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Thread: Alouette III discussion
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07-12-2021, 16:40 #11
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Re: Alouette III discussion
The 3 tail boom bolts:
Attachment 34169
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07-12-2021, 18:13 #12
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07-12-2021, 23:02 #13
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07-12-2021, 23:38 #14
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Re: Alouette III discussion
I only ever flew up like 10 feet and maybe the same forward in one of those things, I did not like it much.
We were doing Sweepslag II in Lohatla and the chopper boys would land and wait.The pilots would sit heavy cool like in deck chairs reading, a kinda pose I guess.
Us Ratel drivers felt kinda one upped.
One of the pilots would come in and always like stop on his nose tail up before taking off proper, this impressed me to no end. I had to converse with said hero status individual for some reason later and my admiration of his tail up thingee he did got me a lift off and tail up hover treat.
I did not like it it.
It was not fun.
I thought he took a bit too long about it all, he did the tail up thing for about 3 hours with me in chopper, he usually when I was on ground grinning at him only took 30 seconds or so to do whole stunt.
Choppers are over rated and and cause digestion problems.
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08-12-2021, 13:05 #15
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Re: Alouette III discussion
Nothing to add except for a story. Can't remember if it was an Alouette 2 or 3 but there is a family resort in KZN Midlands (name escapes me now). That used to (or possibly still does) offer chopper flips.
Anyways my dad arranges for us to go for a flip, and we make our way down to the chopper, and there is the pilot clanging on the side of the chopper near the engine with a rock...
I can't quite remember why but I recall it was a story to get it to start. Looking back on it, I wonder if it was just a bit of theatre.
Anyways guy was an ex airforce pilot and did he take us on an awesome flip over the Drakensburg.
From that one flip I have had an admiration for those little choppers which will be life long.
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08-12-2021, 15:26 #16
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Re: Alouette III discussion
Some pics I took of my friends chopper.
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08-12-2021, 15:44 #17
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Re: Alouette III discussion
Woeser! I need to upgrade to a better class of friend.
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08-12-2021, 16:29 #18
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08-12-2021, 18:06 #19
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Re: Alouette III discussion
the pedant in me needs to point out that's a II not a III.
But bliksem that is the cleanest hangar I have ever seen!
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08-12-2021, 21:49 #20
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Alouette III discussion
My Alouette trips were mostly pre-national service when I was part of the MCSA mountain rescue mob. I remember being winched down and up to/from some arbitrary peaks in the middle Drakensberg. Somehow I only went on rescue practices and fortunately didn’t do any body recovery trips. It was fantastic to fly around the ‘Berg. The overnight stays were rather hectic on those trips.
I always thought the Alo was specced to be a fairly high altitude chopper, but I see the service ceiling is 3,200 m yet max altitude is around 5,000 m. What wasn’t specced as a high altitude aircraft was the Super Frelon which was mostly used by navies around the world. One day we were in one near Cleft Peak, flying just above the escarpment when suddenly the pilot banked and we plummeted down below the escarpment. My colleague strapped in across the other side of the rear cabin had eyes like saucers as he looked straight down at the lower ‘Berg out of the open doors next to me, while I was lying horizontally looking up at him ! The pilot muttered something about losing power in the less dense air.
My only trips in an Alo during national service were informal “joy rides” passed off as being for the purposes of providing air OP services during artillery exercises on Potch shooting range.
Fun times indeed !
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