| "Delta Alpha, the "Duchess", had languished at Redhill
for a number of years, inflicting her particular charms on a number of Command Course
candidates, the cut and thrust of the commercial world a distant memory. In 1980, Bristow Helicopters were approached to provide a capacious and economic aerial trials platform for the newly formed British Aerospace Dynamics, developing the multi-national "next generation" anti-tank missile. BAe Dynamics were hoping to win the important and lucrative guidance contract. The Duchess, was selected as the platform and I was selected as the trials pilot. Although I had flown the Whirlwind on my command course assessment in 1978, I had not needed to put it on my licence, as my first command had been low level survey work on the Bell 47 and the Bell 206 JetRanger. The Duchess, Delta Alpha, was being heavily modified and having a new electronic tummy put in at BAe Stevenage. It was 4 years to the day, of my first solo in the Hiller, that the High Chieftain of the Whirlwind clan, Stan Sollitt and I walked to the Whirlwind G-AYNP for my refamiliarisation. Thankfully, it went well -- the Whirlwind charm lived on! The BAe contract involved very low flying, all day, at 200 to 300 feet, in a 25 year old airframe. I had to be fully conversant with low-level engine failure procedures. The other Whirlwind expert, Paddy McCloughlin, ensured that I was ready -- I now really felt part of the clan. Delta Alpha (see below)
emerged from the workshops at Stevenage on the 9th June 1980 resplendent with a
huge carbuncle (multi-faceted camera) on the starboard side".
"She flew flawlessly for a number of years, with various pilots, in U.K and Europe, and very much helped to develop the most advanced anti-tank missile guidance system known to man. By this time, I had returned to the rough and tumble of the North Sea and the first Single Pilot IFR, offshore based, Bell 212 operation. The challenges were still coming, thick and fast! I read recently of the "Whisper S-55s" over the Grand Canyon in the USA. Why not over the lovely countryside of Britain? The charm can still work -- I’m sure! I’ll be first in the queue". |
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