A Tale of two Choppers!

 Westland Wasp HAS.1 V Westland Scout AH.1
Words: Dennis Kenyon Photos: Dave Spurdens

WOW... How many times do I have to say it? How privileged we are to be in such a fun industry. I just have to share it with LOOP readers. So what’s all the fuss? What’s got into DRK this month. Oh so simple. Flying for Fun!

Our Editor-in-Chief, Dave Calderwood, called me just before Christmas. “How would you like to spend a day fl ying a Westland Wasp and a Westland Scout?” He might as well have asked, “How would I like to win the lottery!” So it was on a dullish January morning, I found myself struggling along the M27, when the dulcet tones of Jane, from my newly acquired Tom Tom GPS, guided me off the motorway’s eight-mile log jam, through the gentle Hampshire lanes to emerge on the A303 and to Thruxton Airfield.

My host was the genial Rod Copplestone, who’d arranged for us to use his Thruxton business as our base for the day. My task was to fly as co-pilot to Dave Parry in the Scout (G-NOTY) as we positioned in company with our story ship, the Wasp owned by Mark Grimshaw and Terry Martin. Terry, an ex-RAF Wing Commander, is a practicing Intensive Care Specialist and was formerly attached to the HEMS helicopter team in London. Our destination was the revitalised Bembridge Airport, home of the BN Islander ion the Isle of Wight, where we were welcomed by aviation entrepreneur, Maurice Hynett and his son William. Maurice has a personal Scout too (G-BXRS).

Before the Thruxton lift-off, I spent an hour on the ground getting to grips with the comprehensive instrument presentation and the Wasp control. Oh, so reminiscent of the chunky service machine I remember from my distant RAF days. How I loved the central presentation of the ubiquitous service DI, the overkill G4F Compass. When using it, you never have any doubt about your heading! But I didn't love the sharp knobs and myriad of switches, which removed a sliver of skin from my knuckles. Gloves are a 'must have' for Wasp pilots! The next item that drew my attention on the Scout version was a rotor blade 'Angle of Attack' indicator, with a minus angle of attack reading, something I've not previously seen. (You'd need something to keep the machine down on a heaving carrier deck!) Overall, the Wasp is almost isentical to its Scout brother, but has two rotor brakes, (to close down quickly in a 'Force Eight' at sea) and fixed landing wheels for deck manoeuvring.

Of course, solidly built helicopters are no lightweights. As she sat on the apron, this machine weighed in at 5550lb; the empty weight averages 3250lb so the 'no fuel' payload can be over one ton! But she was a pretty as a Constable picture in a striking paint scheme. Who prefers their military hardware in Khaki or matt navy blue?

Terry Martin's Wasp was of 1966 manufacture and has been seen action with the New Zealand Royal Navy. She looked superb on the apron in a 'civvy' paint scheme with its 'borrowed' XT778 number proudly displayed on the tail (the original XT778 sits in Yeovilton's museum). In 1998, Westland brought her back to the UK from New Zealand, where she'd served with the RNZAF as NZ3907. Such a magnificent beast... a solidly made peice of working helicopter that shouts at you, "let's get on with the task."
XT778 had the more powerful 685shp engine, so shortage of grunt... there isn't! After a refuel stop, we lifted from the Bembridge apron with 1200lb of fuel aboard, which amused me greatly. A fuel load 50lb more that the empty weight of the little Schweizer 300C I display!

Terry said she was flying 'heavy' but I thought the handling was superb, though the final contact of the wheels on sloping ground requires some delicate cyclic handling. What must it have been like on a heaving deck?

But my editor's breif was to tell LOOP readers how the Wasp flies. In short, pure heaven! but I won't get paid for just two words. So with Terry Martin, i lifted off in formation with Dave Parry's Scout and headed for the Isle of Wight's famous Needles for some legal, close-up pictures.

At 500 feet, the strong north-westerly breeze was proving a handful, as I posed on a southerly heading with more than enough turbulence spiralling off the chalk rocks. But the Wasp is made of sterner stuff, i kept telling myself. Any self-respecting Navy pilot would have laughed off my difficulties. I suppose it was only minutes before I appreciated how well the Wasp can cope in a strong tailwind. Even with full fuel, two up, and a HOGE hover we could comfortably hold station a whisker under max continuous torque. A little feature I welcomed, was the discreet Klaxon sounding in the Bose headsets as we approached 100% power, avoiding a constant reference to the instrument panel when one's attention needs to be focused outside.

How grand the Needles looked with the low southerly sun reflecting off the white chalk pinnacles, sadly contrasting with the disused Trinity lighthouse with its flaking red paint and sea-stained brickwork.
Photos in the can, we beetled back to Bembridge to swap helicopters. this time, I was co-pilot to Dave Parry, who has some impressive experience of the big BA fixed wings. With Air Traffic’s blessing and the freedom of the airfield, we took an initial look at the ‘quick stop’ handling of the Scout, and all I can say is, she manoeuvres as nicely as anything I have ever displayed.

Superb control coordination, and of course any type that has a cyclic ‘trimmer’ is always a delight to fly. But you wouldn’t want to try flying the Scout too far out of trim. Once we had the feel of control response, we progressed to a few wingovers. With a light fuel load, and a steep cyclic/collective pull up, for a few seconds the Scout’s VSI showed max UP deflection! Just bliss.