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A pair of BV Chinook HC3s (ZH901 & ZH904) depart the Salisbury Plain Training Area as "Pegasus Formation"
Royal Navy's Agusta Westland Merlin HC3 (ZJ121 / E and ZJ129/ N) helicopters from 846 Naval Air Squadron based at RN's Air Station Yeovilton, Somerset, approaching the RAF Gibraltar's South Dispersal Ramp following their arrival Gibraltar's International Airport. The two helicopters will be conducting a week's flight training operations from Gibraltar involving student pilots.
Their last task for the day completed, the flight crew leave their aircraft to the ground technicians until tomorrow. The all-female line-up reflects a real crew deployed to Afghanistan by the RAF in 2009.
The second of the two new Solos is 3006, which is seen here opposite St Luke’s Hospital, working the 1730 HC3 to Harvest Road. This was also the first day in service with Centrebus for this vehicle, as it has been on loan to Chaserider since new.
It’s one of six brand new Optare Solo SR’s delivered to the group since last year, with four going to High Peak, and the remaining two going to Leicester - following a short loan period to Chaserider. The story of their purchase starts with the order placed by Stagecoach in 2023 for 60 new diesel-powered Solos - which was later almost doubled to 118 new buses.
This order came as a huge surprise to everyone, given that back in 2022, Switch Mobility (the new name for Optare, a rename made to reflect their transition to electric vehicles) had announced they’d built their final diesel buses, and their entire product range would now be electric powered.
So, with that decision reversed, and the production line reopened for the Stagecoach order, other operators were free to purchase a new diesel-powered Solo SR too. Alongside the Centrebus Group’s batch of six, three other independents have also purchased new Solos - these being Shuttle Buses of Kilwinning, who have acquired four; Morris Travel of Carmarthen, also acquiring four; and M&H Coaches of Trefnant, who have purchased two.
As these are diesel powered, they’re badged as Optare rather than Switch, with that name being reserved exclusively for electrics - however, look closely enough, and you will find the Switch name in a couple of places on the vehicles.
The sad end to this otherwise rather happy tale, is that it would appear that these absolutely, definitely, really are the final batch of Solos, with Ashok Leyland (who own Switch Mobility) having now removed the Solo from their product lineup, both in diesel and electric formats, and announcing plans at the end of March to close their UK factory, which is located in Sherburn-in-Elmet, near Leeds. Going forwards, any UK orders will be built at alternative factories operated by the company in the UAE or India, and then shipped over.
Pictured are a special formation of Chinooks from 18,27 & 28 Sqn, part of their 100th anniversary celebrations.
On Wednesday 14 September a very special formation left RAF Odiham bound for the south coast of England but tactical camouflage was not on the agenda! In the past 18 months three Chinook aircraft have been painted to celebrate the 100th anniversaries of 18(B) and 27 Squadron from RAF Odiham and 28 Squadron from RAF Benson.
With the first of the helicopters expected to be returned to standard operational markings in the near future this opportunity was integrated in to a formation training sortie which tested the crews’ ability to plan and execute some very unique tasks. With it being so complex the mission was, unusually, briefed the day prior to launch and each crew walked through the various maneouvres in the hangar, in what is colloquially known as a ‘rock drill.’ At the hour they walked for their aircraft each member had a firm grasp of the planned movements which enabled them to focus on maintaining strict safety margins.
The day itself was only the end of a long road though, with preparation having begun over 6 months ago. Operational restraints cancelled the first planned date in June and the only other window where all three aircraft were available concurrently was identified as being this week.
RAF Odiham’s dedicated and professional engineering teams were therefore faced with generating three very specific airframes to complete this sortie whilst concurrently deploying multiple others to support exercises in Sweden and onboard HMS Ocean and providing manpower to flying detachments in the United States and elsewhere. They succeeded and the results of their efforts are clearly seen.The Serco team who painted the Chinooks at Odiham, each in the space of two intense weeks, were invited to see the three lined up on the dispersal together for what may be the first and only time – a moment they had waited a long time to see.
As for the stunning imagery seen here, that could certainly not have been captured without the generous contribution of 657 Sqn Army Air Corps, also based at RAF Odiham, who integrated a Lynx aircraft with the formation to act as a camera platform. This again provided a valuable training opportunity for dissimilar types to operate together, all the while having to maintain awareness of the other’s capabilities and limitations.
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© Crown Copyright 2014
Photographer: Sergeant Dave Rose RAF
Image 45160388.jpg from www.defenceimages.mod.uk
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Royal Navy AugustaWestland Merlin HC.3 ZJ131 performs a missed approach at RAF Brize Norton as callsign JUNGLIE414. (12/11/18)
This fat Chinook is seen approaching the FRP on Salisbury Plain during one of the Operation HERRICK Mission Readiness Exercises in July 2010.
Last year, when I posted my L118 light 105mm guns, Snuffwuzz asked what was going to move them. In Afghanistan, these artillery pieces are sometimes moved by helicopter, to avoid the IED threat. So here, early one morning, an RAF Merlin HC3 is hauling one across Helmand province to some remote artillery position supporting Forward Operating Bases.
For heavy lifting, the RAF also uses the famous American Chinook, but others, notably Mad Physicist , have already created fine Lego renderings of that wonderful flying truck. So I decided to have a go at a minifig-scale model of the RAF’s other large chopper, which I have not yet seen created in Lego: the (largely) home-grown AgustaWestland AW101 Merlin HC3.
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12 years ago tomorrow, RAF Cottesmore saw several aeroplanes arrive in conjunction with some airpower conference.
Among them was a pair of 28 Sqn Merlin HC3s. This one is pictured soaking up the final rays of sunshine of the day.