Why is this 1960s helicopter still in service today?

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  • Опубликовано: 7 дек 2024

Комментарии • 123

  • @Moroklumpen
    @Moroklumpen День назад +20

    Norwegian here. My uncle used to work in search and rescue, based in a nearby town that was nevertheless quite a ways away because on the coast of Norway, you *never* get to travel in a straight line unless you're flying a helicopter. He would come visit for weekends or holidays every now and then, and the majestic white and orange Sea King would land and drop him off in the field across the road. And let me tell you, when you arrive by helicopter you are the coolest uncle in the world, no contest.

  • @MultiVogon
    @MultiVogon 4 дня назад +153

    I've been winched into an RAF Rescue sea king in a former life. Noisy buggers, no creature comforts inside, we all loved them 🙂

    • @davefromnb473
      @davefromnb473 4 дня назад +4

      Yep. Noisiest helicopter I ever heard. You could hear the gas turbine engines from miles away.

    • @LmgWarThunder
      @LmgWarThunder 3 дня назад +1

      In a former life?

    • @MultiVogon
      @MultiVogon 3 дня назад +7

      Well, I no longer play with boats and helicopters like I once did ;-)

    • @beejay7665
      @beejay7665 3 дня назад +8

      @@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.

    • @thetruthhurts7675
      @thetruthhurts7675 2 дня назад +3

      @@davefromnb473 You've very obviuosly never been within two miles of the Lynx, or the more modern Wildcat, both iterations of this helicopter makes the Sea king a steath fighter by comparison.

  • @fakenorwegian4743
    @fakenorwegian4743 4 дня назад +116

    This presenter does an excellent job. He speaks clearly and is easy to understand.

    • @officialusmanqureshi
      @officialusmanqureshi 3 дня назад +2

      unlike darkskies, who has nice content, but always tries to talk too fast and slurs his words

  • @Moltenbramley
    @Moltenbramley 4 дня назад +38

    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.

    • @icarus_falling
      @icarus_falling 12 часов назад +1

      I got a ride from Lossiemouth as a cadet lol

    • @Moltenbramley
      @Moltenbramley 7 часов назад

      @ it was a prize for the best summer cadet. Although I wasn’t the winner, as that prize was a ride in a Hawk, we runners up got the sea king.

  • @doberski6855
    @doberski6855 4 дня назад +47

    I believe the term is dependable workhorse! It was the 'C-130 Hercules' of helicopters!

    • @himaro101
      @himaro101 4 дня назад +10

      That's an apt comparison actually.

    • @harridan.
      @harridan. 4 дня назад +6

      agreed.

  • @grrlpurpleable
    @grrlpurpleable 4 дня назад +34

    The Merlin may be more advanced but it doesn't have the Seaking rugged good looks!
    I miss seeing the Seakings on our coastlines.

  • @lakota_stu
    @lakota_stu 2 дня назад +19

    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.

  • @whathasxgottodowithit3919.
    @whathasxgottodowithit3919. 4 дня назад +23

    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.

    • @nickgood8166
      @nickgood8166 3 дня назад +1

      That would be Royal Marines from the SBS and /or Camacchio Company.

  • @stuartthornton3027
    @stuartthornton3027 4 дня назад +6

    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.

    • @alanwllms5172
      @alanwllms5172 3 дня назад

      @stuartthornton3027 Yeah, you knew it was 10 pm and 2 am when night flying started and finished

  • @Jayjay-qe6um
    @Jayjay-qe6um 4 дня назад +13

    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."

  • @2ToneWalt
    @2ToneWalt 3 дня назад +8

    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.

  • @fergusallan7187
    @fergusallan7187 4 дня назад +20

    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).

    • @snowyowl7413
      @snowyowl7413 4 дня назад +4

      A few lynxs were adapted for this role as well

  • @NewfieOn2Wheels
    @NewfieOn2Wheels 3 дня назад +5

    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.

  • @Mike-xh7wb
    @Mike-xh7wb 4 дня назад +10

    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.

  • @ianmorris7485
    @ianmorris7485 3 дня назад +4

    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.

  • @raymurphy9749
    @raymurphy9749 4 дня назад +8

    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.

  • @meintveldman4769
    @meintveldman4769 3 дня назад +2

    Alongsides the Chinook, the Alouette and the UH1 one of the absolute best ever Helicopter designs!

  • @chrisblay
    @chrisblay 4 дня назад +9

    The Tiger livery on that Seaking looks great

    • @georgemorley1029
      @georgemorley1029 3 дня назад +1

      814 NAS

    • @chrisblay
      @chrisblay 3 дня назад

      Naval Air Squadron. I had to look that up. My Grandfather was in the RNAS. A bit before the time of these though.

    • @chrismartin3197
      @chrismartin3197 2 дня назад

      Check out the NATO Tiger meet schemes (if you don’t already know about them)

  • @stephensmith4480
    @stephensmith4480 2 дня назад +2

    These Wonderful Machines are worth their weight in Gold. So sorry to see them retired.

  • @Ubique2927
    @Ubique2927 4 дня назад +7

    Because it is the best Airfix model EVER.

    • @peterbradburn9115
      @peterbradburn9115 3 дня назад +2

      Had a little snap together model out of a packet of cornflakes. Loved it

  • @Masada1911
    @Masada1911 4 дня назад +31

    Because it works.

    • @WeirdSeagul
      @WeirdSeagul 4 дня назад +8

      @@Masada1911 reliability and flight hours without maintenance is not prioritized enough

  • @IOWPCV
    @IOWPCV 4 дня назад +7

    Wish I could have flown one. It's my favourite helicopter.

  • @oxcart4172
    @oxcart4172 2 дня назад +1

    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!

  • @johnmunro4952
    @johnmunro4952 День назад

    As a sea cadet I had the opportunity to fly in sea kings at Culdrose. Out over the Lizard and I got to be winched down over the runway. I still remember the shock of dread when the purpose of "Shepard's crook" was explained to us just before we got swung out of the door.

  • @richardsawyer1825
    @richardsawyer1825 4 дня назад +3

    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) 😊

  • @gazof-the-north1980
    @gazof-the-north1980 День назад

    Big strong air frame, and can fly a long way on one tank of fuel (for a helicopter) and can do many jobs.
    Superb aircraft 👍

  • @Anirossa
    @Anirossa 2 дня назад

    I still see this helicopter around my island here in Norway, seems to be owned by the military, but also seems they are used to pick up people needing medical attention, to get to hospitals quickly, a truly impressive machine!

  • @luddite6239
    @luddite6239 2 дня назад

    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.

  • @tassiehandyman3090
    @tassiehandyman3090 3 дня назад +2

    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...👍

  • @jetwrench2854
    @jetwrench2854 2 дня назад

    Works good. Lasts long. Done right the first time and continuously improved.

  • @waikanaebeach
    @waikanaebeach 3 дня назад +3

    Excellent presentation of a wonderful helicopter.

  • @rexochroy2
    @rexochroy2 3 дня назад +1

    To answer the title question, easy , it’s a fantastic design.. 😊

  • @420BulletSponge
    @420BulletSponge 4 дня назад +4

    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.

  • @markcooke5270
    @markcooke5270 3 дня назад

    That one in the Museum is a beautiful beast ... Nearly 50 years service in our Armed forces and beyond that in other roles 👍🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧

  • @Kalah_
    @Kalah_ 3 дня назад +2

    TLDR: Because it's an incredibly good design, that's why.

  • @AlexHalt100
    @AlexHalt100 4 дня назад +2

    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.

  • @untitled4542
    @untitled4542 4 дня назад +7

    Because it is brilliant

  • @solbob501
    @solbob501 4 дня назад +5

    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.

  • @grahamkearnon6682
    @grahamkearnon6682 4 дня назад +2

    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.

  • @timgosling6189
    @timgosling6189 День назад

    I was in an UK Royal Marines' SeaKing just last week.

  • @troon5488
    @troon5488 День назад +1

    Entertaining video, great subject matter.
    The prolonged, three-quarter head shot is a bit disconcerting, though.

  • @rogerrees9845
    @rogerrees9845 3 дня назад

    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

  • @ahhobby2527
    @ahhobby2527 15 часов назад

    Here in Malaysia, the Royal Malaysian Air Force operated a fleet of 40 plus Sikorsky S-61 from 1961 before they were decommissioned in 2020.
    Locally called the Nuri (Parrot), the helicopter have tremendously been a large part for the Malaysian military to combat communism and terrorists post-independence in 1957.
    I personally grew up nearby Kuantan Airbase and regularly seen the Nuris in operation back in the late 90s and early 2000s.
    What a machine.

  • @nukers1234
    @nukers1234 3 дня назад +1

    We retired them as SAR helicopters last and this years, i dont think we have anyone left in service here in Norway

  • @JeffBilkins
    @JeffBilkins 3 дня назад

    Love the boat nose even though the water landing wasn't used often.

  • @muriwatch
    @muriwatch 3 дня назад +1

    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 ;)

  • @garyshuttleworth3459
    @garyshuttleworth3459 День назад

    great informative video, many thanks to all involved

  • @darrenjones3681
    @darrenjones3681 14 часов назад

    Should also be pointed out the Chinook is still in service and probably been around as long

  • @morgan97475
    @morgan97475 3 дня назад

    I love that 70s music in the video.

  • @a.vanwijk2268
    @a.vanwijk2268 День назад

    I like the video. One thing I do not like is the shots where the side camera shoots the presenter looking at the main camera. These shots, if used, shouldn't last longer than half a second or so. An alternative would be to have a camera at the exact same spot as the main, but zoomed in.

  • @mountkeen8701
    @mountkeen8701 2 дня назад

    Interestingly the commentary on the archive promotional film dating from the 1970's was done by the same guy who voiced "The Flowerpot Men" in the 1950s, the "Captain Pugwash" animations and often appeared in "Dave Allen At Large" - Peter Hawkins.

  • @scroggins100
    @scroggins100 3 дня назад

    Right now any chopper would be a very good thing for UK Defences.

  • @YorkGod1
    @YorkGod1 3 дня назад

    Great Video!

  • @Daniel-S1
    @Daniel-S1 3 дня назад

    Thanks.

  • @hogey74
    @hogey74 3 дня назад

    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.

  • @12345fowler
    @12345fowler 4 дня назад +1

    Who wants a fuc** taxi then ? The most british thing ever.

  • @loiclaronche5675
    @loiclaronche5675 2 дня назад

    6:03 looks like we have a Buccaneer at the left, and a T-37 on the right.

    • @chrismartin3197
      @chrismartin3197 2 дня назад

      Think that’s a Strikemaster. The Brits didn’t fly Tweets

  • @mattsiede443
    @mattsiede443 4 дня назад

    Love this channel.... Love your vids!!!!

  • @paulpowell4871
    @paulpowell4871 3 дня назад +1

    It was a Sikorsky SH-3 on license to Westland

    • @GEODUCK9
      @GEODUCK9 2 дня назад

      @@paulpowell4871 Feel free to write out the entire script rather than just little bits

  • @nocode1603
    @nocode1603 4 дня назад +1

    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....😂

  • @stco2426
    @stco2426 3 дня назад

    Good, but I'd have liked a visual and voice mention of 771 Squadron.

  • @pcka12
    @pcka12 3 дня назад

    I remember the petrol engine Whirlwinds!

  • @xyzero1682
    @xyzero1682 2 дня назад

    F YEAH SEA KING!

  • @fleetspotter
    @fleetspotter 3 дня назад

    Fear God, Honour the King.
    Long live THE King (of the Skies).

  • @PlaneGeek1
    @PlaneGeek1 3 дня назад

    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

  • @billkingston4402
    @billkingston4402 3 дня назад

    Went on one in Devon when i was in the cubs, it didn't take off😊

  • @TheArklyte
    @TheArklyte 4 дня назад +1

    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 😅

  • @moodogco
    @moodogco 2 дня назад

    They've been replaced not that many yrs ago by the merlin hm2 crowsnest variant with the royal navy wildcat hma2 doing the attack or defence role

  • @MaxKrumholz
    @MaxKrumholz 2 дня назад

    So it's Sicorsky for REAL

  • @Demun1649
    @Demun1649 10 часов назад

    The failure to increase budgets resulted in keeping helicopters that fell behind current performance. It was never as good as the Aérospatiale SA 330 Puma, and lost out even further to the Super Puma. It was weird to look down on a Sea King helicopter as it past us on their way to our MRT rendezvous.

  • @georgemorley1029
    @georgemorley1029 3 дня назад

    Auto rotations were interesting in them.

  • @54mgtf22
    @54mgtf22 2 дня назад

    Cool 😎

  • @Jack_Gibby
    @Jack_Gibby 4 дня назад

    Function over form

  • @michaelmiklosofficial
    @michaelmiklosofficial 10 часов назад

    Hero Helicopter

  • @cilldublin07
    @cilldublin07 2 дня назад

    Were these involved in the 1979 Fastnet race rescues & recoveries?

    • @Cous1nJack
      @Cous1nJack День назад

      I think that was the Wessex era

  • @thomasburke7995
    @thomasburke7995 4 дня назад

    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..

    • @quasar_33b
      @quasar_33b 3 дня назад

      the bow nose is a bit of a pointless gimmick and getting to gyros in the nose is a pain in the arse.

  • @KarlKarpfen
    @KarlKarpfen 3 дня назад +1

    Funny, how almost all your in-flight footage is of the Bundeswehr.

  • @burakkaya7034
    @burakkaya7034 3 дня назад

    There is talk of ships sabotaging undersea gas and energy exchange. Do you have any precautions for this?

  • @201sovereign
    @201sovereign 3 дня назад +1

    Land rover defender of the skies😅

  • @simtalkayak
    @simtalkayak 2 дня назад

    it looks like a baby king stallion. (i know they're made by the same company)

  • @hughn
    @hughn 3 дня назад

    Answer: Searchwater 2000 radar.

  • @misterbig9025
    @misterbig9025 4 дня назад

    Why so long? Thanks to budget cuts!

  • @JawaSelatan2024
    @JawaSelatan2024 4 дня назад

    this is "cargobob" from GTA san andreas ?

  • @altblechasyl_cs2093
    @altblechasyl_cs2093 3 дня назад

    Westland ? No, Sikorsky. 😉 Because it works.

  • @chingading957
    @chingading957 3 дня назад

    9:09🫡

  • @tng2057
    @tng2057 4 дня назад

    Bell UH-1 as well.

  • @darrenjones3681
    @darrenjones3681 14 часов назад

    “Rising tensions in Bosnia “ more like a out war from three factions including genocidal executions of the civilian population

  • @khaldrago911
    @khaldrago911 3 дня назад +1

    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.

    • @kutter_ttl6786
      @kutter_ttl6786 День назад +1

      Many other countries still operate it (Egypt, India, Ukraine, etc.), but the last one in British military service was withdrawn in 2018. Right at the end of the video, he mentions they were replaced with the Augusta-Westland AW101.

    • @dave073n
      @dave073n День назад

      @@khaldrago911 we replaced them years ago…

    • @khaldrago911
      @khaldrago911 День назад

      @@dave073nsweet, bruh! It makes me happy to hear that y’all got new kit. Always wishing the best for our British allies!

  • @wannabemexican
    @wannabemexican 4 дня назад

    FIRST!

    • @awatt
      @awatt 4 дня назад

      🥇

    • @Daniel-S1
      @Daniel-S1 3 дня назад

      Many of the first will be last.