Announcement

**Savoia** · 6th April 2020, 09:59

SA341G(S) YU-HEY (cn.1320) overhead Milton Keynes on 5th April 2020

SA341F2 F-MGQT (cn.1487) as seen at Aéroport Montauban in France in March 2020 (Photo by Phil Adkin)

SA342M F-MGNQ (cn.4060) as seen at Aéroport Montauban in France in March 2020 (Photo by Phil Adkin)

SA342M F-MGKC (cn.4182) as seen at Aéroport Montauban in France in March 2020 (Photo by Phil Adkin)

**Rotorspot** · 6th April 2020, 13:22

Gazelle in Libya

I have received a December 2019 picture of a Gazelle helicopter in Libya.

The helicopter is all-white outside (but also white-ish seats and rear wall) with no external markings or serial number.

It is remarkable to see that the stencilling is in Russian characters. Going through some online pictures of Russian Gazelles, I notice that she looks remarkably like RA-05702, which was cancelled some time ago.

I am seeking permission to publish the picture that I received.

Anyone having an idea about this one?

In the meantime, a photo of RA-05702.

**Zishelix** · 6th April 2020, 21:19

Anyone familiar with this badge? The detail allegedly photographed on an AAC AH.1 in early 1980's.

**Zishelix** · 7th April 2020, 09:52

Thanks Helipix!

XW843 at Eelde airport, Netherland taking rest on its way to Norway for the winter exercise in 1984.

**Savoia** · 7th April 2020, 09:54

SA341B G-CDXE XZ299 (WA1524) as seen at Bruntingthorpe, Leicestershire on 3rd May 2009 (Photo James Matthews)

Not sure if Stefano is featured in the above photo and video below. Hopefully we will find out.

G-CDXE attending the MAC scale fly-in at Skelmersdale in 2009

SA342MV's in Sévaré, Mali NFI (Photo by Olivier Fourt)

**md600driver** · 7th April 2020, 16:45

Originally posted by Savoia View Post

Ha ha .. nice to hear from you Stefano, it has been toooo long!

I didn't realise you had owned a BAG with one of those 'unique' arrangements beneath the exhaust, although it doesn't surprise me.

'Can't remember much about Brunty, I think it was one of their jet days.' — You'll be glad to know that your memory is't failing you, it was indeed a 'jet day' for Cold War era craft.

Trusting that you and your family are well, though word on the web is that we should be concerned for your missus!

The missus is a little tied-up at the moment!

I also have a few spares of the exhaust covers. I think they are titanium covered with carbon-fibre, but someone may know better.

I did think about putting one on 'Gay Pride' or the 'RainbowStar Gaz' as you named her.

**Savoia** · 8th April 2020, 12:24

4e régiment d'hélicoptères des forces spéciales

The Gaz Squad at Southport in 2019 (Photo by Andrew Wallbank)

XB Gives Avia Members a Gaz Pre-Flight Tutorial

**Zishelix** · 8th April 2020, 15:34

Gazelle parts as installation art

https://ricardo-alessio-6wsa.squares...m/fiona-banner

**md600driver** · 8th April 2020, 16:43

Originally posted by Savoia View Post

That was a unique exhaust arrangement and doesn't seem to have been widespread but only on a limited number of aircraft.

Was G-CDXE/XZ299 one of the early Crabtree Gazelles?

Yes CDXE was one of my Gazelles.

he exhaust arrangement was on many army Gazelles. Prior to this they used the same arrangement as the French ones with a cover mounted around the upturned exhaust like the French do it on their Gazelles.

There was a lot of cracking to the exhaust pipe and this was probably a way around it as the exhaust cowling is attached to the tail boom.

**Savoia** · 9th April 2020, 12:21

SA341B XX390 (WA1298) as seen at RNAS Yeovilton on 3rd September 1977 (Photo by Chris England)

Mercenary Gazelles Operating in Mozambique

Mercenary Gazelle as seen over Pemba in Mozambique on 8th April 2020

This Westland built SA341B Gazelle (WA1987), formerly owned by an Avia member, was seen over Pemba in Mozambique on 8th April 2020. It is fitted with a 20mm cannon mounted in the area of the aircraft's left door. This aircraft flew with the British Army as ZB682 and after being de-commissioned became G-CIEX prior to being sold to South Africa where it became ZU-ROJ

Sources are reporting that two civilian Gazelles have recently been deployed in Mozambique in the fight against local Islamic terror groups. These Gazelles are different to the Gazelles reported on 13th August 2019.

Unconfirmed reports suggest that the Gazelles may have been deployed by Dyck Advisory Group, (DAG), a South Africa based security company. Sources state that three helicopters arrived in Pemba in Mozambique on 8th April, and are said to be: one Gazelle, one Bell UH-1, and one Bell 206L plus a fixed-wing Diamond DA42. These evidently joined another Gazelle and a Cessna Caravan which had arrived in Pemba on 5th April.

Bell 206L + 2 Gazelle helicopters in Cabo Delgado, Mozambique on 9th April 2020

**Savoia** · 11th April 2020, 00:29

Gazelle Down Mozambique

Reports are incoming that one of the two mercenary Gazelles recently deployed to Mozambique has been shot down.

A LongRanger, a UH-1 and two Gazelles are now part of a small helicopter mercenary force which have been deployed in Mozambique to fight against Ahlu Sunnah Wa-Jamâ (ASWJ), an ISIS affiliate operating in Mozambique. Most of the helicopter force is reported to have arrived in the country last Wednesday 8th April, some of which were deployed the same day and were used to strafe an ASWJ base in the Muede area. The mercenary helicopter force was deployed again the following day, 9th April, to attack additional ASWJ bases in Mbau, in the Awassi district, and in Muidumbe, according to security sources.

Early in the hours of Friday 10th April, one of the mercenary Gazelle helicopters is reported to have been hit by small arms fire in the area of the Quirimbas Islands to the north of Pemba where insurgents were attempting to launch an attack at Quirimba Island using vessels disguised as fishing boats. Initial information suggests that the Gazelle crew were airlifted from the landing/crash site and are uninjured.

At this stage we are not aware as to whether the downed aircraft is the 'white Gaz' or the former Crabtree bird. We are awaiting further details.

**Savoia** · 11th April 2020, 08:50

SA341F2 N2MF (cn.1448) as seen at North Las Vegas Airport in April 2020

SA342J F-GFDG (cn.1204) as seen in St. Tropez in 1996 (Photo by Andrea Soldati)

DCS SA342 Gazelle sortie

**Savoia** · 13th April 2020, 12:37

SA341B XX412 (WA1362) as seen at Middle Wallop in 1982 (Photo by Stuart Mitchell)

YU-HOT

SA341G(S) YU-HOT (cn.1390) flying in Serbia on 12th April 2020

Seen here 'breaking out' of isolation!

Avia Member Carlo's Gaz

SA341B G-BZYD/XZ329 (W1648) as seen in Ripe, East Sussex

**Savoia** · 14th April 2020, 09:19

Montenegrin Air Force SA342L's as seen in 2018

(Photos and video by Sven van Roij)

**Rotorspot** · 14th April 2020, 14:24

Mozambique Gazelle - UPDATE

The following statement has been released in relation to the Gazelle in Mozambique:

On Friday 10th April 2020 ZU-ROJ and ***** were tasked to fly police members to a meeting at a local village on a small island approximately 30 minutes flight time from Pemba. ZU-ROJ would fly with two members which would be the entourage for the two senior officers which were flying on board *****.

After the meeting we were returning to Pemba when I noticed that the helicopter controls were getting stiffer and stiffer, up until a point where the helicopter was becomming very difficult to fly. I radioed the other helicopter and reported that I will need to make a precautionary landing. We found a soccer field in a small village about midpoint between our departure point and Pemba. I conducted a safe landing on the soccer filed and shut down the helicopter.

The other helicopter landed next to me and I was informed that I needed to get into helicopter ***** with the entourage and return to Pemba with them to go and fetch the helicopter engineer as asll as members of police to provide security on the ground when returning to ZU-ROJ.

We landed in Pemba where the senior police officers and entourage disembarked afterwhich the helciopter engineer and two members of the police boarded the helicopter to return to ZU-ROJ.

As we approached the village where I had landed with ZU-ROJ, we noticed a lot of black smoke and once the soccer field came into view it became clear that ZU-ROJ had been set on fire. We flew overhead the soccer field and saw many people in the vicinity of the burning aircraft.

We returned to Pemba as we were sure it would have been unsafe to land.

https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/234962

**md600driver** · 14th April 2020, 19:59

Originally posted by Savoia View Post

Grazie Jos!

The person who posted this statement is in fact the one from whom we received the initial report on Friday morning.

It is interesting to note that when posting this statement she mentioned that she had already '𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵' and that by posting this communication she wasn't endorsing its contents.

Reading between the lines, and given the nature of the operation, I would say that there is a possibility that what we are reading may not be the whole story.

There is lots of fake information going around !!!

**Savoia** · 15th April 2020, 10:46

SA341G G-SFTA (WA1039) as seen at Perth Scone on 9th May 1983 (Photo by Stuart Miller)

I'm sorry guys, I know we must have had this discussion before but .. none of us are getting any younger and so forth!

G-SFTA must (I assume) have been SFTA's first Gaz? I have very few images of this bird and there seem to be very few photos in general of this aircraft.

Nosco are you there, are you also under lock-down where you are?

Also, Jos' site has the craft (1039) as originally being registered as XW858 and yet we know that military Gazelles cannot fly for hire and reward in public transport ops. This craft's first civilian registration was G-BAGJ and which of course we know very well, thereafter becoming HB-XIL.

But .. the photographer of the above photo is recording G-SFTA as having originally been registered as XZ177.

Elipix, I know you were not yet in Scottie when this photo was taken, but can you hazard a guess as to the identity of the 'C' model behind SFTA?

SA341B from 655 Squadron at AAC Aldergrove (Panting by John Wynne Hopkins)

If you would like to order a print of this painting, you may email the artist at: johnwynnehopkins@gmail.com

N9334W HARD LANDING

SA341F2 N9334W (cn.1575) suffered a hard landing at Fort Myers in Florida on 9th April 2020.

Only the pilot was on board when the incident occurred, and he is reported as having suffered no injury.

https://www.asias.faa.gov/apex/f?p=1...20MYERS,N9334W

**Savoia** · 15th April 2020, 17:12

G-BAGJ/SFTA was ex XW858 but did not go to the military and became civilian.

Right okay grazie, that's the bit we had discussed before and which I had forgotten.

The serial XZ177 was painted up by The North East Land Sea and Air Museum, Usworth, Sunderland during restoration, cannot imagine why they did that, at one point, during a visit there many years ago they were going to repaint it in Point to Point scheme as G-BAGJ. The real XZ177 is a Westland Lynx AH.1

Yes, a little hard to understand, although it could have been someone without much aviation knowledge or who simply wasn't interested in maintaining the craft's authentic registration.

Yes the Hughes 369! Well before my time in Scotland. Will have to look at my photo collection for the scheme, do remember one registered to Jack Tatties in Fife between 2.83 - 3.84 G-TATI a 369HS maybe thats it?

Ah Elipix .. you've nailed it again! That's definitely it. I mean there were not that many 500's around at that time in any case, certainly not in Scottie, and the sole photo I have sourced shows this craft in Switzerland just before she came to the UK and she is in the exact same colours, plus G-TATI's registration dates fit perfectly with the photo date. You are (as I've mentioned many times now) a star! Indeed, I am seriously considering calling you 'EliStar!'

and which would be quite appropriate given that they are situated in a country we both love!

The next thing you're going to tell me was that Jack Tatties was a potato company!

Hughes 500C (369HS) HB-XEE (cn.444S) as seen in Bern, Switzerland on 27th September 1977 (Photo by Paul Schüpbach)

**Helipixman** · 15th April 2020, 17:16

Update - British Army Gazelles

XX405 delivered by road from Middle Wallop to Fleetlands 16.1.20
ZB692 has been used as a spares ship at Fleetlands and has been struck off charge - fate?

The following are/were at Aircraft Maintenance and Storage Unit, Shawbury being offered for sale by tender - has this happened yet?

XX460
XZ294
XZ328
XZ341
ZB667

Multi Platform Support Unit, Middle Wallop had a big clear-out with the following going to Colsterworth - Witham? and I think they have already moved on:

XX378
XX403
XX442
XX447
XZ303
XZ311
XZ337

School of Army Aeronautical Engineering, Lyneham has received .. XZ345

Any comments of the fate of any of the above would be much appreciated - have any Avia members bought any?

**Savoia** · 16th April 2020, 10:31

SA341B ZB691 (WA2006) as seen at Manchester Barton in 2018 (Photos by Rory Auskerry)

Mozambique Gazelle - UPDATE

Defence Web Africa published an article yesterday providing a summary of the situation.

The article may be read here: https://www.defenceweb.co.za/feature...in-mozambique/

Scouts

We've got some encouraging news regarding the UK's Scout/Wasp population. Check it out on the Scout Thread.

**Savoia** · 17th April 2020, 10:00

SA341G(S) YU-HEY (cn.1320) as seen on the Isle of Man on 31st May 2008 (Photo by David Kelly)

**Savoia** · 18th April 2020, 08:50

Scott McPherson seen flying a British Army Gazelle in Bosnia in 1999

Following a ravine in Bosnia in 1999 (Photos by Scott McPherson)

In both photos one can see a 'key ring' with what looks like a 'remove before flight' fob, this is in the area of the ceiling. Can anyone say what this would be for, some sort of armament perhaps?

Unidentified Syrian SA342L sporting some political propaganda NFI

Qatar Air Force

Qatari Air Force SA342L QA08 as seen in Doha on 10th March 2020

Ejército Ecuatoriano/Ecuadorian Army

Ecuadorian SA342L

Anthony Chan's SA341F2 N918GZ (cn.1672) departing
Chino Airport in California on 17th April 2020

Reports are suggesting that Secaero/Secamic are now preparing to deliver three of the five Gazelles ordered by the Togolese defence force in 2016.

**Savoia** · 20th April 2020, 09:16

ZB627 with XZ934 at RAF Cosford on 19th June 2016

British Army Gazelle in Cyprus in November 1990

BAG in Cyprus NFI

Egyptian Police (film bird) NFI

The X-Craft on X-Plane

SA342L1 12936 (cn.156) Batajnica Air Base 2019

**Savoia** · 21st April 2020, 08:47

ZU-ROJ Update

Mozambique-based ISIS affiliate Ahlu Sunnah Wa-Jamâ, have released a video displaying the remains of ZU-ROJ which they claim to have brought down with small arms fire in the area of the Quirimbas Islands in Mozambique on 10th April 2020:

Second Mercenary Gazelle Identified

The second mercenary Gazelle currently operating in Mozambique has been identified as former ALAT SA341F2 cn.1597 and which was allocated the South African civilian registration ZU-HHP (below):

ALAT SA342M as seen in April 2020 NFI

~ Crabtree Flashback ~ SA342J HA-LFH (cn.1775) as seen departing Breighton on 19th January 2014

Gazelle Overview (in Spanish)

New South African Gazelle

This former ALAT SA341F2 has recently been registered in South Africa:

SA341F2 ZU-RIH (1175) ex-N341FG as seen at Wonderboom on 18th March 2020 (Photo by Mark Ollier)

Some comments (if you are willing) as to whether you like this colour scheme?

For me, it kinda causes the corners of my mouth to upturn .. when I see a war bird with a military paint scheme .. finished in 'gloss'!

**Zishelix** · 22nd April 2020, 08:39

HB-XFW (WA1124) in service with Swiss company Air Grischa in late '70s

**Savoia** · 22nd April 2020, 12:41

3 Flight AAC Gazelle as seen at Alanbrooke Barracks in North Yorkshire in the late 1980's (Photo by Chris Ballard)

SA342M's receiving maintenance at Étain-Rouvres in April 2016

YU-HEV

DCS Gaz Test Flight

Electric Gazelle in Austria in 2019

**Savoia** · 23rd April 2020, 12:12

SA341H HA-LFX (cn.090) as seen in Hungary on 27th September 2014 (Photo by Balázs Horváth)

SA342M F-MAEM (cn.2042) as seen in the Czech Republic on 9th August 2006 (Photo by Tomas Sousek)

**Zishelix** · 23rd April 2020, 21:32

Gazelles of the 1st RHC (régiment d'hélicoptères de combat) during French – Swiss military exercise "Epervier" at Besançon, La Vèze Airport in October 2018.

**Savoia** · 24th April 2020, 09:22

SA341 F-WIEP (cn.1001) as seen at Hannover Airport on 30th April 1972 (Photo by Daniel Neyt)

While visiting Hannover, let's go back a further two years to 1970 with a shot of the fenestron of prototype no. 4 (below):

**Zishelix** · 24th April 2020, 11:41

Aerospatiale's fleet in early 1970s

Announcement

Shrieking Gazelles

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