RAF Ascension Islands (St Helena) HAR.3 Sea King?

[Lucky13]

Got them blasted things up in Canada as well it seem...

The Ascension Islands are uninhabited islands located in Foxe Basin's Foxe Channel, northwest of Caribou Island.
They are part of the Kivalliq Region, in the Canadian territory of Nunavut.

 

[Airframes]

Somebody moved them when we weren't looking !

 

[Lucky13]

Them there greedy Canadians!

 

[Lucky13]

Wideawake Airfield....

 

[Airframes]

That's the place. It was the busiest airfield in the world in May 1982, with transports and tankers arriving and departing 24 hours per day. And, of course, was the base for the famous 'Black Buck' Vulcan missions.

 

[Airframes]

Just saw something on the BBC News old chap, which made me double check. The island of St.Helena is about to get its own airport - until then, the only contact with the 'outside world' will be the Royal Mail ship,' St Helena', which arrives every three weeks from Capetown.
I thought it didn't sound right that the RAF had a SAR Flight there St. Helena is one of three islands in the 'British Territory of St.Helena, Ascension and Tristan Da Cunha', and is approximately 800 miles from Ascension Island, where Wideawake airfield is !
I remembered that lass I knew from St.Helena telling me that it was difficult to get there, so virtually no tourism, so when I saw the BBC article, I checked it out. As I'd initially thought, they're two different places, so that SAR Flight must have been at Wideawake, on Ascension itself, not on St.Helena.
Looks like someone has probably got confused with the title of the British Territory, and thought they were all the same place !

 

[Lucky13]

True old boy, whoever posted that profile at Wings Pallette, had it slightly wrong then... Wonder how many of them there SAR Sea Kings were posted the there...
Saw a serial list somewhere the other day, with some info on it, see if I can find it again...

 

[Lucky13]

Think that we might have a winner old chap!

Tons of pics of her here: Westland Sea King HAR.3 c/n wa 859

Wideawake, Ascension Island Ascension Island ( 1982 )
202 Sq D Flt based at Wideawake May 1982 to Sep 1982

 

[Airframes]

Just remembered - the camp site we use at Fowlmere, when we go to Duxford, is run/owned by Tony, who used to be on SAR with 202 Sqn.
All being well, I hope to be going there again in mid May, to take my daughter around DX, so I'll ask him what he knows about the Wideawake deployment, and when the larger intake filters were added to the Sea Kings. You'll need to remind me nearer the time though, so I'll remind you to remind me to .....
As for numbers, there weren't many Sea Kings to spare, but at a guess, I'd say there were possibly two sent down there - one for 'Ops', and one as a spare, in case of down time on the main chopper. It wouldn't surprise me if only one was sent though.
EDIT:- just noticed, in the pic of Wideawake - on the smaller rectangular apron in the foreground, there appear to be two helicopters which could be Sea Kings, although one looks like it might be a Wessex, which were still used in the SAR role at that time.

 

[Lucky13]

We'll just have to keep this thread going then old chap!
Thinking of adding a Wessex as well, the Italeri one...

 

[Airframes]

Must get my converted Revell 'SAR' Wessex finished some day - got to mould a new nose for it, but I picked up the Italeri kit cheap a while back, so I can use the nose from that to either make a mould for a resin nose, or as a pattern to carve a balsa former to mould a plastic nose. Then I'll (eventually) do the Italeri kit as a camouflaged 72 Sqn example - they ferried me around a few times, dumping me in remote spots, normally at night, back in the 1970's, and my brother-in-law was a pilot on that Squadron then too !

 

[Lucky13]

Excellent stuff young man!

 

[Lucky13]

Wish there was a way to find out, which Wessex airframes were converted to HAR-2's..

Here's an HC-2 anyway.... XV720 westland Wessex HC.2 C/N wa615 - Helicopter Database

RAF Leuchars Sep76 based at Leuchars with 22Sqn

 

[Airframes]

Karl's favourite helicopter !
Still got a soft spot for the old bird - and they were still in SAR use until the early 1990's, alongside the Sea King, until that Valley-based bird crashed into the lake in Snowdonia, sadly taking with it some ATC cadets. I was driving on to Anglesey when it happened, as the RAF Mountain Rescue vehicles were dashing the opposite way.

 

[rochie]

Yellow ones are ok it was the green ones I don't like !

 

[Lucky13]

Like those old Whirlwind and Wessex helicopters....

 

[Airframes]

I've been staring at that pic, and wondering what looked different. The first thing was the rather pale-looking yellow finish, compared to the normal deep yellow, which I just thought was the quality of the pic at first.
Then I spotted the grey-painted tail boom in the background, and started wondering about the stated date. I'm wondering if it's much later than 1976 - perhaps 1996 for example?
It looks like the Wessex has been 'put out to grass', as the rotors and tail rotor are faded and worn, as are the unit crest, the circular red warning around the exhaust, the roundel, and the RBF flags, as well as the overall paint finish. The intake and exhaust are sealed, the antenna wires are detached and in a messy bundle, and the winch and its mounts have been removed, along with the landing gear spot lamps and, if they were fitted, the flotation bag 'cans' on the main wheels.

 

[Lucky13]

I'm glad that I never bought this one....

......going for £80+ and it's not even correct!

 

[Airframes]

Yep.I nearly bought one a year or two back. It went for around £60 at the time, and would still need mods for a SAR bird.

 

[Lucky13]

Yep.I nearly bought one a year or two back. It went for around £60 at the time, and would still need mods for a SAR bird.

Bought the conversion set instead....