ZG875 - The Last Sea King

[Ginetta G15 Girl]

IIRC from my time dealing with JACIG (Joint Arms Control Implementation Group) the door width was defined as the width of a field gun (presumably something like the 105mm Light Gun).

Meaning that the Russians could go into our hangars but not ino our offices (and vice-versa).

While the F4s may well have fallen under the Conventional Forces Europe treaty of 1990 they were out of service by end 1992. The fact remains that the USA jealously guards its technology (even if it is old tech) with disposal arrangements written in to the original purchase agreement. Thus specific overtures had to be made to the US Govt to preserve airframes on an individual basis. Primarily this has been done via the RAF and RN although some did manage to latterly fall into civilian hands such as the ex- RAF Brampton Gate Guard at Wattasham.

Edited by Ginetta G15 Girl on Monday 17th October 18:55

[anonymous-user]

Speaking of cockpits, if you ever see a Hawk T1 canopy or windscreen for sale buy it, in ten years time from now you will treble your money...

[stevesingo]

Small world. I flew from Plocton to HMS Illustrious on a SeaKing one weekend of June 1999.

Later that day someone told us that our onward move on to South Uist had been postponed due the helicopters being grounded due to an accident whilst refuelling on a Spanish ship.

[eharding]

stevesingo said:

Small world. I flew from Plocton to HMS Illustrious on a SeaKing one weekend of June 1999.

Later that day someone told us that our onward move on to South Uist had been postponed due the helicopters being grounded due to an accident whilst refuelling on a Spanish ship.

Plocton as in Plockton as in Mr Grumpy's Fish and Chips? (sadly, under new management, but the Fish and Chips are still the best I've experienced....)

[MarkwG]

ChemicalChaos said:

Eric Mc said:

MarkwG said:

Not meant with disrespect, because you're conserving aviation history, that's a great thing, & I get all the issues around space, but a small part of me feels like when I see a stuffed animal above a mantelpiece? Just a little bit sad that such great machines have been beheaded.

The alternative is nothing preserved at all. The vast bulk of these cockpits have been rescued from aircraft that were actually in the process of being scrapped.

More power to these dedicated enthusiasts I say.

This, really. I know of very few cockpits that were cut from good aircraft, the vasty majority are saved in the nick of time by enthusiasts who hear on the grapevine that a particular aircraft is about to be cut up for scrap. ZG875 was a crashed airframe of no use to anyone. The Anson, G-AGPG, was so riddled with corrosion that only the cockpit was saveable by the time preservationists got their hands on it. G-ORAL, the 748 that lives at Speke Aerodrome, was scrapped along with the whole Emerald 748 fleet (apart from BEJD which was saved whole by a mammoth effort from the Speke guys) at the behest of the liquidators. XV490 and the rest of the RAF Phantoms were good aircraft but legally had to be scrapped due to MOD secrecy bullst - as it is, the cockpit had to be prety much snuck out when no-one was looking.
We unfortunately cannot save every historic aircraft, but saving at least the cockpit section is a pretty good compromise!

Indeed, I'm not criticizing, merely reflecting on the passage of time which catches us all. Seeing aircraft I recall flying at Farnborough when I was a kid "reduced" to museum displays makes me feel very ancient...

[ApOrbital]

CC keep one eye open on the next George Clarke's Amazing Spaces, some people have got hold of a helicopter not sure what one and turned it into a house.

[ChemicalChaos]

Minor bump here - although no progress has yet occurred on the restoration, due to other projects, I've just realised I never posted up a photo I was sent of the crash scene.

Courtesy of PPRuNe user "Duncan Bouquet", here is the untimely demise of ZG875:





I've also made contact with the pilot - he shall remain nameless. He hasn't been deterred though, as he currently heads a rotary SAR team elsewhere in the world! He was glad to see that at least part of the aircraft has survived and has furnished me with a few more details. Apparently, despite finishing up on its right hand side facing backwards, the helicopter was facing forwards and actually spun to the left, did a break-dancing pivot on the nose/undercarriage then slammed back down!