Flying in the Freezer

[Goatman]

Old Youtube video from Forces TV of Chinooks and Merlins operating in Norway

 

[CrashTestDummy]

Wrong area, that's RAF not AAC.

 

[Goatman]

It's a fair cop - although TBH the video is properly Tri-Service.

Interviews from naval ratings supporting 845 NAS, Royal Marine ML's and even a stray Company of the Pee Dubs - who appear to be thoroughly enjoying operating in minus 25C .

Dropping a Merlin onto a snow field must be....interesting .

Apologies for posting a three year old video - I'd just not seen a shot of a Chinook snowboarding before.

 

[wafubustard]

The load lifting under the Merlin in those conditions is intersting. The downwash blows the snow everywhere and into every gap in your clothing.
In the Arctic huddle looking up an seeing a main wheel only a few feet above you is un nerving in those conditions.

 

[Yokel]

The Chinook pilot at 2.20 is someone that I used to know. I heard a nasty rumour in 2010 that the SDSR cuts had put an end to his career, so it was a pleasant surprise to see him.

Were any lessons learnt from loss of the two RN Wessex on Fortuna Glacier in South Georgia in 1982? How does a radarless aircraft navigate in a whiteout?

 

[exbluejob]

How does a radarless aircraft navigate in a whiteout?

Very slowly and carefully.

 

[QRK2]

Were any lessons learnt from loss of the room RN Wessex on Fortuna Glacier in South Georgia in 1982?

No matter what colour your hat it pays to listen to the experts.

 

[Goatman]

A friend of mine did a CivSec tour a few years ago- his wife's only proviso was that he never take a trip in a Chinook - ' The only aircraft that can have a mid-air collision with itself '

Seen a few up close and personal but never offered a ride. Talking to some of the MERT in Bastion it was a revelation to me that the damn thing is actually faster than an Apache , when they get down low and urgent and ' Turn the second washing machine on '

Hats off to the Odiham and 845 NAS crews for all that they do.

Currently busying themselves in Africa on Op Serval apparently.

 

[Ravers]

Dit:

There is an awesome dit that I've heard a couple of times. I've span it in here before, but it's worth telling again because I love it.

Of course I can't verify it's truth but we won't let that get in the way of a good dit.

So there is a FAA flight conducting winter training with the booties up in Norway.

To mix things up a bit, the WAFUs go out on a few adventures with the marines and whatnot.

One day for a bit of a giggle the pilot and observer put a big **** off block of ice in the booty WO2's Bergen. They all **** off on a big yomp across the snow and after a few miles the WO is ball bagged and wondering why his Bergen weighs twice as much as usual.

He has a root around and finds the block of ice and looks round to see the two WAFUs laughing like schoolgirls.

He takes it on the chin but vows to get his revenge.

A few days later the WO2 is due to go on a flight. The night before he sneaks into the helicopter, finds the pilot and observer's helmets and proceeds to remove all the innards and padding. He curls a monumental shit into each lid and carefully replaces the padding, pushing the turd into the corners.

He puts the helmets back on their hooks and leaves them to freeze in the arctic air overnight.

The next day the get up bright and early and the pilots strap on their helmets and fire up the cab while the WO jumps in the back.

After a few minutes in the air a rank smell permeates through the cockpit. Accusing glances are exchanged and the observer casually asks the pilot if he's guffed. More time passes and as the cab's heater warms up the shit starts to melt. The pilot feels some liquid running down his cheek. Assuming it's sweat he licks it away, not wishing to take his hands off the controls.

He glances across at the observer who by now has liquid shit dripping down his face. They both retch in horror and have to continue the sortie covered in shit while the satisfied booty WO sits in the back chuckling to himself.

 

[Ravers]

A friend of mine did a CivSec tour a few years ago- his wife's only proviso was that he never take a trip in a Chinook - ' The only aircraft that can have a mid-air collision with itself '

Seen a few up close and personal but never offered a ride. Talking to some of the MERT in Bastion it was a revelation to me that the damn thing is actually faster than an Apache , when they get down low and urgent and ' Turn the second washing machine on '

Hats off to the Odiham and 845 NAS crews for all that they do.

When I was an Air Cadet we did a summer camp at Odiham.

We were offered daily flights in Chinooks. I did one while they practiced rigging up underslung loads.

I had visions of doing low level runs around the country side with the ramp open, but it was basically 3-4 hours of flying round the airfield, picking up a load, doing a lap, then dropping the load off and picking up a different one.

Soul destroying stuff.

Also probably the noisiest experience of my life. Those things are unbelievably loud. Always makes me laugh when you see people in films having conversations in the back of a helicopter. It was physically painful to remove your ear defenders in that thing.

By the end of the week there were no more volunteers to go on Chinook flights.

 

[Polyester]

Dit:

I had the misfortune to be on a Det to Norway with 7sqn in 1999 and the same pilot managed to properly **** two cabs over the course of two days. One, he took three inches off each blade on the aft rotor head when flying through a gorge with steep cliff faces on each side and the other was landing in deep snow and knacking the rear steering wheel on a rock buried in the snow.

It was a busy detachment for us ground crew but I still didn't envy the pilots.