Shrieking Gazelles

[Savoia]

Presenting Gazelle's MEDEVAC capabilities...

Very interesting!

Always wondered how they fitted litters in the Gaz!

The area where the patient's legs are .. is this normally the baggage compartment?

[Gary Gazelle]

Technically, this is the casevac role - medevac requires a medic/doctor. BATUS gazelles have recently been modified to Medevac and carry basic equipment (oxygen, monitors, defibrillator, etc). By turning the casualty round (feet forward), the doc sits level with the casualty's head and can reach his chest.

[Zishelix]

Correct .....

[Zishelix]

Fashion touch, American style... goes with a pair of cowboy boots

[Savoia]

Nice shot of the boot area!

And speaking of boots .. if you get the boots to go with the buckles .. I'll send you the cap!




British Army Gazelles deploying trainee Forward Air Controllers (FACs) at RAF Spadeadam, Cumbria on 27th October 2004 (Photo: Graeme Main)

[Zishelix]

I appreciate your generous offer, but I'm affraid I'll look with that cap more like a trucker than a decent Gazelle fan

[Savoia]

A follow-up from the previous page and the Gazelles deployed in Rhodesia in support of the Commonwealth Monitoring Force in 1979/80:

"During that time Gazelles became the helicopter of choice – “the difference between a Ford Cortina and a Ferrari”. On New Year’s Eve, 1979, he was called to Rhodesia to support the Commonwealth Monitoring Force during a ceasefire between the Rhodesian state and organisations such as the Zimbabwe National Liberation Army and Zimbabwe People’s Revolutionary Army.

Paul’s one real scare was when flying a Patriotic Front leader to a political rally. The “General” had drunk quite a lot of whisky at the rally and, on the way back to Salisbury, tried to convert Paul to his own Marxist principles.

“I was fairly busy at the time . . . and I found his political tirade rather tiring, so I turned down the volume on his intercom.

He took exception to this . . . and, in a fit of pique, reached over to his aide, who was sat in the back seat, and removed a hand grenade from the, now trembling, aide’s webbing. He then pulled the pin and held on to the lever very tightly. He had, I think, at that moment realised just what he had done.

“In as calm a voice as I could muster, I told him that if he let go of the lever he would be dead just a split second before me. He thought about this for a couple of seconds and then spent an agonising two or three minutes trying to replace the pin. Fortunately, he succeeded.

“Needless to say, I refused to ever carry this chap again. It didn’t seem to do him any harm as he went on to be a minister in the new government . . .”

From Paul Strugnell's book: Hawkeye

[Savoia]

Couple of Gazelles from Heli-Expo 2014:





Still waiting for info on which models of Gazelle these are along with their registrations.

[Zishelix]

SA.341F2 (ex French ALAT machines) both... the camou one should be N341SH c/n 1594, but not I'm sure about ID of the second one (N250KS?)... nice looking paintwork, btw

[Savoia]

Okay, great! Will hopefully obtain the remaining details soon.

Am I right in assuming that the difference between the civilian SA341 'G' and the military SA341 'F2' is that the 'F2' is installed with the Astazou III N2 or C2 whereas the 'G' has the straight Astazou III?

[Zishelix]

French Army's 341s are equipped with upgraded Astazou IIIC while civil SA.341 mostly have IIIA turbines. Not to mention differences within the fuselage adjusted for military purposes.

[Savoia]

The feedback is that these two aircraft were imported by Rotor Leasing of Elbert, Colorado in the US and are N341SH (cn 1594) and N250KS (cn 1597).

[Zishelix]

Thanks for the info.

Btw, I know Gazelles are quick but SN 1597 must be really quick because it was in South Africa few weeks ago!


ZU-RHH at Swartkop (FASK) February 8th, 2014. Photo by Malcolm Reid.

So, N250KS is probably SN 1598.

[Savoia]

Btw, I know Gazelles are quick but SN 1597 must be really quick because it was in South Africa few weeks ago!

Quite right Zis, my mistake!

1597 did not make an expeditious trans-Atlantic crossing and yes, N250KS is 1598. In my defence I cite the single digit separation plus that fact that 1597 was also supplied by Rotor Leasing!

[Zishelix]

No problem, I'm glad we solved a mystery regarding their IDs

Let's put here one of the longest living Gazelles in the States, N18BC


photo from 1974

Of course, it changed livery in the meantime



but not sure does she still flying around.

[Savoia]

N18BC is looking good!

Any idea what the emblem is beneath the pax window?

[Zishelix]

In 1974, the owner was Structures Inc., FL... can't find anything more about

[Savoia]

In 1974, the owner was Structures Inc., FL... can't find anything more about

I was able to discover that in 2011 she was under the ownership of Centreline Holdings Inc. of Dover, Delaware in the US but, given the name of the company and its location (associated with favourable tax rates) the aircraft may in fact be anywhere!

Something just a little different ..


SA 349Z Gazelle cn 1201 at the Musée de l'ALAT in Dax, Southern France

[Zishelix]

I'm glad you draw attention onto this project

Carrying on its effort on technological research and experimentation, the Aérospatiale developed the 349-2 in 1976. The prototype, with the transom truncated behind the fenestron and regd F-ZWRN, has two auxiliary wings equipped with fins and airbrakes, device that made it possible to test in 1977 the lift increase thanks to an add-on fixed wing.
Moreover, the SA 349-2 was used to test a new concept of main rotor hub. It permitted to collect many data on the aerodynamic running of the rotors and the absorption of the vibrations at high speeds.

When the tests came to an end, the SA 349-2 was stored until 1993, when it was offered to the ALAT Museum.

But the 349-2 wasn't first „winged“ Gazelle. One of two prototypes (SA.340-001) was temporary marked as SA.349Z back in early 1970s, regd F-ZWRF and also shortly had wings


Since we discussing „weird“ Gazelles, it should be mentioned this one as well

One of four pre-serially produced helicopters, SA-341-01, regd F-ZWRH, was equipped with rotor mast cover nicknamed "Oursin" and used for speed trials. The second one from the same batch, SA.341-02 was a test bed for Turbomeca Arriel back in 1974

[Savoia]

Most interesting.

We know the Gazelle has good speed for a light single ..

On 13 May 1967 Denis Prost and Jean Marie Besse broke two world speed records on a closed course achieving speeds of 307 km/h over 3 kilometres and 292 km/h over 100 kilometres.

But .. I wonder what speed they were able to achieve with the 329 and it's compound wing?

[Zishelix]

Wings were designed to explore high manoeuvrability rather than high speed or convertiplane characteristic

[Zishelix]

I think it's appropriate to mark my 50th post here by mentioning the man who influenced Gazelle concept the most - Monsieur ingénieur René MOUILLE



Rene Mouille was born in 1925. He joined SNCASE in 1946, where very quickly his talents as a designer were realised. He become responsible for the study helicopter design under Pierre Renoux. After designing and perfecting the SE3120 Alouette I, with which several record were established, he is put in charge of drawing the SE3130 Alouette II. This become a very succesful design, with more than 1300 aircrafts constructed. His next projects were the Alouette III, Puma and the Gazelle. He has filled over 100 patents, including many of which become important on French helicopters i.e. the rotor anti-couple of the SE3200 Frelon.

[Savoia]

Wings were designed to explore high manoeuvrability rather than high speed or convertiplane characteristic

Ah well, you would have thought that with that wing area to defer the onset of retreating blade stall the test drivers would have put the Gaz into a little bit of a dive .. you know .. to see what she could do!

Not a Gaz .. but similar in size .. was the Lockheed XH-51:

Check-out the retractable skids!

[Zishelix]

Looks like XH-51 was more jet powered gyrocopter than a real helicopter

However, there was a "mean" Gazelle as well, equipped with:

- bullet-proof glass
- armour plating
- 0.787 in (20 mm) barrel cannon
- jet turbine engine with boost capability
- FLIR (forward-looking infra-red)
- TADS (helmet-mounted target acquisition and designation system)
- PNVS (pilot night vision sensor)
- closed circuit TV-camera with a 100:1 zoom-lens
- twin long-range, high-sensitivity shotgun microphones
- cabin microphone ¾" code-numbered video-system
- three TV-monitors
- wide-band scanner
- computer-databank links
- whisper-mode for silent flight, etc.

Remember it? Of course - the Blue Thunder!



More photos here http://www.flickr.com/photos/garytma...th/4737103115/

[Zishelix]

It's time for magic



http://www.maxstevenson.net/show.php

[Savoia]

It's time for magic

Lol! What was all that about then?

Regarding Blue Thunder (and as you probably know) much of the filming was done on location at the LAPD's Air Support Unit home on the roof of the Piper Technical Center which is located to the northeast of the central business district of Los Angeles.

A friend of mine was the LAPD's chief check and training pilot in the 1980's and I have been fortunate enough to have flown with the ASU from the heliport a total of three times, twice during day-time sorties and once at night.

In those days (when the heliport had just been constructed) the roof was a sea of blue and white Jet Rangers!


The LAPD's Hooper Heliport

Do I take it from your earlier post that Rene Mouille was the 'father of the fenstron'?

[Zishelix]

Actually it's a mock-up (although the section was taken from the production line) used for the Gazelle's cabin interior arrangement http://celag.free.fr/museum/sa341/sa341_0.htm

Re LAPD's ASU home: What a great place to spend a day or two!

Correct, we can say Mr. Mouille invented the fenestron.

[Savoia]

One of the things debuted in Blue Thunder was the aerobatic nature of the heavily modified Gaz, but .. people have been demonstrating the aircraft's 'aerobaticness' for years!




An RAF HT3 Training Gazelle 'exercising'

[Zishelix]

Indeed!

... pity the cameraman was so amateur

[Savoia]

SA341G Gazelle F-GKIB at Lognes Emerainville Airport, France, on 17th June 1991 (Photo: Don Hewins)

[Zishelix]

No1008 was delivered to Yugoslavia back in 1972 and as YU-HBA used for VIP transport. Sold in France during 1990 and w/o in accident 4/97. Main parts used to built a "home made SA.341GC" I-PJCG c/n 001 (which was destroyed in March 2002 and re-built as I-PNIC c/n 002)

Quite a history of accidents, huh.