#Westland Wessex

[planeyboys]

Inktober 29 a perfect isosceles triangle

[nocternalrandomness]

International Helicopter Rescue Meet - Royal Naval Air Station Lee-on-Solent - 11 July 1972

[spockvarietyhour]

Sea King and Westland Wessex "The Spy Who Loved Me"

[usafphantom2]

Plane guard chopper, Leander Class frigate with Buccaneer launching off waist cat Ark Royal. F4 taxiing to bow cat.

credit British heritage aircraft

@CcibChris🇬🇧🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 via X

[airmanisr]

XT481, Westland Wessex HU.5, Old Warden, 28-07-1974 by Gordon Riley

[casbooks]

Books of 2023

Book 72 of 2023

Title: Down South Authors: Chris Parry ISBN: 9780670921454 Tags: ARG Argentina, FLK Falklands, FLK Falklands War (1982), FLK Operation Black Buck (1982) (Falklands War), FLK Operation Corporate (1982) (Falklands War), FLK Operation Paraquet/Paraquat (1982) (Falklands War), FLK Operation Sutton (1982) (Falklands War), GBR RN Royal Navy, GBR United Kingdom, UK RN FAA 826 Naval Air Sqd (ASW), UK RN FAA Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm, UK RN HMS Ark Royal (R09), UK RN HMS Intrepid (L11), UK RN Royal Navy, Westland Wessex Rating: ★★★★★ Subject: Books.Military.20th-21st Century.Americas.Falklands War Description: Down South by Chris Parry - one man's astonishing diary of war in the Falklands 'A gripping account of heroism - and chaos - in the South Atlantic' Mail on Sunday 'Compelling, gripping. A vividly written, thought-provoking and engaging account' The Times In 1982 Lieutenant Chris Parry sailed aboard destroyer HMS Antrim to liberate the Argentine-occupied Falkland Islands. Parry and his crew, in their Wessex helicopter, were soon launched into action rescuing an SAS party stuck on a glacier in gales that had already downed two others. Soon after they single-handedly pursued and fatally wounded a submarine before taking part in terrifying but crucial drop landings under heavy fire. Down South is a hands on, day-by-day account of war fought in the most appalling conditions by men whose grit and fighting spirit overcame all obstacles. This important and extraordinary book of recent history will be enjoyed by readers of Antony Beevor and Max Hastings. 'Gripping. A graphic description of just how they pulled off a real-life Mission Impossible' Daily Express 'Excellent. A fascinating war diary' Daily Telegraph 'Vivid and insightful. Parry excels in revealing the day-to-day challenges of fighting a campaign in hostile surroundings' Financial Times 'A truly gripping historical account' Niall Ferguson 'A priceless contribution to military history. Riveting' Literary Review Chris Parry joined the Royal Navy after university and then became an Observer in the Fleet Air Arm in 1979. After the Falklands War he had a successful career in the navy, and on promotion to Rear Admiral in 2005 he became the Ministry of Defence's Director of Developments, Concepts and Doctrines. He was appointed a CBE in 2004. Now retired from the armed services, he heads a company which specializes in geo-strategic forecasting. **

[j-r-macready]

One of Each Please, RNAS Yeovilton, Ilchester, Somerset by Kev Slade Via Flickr: A line-up of almost each type of Fleet Air Arm aircraft for the First Sea Lord's Review: BAe Sea Harrier FRA.1, Hawker Siddeley Harrier T.4, XE707 Hawker Hunter GA.11, Hawker Hunter T.8C, English WJ636 Electric Canberra TT.18, de Havilland Sea Heron C.1, de Havilland Canada Chipmunk T.10, XX484 Scottish Aviation Jetstream T.2, Westland Gazelle AH.1, Westland Wessex HU.5 and two Westland Sea Kings. I presume I took this before the linewas complete as there should be a Westland Lynx HAS.3. Sadly the 'skills' of the photographer were found somewhat wanting that day.

[judgemark45]

HMS Hermes with the ship's company and aircraft dressing ship. Ranged on her flight deck are Westland Wessex HU5s and Westland Sea King HAS.1s.

[jab1a]

Great fun at Westland racing for another British Championship Qualifier with @kelseyfpv & @sliderfpv... #Droneislife #gemfan #3bhobby #menacerc #fpvlife #fpvracing #fpv #kwad #kwadracing #helicopter #westland #wessex #racing #cert #avantquads #thrasher #windancer #helicopter #fun #awesome #cool (at United Kingdom) https://www.instagram.com/p/B1UEd7TnyjR/?igshid=9s3ntz7xelo4

[kitsandbits]

Book Review: Flight Craft 18: British Military Test and Evaluation Aircraft. The Golden Years 1945-1975

This volume of the Flight Craft series differs somewhat to those I have reviewed previously. Typically, the books concentrate on a single aircraft type such as The Spitfire or the ME-109 for example, this one differs in that it covers a genre of aircraft.

Prototypes and test aircraft are always at the forefront of development, and they can often be radically different to the aircraft they are intended to replace, this book covers British Test and Evaluation aircraft during what was probably the busiest period of aircraft development for the British industry, 1945-1975.

This post war environment and the rapid shift in predicted warfare tactics this period bore witness to massive developments being made in everything from avionics to electronics, weapons to power plants. This volume concentrates mostly on the colour schemes and markings of these aircraft during this period.

The book starts in the 1940’s with 1945-1950 being looked at. The chapter begins, as do the others in the book, by describing the conditions and developments the period was to bear witness to and there plenty of fantastic photographs and the superb full colour profiles of aircraft that we are by now used to finding in this series of books. There are profiles of some fantastic and unusual aircraft in this section including the Armstrong Whitworth AW.52, Saunders-Roe’s SR.A1 and De Havilland 108 Swallow.

Next, we move into the 1950’s, a decade that due to the Cold war saw much development of British aircraft, it witnessed the quest for supersonic fighters. There are profiles of what have become very famous aircraft in the Gloster Meteor, the English Electric Canberra and the Hunter, accompanying these are profiles of test versions of the Lincoln B2, the Avro Lancaster B.1 (special) and the Fairy Gannet amongst many other aircraft.

The 60’s is looked at next, which was a decade of decline really for the British aviation industry, the cancellation of the TSR.2 project is often looked at as the focal point of this decline. This was a project that so much of the British aviation industry was focused on that its cancellation was to have massive repercussions for the sector. The increase in development costs for new aircraft types was causing more collaborative efforts with other countries to come to the fore. Still this meant that aircraft such as the HP.115 and BAC 221 which were produced as part of the Anglo-French Concorde project for example. The 60’s did see the birth of one of the real highlights of British aircraft design the Hawker P.1127 was developed into what was to enter service as the Harrier. There are also references for aircraft such as the Javelin and some rotary wings in the form of the Westland Scout and Whirlwind.

Finally the book moves into the 70s and there are more variants of the Canberra, Javelin and Hunter looked at along with things like the Vickers Viscount, Handley Page Hastings, there’s even a VC-10 and a Shackleton to name just a few of the aircraft in this chapter and there are again rotary wings in the form of Westland Wessex and the Sea King.

Overall this book is a fantastic resource for the modeller, again as with all Flight Craft books this should provide great references and inspiration to maybe get a conversion or two on the bench or look at reproducing some of the fantastic and rarely seen schemes the test aircraft of the post war period wore with pride. The photographs and profiles are good quality and the accompanying text and captions are informative. This volume is definitely one you should pick up if you like aircraft of the period.

I would as always like to thank Pen and Sword books for allowing me the opportunity to review this book. You can pick up your copy of this book, along with many more great titles at their website.

[gdsuk]

  Garage Door Cones & Cables Lift Wires Pulley Drums   Henderson, Cardale, Garador, Wessex, Apex, Birtley, Bonsack, Hormann, King, Marley and Westland. 

https://www.garagedoor-spares.com/category/cones-cables/

[eemagage]

$14.95 Only! ~ Falklands War Corgi WESTLAND WESSEX helicopter model 1/140 scale Diecast, Best Diecast Aircraft Models, Diecast Airplanes, Diecast Spaceships BUY HERE! #BestDiecastAircraftModels, #DiecastAirplanes, #DiecastSpaceships,

[spockvarietyhour]

Westland Wessex in The Crown’s “Favourites”

[usafphantom2]

This Royal Navy F-4 Phantom suffered a brake fire and a tire blowout on landing. A Westland Wessex helicopter observes the maneuver parallel to the runway. 1969

@perpetuaosombro via X

[airmanisr]

Westland Wessex HU.5 ‘XS507' by Alan Wilson Via Flickr: c/n WA.176 Built in 1964 for the Royal Navy and served with 707, 772, 845, 846, 847 and 848 Naval Air Squadrons. Became a ground instructional airframe at Lee-on-Solent in April 1988 with the Admiralty maintenance serial A2762. This identity was changed to A2674 when she moved to the Air Engineering & Survival School (AESS) at Gosport in November 1995. In July 2008 she jumped ship (so to speak!) and became a Royal Air Force ‘asset’. She was moved to Benson for display purposes with No.606 (Chiltern) Royal Auxiliary Air Force Squadron. For this she gained an overall grey colour scheme and ‘RAF Rescue’ titles. By August 2019 she had been sold off and had moved to Historic Helicopters at Chard in Somerset, but that must have been short lived as she is now on display with the South Wales Aviation Museum. St Athan, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, UK 12th June 2021

[casbooks]

Title: Scram!

Authors: Harry Benson

ISBN: 9781409051978

Tags: A-4 Skyhawk, Airborne, Ajax Bay (Falklands), ARA General Belgrano, ARA Guerrico (P-32), ARA Santa Fe, Argentina, Argentine Air Force, Argentine Army, Argentine Naval Aviation, Argentine Navy, Artillery, Ascension Island, Aviation, Avro Vulcan, B.125 Bulldog, Battle of Goat Ridge (Falklands), Battle of Goose Green (Falklands), Battle of Mount Harrier (Falklands), Battle of Mount Longdon (Falklands), Battle of Mount Tumbledown (Falklands), Battle of Mount William (Falklands), Battle of Pebble Island (Falklands), Battle of Two Sisters (Falklands), Battle of Wireless Ridge (Falklands), Blue Beach (Falklands), Britannia Royal Naval College Dartmouth, CASEVAC, CH-47 Chinook, Darwin (Falklands), DHC-1 Chipmunk, Estancia House (Falklands), Falklands War (1982), Fitzroy (Falklands), Fortuna Glacier (Falklands), FS Drummond-class Corvette, Green Beach (Falklands), Gurkha, H-3 Sea King, H-34 Choctaw, Harrier, Helicopter, HRH Prince Andrew - Duke of York, IA 58 Pucara, IAI Dagger, Junglies (UK RN FAA), Lieutenant Alfredo Astiz (ARA), Medevac helicopter, Mirage III, Mount Kent (Falklands), Operation Black Buck (Falklands War), Operation Corporate (Falklands War), Operation Paraquet/Paraquat (Falklands War), Operation Sutton (Falklands War), Port San Carlos (Falklands), Port Stanley (Falklands), Port Stanley Airport (Falklands), Rapier SAM, Red Beach (Falklands), SA.342 Gazelle, San Carlos Bay (Falklands), Sea Harrier, South Georgia (Falklands), South Thule (Falklands), SpecOps, Submarine, Super Etendard, Sussex Mountains (Falklands), UK 2 Para, UK 22 SAS, UK 29 Commando Royal Artillery, UK 3 Commando Brigade, UK 3 Para, UK 5 Infantry Brigade, UK 7th Duke of Edinburgh's Own Gurkha Rifles, UK AAC 656 Sqd, UK British Army, UK British Army Air Corps, UK Commando Helicopter Squadron (UK RN FAA), UK HMS Antrim (D18), UK HMS Ardent (F184), UK HMS Arrow (F173), UK HMS Broadsword (F88), UK HMS Conqueror (S48), UK HMS Coventry (D118), UK HMS Endurance, UK HMS Fearless (L10), UK HMS Glamorgan(D19), UK HMS Hermes (R12), UK HMS Intrepid (L11), UK HMS Invincible (R05), UK HMS Plymouth (F126), UK HMS Sheffield (D80), UK MV Norland, UK MV Queen Elizabeth II, UK Paras, UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, UK RAF No 101 Sqd, UK RAF No 18 Sqd, UK RAF No 44 Sqd, UK RAF No 50 Sqd, UK RFA Engadine (K08), UK RFA Fort Austin (A386), UK RFA Green Rover (A268), UK RFA Olna (A123), UK RFA Regent (A486), UK RFA Resource (A480), UK RFA Sir Galahad (L3005}, UK RFA Sir Lancelot (L3029), UK RFA Tidepool (A76), UK RFA Tidespring (A75), UK RM 3 CDO Brigade Air Sqd, UK RM 40 Commando, UK RM 42 Commando, UK RM 45 Commando, UK RM Naval Party 8901, UK RN Centaur-class Aircraft Carrier, UK RN Churchill-Class Nuclear Submarine, UK RN County-Class Destroyer, UK RN FAA 737 Naval Air Sqd, UK RN FAA 800 Naval Air Sqd, UK RN FAA 801 Naval Air Sqd, UK RN FAA 820 Naval Air Sqd, UK RN FAA 825 Naval Air Sqd, UK RN FAA 829 Naval Air Sqd, UK RN FAA 845 Naval Air Sqd (Commando), UK RN FAA 846 Naval Air Sqd (Commando), UK RN FAA 847 Naval Air Sqd (Commando), UK RN FAA 848 Naval Air Sqd (Commando), UK RN Fearless-Class LPD, UK RN Invincible-class Aircraft Carrier, UK RN Rothesay-Class Frigate, UK RN Type 21 Frigate, UK RN Type 22 Frigate, UK RN Type 42 Guided Missile Destroyer, UK RNAS Merryfield Airfield, UK RNAS Predannack Airfield, UK RNAS Yeovilton, UK Royal Air Force (RAF), UK Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA), UK Royal Marines, UK Royal Navy, UK Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm (RN FAA), UK Scots Guards, UK Sgt Ian MacKay (3 Para), UK Sir Rex Masterman Hunt, UK Special Air Service (SAS), UK Special Boat Squadron (SBS), UK SS Atlantic Causeway, UK SS Atlantic Conveyor, UK SS Canberra, UK SS Uganda, UK Welsh Guards, USS Catfish (SS-339), Victoria Cross, Westland AH.1 Scout, Westland Lynx, Westland Wessex, Wideawake Airfield (Ascension Island)

Subject: Books.Military.20th-21st Century.Americas.Falklands War

Description: 'Scram! Scram! was all I heard though my coms as I caught sight of two Argentine A-4 Skyhawks blasting through bomb alley toward the anchored British flotilla. In front of me every ship opened up with everything they had as missiles and tracer streaked though the sky to meet the incoming aircraft. All we could do as helicopter pilots caught out in the open was head for the hills. Literally.'

Soon after the Argentine army invaded the Falklands in the early hours of 2 April 1982, it was the Royal Navy commando helicopter pilots, nicknamed junglies, who flew most of the land-based missions in the Falklands in their Sea King and Wessex helicopters. Facing both mortar fire and head-on attacks by Argentine jets, they inserted SAS patrols at night, rescued survivors of Exocet attacks, mounted daring missile raids, as well as supporting the British troops and evacuating casualties, often in appalling weather conditions.

Harry Benson was a twenty-one-year-old junglie Wessex pilot, fresh out of training, when war started. He has interviewed over forty of his former colleagues for this book creating a fast-paced, meticulously researched and compelling account written by someone who was there, in the cockpit of a Wessex helicopter.

Scram!

The thrilling untold story of the young helicopter pilots and aircrew who risked their lives during the brief but ferocious Falklands War.

'Scram', broadcast over the helicopter control radio net during the Falklands War thirty years ago in 1982 meant 'take cover from Argentine fighters'. This call was a regular feature of life down south, especially during the first six days after we landed while the Royal Navy fought and won the Battle of San Carlos Water; arguably the toughest fight by British ships against enemy air since Crete in 1941.

As the Argentine fighter/bombers came barrelling in I would watch heart in mouth as the junglies headed for folds in the ground, remaining burning and turning until the enemy had left.

We went south with far too few helicopters initially. Those we had were flown every hour they could be; often with bullet holes in fuselages, red warning lights on in cockpits. One of the three BAS Scout helicopters had a bullet hole in the tail section patched with the lid from a Kiwi boot polish tin. Today's health and safety nerds would have had an apoplectic fit.

In April 1982 Harry Benson was a 21-year-old Royal Navy commando helicopter pilot, fresh out of training and one of the youngest helicopter pilots to serve in the Falklands War. These pilots, nicknamed 'junglies', flew most of the land-based missions in the Falklands in their Sea King and Wessex helicopters. Much of what happened in the war - the politics, task force ships, Sea Harriers, landings, Paras and Marines - is well-known and documented. But almost nothing is known of the young commando helicopter pilots and aircrewmen who made it all happen on land and sea. This is their 'Boys Own' story, told for the very first time.

Harry Benson has interviewed forty of his former colleagues for the book creating a tale of skill, initiative, resourcefulness, humour, luck, and adventure. This is a fast-paced, meticulously researched and compelling account written by someone who was there, in the cockpit of a Wessex helicopter.