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Thread: Alouette III discussion
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04-12-2021, 11:17 #1
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Alouette III discussion
I came looking for Alouette III noise and I arrived at the above. Iconic sound for me as an aviation enthusiast, am sure to some, somewhat poignant. I remember my dad's comment about it being the last thing one heard and the most welcome the next.
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04-12-2021, 11:25 #2
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Re: Alouette III discussion
I neglected the discussion aspect:
* What were they like to fly?
* What was maintaining them like - what parts were most commonly replaced, repairing projectile damage?
* Any serious flaws?
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04-12-2021, 13:19 #3
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Re: Alouette III discussion
My friends dad has one.
Says it is one of the easiest choppers to fly.A roaring Lion kills no game
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04-12-2021, 16:58 #4
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Re: Alouette III discussion
I worked with some ex 19Sqn engineers. They said the Allouette was a pleasure to work on and maintain in the field. They preferred it over the Oryx. That being said they commented that the SAAF doctrine at the time was to over maintain the equipment, eg: if the rotors were to greased every 50hrs they did it every 25. So that’s also probably why aircraft bought in the 60’s saw hard service and operated well into the 2000’s.
If you can try get hold of Monster Wilkins book Chopper Pilot.Don’t take life too seriously, no one gets out alive.
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04-12-2021, 17:57 #5
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Re: Alouette III discussion
Saw them in action with 20mm canons...
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04-12-2021, 19:32 #6
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Re: Alouette III discussion
Tango , some observations from my side on Alouettes in the border war. Nothing technical , more of a brief description of personal experiences i had with them. I flew in the gunship version quite a bit in SWA/central southern Angola.
.The all pervading smell of dust and fuel and heat on re-fueling them from 44gallon drums in the middle of nowhere.
The countryside in that area of Angola is flat with scrub mopane trees , pretty featureless except for occasional 'shonas' [open areas that formed shallow pans of water in the wet season]. Here , you could not see the low flying gunships approaching and you first became aware of them from a vibration in your chest caused by the rotors. Very weird sensation.
.When the gunships were available and came out to give a hand in a contact[firefight] you made damn sure you turned your bush hat inside out to display the 6 inch square neon red reflective sticker stuck on the inside of the hat to display you were a friendly. Nobody had to be reminded of this.
.Sitting in the open doorway , feet dangling , holding a rifle on your lap with nothing to hold onto and the pilot doing some serious low turns. Don't worry , you are told , you cannot fall out....like swinging a bucket full of water around your head , it won't spill......f**k.
.Sitting in said place and the 20mm opens up , short bursts because the whole airframe vibrates and the recoil moves the whole damn chopper ,first time i was convinced we had been hit by multiple rpg's and i was about to die.
.Best sight ever ......christmas day and the gunship arrived , covering the Puma that came to fetch 2 of our wounded guys we had kept alive with saline drips from the previous afternoon......they also dropped off a couple of cases of castle lager for us........flying ambulance delivering booze....go figure.
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04-12-2021, 22:59 #7
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Re: Alouette III discussion
Cheers for the replies. I was surprised to learn that the tail boom is only held on by 3x size 13(?) nuts and bolts!
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05-12-2021, 09:21 #8
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Re: Alouette III discussion
Spent a fair amount of time in and around the Allouettes, casevac, trooping and gunships - the last named originally armed with single, then twin, then quad .303"Brownings (the latter version is on display at SAAF museum at Swartkops) and then the 20mm from 1976ish. I am in the process of re-building a .303" Browning with the original Spade grip and sights. 1300 rpm mayhem and have an instructional cutaway in the collection too.
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05-12-2021, 10:12 #9
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Re: Alouette III discussion
In 2012/13 there was talk of giving our retired fleet and parts to Mugabe and then later to Namibia.
Dont know what eventually happened.
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07-12-2021, 16:38 #10
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Re: Alouette III discussion
The back bone of Rhodesian Fireforce operations. You should read the book "Spider Zero Seven" by 7 SQN pilot Mike Borlace (who BTW later became a Selous Scout), and "Choppertech" by Beaver Shaw (though this is an expensive book if you can still get hold of it). I see that a 2nd edition was recently published. You can also listen to Beaver's exploits on Youtube Fighting Men of Rhodesia ep14 | Beaver Shaw 1st talk
https://youtu.be/oTxmxqkT8rI
At one time I had a couple of ex SAAF Alouette III parked in front of my garage while I looked for Hangerage :) I had understanding neighbours!
Attachment 34168
I see you are now in New Zealand. You should visit the Rhodesian Services Association Lion and Tusk museum in Mount Maunganui. They have an Alouette III in RhAF colours as an exhibit plus lots of other interesting stuff.
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