Wessex Finale

Photos older than five years old (preferably much older)
Post Reply
FERG
Posts: 183
Joined: Mon 01 Sep 2008, 6:56 pm
Location: Kent

Wessex Finale

Post by FERG »

Evening

27th March 2002 RAF Benson hosted a finale for the Wessex.

Quite a day...

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Cheers

Ferg

PhilS
Posts: 20
Joined: Tue 23 Nov 2010, 11:11 pm

Re: Wessex Finale

Post by PhilS »

88 views and no responses. Sad!

Lovely pictures of an iconic chopper. Don't make em like they used to :sad:

mw232
Posts: 17
Joined: Sun 07 Mar 2010, 4:33 pm
Location: Deepest darkest back of beyond.

Re: Wessex Finale

Post by mw232 »

Very nice :clap:
Bet the noise from that lot was amazing

Cheers
Martyn

User avatar
PeteM
Posts: 952
Joined: Thu 05 Feb 2009, 7:08 pm
Location: North Cornwall

Re: Wessex Finale

Post by PeteM »

Excellent set, I would like to have witnessed this.

PhilS wrote:88 views and no responses. Sad!


Sad but no surprise on here :wall:

User avatar
LN Strike Eagle
UKAR Staff
Posts: 11191
Joined: Mon 21 Jul 2008, 3:29 pm

Re: Wessex Finale

Post by LN Strike Eagle »

Excellent images Richard. Must admit I didn't realise they were still in service so recently, or in such numbers.

PeteM wrote:Excellent set, I would like to have witnessed this.

PhilS wrote:88 views and no responses. Sad!


Sad but no surprise on here :wall:

For about the 4 millionth time, this forum is open to guests. The views on any given thread will be mostly from people coming in via search engines, who couldn't reply unless they registered. :wall:

Take a look at the numbers at the bottom of the forum index - currently 36 registered users and 189 guests on the forums.
"You really are an oafish philistine at times!"

User avatar
iainpeden
Posts: 3730
Joined: Sun 31 Aug 2008, 7:01 pm
Location: Great Oakley, Corby, Northants

Re: Wessex Finale

Post by iainpeden »

11 years ago - NO!
(Mark Twain: There are lies, there are damn lies and then there are statistics)

User avatar
ikarus
Posts: 516
Joined: Fri 23 Jul 2010, 7:52 am
Location: UK

Re: Wessex Finale

Post by ikarus »

Very nice ,miss the Wessex to be honest :sad:

FarnboroJohn
Posts: 3038
Joined: Tue 28 Aug 2012, 6:57 pm

Re: Wessex Finale

Post by FarnboroJohn »

So do I. There's something about designs of that era, they have character in their looks. Mk1 Escorts and Minis smile and so on. A Wessex always looks to me like a horse with a nosebag on.

John

Stagger2
Posts: 1940
Joined: Thu 16 Jun 2011, 8:46 am

Re: Wessex Finale

Post by Stagger2 »

mw232 wrote:Very nice :clap:
Bet the noise from that lot was amazing

Cheers
Martyn

"It was!" I was there to see this mass? lift-off spectacle. IIRC there was a facility at RAF Odiham the 'next' day which I also attended. Need to consult my pic's & jar my memory of 12 years back.
Well-done! excellent images of another type 'biting the dust!

User avatar
whitus1
Posts: 282
Joined: Sun 21 Sep 2008, 2:18 pm

Re: Wessex Finale

Post by whitus1 »

Lovely collection! This helicopter had so much character! Big bulky bits looks the part!
keep flying

kw.
Posts: 17
Joined: Sun 06 May 2012, 5:45 pm

Re: Wessex Finale

Post by kw. »

Never quite liked the Wessex, but I must admit it must have been an amazing sight seeing all these birds in the sky together.
Nice shots & thx 4 sharing ! :clap:

Niallxg
Posts: 1174
Joined: Wed 03 Sep 2008, 5:23 pm

Re: Wessex Finale

Post by Niallxg »

Very nice. Excellent quality.

User avatar
Warton GR4
Posts: 131
Joined: Wed 03 Sep 2008, 5:16 pm
Location: Catterall

Re: Wessex Finale

Post by Warton GR4 »

Great pictures, what an event to have been at. What happened to all those airframes after retirement, were many scrapped, stored or preserved?
Cheers,
Mark
Formerly Mk1 Maniac!

Mark Wright

User avatar
theactualsparky
Posts: 141
Joined: Wed 12 Dec 2012, 6:29 pm
Location: London

Re: Wessex Finale

Post by theactualsparky »

Maybe someone here can answer me this. Why paint one blade yellow? I know it's still done today and wondered why when I saw it

Stagger2
Posts: 1940
Joined: Thu 16 Jun 2011, 8:46 am

Re: Wessex Finale

Post by Stagger2 »

Well!...the explanations given are varied & plentiful. On those Wessex the entire length of one blade was 'yellow' top & underside. Due to the cammo' scheme, these Helo's were very hard to spot from above & the blade gave both initial acquisition & confirmation that the rotor was turning & the Helo' maybe about to / or already was flying in their native low-level operational environment. Secondly, it enabled the crew to assess rotor disc proximity in confined manoeuvres & landings. Thirdly the stroboscopic effect of the single yellow blade gave a clear indication to all & sundry... aircrew, ground-crew & errant parachutists that entering into that disc-zone would have a negative effect on their well-being. Fast-forward to the bright yellow Sea-King & the same issues apply. Easier to spot over the sea & avoid. Aids the crew to see how close to cliff/mountain vertical faces they are hovering. You don't see the yellow blade feature on operational types... Lynx, Junglies, Merlin, Chinook, Apache, Puma etc purely because they don't want to be seen from above! So why have it on that mark of Wessex?....don't ask me!

User avatar
toom317
UKAR Supporter
Posts: 2012
Joined: Tue 02 Sep 2008, 11:02 am

Re: Wessex Finale

Post by toom317 »

Stagger2 wrote: So why have it on that mark of Wessex?....don't ask me!


Could it be that the Wessex was also used in the SAR role, and all the blade sets had a yellow one?
"Nice pics mate" comments only! No criticism please.

Equipment: Camera, Lens, Goretex Y fronts.

User avatar
PeteM
Posts: 952
Joined: Thu 05 Feb 2009, 7:08 pm
Location: North Cornwall

Re: Wessex Finale

Post by PeteM »

And don't forget these cammo Wessex had a SAR tasking in Northern Ireland.

User avatar
seacat192
Posts: 356
Joined: Sat 27 Aug 2011, 8:05 am
Location: Ilminster, Somerset - SW England

Re: Wessex Finale

Post by seacat192 »

Thanks for posting these, brings back the memories!

I can remember seeing a formation of around 20 Wessex flying over Somerset when the RN retired their Wessex 'Jungly' fleet at Yeovilton in he mid 1980s (1985?). I was at school at the time, and could see the formation forming up in the distance and a Lynx flying all around them, but the bell for the end of break went before they came close to the school and all I heard was the sound of them flying over :facepalm: :facepalm: :facepalm:


Thanks again
Roger

Post Reply