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**Savoia** · 7th January 2015, 08:57

More Benegaz ..

SA341G(S) YU-HVZ (cn 1295) as seen at Best-Liempdseweg in the Netherlands on 29th July 2014. All photos by Ad Vercruijsse:

Black Pete by her garage with her 'hat' on!

Black Pete's parking area

Black Pete's landing pad

**Savoia** · 7th January 2015, 09:36

More Crabtree ..

SA341G (cn 1301) HA-LFM as seen at Faro Airport in Portugal on 23rd May 2009 (Photo: Luis Rosa)

**Savoia** · 7th January 2015, 10:05

Sunday in Yorkshire ..

Looks like Steve and Nigel were at RAF Church Fenton Aerodrome in North Yorks, on Sunday:

Steve with HA-LFH at RAF Church Fenton on 4th January 2015

Nigel with G-LEDR at RAF Church Fenton on 4th January 2015

Steve and Nigel departing in company

The 'Gerbil' (G-RBIL) also made an appearance at the aerodrome on Sunday

**Zishelix** · 7th January 2015, 10:36

Speaking of "Black Pete", I have this poor quality image of what is supposed to be N4DQ, which was one of her previous registrations.

If anyone has any additional info about this, pls let me know.

**Savoia** · 7th January 2015, 16:44

I don't have any shots of N4DQ in my album, but now I know the colour scheme she wore, I shall look out for it and let you know if I come across anything.

The only observation I can make - is the obvious one - and which is that it appears as if the registration begins with 'N4' (below the door) .. so that's a good start!

**Savoia** · 7th January 2015, 17:37

Gazelles Flying High!

Let's join the drivers from the Empire Test Pilot's School in a Gaz on a hike to 19,000 ft ..

Let's meet the crew .. taking XZ936 on a 'climb to ceiling' test over Wiltshire from Boscombe Down

The view out the front .. at 18,200ft

Going up! Flying over Wiltshire .. with the Isle of Wight in the background

Now at 19,000ft

The Isle of Wight as seen from a Gazelle at 19,000ft

And back home: SA341D XZ936 returns to Boscombe Down

Well .. that beats my 'personal best' of 17,800ft when I took a LongRanger to that altitude in Papua New Guinea, but .. it doesn't beat Geoffrey's best when he took a JetRanger to 19,150ft over Northern Wales while flying for Treasure Hunt!

I imagine a Gaz at 19k is just a wee bit over the recommended ceiling!

**Savoia** · 7th January 2015, 18:52

Why not check out the very latest addition to our 'Best of Airline Photography' collection to see Brian Losito's beautiful air-to-air shot of an Air Canada Dreamliner .. and read the story behind the photoshoot!

**Savoia** · 8th January 2015, 09:20

Mil Gaz ..

A flight of six Gazelles over Serbia

**Savoia** · 8th January 2015, 09:37

Canadian Gaz ..

SA341G Gazelle C-FEDG of Ed Darvill Helicopters parked outside the engineer/geologist quarters during drilling support operations in the Latornell area (south of Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada) on 14th December 1978 (Photo: Steve Aubury)

And ten years later ..

Perhaps one of Helijet's fist aircraft, C-FEDG, as seen in 1988 (Photo: M. MacGowan)

**Zishelix** · 8th January 2015, 11:40

And here is C-FEDG wearing the false registration N9747P during the filming of the movie "The Fly II" in 1989:

**Savoia** · 8th January 2015, 21:12

Nice one Zis!

F-HGUN departing Courchevel:

Speaking for myself, I prefer to establish a bit of a hover first, you know .. make sure the T's and P's are where they should be .. and then move off. But .. perhaps HGUN's driver was late for lunch or something!

See more helicopters at Courchevel here.

**Zishelix** · 8th January 2015, 21:20

I think HGUN's driver may have performed a brief T&P check in the hover just before heading over the valley!

Nice video, btw.

Diving away into the valley must be an enjoyable experience!

**Savoia** · 9th January 2015, 22:27

Originally posted by Zishelix View Post

Diving away into the valley must be an enjoyable experience!

Yes, indeed although if you want to experience some serious enjoyment then I recommend some slightly more adventurous manoeuvers including the 'bunt' (where you go from a free air hover - or very slow forward speed - into a vertical dive) and some 100º turns - both of which the Hughes 500 performs with poise (or so I am told

) and which I am sure the Gaz is just as good at.

The only aircraft I've flown which outperforms the 500 (when it comes to aerobatics) is the Bo105 .. but even then the 105's handling (in my humble opinion) is not quite as agile as the 500, but the 105 is considerably tougher, because of its hingeless 'rigid' rotor, and which means it can perform some pretty decent aerobatics.

Swedish Air Force MBB Bo105CB3 09209 performing a 'bunt' near Stockholm (Photo: Rickard Gillberg)

This photo was taken on 16th September 2005 on the outskirts of Stockholm by Swedish photographer and helicopter pilot Rickard Gillberg (owner of Nordic Rotors) during his visit to 'Team Vingarna' (the Swedish Armed Forces helicopter display team).

But if you want to see something really superb then take a look at the handiwork of someone I first met in the early 80's at Middle Wallop - Karl 'Charly' Zimmermann (German Air Force) - and pay particular attention to the interesting manoeuvre he executes at 2:30

That remarkable manoeuvre was a vertical climb with a hard push-over into a momentary inverted tail-slide (or a 3/4 forward somersault) followed by a 130º pull-through recovery!

Ah Charly .. they don't make them like you anymore (except for Denissimo of course!).

**Zishelix** · 9th January 2015, 23:08

Hats off to Mr Zimmermann... just hope our Gazelle owners won't get some "brilliant" ideas from this performance.

By the way, we already have a nice pic of Gazelle's aerobatic capabilities in your post #87

**Savoia** · 10th January 2015, 09:34

Yes, it does make me wonder what would have happened had Denissimo been let loose on the Gaz earlier on in his display career - perhaps it would have promoted the Gazelle as the 'sport' helicopter of choice!

Some more shots from Steve and Nigel's visit to RAF Church Fenton last Sunday ..

SA342J HA-LFH (cn 1775) as seen at RAF Church Fenton on 4th January 2015 (Photo: Ben Hall)

(As above)

SA341C G-LEDR (cn 1081) as seen with HA-LFH at RAF Church Fenton on 4th January 2015 (Photo: Ben Hall)

**Savoia** · 10th January 2015, 12:07

And while Steve and Nigel were at Church Fenton last Sunday .. XB was at EBKT ..

SA341G N341AS (cn 1042) as seen at Kortrijk-Wevelgem International Airport in Belgium on 4th January 2015 (Photo: Geertdiopere)

**Savoia** · 11th January 2015, 09:41

More Gazelles in Belgium ..

SA341G(S) F-GEHC (cn 1417) as seen at Brussels Airport (Zaventem) in July 1991

Now flying in Scotland as G-OGEO.

**Zishelix** · 12th January 2015, 08:54

Some 80's Gazelle nostalgia -

F-GEHC in action in 1984 while she was with Héli-Union. F-GEHD & GEHF also visible in the footage:

**Savoia** · 12th January 2015, 17:03

Very nice!

SA341G D-HMTC (cn 1014) of the Polizei Nord-Rhein Westfalen, as seen in Dortmund on 10th June 1986 (Photo: Ken Meegan)

This craft (a Hummel or 'Bumblebee' - the call sign for the Nordrhein-Westfalen police), by virtue of the design of the Nord-Rhein Westfalen coat of arms, is wearing 'Italian colours' and which of course is why she looks so nice!

At some point she was sold to France where she became F-GGPH.

While considering German police Gazelles and given that Zis has today shown us an example of some 80's Gazelle video nostalgia .. how about this German TV advert from 1988!

**Zishelix** · 12th January 2015, 20:43

Nice video, very graphic... I didn't know they use Photoshop back in 1980s

**Savoia** · 13th January 2015, 09:21

Originally posted by xbdt View Post

D-HMTC (sn 1014) OR C-FEDG (sn 1181) will be rebuilt probably in 2016.

Wonderful news to hear that these craft may be given new life. Bravo!

SA341G F-GGPH (cn 1014) as seen at Toussus Le Noble Airport on 28th July 1990 (Photo: Don Hewins)

Originally posted by Zishelix View Post

Nice video, very graphic... I didn't know they use Photoshop back in 1980s

Indeed. In fact the 80's were all about seeing just how far one could go in terms of piloting skills!

We've talked about this film in the past, but it remains an outstanding example of precision flying .. and that is the storm drain scene from the movie 'Deadly Encounter' where the late Larry Kirsch flies a 'C' model 500 beneath two bridges which pass over a storm drain. The margin for error was .. well .. maybe a foot or two!

To see the 'storm drain' scene go to 4:45. There is also some stretched Gaz action with the late N341BB at 6:40

**Savoia** · 13th January 2015, 09:26

More from Church Fenton ..

Paul Whitaker's 'The Gerbil' SA341D G-RBIL (cn 1199) as seen at Church Fenton Aerodrome on 4th January 2015 (Photo: Simon Willson)

Ex-RAF XW902.

**Savoia** · 13th January 2015, 09:59

Gaz Questions ..

XB/Steve and others, could you please offer your comments on any of the following whenever you get the chance.

Grazie

Gaz Main Rotor: The Gazelle main rotor has a reputation for being very 'floppy' and from what I have seen from videos the main rotor is at its most dangerous to those on the ground at the time when it is being engaged or disengaged (basically I suppose when the driver's hand is on the rotor brake). I am assuming that you don't want anyone near (and definitely not under) the disk at that time? Does the flight manual say anything about people not being near the main rotor while it is engaged/disengaged.

Gaz Cleaning: The Gaz seems to collect 'soot' (as they all do) right across the top half of the fenestron and lower tail section (see white boxes in photos below). Can anyone say what type of cleaning fluid they use to remove the exhaust soot and .. how easy is it to clean the individual fenestron blades?

F-GEHE at Nice Airport showing her dirty tail!

G-BAGK (one of two Gazelles my late godfather flew) also exhibiting the soot 'problem'

HA-LFH: Could you please say what the item is circled in red on the lower portion of LFH's fuselage (below).

**Zishelix** · 13th January 2015, 10:27

Originally posted by Savoia View Post

In fact the 80's were all about seeing just how far one could go in terms of piloting skills!

With all due respect, I somehow doubt there are "real" piloting skills we can see in the video. Four Gazelles speed flying under the highway bridge?! C'mon... a nice example of photomontage skills, I'd rather say.

**Zishelix** · 13th January 2015, 14:02

Originally posted by Savoia View Post

Could you please say what the item is circled in red on the lower portion of LFH's fuselage

High/low skids configuration front attachment point?

**Savoia** · 13th January 2015, 19:34

Grazie Zis!

I am sure you are right about the Polizei Gazelles and about LFH's skid attachment point.

It is interesting about the skids because (without knowing) one just assumes that the high skid gear simply involves longer cross-tubes but - it seems as though only the rear tube is longer and the for'ard one mounted (as you've suggested) at a lower point on the fuselage.

**Savoia** · 14th January 2015, 08:52

Originally posted by md600driver View Post

The Gazelle's main blades can cut you in half

I had always imagined that they could take off one's head, but it just goes to show how incredibly careful one needs to be around the main rotor on the Gaz when it is starting-up or spooling down. I think I better understand now why most Gaz drivers stop the main rotor with the brake after landing as opposed to simply letting the rotors come to a stop after shutting down the engine. Mechanics are forever reminding drivers to use the brake sparingly (in order to save on wear and tear) but in the case of the Gaz, you simply don't want those 'drooping' blades flapping around any longer than absolutely necessary.

Thanks too for your additional comments!

* * *

Seeing as this is the 777th post on the thread .. I thought I had better submit something a bit spiritual!

L'Armée de terre SA342 'BOI' passes in front of L'Hôtel national des Invalides in Paris on 14th July 2008

The L'Hôtel national des Invalides (or National Residence of Invalids) was built as a hospital and a retirement home for war veterans but now contains the Musée de l'Armée, the military museum of the Army of France, the Musée des Plans-Reliefs, and the Musée d'Histoire Contemporaine. The hospital is also the burial site for a number of France's war heroes, notably Napoleon Bonaparte.

**Savoia** · 15th January 2015, 09:10

Close up of Gaz low skid forward mounting access. For'ard jacking point also visible

**Savoia** · 15th January 2015, 09:23

SA341G (cn 1414) F-GKYC as seen at Toussus Le Noble Airport in 1993 (Photo: Patirck Mathieu)

Formerly I-ETBA.

**Savoia** · 16th January 2015, 09:15

More yellow 342 ..

SA342J YU-HES (cn 1057) as seen at Stapleford Aerodrome on 3rd September 2012 (Photo: Gavin)

Formerly F-GOSO.

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