@@MultiVogon Thanks for your service. My former life was U.S. pave lows and cv-22s. Now enjoying back pain, loss of hearing, and precious time with my wife and kids. Hope you are well and enjoying the life you earned, and merry Christmas to you.
Ex 845 engineer here (Sea King mk4 commando). Went to Iraq and Afghanistan to maintain these beasts, love them! Will always have a soft spot for this cab.
As a kid, we used to go to Weymouth for our family holidays, I have great memories of going to Portland Bill to see the air sea rescue Sea Kings flying in and out of there, as well as the Wasps.
I worked on a North Sea Oil Production Platform Platform in the early 80s (Ninian South) and I remember R.N. Sea Kings bringing a special Operations Team onboard for a training exercise. the Helicopters carried no lights on landing. P.S. We flew on and off the Platform in S61s for crew change,, they were a little slow but very safe.
I remember visiting an aunt in Yeovil and marvelled at seeing a Sea King, probably the prototype, flying overhead. Been a favourite helicopter ever since. Such an iconic design.
In April 2023, the BBC did an interview with one of the co-pilots of a UK donated Sea King to Ukraine. These helicopters served in the Falklands War so they are at least some 40 years old. The co-pilot has said that the Sea King is used for rescuing pilots who have ejected, delivering soldiers, and conducting reconnaissance, among other tasks. One engineer also told the BBC: "The are old... but they have gone through modernisation, amd we need them very much. I believe this is just the start or our work together."
My mom spent a big part of her 20 years with the RCAF working on Canadian sea king engines at Shearwater, and on board HMCS Nipigon during the early 90s, she even met my dad on one of the Nipigon's cruises. What a great helicopter.
I live spitting distance from RNAS Culdrose in Cornwall. I remember as kid, it was impossible to look up and not see wessex or seaking helo's buzzing around. My farther who was a fitter with 824 squadron in the Falklands, loved working on them.
Saw 1 go into ground resonance, during a lift off, at Sembawang airfield circa 1966 I was about 20 ft away, watching from the flt office of 42 Cdo air troop btw I was the REME Greenie, no R N crew was injured, but the aircraft did tip on its side , rotor blades everywhere. My Boss was Cpt Donkin R M who rescued some Gurkhas in 1964 from a Indonesian river assault in Borneo, I later served in Kapit Borneo 1 year later with 3 flt AAC with Wasp/Scout Westland choppers.
Great history, thanks. The Sea King (the US version) was the first helicopter I remember recognising after watching them winching Apollo capsules out of the ocean (I also had the Dinky model). Hard to believe the design is over 60 years old. A great machine.
U missed “Air Power - Did you know that during the Falkland War ... A helicopter ( sea king ) equipped with electronic decoys would position itself to lure an incoming Exocet missile towards itself (and away from the targeted ship).
My favourite helicopter. The big yellow budgie was always such fun to ride in. I miss that noisy, smelly lump of awesomeness (but there are some still flown by Historic Helicopters of Chard, Somerset) 😊
Another excellent presentation, thank you all at IWM.. .. What a wonderful aircraft, a true work horse..... I've been in one, apart from the noise it was the cavernous space I recall... Roger.. Pembrokeshire
RNAS Culdrose. HQ for 771 Sqn SAR. Early 90s..🤷♂️... I was a Sea Cadet. I spent an afternoon aboard a Sea King being given a low level tour of some lovely bits of Cornwall. Bloody awesome...👍
6:06 Love Duxford.. but this hanger is a mess at the moment all the aircraft parked in front of each other cordoned off, can hardly see the Buccaneer hidden in the corner.
Having worked on the flight deck of the Saratoga (CV-60) in the late 80's I would rather receive a Sea King over a Sea Stallion or Sea Knight landing in Fly 1 any day (or night) of the week.
Hello from Brisbane. Great vid all round - thanks! These things remain IMO the quintessence of sturdy, impressive ability. Improbably big to my childish eyes, now still the thing I'd want to arrive if everything had gone pear-shaped.
What a machine when I was young & in sea cadets our sumer camp was at hms gannet 819 naval Air service & got a quick flight & winch up in it you could always tel it was a sea king flying over the house before you even seen it . the base at hms gannet had the fairy gannet at the main gate as its name sake fantastic times with my mates....😂
Rather glaring omission of the flagship carrier Hermes in the Falklands, it carried & deployed more seakings then any other ship, I personally viewed their use in the Hermes to Pebble island sbs/sas airfield attack.
I went to IWM duxford on the 29th november and it was the best time ever i went into the lanchester and concorde and i saw all of the places apart from the tank bit the american section was probaly the best as it had a colection of f-111 b-52 sr-71a u-2 and f-15 with many this part i think is the land and sea section so number 2 or 3 more
Because for some reason americans believe that ALL helicopters MUST fit into a transport plane. Hence absence of native Mi-26 analogue or even desire to purchase Mi-26. Which would have looked really cool with King Stallion styled air refuelling mast and engine mufflers. And since americans don't produce bigger helicopter, Westland can't license bigger helicopter. Even if unlike US, they don't have to care about transatlantic logistics of it and all it needs to fly over is English Channel 😅
i`m always baffled by the length of service life of some of current day equipment. although updated and modernized several times, some air frames are in service 50+ years. F15, Sea King, B52, even Armour such as the Leopard and Abrams. Imagine the Skies over Vietnam filled with Fokkers and Sopwith's or rolling into Iraq with Sherman Tanks.
What is interesting is that finding a replacement for this DESIGN will be almost impossible. Just look at the MERLIN. its missing its bow plane front nose but cockpit and fuselage along with with the tail boom look similar to the SIKORSKY..
I've been winched into an RAF Rescue sea king in a former life. Noisy buggers, no creature comforts inside, we all loved them 🙂
Yep. Noisiest helicopter I ever heard. You could hear the gas turbine engines from miles away.
In a former life?
Well, I no longer play with boats and helicopters like I once did ;-)
@@MultiVogon Thanks for your service. My former life was U.S. pave lows and cv-22s. Now enjoying back pain, loss of hearing, and precious time with my wife and kids. Hope you are well and enjoying the life you earned, and merry Christmas to you.
This presenter does an excellent job. He speaks clearly and is easy to understand.
unlike darkskies, who has nice content, but always tries to talk too fast and slurs his words
As an Air Cadet on a summer trip to RAF Valley I was lucky enough to be flown in one of their Sea Kings. A fantastic experience for a young lad.
Ex 845 engineer here (Sea King mk4 commando). Went to Iraq and Afghanistan to maintain these beasts, love them! Will always have a soft spot for this cab.
The Merlin may be more advanced but it doesn't have the Seaking rugged good looks!
I miss seeing the Seakings on our coastlines.
As a kid, we used to go to Weymouth for our family holidays, I have great memories of going to Portland Bill to see the air sea rescue Sea Kings flying in and out of there, as well as the Wasps.
I worked on a North Sea Oil Production Platform Platform in the early 80s (Ninian South) and I remember R.N. Sea Kings bringing a special Operations Team onboard for a training exercise. the Helicopters carried no lights on landing.
P.S. We flew on and off the Platform in S61s for crew change,, they were a little slow but very safe.
That would be Royal Marines from the SBS and /or Camacchio Company.
I remember visiting an aunt in Yeovil and marvelled at seeing a Sea King, probably the prototype, flying overhead. Been a favourite helicopter ever since. Such an iconic design.
In April 2023, the BBC did an interview with one of the co-pilots of a UK donated Sea King to Ukraine. These helicopters served in the Falklands War so they are at least some 40 years old. The co-pilot has said that the Sea King is used for rescuing pilots who have ejected, delivering soldiers, and conducting reconnaissance, among other tasks. One engineer also told the BBC: "The are old... but they have gone through modernisation, amd we need them very much. I believe this is just the start or our work together."
My mom spent a big part of her 20 years with the RCAF working on Canadian sea king engines at Shearwater, and on board HMCS Nipigon during the early 90s, she even met my dad on one of the Nipigon's cruises. What a great helicopter.
These Wonderful Machines are worth their weight in Gold. So sorry to see them retired.
I live spitting distance from RNAS Culdrose in Cornwall. I remember as kid, it was impossible to look up and not see wessex or seaking helo's buzzing around. My farther who was a fitter with 824 squadron in the Falklands, loved working on them.
@stuartthornton3027 Yeah, you knew it was 10 pm and 2 am when night flying started and finished
At primary school in Dundee in the mid 80's we had a search and rescue Sea King from Leuchars land in the playing fields.
Saw 1 go into ground resonance, during a lift off, at Sembawang airfield circa 1966 I was about 20 ft away, watching from the flt office of 42 Cdo air troop btw I was the REME Greenie, no R N crew was injured, but the aircraft did tip on its side , rotor blades everywhere. My Boss was Cpt Donkin R M who rescued some Gurkhas in 1964 from a Indonesian river assault in Borneo, I later served in Kapit Borneo 1 year later with 3 flt AAC with Wasp/Scout Westland choppers.
I believe the term is dependable workhorse! It was the 'C-130 Hercules' of helicopters!
That's an apt comparison actually.
agreed.
Great history, thanks. The Sea King (the US version) was the first helicopter I remember recognising after watching them winching Apollo capsules out of the ocean (I also had the Dinky model). Hard to believe the design is over 60 years old. A great machine.
Wish I could have flown one. It's my favourite helicopter.
The Tiger livery on that Seaking looks great
814 NAS
Naval Air Squadron. I had to look that up. My Grandfather was in the RNAS. A bit before the time of these though.
U missed “Air Power - Did you know that during the Falkland War ...
A helicopter ( sea king ) equipped with electronic decoys would position itself to lure an incoming Exocet missile towards itself (and away from the targeted ship).
A few lynxs were adapted for this role as well
Works good. Lasts long. Done right the first time and continuously improved.
Excellent presentation of a wonderful helicopter.
To answer the title question, easy , it’s a fantastic design.. 😊
Because it works.
@@Masada1911 reliability and flight hours without maintenance is not prioritized enough
That one in the Museum is a beautiful beast ... Nearly 50 years service in our Armed forces and beyond that in other roles 👍🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
In the 80s i saw a Belgian Air Force Sea King land next to an office building near where I was working. To this day it's still a mystery to me!
Because it is brilliant
Because it is the best Airfix model EVER.
Had a little snap together model out of a packet of cornflakes. Loved it
My favourite helicopter. The big yellow budgie was always such fun to ride in. I miss that noisy, smelly lump of awesomeness (but there are some still flown by Historic Helicopters of Chard, Somerset) 😊
TLDR: Because it's an incredibly good design, that's why.
Another excellent presentation, thank you all at IWM.. .. What a wonderful aircraft, a true work horse..... I've been in one, apart from the noise it was the cavernous space I recall... Roger.. Pembrokeshire
Alongsides the Chinook, the Alouette and the UH1 one of the absolute best ever Helicopter designs!
RNAS Culdrose. HQ for 771 Sqn SAR. Early 90s..🤷♂️... I was a Sea Cadet. I spent an afternoon aboard a Sea King being given a low level tour of some lovely bits of Cornwall. Bloody awesome...👍
6:06 Love Duxford.. but this hanger is a mess at the moment all the aircraft parked in front of each other cordoned off, can hardly see the Buccaneer hidden in the corner.
Love the boat nose even though the water landing wasn't used often.
6:03 looks like we have a Buccaneer at the left, and a T-37 on the right.
Great Video!
gazed on it in the famous Stephen Biesty "Incredible Cross Sections" book as a kid in the mid 90's. Now my kid is gazing at the very same pages ;)
Having worked on the flight deck of the Saratoga (CV-60) in the late 80's I would rather receive a Sea King over a Sea Stallion or Sea Knight landing in Fly 1 any day (or night) of the week.
I love that 70s music in the video.
It was a Sikorsky SH-3 on license to Westland
Love this channel.... Love your vids!!!!
Thanks.
Hello from Brisbane. Great vid all round - thanks! These things remain IMO the quintessence of sturdy, impressive ability. Improbably big to my childish eyes, now still the thing I'd want to arrive if everything had gone pear-shaped.
Short answer to the question what it’s still in service - it’s 60 years old, but the Brits don’t have the money to replace it.
Right now any chopper would be a very good thing for UK Defences.
What a machine when I was young & in sea cadets our sumer camp was at hms gannet 819 naval Air service & got a quick flight & winch up in it you could always tel it was a sea king flying over the house before you even seen it . the base at hms gannet had the fairy gannet at the main gate as its name sake fantastic times with my mates....😂
Good, but I'd have liked a visual and voice mention of 771 Squadron.
Rather glaring omission of the flagship carrier Hermes in the Falklands, it carried & deployed more seakings then any other ship, I personally viewed their use in the Hermes to Pebble island sbs/sas airfield attack.
Were these involved in the 1979 Fastnet race rescues & recoveries?
We retired them as SAR helicopters last and this years, i dont think we have anyone left in service here in Norway
Cool 😎
I remember the petrol engine Whirlwinds!
Went on one in Devon when i was in the cubs, it didn't take off😊
I went to IWM duxford on the 29th november and it was the best time ever i went into the lanchester and concorde and i saw all of the places apart from the tank bit the american section was probaly the best as it had a colection of f-111 b-52 sr-71a u-2 and f-15 with many this part i think is the land and sea section so number 2 or 3 more
Because for some reason americans believe that ALL helicopters MUST fit into a transport plane. Hence absence of native Mi-26 analogue or even desire to purchase Mi-26. Which would have looked really cool with King Stallion styled air refuelling mast and engine mufflers.
And since americans don't produce bigger helicopter, Westland can't license bigger helicopter. Even if unlike US, they don't have to care about transatlantic logistics of it and all it needs to fly over is English Channel 😅
There is talk of ships sabotaging undersea gas and energy exchange. Do you have any precautions for this?
F YEAH SEA KING!
i`m always baffled by the length of service life of some of current day equipment. although updated and modernized several times, some air frames are in service 50+ years. F15, Sea King, B52, even Armour such as the Leopard and Abrams.
Imagine the Skies over Vietnam filled with Fokkers and Sopwith's or rolling into Iraq with Sherman Tanks.
Fear God, Honour the King.
Long live THE King (of the Skies).
Auto rotations were interesting in them.
What is interesting is that finding a replacement for this DESIGN will be almost impossible. Just look at the MERLIN. its missing its bow plane front nose but cockpit and fuselage along with with the tail boom look similar to the SIKORSKY..
the bow nose is a bit of a pointless gimmick and getting to gyros in the nose is a pain in the arse.
Function over form
Funny, how almost all your in-flight footage is of the Bundeswehr.
Land rover defender of the skies😅
it looks like a baby king stallion. (i know they're made by the same company)
Who wants a fuc** taxi then ? The most british thing ever.
Answer: Searchwater 2000 radar.
Why so long? Thanks to budget cuts!
Also, some were donated to Ukraine.
this is "cargobob" from GTA san andreas ?
Yes, although it's by Sikorsky,not Westland
Westland ? No, Sikorsky. 😉 Because it works.
9:09🫡
Bell UH-1 as well.
FIRST!
🥇
Many of the first will be last.