Shrieking Gazelles

[Rotorspot]

HA-LFP

Soko 341G Gazelle, HA-LFP c/n 008, is no longer listed in the Hungarian aircraft register dated 07-Dec-2016.

I presume she has been cancelled, but actual fate is unknown.

She was featured on this forum here: http://www.aviafora.com/forums/forum...=4448#post4448

[Savoia]

Grazie Jos.

It is just possible that the guys at Hidroplan could help out with this info: http://www.hidroplannord.hu/kapcsolat.html

[Helipixman]

FAZ - Forces Armees Zairoises

First I have heard of these two Gazelles. Apparently two Rwandan Gazelles fled the civil war flown by Hutu pilots to Zaire. Once in Zaire they were taken on by FAZ and registered as 9T-HG3 and 9T-HG5. Sadly I cannot locate any photos for these. Anyone else heard of these ?

also F-GESG has been cancelled by DGAC, France as of 24.11.16

[Zishelix]

Thanks for info Helipix. Let's hope some Aviaforan would be able to shed some light on 9T Gazelles.

[Rotorspot]

I did find the following text on the internet, which is in line with the above information.

Rwandan AF

For almost 30 years the Force Aérienne Rwandaise (“RwAF” – Rwandan Air Force) was a small transport and liaison arm, equipped with small helicopters and light transports. Established in 1962, when Rwanda gained independence from Belgium, the Force Aérienne Rwandese (RwAF) was originally equipped with two Douglas C-47s and six Aérospatiale SA.316 Alouette IIIs. In 1974 three Aermacchi AM-3C utility light planes were purchased and a Caravelle (reg. 9XR-CH) donated by the French for VIP flights. There was the intention to establish a small jet force of attack trainers but such plans were abandoned very soon for lack of funds, and in the late 1970s the RwAF was equipped and trained on French helicopters, with only two STOL piston-engined Socata R.235 Guerrier armed trainer and general purpose airplanes, seven Aérospatiale SA.316 Alouette III, six Aérospatiale SA.342L Gazelles, and at least one AS.365 Dauphin. Other aircraft in use during 1980s were two Britten-Norman Islanders, two Nord 2501 Noratlas, and two Aérospatiale AS.350B Ecureuils.

During the civil war that raged from 1990 until 1994, the RwAF fell apart, having lost most of its transport- and training aircraft in crashes, shot down or destroyed on the ground. The helicopter force and Rwandan personnel suffered some losses as well and were subsequently scattered. The sole surviving Noratlas (reg. 9XR-GY) was flown out to Dar-Es-Salam shortly before the outbreak of rebellion in Rwanda, and apparently abandoned there (last seen in 1996 and again in 1998). Only three Gazelles seem to have survived and they were seen – together with two Mi-24s – at Kigali IAP, in 1997, all painted in the – for RwAF – standard camouflage pattern. Two were then noticed at Goma, in Zaire, in August 1997, already with provisional Congolese codes – 9T-HG3 and 9T-HG5 (“G” in their serial stood for “Gazelle”, “H” for Helicopter), which indicated that it is possible that up to five Gazelles were given to Kabila. A number of other Rwandan helicopters were seen in South Africa and Swaziland, indicating the involvement of South African companies and mercenaries in the Rwandan civil war. For example, the Gazelle coded “10K12” was seen in green camouflage pattern after being overhauled in Lanseria, South Africa.


[The remaining part of the text has nothing to do with Gazelles, so I have deleted that part.]

[Zishelix]

Here is a Rwandan Gazelle and which photo shows the horrors of the civil war referred to in Jos' message above.
Click on the photo for a slightly larger version.

[Warty]

Gazelle Aero LLC is based at Airport Drive, San Luis Obispo, California which is somewhere we stopped at on our grand drive around from Medicine Hat, Alberta, in 1981.


There is a write-up of later trip in a Gazelle (N1831A) in 2003 HERE.


N1831A is also part of the red and white collection

[Savoia]

Grazie Warty. We shall hopefully see during Heli-Expo what this firm is all about - they probably sell nuts and bolts or something like that!

[Warty]

Maybe it's related to a guy named Wayne Fulton?

[Miki]

Hello, I am Miki from Serbia!

I am an avionics engineer and have been working on Gazelle helicopters SA 341 / 342 since 1988.

I specialise in repairing and overhauling all types of instruments and electrical equipment. I also overhaul parts and even rebuild the complete helicopter. I can arrange the overhaul of Astazou engines and will do this for a good price with very good quality even I believe it is best quality.

I am also willing to share information with Gazelle enthusiasts, because as well as being a technician I am also a Gazelle enthusiast. I am happy to join your forum and I thank you to Aviafora to allow me to tell about my services to support the Gazelle!

I am going to show you on the forum some of the work I have been doing.

If you are Gazelle enthusiast and have some questions, you write them on this forum and I will answer them.

If you are Gazelle owner and you would like me to repair your helicopter or overhaul components or engine, then please email me Miki O Brad at: kucnemasine@gmail.com and I provide quotation for you.


Here is a picture of Gazelle helicopter SA-342J which I have been working on. This is taken during test flight.

It is equiped with ASTAZOU XIV H 440 KW engine, standard Serbian version. Paint epoxy primer white.

[Zishelix]

Thanks for this interesting photo.

[Savoia]

Dear Miki

A warm welcome to Aviafora, we are very glad to have your aboard.

We are always pleased to promote our member's services, especially if this can help others.

Thank you for offering to answer our reader's questions. We have a number of readers who visit the site daily, but not so many who engage in posting, but never mind I am sure that between Zishelix and myself we will find plenty of questions for you!

My first question is about Moma Stanojlovic. Some weeks ago Zishelix posted a story about Serbia buying H145 helicopters. The contract with Airbus includes certification of Moma Stanojlovic as an Airbus approved maintenance centre. Do you think this means that the costs for work performed by Moma Stanojlovic are now going to increase?

Also can you say something about the Gazelle, which things do you like about working on this aircraft and is there anything you don't like?

Once again, welcome to the forum!

Regards

Sav

[Miki]

Thank you very much and it is always nice to be among the enthusiast. I am one myself.

The contract between Moma and Airbus is huge and excellent job for both of the parties. We shall see in the following years ahead. Regarding the prices also.

The Gazelle is the Ferrari among the helicopters and it is always pleasure to work at such fine tech development even after all these years. Aviaforans are also admirers, so I decided to become one of the great company!

[Savoia]

In welcoming Miki to the forum .. a Serbian bird ..


SA341H YU-HDL (cn 031) as seen in Belgrade on 30th May 2004 (Photo: Milan Vladisavljevic)

[Savoia]

Warty, when you have a moment would you be able to say something about the Gazelle's SAS system. Were they all of the same make and, if so, which make were they?

My late godfather was a test pilot with Ferranti and was involved with the development of their SAS system. All of Ferranti's 105's and 206's had SAS fitted to them.

AFAIK some of the Ferranti units were delivered (I believe to the AAC) either for test purposes (in which case I think they may have only supplied a handful of units) or perhaps as replacement units (I am not entirely sure) when the regular ones went u/s.

Do you happen to know whether the SAS units in general were troublesome (maintenance wise) or were they relatively trouble-free?

Grazie


Ferranti advert from the 1970's promoting the company's SAS unit

[Savoia]

Grazie Warty. As mentioned Ferrenti did supply a number of units to the MoD but, now that you mention Boscombe Down, this may well be where they were sent and, IIRC, they were fitted (curiously) to at least one Army machine for there is a photo somewhere of an Army Gaz during these SAS trials. Ferranti's SAS unit was originally a development of Rockwell's in the US but certification for various aircraft types within Europe was carried-out by Ferranti.

Zis, thanks for this .. and which confirms XB's comments about SFENA.

[Warty]

Here you go, Sav:
http://discovery.nationalarchives.go...a-deeedbec55c8
Enjoy!

PS: Bracknell came under the Aircraft Equipment Department of Ferranti Instrumentation
http://discovery.nationalarchives.go...a-22225eaae554

[Savoia]

Lovely Warty, grazie!

[Savoia]

SA341B XZ345 'M' (cn WA1705) as seen at Salisbury Plains Training Area on 26th January 2017 (Photo: Philip Stevens)


SA341B XZ345 'M' (cn WA1705) as seen at Salisbury Plains Training Area on 26th January 2017 (Photo: Philip Stevens)

From No. 7 (Training) Regiment, Conversion Flight, School of Army Aviation, Middle Wallop and flying as 'Army Air 746'.

Warty, the MoD Gazelles utilised a non-standard anti-collision beacon (below). Do you happen to know why this was and also who the original manufacturer of this beacon was (for I know that currently replacements are supplied by a company which is different from the original manufacturer).


The non-standard anti-collision beacon used on UK MoD Gazelles

Check out Andy's new Gaz 50 header (below) which makes use of the design created by Zis' friend Borissimo!

Nice one Andy!


Andy's new header for the Gazelle 50th Anniversary meet at Middle Wallop on 8th April 2017

If you haven't already signed-up to either fly-in to this event or to attend by ground, then check out the details here.

[Miki]

Bravo ! I like the design of it very much.

[Warty]

Warty, the MoD Gazelles utilised a non-standard anti-collision beacon (below). Do you happen to know why this was and also who the original manufacturer of this beacon was (for I know that currently replacements are supplied by a company which is different from the original manufacturer).

One of my first jobs as a junior greenie was replacing the filaments in these. Back then, they were a red (glass?) cover over a clear filament. I used to carry a few spares with me wherever I went as they were constantly blowing - maybe this was why they got changed. This would also mean swapping/modifying the top of the tail which was just a fibreglass moulding. This photo from 1989 is what I was used to.


Army Air Corps Westland SA341B Gazelle AH1 XX409 (cn WA1351) as seen at Chantilly in France on 9th September 1989 while attending the World Helicopter Championships (Photo: Fred Willemsen)

But note that the RAF cab behind it looks like the type you are talking about - so maybe it was around that time that they got changed over?

XX409 being recovered from Hong Kong harbour in 1977:

[Savoia]

Grazie Warty. Yes, that was the original style anti-collision light. The ones which replaced them were the same unit as used on the Anglo-German-Italian Panavia Tornado. Quite why the MoD would want their Gazelles fitted with a fast jet anti-collision light I am not sure, but there we are!

We did already discuss XX409, how did she end up in the drink?

[Warty]

Simon Fogden Flight Commander 656 Squadron AAC: 'At Sek Kong airfield I picked up a replacement aircrewman as well as a groundcrewman to fly back to the Tolo Harbour HLS. By this time it was nearly 0200 hours with further reduced light levels and a barely discernible horizon. Initially, I found it difficult to locate the HLS but eventually sighted it and set up a right hand circuit for landing. I noted that in the final turn onto finals my height was 600 feet and the speed was 50 knots. At a range of 400 metres, I switched on the landing light and was temporarily dazzled by the reflection off the mist. I adjusted the light down to illuminate the area of the ‘T’ and still further down to pick out the shore line short of the ‘T’. When I looked up again at the ‘T’ I realised I had lost height and at the same time the aircraft struck the water. In attempting to lift and fly the aircraft away, the rota blades struck the water and stopped almost immediately. The aircraft settled into the water and turned over with the landing light still on illuminating the area. Luckily, we were all able to escape unscathed and with the aid of the dinghy from the aircraft’s survival pack we made it to the shore.'

see: http://656.vps4.digitoolbox.com/file...010-spring.pdf from page 36 for the full story

[Savoia]

Great stuff Warty, grazie!

[Savoia]

A Three Gaz Post



Ezio Denti Elicotteri SA341G I-LDAV (cn 1034) as seen at Milan's Malpensa Airport in October 1998 (Photo: Damiano Gualdoni)

Ex F-BUFB now RA-2520G.

For Elipix ..


SA341G G-MANN (cn 1295) as seen at Prestwick in the 1980's (Photo: Jim Bavin)

Don't forget to invite your neighbour G-OGAZ to the fly-in!

For Gaz Engineer ..


SA341G N565F (cn 1182) as seen at Enniskillen's St. Angelo Airport 24th March 2007 (Photo: Wayne Fivey)

In other news .. We've been blessed by a visit from Denissimo! Read his latest comments on The Kenyon Files!

And .. seeing N656F in Ireland (albeit the north) reminds me of a story from County Tipperary from the days when my godfather flew for the race horse trainer Vincent O'Brien.

There was a young chap named Liam who would assist in pushing the Ranger (or 'JetRanger' for TRC's sake) in and out of the hangar. One morning as I arrived at the hangar I find him outside looking around and ask him what he's up to, to which he replies "I've been watching tree rabbits". "Okay" I reply with a cautious smile. "Yes, they were really lovely rabbits" he says, at which point (and being relatively young and willing to take people at their word and of the belief that almost everything was different in Ireland) I begin looking up into the blossom trees next to the hangar.

After some moments Liam asks (in his broad Irish accent) "What are you after looking in those trees for?" to which I reply "I'm looking for these tree rabbits of yours!".

(Irish accent remember) .. "Oh no, I said tree rabbits" whereupon he counts on his fingers "One, two, tree" and then says "You're a daft one aren't you!"

Well, it was very funny at the time and I still chuckle whenever I remember Liam's 'tree rabbits'.

[Rotorspot]

Change of Ownership G-HSDL

G-HSDL, an SA341B (ex UK Army XW909) c/n WA1227, has been registered to new owner 'HOWARD STOTT DEMOLITION LTD' on 10-Feb-2017. The aircraft was previously registered to 'MW HELICOPTERS LTD'.

Now we know what the registration stands for!

[Warty]

Looks like it was part of this sale (original site/page no longer available):

NOTICE OF TENDER - FOR THE SALE OF QTY 30 SURPLUS UK MoD GAZELLE AH1 HELICOPTERS

The Disposal Services Authority (DSA) would like to bring to your attention, the sale by competitive tender of 30 x Ex British Army AH1 Gazelle Helicopters.

All aircraft have been in storage for a considerable period of time. On calendar life, all aircraft are considered unserviceable. All Bright Star Lamps, Cockpit Voice Recorder, SIFF and RWR equipment currently on these aircraft will not be part of the sale.

We are looking to invite submission of proposals on the following basis:

· an outright cash purchase of all 30 x AH1 Gazelle Helicopters;

· The MoD may also consider and therefore invite an innovative proposal that would ultimately offer a greater cash return to the MoD once onward sale is completed. Any proposal should identify markets, expected costs & final sale price and offer an initial cash sum but a subsequent share of the end price which is demonstrably greater than a cash offer for outright purchase. A bank guarantee of £500K would be required for the duration of the sales imitative.

All bids must have been received by 10am on Friday 15th January 2010. Copies of all tender documentation are available on www.e-disposals.com (http://www.e-disposals.com/).

All of these aircraft are currently stored at RAF Shawbury, situated near Shrewsbury in Shropshire (except for XZ338 which is stored at HMS Sultan, Gosport). Viewings can be arranged by prior appointment and our current intention is for viewing of the aircraft to take place on the 7th, 8th or 9th of December 2009. Viewings can be arranged by prior appointment.

Any bids must be supported by an outline plan that addresses the removal and storage of the aircraft and, if the intention is to recover the aircraft to flying standard, demonstrate the capability to comply with applicable air worthiness standards. Prior to completion of the sale, the DSA require visibility of contractor and sub-contractor licences in this respect.

The Tail Numbers include: XW848, XW909, XW913, XX371, XX383, XX386, XX394, XZ398, XX409, XX416, XX437, XX438, XX439, XX445, XX455, XX456, XX462, XZ291, XZ292, XZ304, XZ314, XZ324, XZ338, XZ344, ZA728, ZA773, ZA776, ZA726, ZB673, ZB688

[Savoia]

Grazie Jos!

Regarding the disposal of surplus Gazelles, we now await the disposal of the final batch of MoD Gazelles in the 20's!

[Miki]

Gazelle Technical Talk

Do you like to join me in discussing technical issues on the Gazelle?

If you have any questions please post them on this thread and I will try to answer them.

The main gearbox is the crucial connection which links the Gazelle's Astazou engine, its airframe, the main rotor and tail rotor.

This work of tech ingenious art is carrier of the hydro pack as well. There is a RPM sender inside it and you can see rotor rpm-s at the inside scale of tachometer at the instrumental board.

At the side of main gearbox is also place for low oil pressure sender.

You may see it here:

Also, additional photo:

[Zishelix]

Interesting stuff, Miki. Thanks!

[Savoia]

This is very interesting Miki.

It is also interesting that Aérospatiale designed this and the Alouette gearbox in this style, tall and narrow. I wonder if there are any advantages to this?

[Rotorspot]

The main drawback I see for such a tall and narrow gearbox is its height. When you want to build a low profile helicopter with the gearbox on top of the cabin (like e.g. the Westland Lynx or the Sikorsky Blackhawk) the gearbox needs to be low.

[Savoia]

L'Armée de Terre SA341F's as seen at Dax in southwestern France in 2010 (Photo: André Bour)




SA341B XX449 (WA1443) as seen at Hobart Barracks, Detmold, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany in 1991 while with 654 Squadron

[Miki]

Thank you for these photos.All the beauties placed at the hangar.There you can see the military maintenance.Very best of all.

[Fene Strong]

I Believe that CN 1198 (N1198G) is the fleet leader in Gazelle hours, does anyone know the present hours and if this is in fact the case?

[Warty]

Sav, the only clue I have is this very obscure publication:
https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/m...litary+PDF.pdf

It appears to be a list of spotting from the early 1960s onwards. XW848 also appears on this list for the IFTU in 1973.

[Warty]

Sav, I will do a post about the Gazelle IFTU tomorrow. Hopefully by the morning.

[Savoia]

Okay grazie, great stuff Warty!

[Rotorspot]

Another Gazelle to South Africa

N210GZ, SA341F2, c/n 1210, owner AEROSPATIALE SA34X INC, was cancelled 10-Feb-2017 on export to SOUTH AFRICA.

[Savoia]

South Africa's Gaz population seems to have jumped from something like 2 to 20 in about 5 years. Amazing!

[Savoia]

The UK's Highest Time Gaz


SA341B XW847 (cn WA1011) as seen at RAF Bassingbourn on 27th May 1978 (Photo: Ken Richards)

Fene Strong advises us (in confidence ) that this craft has now racked-up 12,951 hours. She may have clocked 13,000 by the time of the fly-in!

Hopefully Andy will put in a special request for this bird to be at Wallop on the 8th!

Also .. this craft probably deserves some sort of 'award' for being the highest time Gaz - does anyone have any ideas? Perhaps a tube of lipstick with the wording "Still looking good after all these hours?"

G-IZEL


SA341G G-IZEL (cn WA1098) as seen at Duxford in August 1991 (Photo: Martin Laycock)

One of Westland's examples built for the civilian market and seen here six months after having been sold by McAlpine's who had operated her as G-BBHW.

This craft was sadly written off on 10th January 2012. There only appears to be a partial accident report available and which offers no conclusion although the suggestion is that the craft somehow 'lost power'?

[Zishelix]

Also .. this craft probably deserves some sort of 'award' for being the highest time Gaz - does anyone have any ideas?

.. How about this?

[Warty]

The Gazelle Intensive Flying Trials Unit (IFTU)



Three AH.1s were officially accepted to the Gazelle IFTU at Middle Wallop on 3rd May 1973. , An HT2 from the Royal Navy would join later. Nine pilots from the 3 UK services, and 10 REME technicians would spend the next 6 and a half months clocking up around 2,400 hours of flying.



The IFTU's aircraft included what were amongst the longest- and shortest-serving Army Gazelles in terms of time and flying-hours. XW850 (c/n 1018) which was delivered on the 2nd May 1973 was written off on the 31st of the same month. The cause of the accident was attributed to a jack-stall, which causes the controls to revert from servo to manual, and the cyclic stick to kick to the left. Tricky enough to deal with at the best of times, in this instance it happened at low level and at maximum weight. The aircraft crashed at Fordingbridge, Hampshire and was written off as being damaged beyond repair.

There were also incidences identified by the IFTU of jack-stall being caused by an electrical fault as Derek Blevins, an ex-IFTU pilot, explained: "Another fault we experienced was a Gazelle that suddenly started flicking from Servo to Manual control every few seconds! It was discovered that the main wiring loom in the tail boom had been crimped too tightly, and two of the wires had been stripped of their protective covering during subsequent flying vibration. These two wires just happened to be for the manual control selection switch, and the beacon. Every time the beacon flashed, the Gazelle controls reverted to manual."

The XW850 accident was reported via other sources as being caused by "Stalled and crashed due to wiring fault" (aviation-safety.net) or "A wiring fault caused the control system to alternate between powered and manual flight each time the anti-collision beacon flashed" (ukserials.com). These look like derivatives of the above version by Derek Blevins.

A Flight International article of 21 June 1973 also said it crashed "killing one of the crew and injuring the other three". This was also reported as 1 killed, 3 survivors in a Flight International article of 28 November 1974. I can't find any more about this but I'm inclined to think that Derek Blevins would've mentioned it, if that was the case. However, the local Fire Brigade notes that "31st May 1973 a fatal helicopter crash occurred at Whitsbury." (Whitsbury is next to Fordingbridge).

Curiously, there was a BBC News report of this but it's now archived. All that's left to the public is the summary "Stock Footage of Gazelle army helicopter crashes at Whitsbury in Hampshire. One serviceman killed, three injured. Guid: ANB8324W Story Number: 151/73/03." And also see this PPRUNE post: http://www.pprune.org/archive/index.php/t-582517.html So, it's still a bit of a mystery after all these years.

At the other extreme is XW847 which is still flying and has almost 13,000 hours on the clock. XW847 went through around two and a half years of simulated service flying in six months of trials in an effort to find out what was likely to go wrong - both from a flying and a maintenance point of view. So it had a head start in the airframe hours league.



According to this "cover", from the World Helicopter Championships, the aircraft that formed the IFTU were XW847, XW849, XW850(written off), XW851 and XW853(HT2).

XW851, which was delivered on the 19th of June 1973, looks like it was the replacement for the written-off XW850. XW853 was probably a late entry to the IFTU because it wasn't delivered until the 28th of June 1973.

Each of the three initial Army helicopters initially averaged over lOO hours flying per month - a rate of more than three times the average for the Army. Even those in Northern Ireland were only doing around 80 hours a month and that was a 24/7 operation. Maintenance crews worked a three-shift system with major servicing carried out at nights and weekends to ensure maximum availability for the five-days-a-week flying shedule. Very little night flying was carried out, due in part to limitations of the panel lighting. The main objective of establishing the reliabiliy of the aircraft under typical operating conditions was achieved in a short space of time and, at the end of the IFTU period, the Gazelle had started to show what might be called "Alouette reliability. By the end of November, two Gazelles had flown l,000hr since their last blade and transmission overhaul and so raising the 750-hour life of these components was being considering.

With the job of the IFTU completed, further trials were scheduled with role equipment of various types but at a more normal flying rate, using four aircraft. Personnel and equipment would become part of Demonstration & Trials Squadron (D&T) from December 1973. Preparation for the Gazelle conversion courses would be their next main priority. It was envisaged that a one-month conversion course would be necessary for new Gazelle pilots. This would involve around 25 hours in the air plus some extra ground school for those with only piston-engine experience. With the Gazelle is intended as a Sioux replacement, this was probably most of them.


References:
http://www.aviafora.com/forums/forum...=4874#post4874
https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=65078
https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarch...0-%201233.html
https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarch...0-%202844.html
https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarch...0-%202959.html
https://www.flightglobal.com/FlightP...20-%201954.PDF
http://www.flyingmarines.com/3BAS_En...zelle_IFTU.htm
https://www.fordingbridgefirestation.co.uk/history
http://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/...tage/151-73-03
http://www.pprune.org/archive/index.php/t-582517.html
http://www.ukserials.com/losses-1973.htm
http://www.ukserials.com/prodlists.php?type=91

[Savoia]

A great piece you've put together there Warty, most interesting. Bravo and grazie mille!

'These two wires just happened to be for the manual control selection switch, and the beacon. Every time the beacon flashed, the Gazelle controls reverted to manual.' - And wouldn't that have been a blinking nuisance!

There seems to be some disparity over XW850 with ASN not recording any fatalities. Let us hope that this was the case.

'Each of the three Army helicopters initially averaged over lOO hours flying per month.' - Yes, that's quite a bit of flying for the military! However, in the 80's flying seismic oil exploration in Papua New Guinea our birds were averaging 180 hours per month for over a year on a single contract with Chevron. In 1989 I maxed-out the number of flying hours legally permissible by the local CAA over a 12 month period (which was 900 hours). My log book shows up to 11.9 hours in a single day, basically cracking the throttle open at 6am and shutting down again at 6pm. This was under a special dispensation from the CAA who extended our maximum flight time from 8 to 12 hours per day on condition that we flew 'day on - day off' and which we preferred as opposed to flying half days (which would have been the alternative). Lunch was brought out to you while refuelling (in the form of sandwiches) as were canteens of juice, 'pop' or water (whichever you preferred). 'Pop' (fizzy drinks) were quite popular because of the sugar which were a boost to one's energy levels, while 'comfort breaks' consisted of hopping-out of the craft while she was turning and burning and watering the flowers! All things which I am sure would be heavily frowned upon today. And yet .. not a single incident across 7 aircraft over 18 months! What we discovered was that with such high intensity operations everyone from the ground crew to the ops staff and drivers 'upped' their game, for we quickly discovered that with those kind of hours practicing professionalism became essential to maintaining the smooth flow of operations.

If you happened to be supplying the seismic lines with equipment (including cases of dynamite) you would spend a good many hours with your head out the door engaged in longline work (lowering the gear on 100 or 150ft lines through the jungle canopy) the result quite often being a stiff neck at the end of the day. The remedy for this was to stand at the camp's bar for an hour or two after dinner!

[Zishelix]

Thanks a lot, Warty! Very informative indeed.

[Savoia]

Andy has updated the Gaz 50 attendance list with a number of non-Gazelle additions.

The non-Gazelle attendees include a flight of Austers, which are sure to make this an interesting event.

However, Andy would like to see fifty Gazelles at this fly-in. So far there are 13 civilian Gazelles which are scheduled to attend plus an undetermined number of Army cabs. Optimistically one might therefore hope to see around 20 craft at present, but that's still 30 short of the desired total.

Does anyone have any ideas as to how one might corral additional Gaz owners into responding?

I am suggesting that Andy recruit a flying representative to physically go around and meet with as many Gaz owners as possible, armed either with an electric cattle prod or a bottle of whisky (perhaps both), but there may be other more practical suggestions and, if so, please chip in with your ideas!

[Savoia]

Yes, good idea XB, well done.

[Helipixman]

See my comment on the Gazelle fly in thread re attendance: http://www.aviafora.com/forums/forum...=7065#post7065

[N48284]

Nearly all of the Falcon Aviation maintained machines (16) including the only Gazelle Sqn bird CBSK are yet to reply. Yes there are lots that aren't airworthy but with a few more civvie ones with the help of MW it would certainly help.

[Savoia]

".. at the end of the IFTU period, the Gazelle had started to show what might be called Alouette reliability."

Warty, are you able to say anything about this?

Clearly the Alouette had been very reliable and in terms of the Gazelle had also presumably paved the way for its development. We know for example that the first ever Gazelle utilised an Alouette II tail rotor.

I am looking for information relating to British Army Alouette operations for our Alouette thread so, if you happen upon any info or have any recollections of this craft, your contributions (as always) would be most welcome.

[Warty]

The Alouette was before my time - I'm not as old as you might think! I vaguely recall seeing the odd one, probably at Wallop while I was there on a course.

On a separate note, I currently have a load of issues to deal with and so I may not be around the fora for a while. All the best.

[Savoia]

Warty, you will be much missed, but hopefully we shall see you again before too long.

Your posts and your photos have been most enjoyable, grazie mille!

[Helipixman]

G-OGAZ

Seems the Gazelle population in Scotland may be down to just 1 now. This was noted as road-running down south and now showing on G-info as a potential change of owner ?

Anyone any info ?

[Savoia]

G-OGAZ was seen on a truck?

Please remind me which is the other Scottish-based Gaz and where she lives?

[md600driver]

Nearly all of the Falcon Aviation maintained machines (16) including the only Gazelle Sqn bird CBSK are yet to reply. Yes there are lots that aren't airworthy but with a few more civvie ones with the help of MW it would certainly help.

"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary, the devil, walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” 1 Peter 5:8

[Savoia]

Ah Stefano you've made me laugh (yet again)! And yes .. hear, hear .. the Scriptures are a source of life and wisdom to those who understand them - and come with my highest recommendation!

[md600driver]

Please remind me which is the other Scottish-based Gaz and where she lives?

Is it G-OGEO north of Edinburgh think Falkirk-ish area.

[Savoia]

Grazie Steve!

So .. Scottie was home to two stretched birds, but now according to Elipix G-OGAZ may have left and which of course is sad for Scotland. Well Elipix, it seems you must to Edinburgh go .. and there convince G-OGEO to fly southward for the meet, or at the very least take a few photos of her where she lives!

[Helipixman]

Yes it is G-OGEO. Based at a private site to the west of Falkirk in a hangar. (Camelon area) This is one of the non-airworthy Gazelles possibly at Stapleford with MW at present ?. So yes down to one now. As mentioned before we did have three G-OGAZ G-OGEO and G-GAZL all of which I have photographed. Will take shots of all G- registered Gazelles down to Middle Wallop for viewing.

[Savoia]

G-OGEO


SA341G(S) G-OGEO (cn 1417) as seen at Bruar, Perthshire in October 2010 (Photo: Martin Third)

G-GAZL


SA341C G-GAZL (cn WA1078) as seen at Breighton Aerodrome on 4th June 2006 (Photo: Peter Harris)

Apparently this craft is now in the Ukraine flying as UR-ALMA, we also had some discussion in the past about this craft when she wore the registration GL-0777.

[Savoia]

So .. it happens that an informant advises me that an Aviaforan was searching in a place where he shouldn't have been for info relating to a specific organisation which once operated Gazelles.

Now as chance would have it, at approximately the same time one of our readers was trawling through 'Shrieking Gazelles' and wrote to me regarding his account which he had just signed-up to. (The account has not yet been approved for posting, but Phil is taking care of this and it shall be activated shortly).

New member 'noscoavia' is a semi-retied aviation consultant with over 40 years service in the helicopter industry. He currently resides in Spain.

Nosco had exposure to the operations of Specialist Flying Training at Carlisle Airport during the 1980's and also has a handful of photos which he is kindly going to share with us along with a few comments.

So, to that Avia member who went elsewhere it seems as if some of your queries might be answered right here!

Therefore .. look out for some photos and info relating to SFT .. coming soon to Shrieking Gazelles!

[Helipixman]

Yes it was me who went elsewhere . Lets hope to see a shot of G-SFTB one of only three Gazelles I do not have shots of. The other two are G-BRGS and G-IBME, the latter I don't think had this registration painted on before sale to the USA.

[Savoia]

Ha ha .. ah Elipix, you know I am only teasing!

[Zishelix]

Welcome aboard, Noscoavia! So glad you decide to join Aviafora. Thanks for sharing your interesting reminiscences from those days.

Looking forward to reading more from you!

You may read more details regarding SFT's Gazelle fleet (courtesy of Helipixman) here: http://www.aviafora.com/forums/forum...=3487#post3487

[Zishelix]

Here is a nice selection SFT Gazelle photos by Derek Heley:







Nosco, maybe you'd know answer on this question by Helipix:

I seem to remember the contracts were with overseas pilots. I read somewhere that SFTS purchased the batch of Gazelles and wanted to offer them for lease to UK Police forces. Instead started training overseas pilots. When G-SFTB crashed it had a solo foreign military pilot at the controls. If anyone can help this is one of only two UK Gazelles I do not have a photograph of

Looks like some parts of G-SFTG were used near the engine cowling on G-SFTF !

http://www.aviafora.com/forums/forum...=3480#post3480

[Savoia]

Dear Nosco

Allow me to add my welcome to that given by Zis.

We are very glad to have you aboard and of course very pleased that you are able to share with us some of your memories from Carlisle and in regard to which I have some questions of my own.

Firstly, do you have any idea as to what prompted John to select the Gazelle? My assumption back in the day when I heard about this outfit was that they were perhaps vying for MoD work, for I know there had been a contract awarded to Bristows to provide ab initio training (I think for a number of Fleet Air Arm recruits). My guess was that he was perhaps looking to reflect the MoD's current training craft in his own fleet, seeing this as an advantage in terms of type synergy. However, I don't know whether SFT ever trained an UK service personnel? The reason I ask is because if this is not the case, the Gaz (as much as one loves her) is a curious choice (economically) for a flight school, compared with her turbine contemporaries for example.

You mention that a number of well-known characters from the 70's and 80's were associated with SFT, presumably the instructors? Would you be able to name some of them? One imagines that SFT's staff were reasonably well known across the UK at the time and therefore no secret as it were.

Also, do you have any anecdotes or interesting stories from your memories of that time?

One again a very warm welcome to Aviafora.

Best regards

Sav

N341AH


SA341B N341AH (WA1208) as seen at San Carlos Airport in California on 17th June 2006 (Photo: Hayman Tam)


SA341B N341AH (WA1208) as seen at San Carlos Airport in California on 17th June 2006 (Photo: Roger Cain)

This craft captured attending the 2006 'Vertical Challenge' meet sponsored by the Hiller Aviation Museum.

Last registered as RP-C77. Does anyone have confirmation of the present location of this craft?

France is a powerful nation.

Their tanks and self propelled guns are highly advanced.

French Gazelle helicopter gunships can rival Apache helicopter gunships.

https://www.thetoptens.com/most-powe...untries-world/

[Rotorspot]

FAZ - Forces Armees Zairoises

First I have heard of these two Gazelles. Apparently two Rwandan Gazelles fled the civil war flown by Hutu pilots to Zaire. Once in Zaire they were taken on by FAZ and registered as 9T-HG3 and 9T-HG5. Sadly I cannot locate any photos for these. Anyone else heard of these ?

Picture of 9T-HG5

I received the below picture of Gazelle 9T-HG5, from a source who strictly wishes to remain anonymous.

[Zishelix]

Jos, please thank the anonymous source on behalf Aviaforans for this one and only photo of a Zairoises Gazelle!

[Savoia]

Well done Jos, the first ever Congolese Gaz finally captured in a photo. It probably required a camera trap to obtain!

[Savoia]

More African Military Gazelles ..


Niger Defence Force SA342M 5U-MHF (possibly ex-Alat GIF)

'Nellie'


SA342J(S) N624EL (cn 1094) as seen at Kortrijk, Wevelgem Airport in Belgium on 8th September 2016 (Photo: Geert Diopere)

XX453


SA341B XX453 (cn WA1454) as seen at Salisbury Plains Training Area on 17th February 2017


Elsewhere on Avia

Read Sav's comments on the 'Kenyon Files' together with a lovely photo of the Maestro with a Rotorway, plus Denissimo's comments on the late Duke of Westminster as well as G-TALY.

[Rotorspot]

I can confirm that 5U-MHF is SA342M, c/n 1531, ex ALAT 3531; I have no confirmation of the code, but indeed looks like GIF.

[xbdt]

I think GJF

[Rotorspot]

In fact it is GJE, according to this message on Shrieking Gazelles:

http://www.aviafora.com/forums/forum...=5080#post5080