Another Navy Wings article...

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FD2
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Re: Another Navy Wings article...

#501 Post by FD2 » Sun Jan 08, 2023 7:28 pm

When I was at RAF Church Fenton for EFT on the Chipmunk, there was a Sea Prince which was used to fly down to Yeovilton to transport people and anything needed to run the joint RN/RAF training squadron. It was also taken down there when any maintenance was required - preferably on a Friday afternoon when engineers would carry out maintenance at the weekend or on the Monday. The Senior Naval Officer, a dashing young Commander David Dunbar-Dempsey thus set off for Yeovilton one Friday afternoon. He had survived/flown Sea Vixens from junior joe to command of a squadron and related one particular ejection to me when he landed on a Malaysian beach and injured himself on the only rocks for miles up or down the beach.

He was known to be a bit relaxed about strapping on his parachute and when, in the crowded airspace of the Vale of York, he had his tail removed by a Jet Provost, he is believed to have grabbed his parachute, jumped out the open rear fuselage of the Sea Prince and pulled the rip cord, but didn't have the strength to resist the 'chute being pulled from his grasp when it opened. That was the investigators' conclusion when his body was found some distance from the opened parachute.

The Sea Prince was a a great workhorse in the RN for years, both on station flight duties and observer training in 750 Squadron, in conjunction with the 'O' School at Lossie. I think it performed similarly well as the Pembroke in the RAF.

https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/56562

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Re: Another Navy Wings article...

#502 Post by FD2 » Sun Jan 08, 2023 7:38 pm

After watching some of them and reading a lot, I think the Barracuda came out bottom of those three. There was a discussion here some time back on its brick like flying qualities and C16 also quoted the old mess piano song 'Somewhere a Barra's Crashing' I think. It very nearly killed John Godley on his last naval flight.

The Fulmar was said to be under-powered but the Firefly did good service and though not mentioned I think the Sea Fury would have come out 'best', in the role each was designed for.

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Re: Another Navy Wings article...

#503 Post by G-CPTN » Sun Jan 08, 2023 7:51 pm

FD2 wrote:
Sun Jan 08, 2023 7:28 pm


He was known to be a bit relaxed about strapping on his parachute and when, in the crowded airspace of the Vale of York, he had his tail removed by a Jet Provost, he is believed to have grabbed his parachute, jumped out the open rear fuselage of the Sea Prince and pulled the rip cord, but didn't have the strength to resist the 'chute being pulled from his grasp when it opened. That was the investigators' conclusion when his body was found some distance from the opened parachute.
What a tragedy!

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Re: Another Navy Wings article...

#504 Post by TheGreenAnger » Sun Jan 08, 2023 10:44 pm

G-CPTN wrote:
Sun Jan 08, 2023 6:29 pm
As a child with an interest in aviation (and aircraft manufacturers and models in particular) I was familiar with many brands no longer extant.

I wrote off to manufacturers worldwide and received photographs and/or banners that I archived into a 'portfolio' that I manufactured from a couple of 2ft x 3ft sheets of hardboard with sheets of card between.

Sadly, my mother disposed of this tome when I went off to university!
Women, not just mother's generally, appear to be the antidotes to books!

I am just generally, generalizing! =))

I have a substantial and not totally financially insignificant library but no doubt as my corpse is cooling the books will be trundled off to Oxfam.... =))
My necessaries are embark'd: farewell. Adieu! I have too grieved a heart to take a tedious leave.

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Re: Another Navy Wings article...

#505 Post by Woody » Sun Jan 08, 2023 10:47 pm

You could set up an Ops-Normal aviation library :-bd
When all else fails, read the instructions.

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Re: Another Navy Wings article...

#506 Post by CharlieOneSix » Mon Jan 09, 2023 12:23 am

In the early 80s I was on holiday in Portugal and met a lady who lived there who knew Dunbar-Dempsey and was quite emotional talking about him. At her behest the next time I was at Yeovilton I visited the FAA Church and sent her the photo I took of his gravestone.
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Re: Another Navy Wings article...

#507 Post by TheGreenAnger » Fri Jan 13, 2023 1:08 pm

Hawker Sea Hawk in todays Navy Wings Newsletter.

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The Sea Hawk entered service with the Fleet Air Arm in 1953. It was the direct successor to the Sea Fury but represented a quantum leap forward in capability, taking Naval aviation into the Jet Age and capably proving the offensive edge of carrier aviation during the Suez conflict of 1956.

The transition from the piston engine, tail dragging Sea Fury to the Sea Hawk, a fighter jet with tricycle undercarriage, was a brave and logical development for British Carrier Aviation. In many ways, it could be likened to the dramatic changes from sail to steam, or from wood to steel. Like most early generation jets (and this was Hawker’s first example) the Sea Hawk had development challenges but these were overcome and it became a capable carrier based fighter ground attack aircraft, progressing from the original type F.1 to the final FGA.6 version. The Sea Hawk retained her straight wings unlike some of her American counterparts and upgrades between the variants included strengthening of hardpoints to carry ordnance, vast improvements to the aircraft controls and airframe robustness and finally, a more powerful Rolls Royce Nene 103 engine in the FGA.6.

In comparison to the Sea Fury, the Sea Hawk was much faster, had a ceiling some 10,000’ higher and double the thrust to weight ratio so it could achieve combat altitude in half the time. The Sea Hawk was one of the forerunners of modern day carrier based jet aircraft and the technologies that catapult and arrest today’s latest generation aircraft share common ancestry from the period.

The Sea Hawks in Fleet Air Arm service began being phased out from first line service in 1958, the year in which the Supermarine Scimitar and de Havilland Sea Vixen entered service, both of which types would eventually replace the Sea Hawk. The last front line Sea Hawk squadron, No. 806, disbanded at RNAS Brawdy on 15 December 1960, ending a very brief operational career for the Sea Hawk. Despite this, Sea Hawks saw an extensive career in the Indian Navy until retirement in 1983.
https://navywings.org.uk/portfolio/sea-hawk/


And this piece of bad news...
Supporter Package Update
We now understand that there are no plans for the Royal Navy to run an International Air Day at RNAS Yeovilton in 2023. It is understood the Royal Navy is continuing to look for a commercial partner to run the event.

We are in the process of reviewing the the Navy Wings Supporters package in light of the access to the event, previously offered to Supporters, not being available this year. We will communicate changes to the supporter package in our weekly emails.
My necessaries are embark'd: farewell. Adieu! I have too grieved a heart to take a tedious leave.

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Re: Another Navy Wings article...

#508 Post by Rossian » Fri Jan 13, 2023 3:23 pm

Thanks for posting these excerpts. I remember seeing a very long line of Sea Hawks at Lossie Air Day in 1900 and frozen to death doing a simultaneous engine start (why? who knows) but the starter "exhausts" crossed over behind the cockpit and made a spectacular sight of black smoke. Maybe it was in preparation for the usual Balbo that concluded the show where every man and his dog got airborne and attacked the field from all directions. It would never happen these days (probably there aren't enough aircraft any more). Ho hum!

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Re: Another Navy Wings article...

#509 Post by CharlieOneSix » Fri Jan 13, 2023 4:02 pm


It was before my time but a former Sea Hawk pilot who flew helicopters for Bristow told me that a carrier he served on was trying to dock somewhere - Malta maybe - and there was a strike of tug personnel. A Squadron of Sea Hawks were lined up fore and aft and directed by the Captain via Flyco to apply power to manoeuvre the carrier alongside the dock.
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Re: Another Navy Wings article...

#510 Post by TheGreenAnger » Fri Jan 13, 2023 4:12 pm

CharlieOneSix wrote:
Mon Jan 09, 2023 12:23 am
In the early 80s I was on holiday in Portugal and met a lady who lived there who knew Dunbar-Dempsey and was quite emotional talking about him. At her behest the next time I was at Yeovilton I visited the FAA Church and sent her the photo I took of his gravestone.

What a sad story.
The pilot of the Sea Prince was Cdr. David Dunbar-Dempsey, who was Senior Naval Officer at RAF Church Fenton and is buried in the RN Cemetery at the FAA Church in Yeovilton.

One of the Jet Provost crew was reported to be Flight Lieutenant Elwyn David Bell (507722) of Cape Town, South Africa. He was cremated at York Crematorium (Bishopthorpe Road) and is commemorated on a plaque at the Armed Forces Memorial At The National Aboretum in Staffordshire.
I am am member of the local history society and we make a bi-annual visit to The National Aboretum, which is is due again this year. I will make a point of asking them arrange to leave a tribute at the FAA section to all of the crew involved in this unfortunate accident.
My necessaries are embark'd: farewell. Adieu! I have too grieved a heart to take a tedious leave.

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Re: Another Navy Wings article...

#511 Post by CharlieOneSix » Fri Jan 13, 2023 5:23 pm

The National Arboretum is a deeply moving place. On my last visit a few years ago I took these photos of the FAA memorial. The last photo of the list of names of all Services contains far too many long lost friends.
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This is an appropriate poem written by an early and no longer member of this forum, hico-p. We have known each other for a few months under 60 years so I hope he won't mind me reproducing the poem here:

OLD BOYS

We looked at each other - him and me
two old boys nattering away
with tales of long ago remembrances
of who and where and why
of the ones who were left
and those flown west to die

Memories of the pubs
and the lovely girls we knew
the dicey times when every nerve
waited in screaming silence
and the slow descent from that shrill peak
as young pilots we had seen a little of hell
until we knew that all was well

And the in-between years
families, careers - so much to say
the dreams that had floundered
and the peaks we could look back on with pride
and our aged eyes wetted with tears
as we remembered those loves and fears

Was it Pete, Simon, or Mike or John
who left us first so long ago
Ah the fun we had as brave young men
when all was clear and good and true
And now at last we drain our beer
perhaps we'll meet again next year
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Re: Another Navy Wings article...

#512 Post by FD2 » Fri Jan 13, 2023 6:59 pm

Thank you for posting that CharlieOneSix.

Hico-p summed up the highs, lows, good times and sad of the passing years very movingly.

Good luck with your kind gesture at the Arboretum TGA.

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Re: Another Navy Wings article...

#513 Post by TheGreenAnger » Fri Jan 13, 2023 9:36 pm

I note I picked up the abor in the report and ran with it forgotting my Latin for tree.

Arboretum.
My necessaries are embark'd: farewell. Adieu! I have too grieved a heart to take a tedious leave.

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Re: Another Navy Wings article...

#514 Post by TheGreenAnger » Fri Jan 13, 2023 9:42 pm

My necessaries are embark'd: farewell. Adieu! I have too grieved a heart to take a tedious leave.

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Re: Another Navy Wings article...

#515 Post by CharlieOneSix » Fri Jan 20, 2023 12:51 pm

THE WARSHIP: Tour of Duty - HMS Queen Elizabeth - will start a six week run on BBC2 from 2100 on Sunday 22nd January.
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Film maker Chris Terrill said 'It has been my great privilege to make films and write books about the Royal Navy for over 30 years. I never cease to be amazed at the calibre of young men and women I meet every time I step on board a Royal Navy warship with my camera.

I tell it how it is and never pull my punches but the films I end up making always turn out to be a celebration of the remarkable and selfless human beings who volunteer to serve our country. Often this means they have to spend many months on the high seas to help protect our precious freedoms and those of our allies.

These six films are an authentic, honest and sometimes raw portrayal of life on Britain's biggest warship on the occasion of her very first operational deployment to the other side of a troubled world. It was a gruelling 7 and a half month, 50,000 mile voyage that nobody on board will ever forget. The films we have made are exciting, surprising, funny, moving but above all inspiring and uplifting.'
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Re: Another Navy Wings article...

#516 Post by G-CPTN » Fri Jan 20, 2023 2:05 pm


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Re: Another Navy Wings article...

#517 Post by Boac » Fri Jan 20, 2023 2:11 pm

The coming follow-up series about the Prince of Wales 'We are in dry-dock'

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Re: Another Navy Wings article...

#518 Post by FD2 » Fri Jan 20, 2023 8:08 pm

Here's a good mix of aircraft and Ark Royals, as well as snatches of the original Sailor intro. Pretty impressive and despite some snide digs I'm sure the POW will come good. The first Ark in the film was lost in WW2.



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Re: Another Navy Wings article...

#519 Post by FD2 » Fri Jan 20, 2023 8:10 pm

An interesting piece about Ark's operations - what a pity the Labour Government scrapped her and Eagle before 1982. Sea Kings are not really fitted with lawnmower engines - too idle or thick to fit correct sound track.



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Re: Another Navy Wings article...

#520 Post by CharlieOneSix » Fri Jan 20, 2023 8:17 pm

I spent most of the afternoon watching some of the original series of ‘my’ Ark. Some great flight deck ops shots - especially the exchange RAF Buccaneer pilot who finally caught the wires after 6 bolters!
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