Shrieking Gazelles

[Savoia]

Unidentified SA342

Hopefully Zis can assist.


SA341G N505HA (cn 1022) as seen at Breighton on 3rd January 2009 (Photo: John Maloney)

[Zishelix]

Hopefully Zis can assist.

One of the Montenegrin Gazelles, I'd say:

[Savoia]

Grazie Zis. Do you happen to know if all the Montenegrin Gazelles are 342's?

[Zishelix]

Nope. They have 15 Gazelles in total, 4 of them are licencly built 341H, 8 are 342L in two variants HO-45 and HN-45M and 3 genuine 341G. Not sure how many of these machines are still airworthy.

[Savoia]

Grazie mille amico!

[Savoia]

SA342J F-GOSO (cn 1057) as seen at Stapleford Aerodrome on 12th September 2004 (Photo: Mick Bajcar)

Go to original post.

[Savoia]

G-GAZA


SA341G G-GAZA (1187) as seen at Kemble Aerodrome in 2006

[Savoia]

Serbian Gazelles


SA341H E7-AAB (cn 037) as seen at Banjaluka Hospital in Belgrade on 23rd November 2017

[Savoia]

Another Gaz Joins the Guernsey Register

G-EZEL becomes 2-GAZL

It seems as though XB has started a trend!

[Zishelix]

Lovely machine

[Savoia]

XZ936


SA341D XZ936 (WA1743) with Westland Lynx NFI

[Zishelix]

SA.341G HB-XFW (s/n 1124) sitting at Lugano-Agno Airport in Switzerland in 1976. Pilot Erwin Schafrath Leggi in the cabin.



Another shot of XFW here.

Sadly lost at San Bernardino Airport few days after this photo.

[Savoia]

Nice shot Zis! Are you saying the pilot has his leg in the cabin?

[Savoia]

Cyprus Considering Four More Gazelles

The Cypriot National Guard is considering an offer from France to purchase four additional Gazelles. This acquisition will run alongside an additional requirement for four medium-size aircraft to complement the Guard's existing AW139's.

Thus it seems that the overall requirement for eight aircraft may be met between Airbus and Agusta.

http://e-amyna.com/promhtheia-oktv-e...thniki-froura/

[Rotorspot]

Goodbye G-OGAZ, Hello N71FR!

G-OGAZ was cancelled on 20-Oct-2017 and registered as N71FR on 20-Nov-2017 with Gazelle Helicopters Ltd, Virgin islands.

[Savoia]

Grazie Jos!

[Zishelix]

Thanks for info, Jos!

Btw, re G-OGAZ... when Gazelle pilots suffer from 'gas' this is what they take - probably from having too many baked beans for breakfast!

[Savoia]

Lol! Too funny Zis!

[Savoia]

SA341G RA-05706 (WA1802) with AS350B3 'Belka' RA-07298 near St. Petersburg in November 2017

SA341G RA-05706 engine start near St. Petersburg in November 2017



SA341C G-SIVJ (cn WA2012) as seen at Ha'penny Green on 18th Novenber 2017


SA341B (WA1635) at SEAE, Arborfield in June 2017 (Photo: Jim Millett)

[Zishelix]

French ALAT Gazelles taxing at Aéroport d'Angers Marcé in May 2015 (Photo: E. Jamier)

[Zishelix]

Russian Gazelle RA-1691G at Ouzon Caldeira, Kamchatka region in July 20th, 2017 (Photo: Pascal Brugier)



This should be one of demobed UK machines, serial number still unknown. Please if anyone can shed some light on Russian Gazelle fleet?

[Savoia]

Nice one Zis. Would indeed be great if we could track down her construction number.

[Zishelix]

Lets' hope someone will help us about

[Rotorspot]

RA-1691G is listed in the Russian aircraft register as a 'Strekoza-7M', no c/n being shown, registration date 30-Mar-2015, still current.

[Zishelix]

Strekoza means Dragonfly on Russian, probably name of the company she belongs.

Pity www.mintrans.ru doesn't contain RA/RF aircrafts register... or at least I can't find it

[Rotorspot]

The official Russian aircraft register can be found at
http://favt.ru/opendata/7714549744-gosreestrgvs/
Go to bullet number 16 and choose a register date.

[Zishelix]

Nice, just to download some software for reading cyrilic script

Thanks Jos!

[Zishelix]

Stretched SA.341G F-GIJR (s/n 1407) at Toussus Le Noble in July 1993. (Photo: J. L. Brunet)



One more pic of the same bird here :

[Savoia]

Became G-EHUP, now YU-HWF.

[Zishelix]

The Gazelle Squadron Display Team's stickers







Gary The Dancer, I assume

[Savoia]

'Oh c'mon guys, artists doesn't bother with such technical details.' - Ah, but any artist worth their salt would delight in addressing such details!

'.. it would be called silent gazelles,' - Indeed. I think there may actually be a technical term for when a Gaz becomes silent, something about whisper mode, or so I recall!

[Zishelix]

With all due respect I think our comments on these caricatures are surplus. The Gazelle Squadron Display Team guys are obviously OK with quality of the artist work and that's all that matters.

[Savoia]

Ah Zis, I think commenting on these drawings is 'fair game' as these are all light-hearted remarks.

[Zishelix]

Afghanistan, just one of so many battlefields Gazelles took part all over the world in last five decades. The shift for this one ALAT SA.342L coded 'GBN' was over in October 2012 and she's ready to be 'airmailed' home



Photo taken at Kabul International Airport

[Zishelix]

Just a nice pic



Photo probably taken at the French cruiser Jeanne d'Arc.

[Savoia]

QinetiQ SA341B XX449 (WA1443) as seen at Salisbury Plains Training Area on 30th November 2017 (Photo: Nick Thompson)

[Zishelix]

Royal Navy Helicopter Display Team, season 1990.



I wonder if any of these guys read Aviafora?

[Savoia]

Westland-built SA341G available for $400k on Gazelles For Sale.

[Zishelix]

As far as I know the specific airframe was planned to become an 341G (civil reg reserved) but it wasn't ready on the time and finished as 341B later.

[Savoia]

The curious thing is that she appears on the civil register for two years (1974-76) as G-BCHN. Also, the first military records I can find list her service life as beginning in 1980. Were Westland perhaps due to provide additional Gazelles to the Army and this civvie machine was a convenient option (albeit involving an engine change)?

[Zishelix]

Let's hope someone will show up here and help us solve this enigma

[Savoia]

SA342J F-GAMK (cn 1006) as seen at Aéroport d'Annecy in 1981

[Savoia]

Notice how it appears as if the lower door brace (which usually splits the lower door section into two panels) appears to be missing on this craft.

[Savoia]

Mark Weir

Over the past 24 hrs Ellis Butcher has posted a number of 'micro-clips' of the late HA-LFB:

To read Avia's tribute to Mark, click here.

[Zishelix]

Fly babies, fly!

[Savoia]

Baby-X is there too!

[Savoia]

SA342L 241 (1854) as seen at Baldonnel Casement Aerodrome on 19th August 2004 (Photo: Marinus Dirk Tabak)

And another take on 1854 from a few days ago ..


SA342L ZU-RZR (1854) as seen at Bylthdale in South Africa on 1st December 2017 (Photo: Kathy McSeveney)

[xbdt]

N341DT Update

Time to show my new bird, after one year of overhaul and recent respray N341DT.

The weather is not perfect but I'll post some nice pictures when the sun shines again.

[xbdt]

Thanks guys, yes the padding is part of the sound proofing kit. If you look at the old N341DT pictures the padding was already there and I removed the existing battery side panel furnishings as I do not like that.

[Savoia]

Out of curiosity, the silver siding that one sees to the battery, is this part of the battery itself or it is a cover into which the battery slides, and crucially, can it be painted black?

[xbdt]

The battery is stainless steel and that is what you see. I wouldn't recommend painting this as the battery acid vapours will eat the paint anyway.

[Rotorspot]

Guernsey Register Update

Some registration details as found on the online Guernsey aircraft register dated 01-Dec-2017:

2-ALOU SE313B Alouette II, 1583; 20-Oct-2017; Steven Atherton (ex G-CICS)
2-PJBA SA341G Gazelle, 1392; 20-Oct-2017; Steven Atherton (ex HA-PJB)
2-WMAN SA341G Gazelle, 1277; 20-Oct-2017; James Wightman (ex HA-LFJ)

[Savoia]

Grazie Jos.

All announced many weeks ago on Avia, together with news that G-EZEL is to become 2-GAZL.

[Zishelix]

Thanks Jos! Up to date as always

[Savoia]

As a result of XB's efforts in transforming N341DT into a truly superb aircraft
Aviafora is pleased to offer this award for Outstanding Quality in Overhaul and General Finish
for a job extremely well done!

We shall also call upon Aviafora's North-of-England Emissary 'Stefano' to buy you a bottle of
locally brewed Theakston's 'XB' for a job well done next time you visit Crab Tree Farm!

[Savoia]

Gazelle à la Chinoise

















Unidentifed Gazelle as seen in China in April 2013

If Chinese private pilots start buying the Gaz, we could see a sudden shortage of Gazelles!

[xbdt]

Definitely a civil 341G, luggage door, large avionics bay, t/r drive shaft cover (went to US at a certain time), intake silencer...

[Savoia]

Ah yes, she has all the signs of being 1182 (including the tail-mounted strobe which appears to be a Whelen unit), well done Zis and XB!

Probably bought by a war bird enthusiast.

[Helipixman]

At last she turns up... I was told by the seller/Agent from Northern Ireland that she had gone to China ages ago.

[Zishelix]

Please if anybody know what are these antennas on the roof of XX405 an XZ345?

[Savoia]

We need to come up with another Gaz antenna pictagram, the first one is here: http://www.aviafora.com/forums/forum...=1112#post1112

But it doesn't answer your question sadly.

I am also still searching for an answer to the antenna mounted on the for'ard underbelly of F-GFCI.

[noscoavia]

TCAS? Avionics upgrade package, installed by GAMA aviation, 2015.

[Zishelix]

Thanks Nosco! It could be TCAS. Any idea how many UK mil Gazelles are equipped with this system?