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  • Bye bye Sea King
  • matt_outandabout
    Full Member

    The last day and Farewell to RAF Rescue 137/138 – RAF SAR Sea Kings. Please share!

    Having watched a mate saved from the side of Helvellyn by these boys and MRT, I am deeply grateful for the work the people and Sea Kings have done.

    TroutWrestler
    Free Member

    The end of an era.

    Drac
    Full Member

    Had the pleasure to fly with it a few times over the years. A fantastic machine but it’s time is up, things have moved on.

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    irc
    Full Member

    There is a good BBC 1hr documentary on the Sea King. On iplayer for the next 27 days.

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01r1z3g/the-sea-king-britains-flying-past

    B.A.Nana
    Free Member

    I read about Sea King going at Lossiemouth Scotland, is it the same in England now or the first part of a long roll out?
    Some pics from a rescue I was partly involved in, North Wales.


    mikewsmith
    Free Member

    Had the pleasure to fly with it a few times over the years.

    and I’m glad I never had the pleasure, seen them out a few times but always managed to avoid needing the big yellow taxi.

    wee-al
    Free Member

    I’m gutted, spent 9 of the best years of my life working on MK5’s and MK6’s. Took me round the world. I’ll miss seeing them. Still used to get excited when i see them up here. Even if that was the lesser crabfat yellow one!

    gordimhor
    Full Member

    Good Pics B.A.Nana Never needed it myself but living in Glen Coe and Kinlochleven you see it around often. One stormy night they dumped some fuel which drained into my water supply. The next 24hrs were not pleasant 😀

    Ambrose
    Full Member

    I’ve seen these big yellow ambulances many times over the years I’ve lived in the hills and have always been thankful for their presence and grateful that I’ve never needed one personally. I’m also grateful that one was available when it was required for friends in nasty situations.

    However, as mentioned above, times move on. It’s the skill of the pilots that we must not lose.

    FWIW, most bars in most ‘outdoor’ pubs will often have a box for loose change. The MRTs, the Air Ambulance and other services all do a tremendous service for us.

    luffy105
    Free Member

    I live about a mile from the leconfield base and have grown up seeing them fly over the house most days and the crews often waved to me as a child and now to my children. Will definitely miss the noisy yellow buggers.

    cbike
    Free Member

    [video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iUZqFwox2I[/video]

    On days they are on exercise and know they could be busy have seen them lunch somewhere tactical and park in a field.

    Looks like July and 2016 for Scotlands changeover.

    wanmankylung
    Free Member

    I’ll never forget being out in the Glencoe hills one winter and watching them, from above, training by plucking some dude off Diamond Buttress in a gale with the rotors what must have been only a couple of feet away from the cliff.

    Drac
    Full Member

    and I’m glad I never had the pleasure, seen them out a few times but always managed to avoid needing the big yellow taxi.

    Hahaha! Yeah I’ve always been in the right seat, floor, position. 2 of my staff are ex SAR guys, good lads hard workers and great patient care.

    euans2
    Free Member

    Having been in the Royal Navy as a aircraft engineer on both 771 and 819 SAR flight, I have had the pleasure of not only working and flying in them but I have also had the chance of flying one from Prestwick to Cambridge (Pilot was sitting in the right hand seat watching my every move), it will be a sad day for me when they go fully out of service.

    joshvegas
    Free Member

    Back in the days when Leuchars had one our neighbour was the winchman.

    We were buzzed everytime it went up.

    Always worth a watch when they are buzzing nearbye!

    kcal
    Full Member

    Heavy’s a good lad, matt_! have had the pleasure of speaking to him a few times, as unassuming as they come despite his pedigree and background (multiple MRT missions, Lockerbie, numerous expeditions).

    Will miss the clatter of the Sea Kings as they make their way overhead on a mission.

    onehundredthidiot
    Full Member

    Mates wedding last year, a raf Chinook crew member had arranged a sea king fly by. Incredible watching a wedding with bass rock in the back ground and a sea king buzzing the wedding party.

    renton
    Free Member

    Another stupid decision by the government to get rid of sar duties run by the military.

    Now they Have to pay a company to do it instead.

    I’m based at lossie and my mate is a winchman. Did you know their finishing party was cancelled as the powers that be wouldn’t let them have one.

    mikewsmith
    Free Member

    Had a summer full of fly by’s when I worked near RAF Boulmer for a summer,mostly they just popped up had a look round an then headed off, on occasion they got as far above the power lines as they needed to before belting it off.
    Got buzzed by the Anglesea one while me and a mate were on White Slab on Cloggy, it convinced him to make the exposed move as they were there anyway.
    Big part of life in the outdoors though really worth remembering we were only there for practice.

    NZCol
    Full Member

    Saved the life of a mate of mine at Glenshee one day, pilot managed to hover it with wheels on the frozen lochan so we could bundle him in and then low level to Ninewells where they prised his head open. As close as you get. Incredible skill, will never forget it.

    Northwind
    Full Member

    Sea King rescue in progress:

    pictonroad
    Full Member

    My mate was Wing Commander of 202 squadron and a SAR pilot for years, amazing tales of rescues he told, highs and lows. When I was leaving school as treat he arranged for one to land on the front lawn. I wasn’t so popular when it flew off with most with most of the lawn stuck to the wheels leaving a 2 foot deep indelible footprint. 😆

    afrothunder88
    Full Member

    Ah, I did not know about this. A family friend is an SAR pilot, wonder what’s going to happen to him?

    He arranged to drop in to my niece’s christening party, it was pretty spectacular!

    legend
    Free Member

    Northwind – Member

    Sea King rescue in progress:

    A mate of mine was partly responsible for getting that stuck on the Cairngorms 🙂

    trail_rat
    Free Member

    For sure its the end of an era

    Although its akin to a wounded tiger this is still my favourite image of the sea king, stuck in coire an t sneachda it reminded us not to rely on it when we go to the hills but that it too was vunerable to the elements and showed just how far the crews would push it in extreme conditions if you did get in trouble.

    jemima
    Free Member

    Just flew straight over the house, I presume on the way back from call out in Fort William, their last ever mission. I gave them a wave.

    piemonster
    Full Member

    [url=https://flic.kr/p/pawrWH]IMG_1889[/url] by piemonster, on Flickr

    poly
    Free Member

    Another stupid decision by the government to get rid of sar duties run by the military.
    Now they Have to pay a company to do it instead.

    you need to split the decision into two to see it more logically. First moving a civilian rescue service into one civilian agency- the coastguard is pretty logical. Whilst it is great that the military have been able to help out for so long it’s actually a killcordnd of odd situation to rely on for routine civi work.

    Now how the CG manage their fleet is a separate question, but they have been successfully using this sort of lease arrangement for many years. you can argue the politics of public v private sector etc, but the reality is the CG operated helos have been more modern, faster, further range etc. If I need rescued from somewhere remote I don’t really care who owns the chopper if it gets me to hospital ten minutes quicker.

    piemonster
    Full Member

    [url=https://flic.kr/p/oTj23F]IMG_1903[/url] by piemonster, on Flickr

    Matt-P
    Free Member


    From Cosford last year, I’m going to miss seeing them over Snowdonia

    irc
    Full Member

    Whilst it is great that the military have been able to help out for so long it’s actually a killcordnd of odd situation to rely on for routine civi work.

    But Search and rescue work was also training and keeping up the skills of military crews. Presumably some of the hours flow on SAR are now going to be now flown as training instead. And with the best will in the world training scenarios are never quite real life.

    zbonty
    Full Member

    As child i only remember building two Airfix models- one was a Sea King (the other a Spitfire).

    Houns
    Full Member

    Always loved lying on a beach in North Devon, usually Woolacombe, and one would fly over low or land on the beach for a bit

    scaled
    Free Member

    We used to spend 5 weeks of the summer holidays in Cornwall, some days we’d go to the beach other days we’d just head down to Culdrose to watch the Sea Kings.

    I’ll never forget watching one of them land on the beach at Kynance Cove between the rocks and the beach, there can’t have been more than 6 feet either side of the rotors. I got sand in my pasty (and didn’t care)

    Marin
    Free Member

    One rescued Mrs Marin off the North face of Ben Nevis in winter about 7 years ago. She felt very guilty as said it was more fun than any winter climb she has done. Always liked seeing them flying above the hills but then feel guilty as someone is probably in the sh?t. Hope the replacement’s are just as good.

    jambalaya
    Free Member

    Indeed, end of an era. Amazing aircraft and stunning work these guys do. Had a few friends who flew them for the Navy and SAR.

    Interesting to read the first/second hand stories above too.

    You used to able to call them up in the Solent and ask for a highline drill and they would come down and practice on you if they where available, sadly I never did it 🙁

    @Marin from my understanding they are being replaced with much smaller helicopters which is an issue for sailors as they won’t be able to evac a medium sized leisure yacht anymore and certainly not a commercial vessel.

    piemonster
    Full Member

    Feel free to correct me here, but I believe the two types of replacement aircraft are bigger, faster, and have a greater payload!?

    piemonster
    Full Member

    Range doesn’t appear to be too hot on the Augusta

    piemonster
    Full Member

    Actually, does anybody know the lift off and departure times for all 3 aircraft.

    I’ve seen the Sea King lift off from a cold start, I gained a few grey hairs waiting to see it get off the ground.

    kcal
    Full Member

    IIRC the Sea King was ‘reasonably’ quick to get warmed up and off, but was slower in the air – the replacement (didn’t realise there were two varieties) had a longer start-up but once in the air were quicker.

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