4x Merlins 25.09 - slow over Wokingham Berks

[BerksBoy]

Watched a very slow RAF Merlin 4-ship transit low level north to south over Wokingham yesterday afternoon. Interested to know what they were upto and why flying so slowly.

Great to see and hear btw!

[ecsrobin]

Are you sure it's 4 Merlin's? I don't think anyone has seen that many serviceable so count yourself very lucky that you are now one of the few.

I believe it was for the disbandment parade for 78sqn as all the Merlin's will be transferring to the navy so they can deal with the scrap metal.

[BerksBoy]

ecsrobin said:

Are you sure it's 4 Merlin's?

99% sure yes - big noisy green things... flying very slowly. if you are right, maybe they were giving the interior one last clear before taking to webuyanycopter.com....

Edited by BerksBoy on Friday 26th September 09:48

[ecsrobin]

BerksBoy said:

99% sure yes - big noisy green things... flying very slowly. if you are right, maybe they were giving the interior one last clear before taking to webuyanycopter.com....

Edited by BerksBoy on Friday 26th September 09:48

No sensible person would buy a merlin that's why we're giving them to the navy......

[Z06George]

Saw them as well which was nice. Normally only see Chinooks around here.

[Lurking Lawyer]

ecsrobin said:

No sensible person would buy a merlin that's why we're giving them to the navy......

What's wrong with them?

[NormalWisdom]

I saw them too - Definitely Merlins - Decided to sit and watch rather than rush for the camera!

[BerksBoy]

And a very bad shot to prove there were four ... Took me ages to get the iPad (and get back home this PM to upload the photo)

[ecsrobin]

Lurking Lawyer said:

What's wrong with them?

Just always broken.

[ecsrobin]

It made the local news... http://twyfordnews.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/military...

[badgerade]

They've been about the area for a few days. Getting ready for this: http://www.raf.mod.uk/rafbenson/events/

[TigerS6]

7 of them over today!!
3, then 45 mins later another 4. (might have been the same 3 +1)

[Ledaig]

Couple of Sea Kings in there at the back of the formations.

[jaybarts]

ecsrobin said:

Just always broken.

Also if the temperature is too hot they have to take off like a plane! My first helicopter flight was in one low flying across Iraq, great experience at the age of 18.

[Siko]

jaybarts said:

Also if the temperature is too hot they have to take off like a plane! My first helicopter flight was in one low flying across Iraq, great experience at the age of 18.

Not quite! I last flew Merlin in 2006 and iirc we could takeoff overweight (15.6T?) if we did a running takeoff to minimise strain on the gearbox. Great helicopter though

[yellowjack]

25th was Thursday. On Wednesday a Puma and a Merlin flew over Farnborough together, roughly headed from Odiham toward Aldershot/Guildford way. I haven't seen a Puma in ages, and I wasn't aware of excessive serviceability issues when I was last in Iraq. We regularly got hauled around in them to avoid the risky road convoys between Shaibah and Basra airport when the insurgency was at it's height. From a passenger perspective, they're quite a nice aircraft to tootle about in, and far easier to load/unload than some of the alternatives.

[Steve_W]

Just had the trial run for tomorrow's disbandment ceremony go over Pangbourne. 4 Merlins in a diamond formation, a Commando/Sea King to port and starboard, and a Chinook bringing up the rear. Puma well off to port too - presumably for air to air shots.

[TigerS6]

Steve_W said:

Just had the trial run for tomorrow's disbandment ceremony go over Pangbourne. 4 Merlins in a diamond formation, a Commando/Sea King to port and starboard, and a Chinook bringing up the rear. Puma well off to port too - presumably for air to air shots.

Yep, saw them too!



and the camera chopper:

Edited by TigerS6 on Thursday 2nd October 21:23