Be Excellent To Each Other

Here's a dilapidated looking helicopter. But it's quite a famous aircraft. The original owners sold it, the new owners crashed it, and then the original owners bought it back for spares and for use in their TV work (great for simulating crashes on screen):



The other angle might help:



Yep, it's G-MEAN, star of many TV shows but most famously Interceptor:



Apparently its just been sold again to be used as part of a simulator in Wales. Back in '89 it looked the business on screen. So sad. There should be a blue plaque or something.

AIRWOLF!!!

Edit: Oh... I hadn't watched the video, or read any of the words. Now I have I would like to add:

AIRWOLF!!!

I have a photo of me standing next to G-MEAN's sister helicopter (in identical livery) G-ONTV. I also got to sit inside and pretend to be the Interceptor.

The amazing thing is that G-MEAN was already 10 years old when Interceptor was made. It's sister is still flying and the age simply isn't a problem due to the service regimes these aircraft are maintained under.

I still think both of them look better than many modern helicopters you see as well.

Yep, that 'copter looks like it was made to diss the air big time. The only similar vehicle that comes close is the weird looking, yet hmmm, Apache helicopter (in a "that asian bird from Dollhouse whose name escapes me kind of way"). I forget what Blue Thunder looked like though.

The helicopter used for Airwolf was converted into an air ambulance after appearing in the show, and then eventually was used for passenger charter rides I think. During one of those such rides, it crashed and killed everyone on board.

Blimey, Airwolf was a Bell 222. It is amazing what a lick of paint can do to make something look cooler/more sinister.

Apparently this crash happened during filming of series 2. I do have a weird fear of aircrashes and never watched airchrash investigations or whatever on discovery.

Annabel Croft looks lovely. *Alan Partridge sigh*

It's also weirdly pleasant having a TV presenter who fails to place any stress on any words whatsoever. Disconcerting, and I can't tell if she's strung out on something or not, but pleasant.

The original Treasure Hunt helicopter (which also features in Interceptor when ferrying the contestants to their start locations) was ditched in the sea off the Channel Islands. Luckily it was one of the first civilian helicopters to be fitted with an emergency oxygen system and the pilot got out safely.

More here:

http://www.interceptors-lair.com/htmldocs/behind_scenes/equip_gbhxu_2.htm

He's lucky, both to get out of an inverted, sinking helicopter AND to survive in the sea for 45 minutes before being rescued.

When I was about 14, I went into the RAF Careers office to see about maybe joining up (I wasn't confident about my exam prospects the time).

I was ferried into a classroom with about 15 other young men, all neatly dressed and clearly officers in the ATC, whilst I was in standard scuffy mode. The other kids all sat bolt upright in their chairs and as soon as the door opened, they all jumped to their feet and one even shouted (I shit you not) 'Officer on Deck'. I had, by this point realised that my genetic rebellious streak and ingrained disrespect of authority would not be best appreciated in the Forces, but I could hardly walk out.

The officer made us all stand up in turn and say our name and what we were hoping to achieve in the RAF. All of the other chaps had a prepared answer and spoke clearly with the correct, 'sir' in the correct place. When it came to my turn, I mumbled something about liking helicopters and wishing to become a chopper pilot. Everyone in the room chuckled, including the officer. "We don't teach people to fly helicopters in the raff son, you want the Navy!"

Needless to say, when they asked me to sign something akin to a commitment to the RAF, I declined. Wankers.

Fault report: Seat cushions damp
Action taken: You ditched in the sea again, didn't you.

OFFICER CANDIDATE DAV SPAZ SAHH!!!

Navy > Air Force. You don't get a daily ration of rum in the Air Force.

Rum ration was scrapped decades ago, IIRC.

I know. But I'd rather fly an F-35B than a Typhoon.

Great, that just leaves sodomy and the lash then.

Michael Malric-Smith is an ex Navy pilot as is Keith Thompson. Luck doesn't come into it, both are top notch pilots.

There's an episode of Interceptor where they are flying very close to a Navy Sea King. Was only allowed to take place because they knew "Mikey" wouldn't foul it up.

I'm lucky enough to have been down to Castle Air, met Mikey and Keith and got to fly in the helecopter they used for The Flying Gardener.

Interestingly when I was there (2002) they still had the helicopter they used for the comms in Treasure Hunt (the dark green one). That was the helecopter that dealt with the 2 way comms that were relayed from Anneka Rice's beltpack to the studio. I was told that sometimes when she was inside buildings the signal level was so low they'd almost be having to sit on the roof!

Spot anything familiar in this Robbie Williams video?



[edit] There's also an episode of Treasure Hunt where Keith lands on a submarine at sea onto an area that is considerably smaller than his helicopters skids! Now that's some piloting!

I thought this thread would contain wank material for me
Harumpphhh!
\

Helicopter and submarine interface!

Being a top notch pilot doesn't change your body's resistance to the cold seawater, though it might make you a bit better at scrambling out the door as it starts to sink.

I would expect he would have had a survival suit on. You'd be fairly foolish to go flying over open sea in a single engined helicopter without one. Staying in sight of the land is one thing (as in the Treasure Hunt clip above), but a crossing from Cornwall to France is quite another.

[edit] Just checked and Michael was actually a search and rescue pilot in the Navy. So it's impossible to imagine that he hadn't taken the precaution of a survival suit considering he made his living rescuing people who had been ditched in the sea!