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Aviation History
1977
1977 - 0031.PDF
FLIGHT International, I January 1977 29 the latter may be at the next bend in the road. Too often, messages have to goi through too many relays during emergencies, and there can be little doubt that the delays and distortions resulting from this have on occasion had serious effects. The communications problem, which seems to have been ignored by the ultimate authorities, places an unacceptable workload on co-ordinators. Until this situation is remedied by a marked loosening of the purse- strings, the possibility of avoidable losses of life must remain uncomfortably real. The role of NATS Icao's responsibility for airborne prob lems in British airspace is recognised by the continuous availabilty of the 121-5MHz distress frequency for use whenever assistance cannot be obtained through normal channels. Full details of the Aeronautical Distress Service are published in Aeronautical Information Circular 88/ 1976, with further information to be found in the VK Air Pilot's COM section. This information is fundamental to safe aircraft operations, detailing the various emergency procedures and facilities available through NATS. NATS personnel are only too glad to answer any queries on emergency procedures. Fixed-wing equipment Britain's primary fixed-wing SAR aircraft is the Hawker Siddeley Nimrod. Its submarine- hunting capabilities are of immense value in the search role, and its high en route speed, plus long loiter, are also very useful. The type does however suffer from a restricted forward view, and its search speed is also rather high. It nevertheless has a very impressive record in the rescue role. Nimrods are based at Kinloss in Morayshire and St Mawgan in Cornwall, and one aircraft is always on an hour's standby for SAR work, with tasks coming from the nearest Rescue Co-ordination Centre. The standby is shared between the stations in the ratio of three weeks for Kinloss and one week for St Mawgan. To improve operational flexibility, many Nimrods carry droppable survival equipment when engaged in anti-submarine The Romanian stern trawler Rarau seen on the infamous Seven Stones rocks off the Scilly Isles in September 1976. A Wessex of 771 Naval Air Sqn, RNAS Culdrose, Cornwall, is in attendance, though the crew were taken off by a sister ship training, and can readily be diverted to an incident scene. Only one squadron (No 8 at Lossiemouth) is now equip ped with the Shackleton, but all of these airborne early warning aircraft carry survival equipment when engaged in their primary role. The view from the Shackleton is first- class, and in its day the type was one of the finest SAR aircraft in operation. In the SAR role the two fixed-wing types can carry out searches, drop equipment, illuminate at night, direct ships and helicopters, and act as com munications links. Helicopters Most SAR helicopter units have a primary military task, being maintained at varying states of readi ness to handle RAF or RN incidents. In most cases, therefore, the civil SAR role is purely secondary, although for obvious reasons this takes up about 80 per cent of the units' time. Some SAR flights (Manston, Lee-on-Solent, Culdrose) do have a designated Department of Trade and Industry (HM Coastguard) task, but they are available for military work under RCC control. There are three basic helicopter types in Britain's military SAR inventory: the Westland Whirlwind HAR.9 (RN) and HAR.10 (RAF); the Westland Wessex HAR.2 (RAF) and HU.1/5 (RN); and the Westland Sea King HAS.l (RN). In addition, US Air Force SAR aircraft at Woodbridge, Suffolk, and Ramstein in West Germany are available if required. A British Airways Helicopters Sikorsky S-61N—on an hour's notice at Aberdeen—is on contract to the Coastguard for long-range SAR. In the event of a really serious incident—an airliner ditching or crashing in a remote area, for instance—heli copters from other civil operators could be used if neces sary. The possibility of subsequent financial wrangles does however generally rule this out. The endurance of SAR helicopters can be extended by making available fuel from civil or military airfields or from drummed stocks at selec ted sites centralised by the police or local authority. The Whirlwind was given a new lease of life in the early 1960s by the installation of the Rolls-Royce Gnome turbo- shaft of around 1,000 s.h.p. in place of the original Leon- ides piston engine. The Whirlwind equips most Royal Air Force SAR Flights around Britain (at 15min readiness) and has carried the rescue load long and honourably. Its rapid reaction time (less than 2min from cold to airborne) has proved of immense value during many "close-in" in- IK "MMSMP' w , _ =- i m 11 ii&«£# *wR\
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