French Helicopters

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TheGreenGoblin
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French Helicopters

#1 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Fri Jun 26, 2020 1:03 pm

I have been looking at French helicopters and came across this little wonder...

[attachment=0]Ejecteur6404261_wm.jpg[/attachment]





https://www.heli-archive.ch/en/helicopt ... 221-djinn/
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Re: French Helicopters

#2 Post by k3k3 » Fri Jun 26, 2020 4:52 pm

Grandchild of the Fairey Rotodyne.

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Re: French Helicopters

#3 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Sat Jun 27, 2020 7:31 am

k3k3 wrote:
Fri Jun 26, 2020 4:52 pm
Grandchild of the Fairey Rotodyne.
Yes!

Looking at that photograph above seems to indicate some sort of crack or burn through near the nacelle! The Djinn, it seems, was relatively under-powered and heavy on fuel unfortunately, but for all that it managed to set a world helicopter altitude record until that was snatched away by the Alouette.

The Aérospatiale Alouette and its predecessors must be accounted as one of the most successful of all French helicopter types.
On 12 March 1955, the prototype SE 3130 performed its maiden flight. The Alouette II was a widely used type and popular with operators, with over 1,300 rotorcraft eventually being constructed between 1956 and 1975. The type was predominantly used for military purposes in observation, photography, air-sea rescue, liaison and training, but it has also carried anti-tank missiles and homing torpedoes. As a civilian helicopter, the Alouette II has been used for casualty evacuation (with two external stretcher panniers), crop-spraying and as a flying crane, with a 500-kilogram (1,100 lb) external underslung load.
They were used in many roles in South Africa, during the war in Angola, as well in the role of gun ships and were used in many operations, the only concession being made to light ordinance and machine gun fire, being armoured pans or trays. They also faced Russian SAMs but generally flew so low that they evaded them but were often hit by small arms rounds and they proved to be highly resilient to all of that but when hit by anything bigger the result could be ugly for the operators and pilots.

Escape and evade Alouette III down

They were extremely good in the SAR role and I saw them operating many times in the mountains in the Western Cape where literally hundreds of people were rescued over the years...

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Re: French Helicopters

#4 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Sat Jun 27, 2020 7:34 am

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Re: French Helicopters

#5 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Sat Jun 27, 2020 8:50 am

Following the development of the Alouette from the early 50's is an interesting story...

The name started with the SNCASE SE.3120 Alouette which never went into production due to maintenance complexity and the fact that piston power was being supplanted by the more powerful and efficient turbines...

Gentille Alouette

the more powerful and efficient turbines... - Joseph Szydlowski
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Re: French Helicopters

#6 Post by CharlieOneSix » Sat Jun 27, 2020 9:00 am

BEAS - British Executive Air Services - at Oxford Kidlington had a few Djinns in the late 60's. They used them for crop spraying. I had a look round one there but never felt the inclination to fly in the type.

Irish Helicopters used an Alouette 3 on the contract to the Commisioners of Irish Lights taking lighthouse keepers to and from their shifts in the late 60's, early 70's. Not sure when they replaced the Alouette 3 with the Bolkow 105 but it was certainly before 1973 as I was flying the 105 on that contract then.

On one occasion in what was then Rhodesia I saw the Fireforce team enroute to a job and that had 3 or 4 Alouette 3's and a Dakota. Impressive sight. Apparently sometimes they were accompanied by a Cessna 337 fitted with two overwing machine guns and rocket pods. I got arrested for taking these photos of a 337 Lynx at the forward Centenary airfield...but was let go with a warning and allowed to keep my film.
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Re: French Helicopters

#7 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Sat Jun 27, 2020 10:12 am

The Rhodesians obtained pretty much all of their Alouettes, and, initially, ground support personnel, technicians and some Alouette pilots, from the SAAF, until even that source dried up due to political pressure, and then sanctions on South Africa, by which time the Rhodies were experts in all those areas of operation, rebuilding aircraft and more besides. They were past masters at making do and using aircraft in new, surprising and often, very operationally successful ways, as C16's interesting experience, noted above, and photographs indicate.

The Fireforce operation and its very effective use of 4 man sticks on the ground evolved that way because the Alouette III was only able to carry 4 troops.

Fireforce

After the war was in the process of winding down I met many of those RLI and Rhodesian Air Force folks at UCT, as Mugabe did not renege, at the outset anyway, on the previous government's pledge, to give military personnel grants to gain higher educational qualifications, as appropriate, after their service was over. Some of the tales these folks told were hair raising and a number of these young guys, almost the same age but older men mentally in comparison to callow students like me, were clearly still miles away in the bush.

Two of these Rhodesians, who were to become good friends of mine later, served as Fireforce radio operator and medic, respectively. The medic Graham sat down next to me on the first day at the residence refectory and opened his conversation with the comment "you have good veins" to which somewhat disturbing comment I asked him what he meant. "Good for inserting a catheter" he said. I used to do a lot of weights at the gym in those days so I got his drift but later when he told me that the most beautiful things he had ever seen were the bodies glowing green at night after a phosphorous strike I realised that he might need some psychological help. I am happy to say he is a very successful, normal, accountant in Australia today!

They were tough guys and saw some stuff...
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Re: French Helicopters

#8 Post by CharlieOneSix » Sat Jun 27, 2020 3:39 pm

TheGreenGoblin wrote:
Sat Jun 27, 2020 10:12 am
....later when he told me that the most beautiful things he had ever seen were the bodies glowing green at night after a phosphorous strike I realised that he might need some psychological help.......

They were tough guys and saw some stuff...
Indeed. A few of us tried to go and have a drink in the Monomotapa Hotel in Salisbury (Harare), the downstairs bar if I recall correctly. It was closed. The previous night some bored Rhodesian soldiers played Russian roulette and one lost. They were still cleaning the blood off the carpet....
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Re: French Helicopters

#9 Post by FD2 » Sun Jun 28, 2020 3:04 am

I had a few hours flying the Alouette SA316 (Mk 3) in Port Harcourt and a 'jolly' in a Mk 2 from St Mandrier with the French Navy.

I was amazed at how much trust the pilots had in the machines and it was explained to me that because the engines ran at constant rpm (33,000 I think it was), they suffered remarkably little wear and tear unlike the more 'conventional' helicopter engines which were constantly accelerating and decelerating and failing more frequently.

To prove it the French NCO pilot flew me up a 500ft cliff with the aircraft facing and the main rotor blades a few feet from the rockface and nowhere to go if the engine stopped. "C'est normal", he told me, before flying down to beat up the nearby nudist beach.

Our senior maintenance engineer told me the chap had drunk a couple of glasses of red in the mess at lunch time - that was "ordinaire" (pun intended), "aussi normal".

C16 - amazing! :-o I thought that only happened in films. Very macho...

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Re: French Helicopters

#10 Post by Undried Plum » Sun Jun 28, 2020 5:52 am

Did the guy in the originating video ever get the damn thing out of ground effect?

I waited and I waited, and at one point I thought he was going into translational lift to get properly airborne, but then he went ffrench again.

From that video, it looks like a ffrog attempt to trump(excuse le mot) Monsieur Cockerell without the decency of wearing a skirt.

The best that can be said of the **** thing is that at least the rotor goes the right way round. Unfortunately, that is undone by the fact that it doesn't matter as there's no torque or otherwise to squeeze into the pedals either way anyway.

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Re: French Helicopters

#11 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Sun Jun 28, 2020 8:38 am

Undried Plum wrote:
Sun Jun 28, 2020 5:52 am
Did the guy in the originating video ever get the damn thing out of ground effect?

I waited and I waited, and at one point I thought he was going into translational lift to get properly airborne, but then he went ffrench again.

From that video, it looks like a ffrog attempt to trump(excuse le mot) Monsieur Cockerell without the decency of wearing a skirt.

The best that can be said of the **** thing is that at least the rotor goes the right way round. Unfortunately, that is undone by the fact that it doesn't matter as there's no torque or otherwise to squeeze into the pedals either way anyway.
Zoet alors, Undried, the type did set a world altitude record in 1957! =))
The Djinn was an excellent "climber", in fact, on the 22nd of March 1957, it set another new (unofficial) world record when it climbed to 8'482 m. This record was later broken by another French helicopter, the Alouette II.
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Re: French Helicopters

#12 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Sun Jun 28, 2020 11:51 am

FD2 wrote:
Sun Jun 28, 2020 3:04 am
I had a few hours flying the Alouette SA316 (Mk 3) in Port Harcourt and a 'jolly' in a Mk 2 from St Mandrier with the French Navy.

I was amazed at how much trust the pilots had in the machines and it was explained to me that because the engines ran at constant rpm (33,000 I think it was), they suffered remarkably little wear and tear unlike the more 'conventional' helicopter engines which were constantly accelerating and decelerating and failing more frequently.

To prove it the French NCO pilot flew me up a 500ft cliff with the aircraft facing and the main rotor blades a few feet from the rockface and nowhere to go if the engine stopped. "C'est normal", he told me, before flying down to beat up the nearby nudist beach.
A badly grabbed photo by Herman Potgieter... of 3 Alouettes taken from a hole in the Drakensberg mountains (Gatberg). It seems that the Alouette III inspired confidence globally in those who flew them.

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Re: French Helicopters

#13 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Sun Jun 28, 2020 12:49 pm

CharlieOneSix wrote:
Sat Jun 27, 2020 9:00 am
Not sure when they replaced the Alouette 3 with the Bolkow 105 but it was certainly before 1973 as I was flying the 105 on that contract then.
The Alouette was the primary SAR helicopter in South Africa in the 60's. My Dad dragged us down to the watch this rescue in Table Bay. It is one of my earliest memories as a child. I was only 5 but clearly remember this day. Funny how I can remember this and not a bloody thing from last week mind... =))



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Re: French Helicopters

#14 Post by G-CPTN » Sun Jun 28, 2020 12:56 pm

TheGreenGoblin wrote:
Sun Jun 28, 2020 12:49 pm
Funny how I can remember this and not a bloody thing from last week mind... =))
Last week? I have problems remembering what I was going to do a couple of minutes ago.

It's because the brain cells are stuffed full with all those events from decades ago and there just isn't any room for more.

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Re: French Helicopters

#15 Post by Undried Plum » Sun Jun 28, 2020 4:16 pm

G-CPTN wrote:
Sun Jun 28, 2020 12:56 pm
I have problems remembering what I was going to do a couple of minutes ago.
What did you say?

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Re: French Helicopters

#16 Post by Undried Plum » Sun Jun 28, 2020 4:23 pm

TheGreenGoblin wrote:
Sun Jun 28, 2020 8:38 am

Zoet alors, Undried, the type did set a world altitude record in 1957! =))

Yeah, but did the bloke in the originating video manage to get the **** thing out of ground effect?

I don't want to wait so long in the Astra that I have to stand up for the National Anthem, ferfuxake!

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Re: French Helicopters

#17 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Sun Jun 28, 2020 4:29 pm

Undried Plum wrote:
Sun Jun 28, 2020 4:23 pm
TheGreenGoblin wrote:
Sun Jun 28, 2020 8:38 am

Zoet alors, Undried, the type did set a world altitude record in 1957! =))
Yeah, but did the bloke in the originating video manage to get the f*cking thing out of ground effect?
No... he stayed in ground effect for the duration of that video... Perhaps the pilot suffers from vertigo! :p
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Re: French Helicopters

#18 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Mon Jun 29, 2020 2:55 am



The SA 321 Super Frelon is a French-produced multirole helicopter under the Aerospatiale brand (formally Sud Aviation). The triple-engine, medium-lift design became the largest production helicopter designed and built in Europe in any number when it went into frontline service with the French Navy in 1966. Since then, several nations moved to accept the versatile platform into their respective inventories covering various military branches. Operators of the series were Argentina, China, France, Greece, Iraq, Israel, Libya, South Africa and Zaire.

SA 321 "Super Frelon" design stemmed from development of the prototype SNCASE SE.3200 "Frelon" built to a French military specification. In a joint effort between Sud Aviation and Sikorsky of the United States, the base SA 3200 Frelon was developed into the "Super Frelon" (with Frelon translating to "Hornet", hence the new helicopter becoming the "Super Hornet"). The result was a large troop transport that would go onto to be produced in several distinct variants. A first-flight was recorded on December 7th, 1962 and service entry followed in the mid-1960s.
Aérospatiale SA 321 Super Frelon
The Aérospatiale (formerly Sud Aviation) SA 321 Super Frelon ("Super Hornet") is a three-engined heavy transport helicopter produced by aerospace manufacturer Sud Aviation (later Aérospatiale) of France. It held the distinction of being the most powerful helicopter to be built in Europe at one point, as well as being the world's fastest helicopter.

The Super Frelon was a more powerful development of the original SE.3200 Frelon, which had failed to enter production. On 7 December 1962, the first prototype conducted the type's maiden flight. On 23 July 1963, a modified Super Frelon flew a record-breaking flight, setting the new FAI absolute helicopter world speed record with a recorded speed of 217.7 mph (350.4 km/h). Both civilian and military versions of the Super Frelon were produced; the type was predominantly sold to military customers. In 1981, Aerospatiale, Sud Aviation's successor company, chose to terminate production due to a lack of orders.
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Re: French Helicopters

#19 Post by Undried Plum » Mon Jun 29, 2020 7:14 am

A ffrog named Hastings?

Image

Bâtard!

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Re: French Helicopters

#20 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Mon Jun 29, 2020 7:25 am

William did some conquering in Hastings c'est vrai...

Scion of the Normans, aka Norse men, zey are you cousins n'est ce pas! :))
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