Royal Navy "lost" a Merlin for a week...
Discussion
As per this story in the local paper really...
https://www.swanageandwarehamvoice.co.uk/news/1796...
"‘£25m’ Merlin was stranded in Corfe Castle field for a week"
Merlin on "routine exercise" encounters technical fault, makes controlled landing in a random field. Recovery attempted, but muddy field prevented recovery by road, so fault finding and repairs had to be carried out over a week in the field so that the helicopter could self-recover to RNAS Yeovilton.
https://www.swanageandwarehamvoice.co.uk/news/1796...
"‘£25m’ Merlin was stranded in Corfe Castle field for a week"
Merlin on "routine exercise" encounters technical fault, makes controlled landing in a random field. Recovery attempted, but muddy field prevented recovery by road, so fault finding and repairs had to be carried out over a week in the field so that the helicopter could self-recover to RNAS Yeovilton.
CAPP0 said:
Where's the bit where they "lost" it?
OK. I'll admit it was kinda a "click-bait" title. So they didn't actually misplace the helicopter, but technically they lost the use of it for a week and some poor saps had to live in a tent in a muddy field for a week, guarding it and fixing it. I posted it up because I hadn't seen mention of it on PH, nor in the national press, yet it appeared (to me) to be an "of interest" story to PHers who are into aviation matters.Maybe I should PM you in future to run thread titles by you for approval?
DoubleD said:
yellowjack said:
CAPP0 said:
Where's the bit where they "lost" it?
OK. I'll admit it was kinda a "click-bait" title. So they didn't actually misplace the helicopter, but technically they lost the use of it for a week and some poor saps had to live in a tent in a muddy field for a week, guarding it and fixing it. I posted it up because I hadn't seen mention of it on PH, nor in the national press, yet it appeared (to me) to be an "of interest" story to PHers who are into aviation matters.Maybe I should PM you in future to run thread titles by you for approval?
I'm so glad the "Merlin is/was crap" bit of this thread came about long after I'd stopped needing to get in one every time we needed a "taxi to,,," somewhere.
I used to weirdly enjoy sitting in the back as the thing 'streaked' across the Iraqi countryside in the dark, with all the twinkly little lights on the various panels and a strange green low glow from the cockpit, watching the angle of the horizon change dramatically out of the ramp over the rear gunner's shoulder. If I'd known how crap they were regarded as being at the time, I'd have taken my chances on the roads.
I get the feeling from reading the thread that the RAF were glad to see the back of them? And the Puma "I'm Helping" quote made me chuckle too.
As a complete aside, is 'BN' still flying? Last time I saw a "new" photo of it, it was in bits in a hanger somewhere.
And one more question. Have RAF engineers stopped fitting that transmission widget backwards? I know it was a long time ago, but losing two Chinooks in two days, albeit in different parts of the world, begins to look careless...
All joking aside, I'm a satisfied former customer of the rotary side of the RAF's business. Check-in and boarding were always very efficient, there was never any extra charge for hand luggage, and baggage reclaim queues were non-existent. But the in-flight catering and entertainment leaves a lot to be desired. The price of cheap flights, I suppose. A nice touch was the insistence that a gentleman should always wear a hat - a throwback to the pioneering early days of luxury air travel, perhaps...
I used to weirdly enjoy sitting in the back as the thing 'streaked' across the Iraqi countryside in the dark, with all the twinkly little lights on the various panels and a strange green low glow from the cockpit, watching the angle of the horizon change dramatically out of the ramp over the rear gunner's shoulder. If I'd known how crap they were regarded as being at the time, I'd have taken my chances on the roads.
I get the feeling from reading the thread that the RAF were glad to see the back of them? And the Puma "I'm Helping" quote made me chuckle too.
As a complete aside, is 'BN' still flying? Last time I saw a "new" photo of it, it was in bits in a hanger somewhere.
And one more question. Have RAF engineers stopped fitting that transmission widget backwards? I know it was a long time ago, but losing two Chinooks in two days, albeit in different parts of the world, begins to look careless...
All joking aside, I'm a satisfied former customer of the rotary side of the RAF's business. Check-in and boarding were always very efficient, there was never any extra charge for hand luggage, and baggage reclaim queues were non-existent. But the in-flight catering and entertainment leaves a lot to be desired. The price of cheap flights, I suppose. A nice touch was the insistence that a gentleman should always wear a hat - a throwback to the pioneering early days of luxury air travel, perhaps...
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