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  • These are covers of Gazelle promotional booklets I'm looking for a long time now. Some occasionally pop-up up on auction sites, but I had no luck in so far attempts to buy any. So in case some of you guys (and gals ) might have any of these, I'll be more than grateful for the help to get at least their scans!

    Comment




    • In the past few days 4 Gazelles have been cancelled from the Ukrainian register, being:

      UR-ABBA c/n 1102
      UR-ALMA c/n 1078
      UR-CSAG c/n 1272
      UR-RIV c/n 1148

      I have not found a specific reason for this.

      Cheers,
      Jos.

      Comment


      • Savoia
        Savoia commented
        Editing a comment
        Has someone perhaps purchased a herd of Ukrainian registered Gazelles!

    • Very interesting. Thanks for sharing this info Jos!

      Comment


      • md600driver
        md600driver commented
        Editing a comment
        1272 was my first Gazelle which was sold to Ukraine with 1174 .

        I have some early gazelle promo leaflets some shown on Zis' photo - I will check. I also have a cine film showing Gazelles being handed over to the military in the UK.

      • Savoia
        Savoia commented
        Editing a comment
        Ah well, I've only waited about a year to discover which was Steve's first Gaz!

        Zis, some photos please of Steve's first craft - you know .. the one that bit him with the Gazelle bug!

        For Steve .. a link to transfer cine film to DVD: https://www.cine2dvdtransfers.co.uk/

      • Zishelix
        Zishelix commented
        Editing a comment
        With pleasure Sav!

        C/n 1272 started its life as WA.341D. She was constructed under code RAF012 in Yeovil factory and had the first flight in November 22nd, 1974. Delivered to RAF next month as HT Mk.3 XX382/M. She spent her service time with 2nd Flight Training School. Demobbed in late 1990's and sold on civil market. Become G-BZYB to Aerocars Ltd. in 2001 and two years later to the Gazelle Flying Group… the rest is history



        As seen at RAF Little Rissington in 1975 (Photo: Michael Freer)
        Last edited by Zishelix; 6th November 2015, 16:59.

    • Grazie Zis!



      The First Crabtree Gazelle
      So .. can we assume then that this is the craft responsible for sparking Steve's Gazelle addiction?


      SA341D G-BZYB (cn WA1272) formerly XX382 (unknown date and location)

      Comment


      • md600driver
        md600driver commented
        Editing a comment
        This picture was taken outside my hangar at BREIGHTON airfield in Yorkshire.

      • Savoia
        Savoia commented
        Editing a comment
        Grazie signor Crabtree!

    • Hungarian Gaz ..


      SA341H Soko Gazelle HA-LFP (cn 008)

      Comment




      • Exercise 'Joint Warrior' 2015

        We captured this craft landing at Oban a couple of pages back, so it seems only fair to post her departure too:


        SA341B ZB665 (cn 1932) departing Oban Airport in Scotland during Exercise 'Joint Warrior' October 2015

        Comment




        • F-GBMC

          This craft has appeared before on 'Shrieking Gazelles' but .. I think this may be a new perspective:


          SA341G(S) F-GBMC Westland Gazelle (cn WA1065) as seen in France c.1979 (Photo Chris McKee)

          This particular shot reveals what appears to be some unique tail 'branding' however, when I try and enlarge the photo it breaks-up. Will keep trying.

          Comment


          • Zishelix
            Zishelix commented
            Editing a comment
            Looks like - Gazelle Special... (something) - Missing that inscription detail in hi-res as well

          • Savoia
            Savoia commented
            Editing a comment
            I can barely pick-out the Gazelle text and only recognise this because of the unique font. But, if the next word is 'Special' I suppose it is possible that the following word may be 'Edition' and which wouldn't be too far off the mark given the rarity of Westland-built stretched Gazelles.

          • Zishelix
            Zishelix commented
            Editing a comment
            Gazelle Special Edition - it could be!

        • RAF GAZ


          SA341D Westland Gazelle XW862 (cn WA1104) as seen during a visit to Blurton Primary School in Stoke-on-Trent in 1983
          (Photo: Martyn Ford)



          With the photographer's father, Mr Ford Senior, and the Gazelle's copilot


          Getting ready to depart (All photos by Martyn Ford)

          Now flying with William Pitcher as G-EZZL .

          Comment


          • ZB666/G sitting at London Luton in 1986 (Photo: Adrian Batchelor)



            Seems "triple six" serial brought nothing but bad luck to this one. The machine crashed at Mount Kenya in February 2000, luckily just slightly injuring the two crew.



            The remains were donated to the North East Aircrafts Museum at Sunderland back in 2007 and became as a spares source for WA.341G G-BAGJ restoration project.

            Comment


            • Savoia
              Savoia commented
              Editing a comment
              Grazie Zis!

            • Adrian Batchelor
              Adrian Batchelor commented
              Editing a comment
              Thank you all for the comments,With regards to 666 my vantage point prior to the shot is just to the right high up but out of picture ,this being the one of the hanger toilet windows!! with its Dayglo finish you could not miss it
              Last edited by Adrian Batchelor; 20th November 2015, 18:38.

            • Gary Gazelle
              Gary Gazelle commented
              Editing a comment
              originally the training aircraft in Wallop had the hi-viz panels but later, Kenya, Belize & Brunei too. BATUS have a hi-viz paint scheme (rather than stick on dayglo) for range safety.

          • Montenegro Policija


            SA341H Soko Gazelle 4O-HFB (cn 005) as seen at Podgorica Airport in Montenegro on 6th May 2012 (Photo: Phil Adkin)

            This craft evidently assigned to the Montenegrin Police (Montenegro Policija).

            Comment


            • Zishelix
              Zishelix commented
              Editing a comment
              Nice paintwork and a tribute to some of the early AĂ©rospatiale colour schemes used on the Gazelle!

          • We already have this in the post #428, but here's another look at a Gazelle featuring one of the original colour schemes and on which 4O-HFB (above) might be loosely based.



            D-HOYE in 1975

            Comment


            • 3 Commando Brigade Air Squadron


              Royal Marines SA341B Westland Gazelle XX413 (cn 1309) c.1978

              Comment


              • I assume this is the same one (XX413). Anyone able to confirm?



                Photo taken in Belfast, Sydenham in February 1977.

                Comment


                • Savoia
                  Savoia commented
                  Editing a comment
                  Quite possibly. (Nice shot). So what do you suppose the 'CZ' lettering represents?

                • Zishelix
                  Zishelix commented
                  Editing a comment
                  Unfortunately, I have no idea.

              • Originally posted by Savoia View Post
                Quite possibly. (Nice shot). So what do you suppose the 'CZ' lettering represents?
                It' the fleet number from the regiment it is based with - slightly easier to remember than XZ413.

                Comment


                • Savoia
                  Savoia commented
                  Editing a comment
                  Well done Steve, many thanks. It's always so much better knowing what something means!

              • Originally posted by md600driver View Post
                It' the fleet number from the regiment it is based with - slightly easier to remember than XZ413.
                It is definitely easier to remember than the serial, which you incorrectly quoted as XZ413 (in fact it is XX413).

                In addition, XX411 was coded CX.

                Comment


                • Zishelix
                  Zishelix commented
                  Editing a comment
                  Which leads us to conclude that XX412 was coded CY? Although such sequence coincidences rarely happen among batches of serials, this time it seems to be true!


              • A couple of shots of a stretched Gazelle N123TY (s/n 1264) which appeared in "The Best of The Best II" movie filmed in 1993.





                Sadly she crashed near West Harsley, Northallerton, in Yorkshire, in November 1998.

                See accident report here.

                Comment


                • Savoia
                  Savoia commented
                  Editing a comment
                  Nice shots!

                  Sad to her of her demise, but thankful to read that no lives were lost.

                  I greatly admire drivers who don't push it in poor weather and try to encourage this message whenever possible. Poor weather and VFR flying are a potentially lethal combination.

              • Exercise Prairie Storm 4

                Photo released today from the British Army:


                29 BATUS Flight Army Air Corps Gazelle as seen in November 2015

                The British Army Training Unit Suffield (BATUS) is situated in the province of Alberta, Canada. Each year thousands of soldiers from the UK train at BATUS between March and November. The prairie is seven times the size of Salisbury Plain Training Area in Wiltshire and experiences weather which ranges from 30°c in summer to -40°c in winter.

                Comment


                • Ah, good old ZB671! She's been with BATUS all her life. ​

                  Seen below at Middle Wallop during last "face lifting" (overhaul) in February 2010.



                  (Photo: Mike Freer, Touchdown Aviation)

                  Comment


                  • Savoia
                    Savoia commented
                    Editing a comment
                    Now that's what I call an overhaul! Well done Wallop!

                • Originally posted by Zishelix View Post
                  Super! Any chance to surprise us with any new or old Gazelle photos?

                  Dear Zishelix, to get you going here are a couple of photos of cn: 1155 which began life as N62406 before becoming G-BLAP and then G-SFTH when I first photographed her. She then became G-OAFY and G-PAGS (when I again photographed her) and then became YU-MMY and finally HA-LFC.

                  I shall try to post what I can from the Gazelles in my collection as I come across them.


                  SA341G G-SFTH (cn 1155) Bournemouth Hurn Airport 1986 (Adrian Batchelor)

                  I took this photo while visiting an old paint shop manager who worked for Mike Carlton of the Brencham Group.

                  Btw, I was thinking of a caption for this photo - what about "Press here to start"?


                  SA341G G-PAGS (cn 1155) North Weald Airport 1996 (Adrian Batchelor)

                  I worked at North Weald for a time and which is when I took this.

                  PS: This is the first time for these photos to appear online, and I am very pleased for them to make their fist appearance on Aviafora.

                  Comment


                  • Comment


                    • Dear Adrian, must say you made my day by these nice s/n 1155 images! So glad you decide to join Aviafora.

                      GazEngineer, welcome as well! Thanks for posted this small but lovely Gazelle photo. G-BAGJ, I assume?



                      Comment


                      • Zishelix
                        Zishelix commented
                        Editing a comment
                        Ah so, G-BCHM... the photo taken at Farnborough in September 1984 by Mick Bajcar, by a chance?

                      • Adrian Batchelor
                        Adrian Batchelor commented
                        Editing a comment
                        No problems at all Zishelix. I am happy to have made your day!

                      • Zishelix
                        Zishelix commented
                        Editing a comment
                        Looking forward to see the rest of your Gazelle pics!



                    • GazEngineer .. a warm welcome to the forum, we are glad to have you aboard!


                      Originally posted by Adrian Batchelor View Post
                      Btw, I was thinking of a caption for this photo - what about "Press here to start"?
                      Or .. "I'm sure I removed the exhaust cover!"



                      Comment


                      • Zishelix
                        Zishelix commented
                        Editing a comment
                        How about - 'I'm sure I closed the baggage door!'

                    • Originally posted by Savoia View Post
                      Or .. "I'm sure I removed the exhaust cover!"
                      Or .. "I'm sure I removed the pitot cover."




                      Comment


                      • Savoia
                        Savoia commented
                        Editing a comment
                        Ha ha well spotted .. didn't see that one!

                    • Thank you for the welcome. I'm sure there will be more pictures when I get time between working on them too.

                      Comment


                      • Zishelix
                        Zishelix commented
                        Editing a comment
                        No rush anyway.

                        I hope you don't mind me asking, but (assuming you are a Gazelle engineer) do you work on military or civilian machines?

                      • GazEngineer
                        GazEngineer commented
                        Editing a comment
                        Ex military and civilian

                      • Zishelix
                        Zishelix commented
                        Editing a comment
                        Great, thanks! I'm flattered this modest thread attracted so many Gazelle professionals

                    • Hi all - just joined the forum.

                      I've been lucky enough (?) to work on the UK Army aircraft at different levels for many years so I know them fairly well

                      GG

                      Comment




                      • Gary, a warm welcome to the forum!

                        You appear to be the second Gazelle engineer to have made their first post within the past 48 hours .. its obviously contagious!

                        A couple of questions (please) for you and also GazEngineer if either of you are up for it:

                        Firstly, could you indicate your top two 'likes' and 'dislikes' about working on the Gaz?

                        Secondly, in the videos I've seen of Gazelles, the blades seem to start moving after an increase in engine rpm. My assumption was that as you released the brake the blades would immediately begin to move, but perhaps this is not so. Maybe the blades remain motionless after the brake is released and it requires the application of some throttle to get them going? If that's the case then I'm guessing this is to do with the Astazou's single-stage axial design, but the truth is, I really don't know! Would you be able to explain a little about this please.

                        Many thanks.

                        Comment


                        • GazEngineer
                          GazEngineer commented
                          Editing a comment
                          The thing I like about the gazelle is its beauty. The fenestron has been used on other helicopters but it'll only ever look the part on the gazelle.
                          The only thing I dislike about them is they don't have many years left in them due to costs.

                        • Zishelix
                          Zishelix commented
                          Editing a comment
                          Old Latin said 'De gustibus non est disputandum' (In matters of taste, there can be no disputes), but I agree with you regarding Gazelle's beauty

                      • No, there is a clutch in between. Engine idle is about 25k rpm. Once you advance throttle, the clutch comes in at about 28k (new clutch) to 30k or even 34k (worn clutch). The clutch is like on the Alouette, inside there are 10 shoes that will contact the outer surface once the centrifugal force comes in. The brake needs to be released before applying throttle or you could wear, glaze or burn the clutch. The brake is only a rotor brake nothing more.

                        Comment


                        • Savoia
                          Savoia commented
                          Editing a comment
                          Beautifully explained XB. Grazie mille!

                      • Zis, I remember you posting a photo of N101CL on page 23 .. and wondered whether you have seen this clip of her taking-off?

                        https://vimeo.com/2319281

                        Comment


                        • Zishelix
                          Zishelix commented
                          Editing a comment
                          Nope, thanks for sharing! Just pitty the footage is so short and blurry!

                      • Please does anyone know why UK Gazelles (military machines mainly) have this "patch"?



                        It can be seen on the right side of tail boom, near rear part of the fuselage. I assume it's kind of service access door?

                        Comment


                        • Savoia
                          Savoia commented
                          Editing a comment
                          Zis, I think the 'pipe' you are referring to may well be the aircraft's defensive systems sensor.

                        • Zishelix
                          Zishelix commented
                          Editing a comment
                          OK, but what's the meaning of such sensor on the aircraft which have no self-defence system?

                        • GazEngineer
                          GazEngineer commented
                          Editing a comment
                          The pole sticking out is part of an antenna which plugs into the pole then 2 more as it makes its way down the outside of the tail boom to the start of the fenestron

                      • Some nice shots of The Gazelle Squadron Display Team's machines from the first Bourne Park Nightshoot!

                        "Gordon" (G-ZZLE / XX436) & "Ginger" (G-CBSK / ZB627)





                        Beside them, G-CBSI / XZ934 and G-CBSH / XX406 also appeared at the event:





                        All above were taken in October 24th, 2015 by Mark Kwiatkowski. Well done Mr Kwiatkowski!

                        Looking these quite foggy windshields, I wonder how effective is cabin air-condition in such intense condensation?

                        Comment


                        • Savoia
                          Savoia commented
                          Editing a comment
                          Nice shots Zis, bravo.

                          Let's hope the Gazelle demister is better than the one in the early Alouette II's which, from what I am told .. didn't exist!

                        • Zishelix
                          Zishelix commented
                          Editing a comment
                          Do you mean like in this photo, where Sabena's pilots were forced to fly IFR, not because of the weather outside the helicopter, but because of the weather inside the helicopter!


                        • Savoia
                          Savoia commented
                          Editing a comment
                          Lol! Ah Zis, you have made me laugh. Yes, that is exactly what I mean.
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