i was out on the bike. Sad to see them go. As for Bristow, bit of a change of career is it not? 

[AlabamaShrimp]

It's always a shame when things like this happen. I know most of the time me it comes down to money and that in the long run a replacement can be cheaper but if the kit and skills are there and it can still do the job then why replace it.

 

Saying that the job they were built for is going and it's replacement is bigger and faster so..

[Matt]

I thought I had seen one earlier in the week, looked white and red for some reason even though it wasn't a bright day. Maybe that's normal in which case it was almost certainly Rescue 177.

[omegod]

How " decommissioned " are these aircraft before they become a gate guardian? There is a jet Provost gate guardian near me that i often drive past and wonder how hard it would be to get it airworthy or do they deliberately make them unrecoverable

[3VOM]

How " decommissioned " are these aircraft before they become a gate guardian? There is a jet Provost gate guardian near me that i often drive past and wonder how hard it would be to get it airworthy or do they deliberately make them unrecoverable

I think the main problem is that certain bits have to be replaced at specified intervals or they don't get the necessary certification to fly. You have to obtain or make some parts to very strict standards (parts which no longer exist usually) and fit them and get them OK'd.

[PiperCub]

All aircraft (fixed and rotary wing) have parts that are 'Timed', that is, they have a finite lifetime and have to be replaced within that time irrespective of their condition. It is this and type approvals etc expiring that does for many aircraft as they are no longer supported by their manufacturers (or other agents if they've gone out of business) so parts cannot be sourced and it's not like vehicles where there's often aftermarket parts available.

 

The Sea King is a very sad loss, they are very much loved by their crews as while they aren't very fast or technological but they are incredibly tough, stable and reliable birds. The replacements are smaller (not the Merlin I think, something else) and for SAR use, are regarded as unsuitable for purpose according to the pilots & crews. 

[fatharris]

How " decommissioned " are these aircraft before they become a gate guardian? There is a jet Provost gate guardian near me that i often drive past and wonder how hard it would be to get it airworthy or do they deliberately make them unrecoverable

I can't say for every single case, but for ours, it had an issue that would prevent it flying ever again, so we strip it internally of anything that could be used on other aircraft, swap gearboxes for short-lifed/broken ones, drain all fluids, remove engines and lock the transmission. We also fitted blades that could be picketed at the very tip to prevent blade spin during high winds, and mounted it on a plinth so it was "wheels-off", and locked the oleos (suspension) off.

[omegod]

I can't say for every single case, but for ours, it had an issue that would prevent it flying ever again, so we strip it internally of anything that could be used on other aircraft, swap gearboxes for short-lifed/broken ones, drain all fluids, remove engines and lock the transmission. We also fitted blades that could be picketed at the very tip to prevent blade spin during high winds, and mounted it on a plinth so it was "wheels-off", and locked the oleos (suspension) off.

Must hurt do that kind of stuff to an air frame that was flying the day before