29:56 Seen through the cockpit window is a Avro Shackleton aircraft. South African airforce had a squadron

Ex South African defense force Ratel gunner here and the Puma was great support and a hard worker in the Angolan bush war, it did all the dirty work and our main workhorse was the super frelon for the heavy lift military work, i always wanted to be a pilot in the military but some how ended up with mechanised infantry lol, but that in itself was a huge experience that im not sorry about and loved the Ratels 👍

Looks like an old SAAF Shackelton in the background .

Great video Simon. Thank you for your service. Your one guy I always loved to see drifting into many an LZ in NI. Loved the Puma. It was regular taxi for me for many years. That smell of aviation fuel with the downdraft pure class. We had a G neg experience in a Puma as well. Fun and games for everyone except the poor lad with the L plate on his back. 😁 Bessbrook was brilliant. You guys made many of us smile after a tight Op.

@simonk1307

Жыл бұрын

Thanks David!

I remember Simon. Saturday morning rotor tune. Sat in the cabin and down walks a rough looking pilot. Bit worse for wear from the night before. Made two of us

@simonk1307

Жыл бұрын

Hahaha no comment 😅

Spent the majority of my childhood with Pumas, including 3 years in Germany with 230 Sqn and Odiham with 33 and 240 Sqn. Dad was a loadmaster on them. Ended up joining up myself and found myself at Benson again with Pumas and again Dad was there on 33 Sqn 1999 to 2002. Love these helicopters. Obviously a massive connection to my childhood everytime I see them.

@simonk1307

3 жыл бұрын

What was your dads name cowboy? Might have flown with him👍

Makes me feel old, I left the RAF in 96 after 12 years. I was on Chinooks at Guttersloh in the late 80s, 230 was there at the time.

00:21 perfectly random 😂 Love it

@simonk1307

3 жыл бұрын

I'm very random I'm afraid :D

Flew in a French Army Puma in Kosovo. Fantastic, especially at low level which the French are always willing to do. Far more fun than the by the book Americans in their Black Hawks.

@simonk1307

3 жыл бұрын

The French are awesome to work with imho....great fun too

Perfection Can’t wait for part 2

@simonk1307

3 жыл бұрын

Very kind....thank you

Almost 6 years on 230 as a sooty 78-83 great aircraft and the best Sqn

1:28 I actually laughed out loud 🤣 I grew up on a farm near Middle Wallop. As well as all the army helicopters there were a lot of pumas and chinooks, and I grew up wanting to fly helicopters for the army or Air Force. At 16 I went to the forces career office and for some reason they weren’t mad keen on kids with glasses flying multi-million pound helicopters 🤦🏻‍♂️

@simonk1307

3 жыл бұрын

First time I've made anyone laugh! Cheers Matt

@matthayward7889

3 жыл бұрын

@@simonk1307 brilliant interview! looking forward to part two.

Another excellent interview. I was lucky enough to ride in a Puma; a tactical insertion onto Dartmoor during a training exercise (early 90's). The skill of the pilots was outstanding. Ducking and weaving through the tors and gullies, at full tilt, lower than a snakes bollocks, and then to flare and land on a really awkward side slope. They certainly knew how to chuck the Puma (and its passengers) around. I never felt so disorientated in my life! Much respect

@simonk1307

3 жыл бұрын

Great story Mick! 👍🏻

Always had a soft spot for the much maligned Puma, was the first helo I got to go out in as a ATC cadet, from RAF Hereford. As you can imagine this is just sheer enertainment for the flight crew as they had just come of a training op with the boys down the road. I was given a seat infront of the door, I suspect the ALM thought I looked scared/happy. It was a longer flight than orginally scheduled, it was low, fast and plenty of jinking that left me dangling in my seat towards an open cargo door (They used to say that I was 6 stone when I was wringing wet, the seat strap barely had tension to keep me in) and a smiling ALM located to my left with cans on. I just loved it, I think thats why I prefer helo to FJ in so many ways - dont get me wrong there is NOTHING like FJ, NOTHING - best job in the world. But Helo is a bit special, from the crazy downwash (not like the shithook) and the strange feeling from the charged air, the noise and the incescant vibration nd knowing that laws of physics if really being tested. I still wanna go up in a Huey, and it would be fantastic to get a ride in an Apache.

@simonk1307

3 жыл бұрын

Great post Danny 👍

Thanks Mike - great to see you getting out and about again I do love visiting Newark too. Simon was very entertaining, look forward to part 2!

@Aircrewinterview

3 жыл бұрын

Cheers Jason.

@simonk1307

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks Jason

Nice! Thank you both! Rich.

@simonk1307

3 жыл бұрын

Cheers Mr Warwick :)

Brilliant interview Si!

@simonk1307

3 жыл бұрын

Cheers Bullseye!

Great interview

@Aircrewinterview

3 жыл бұрын

Cheers!

Hugely enjoyable interview!

@simonk1307

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks bill

Thanks Mike and Si, very enjoyable. :-)

@simonk1307

3 жыл бұрын

Cheers Bradders....you next mate?

@iainbradford4254

3 жыл бұрын

@@simonk1307 I'm too shy mate.

Really liked that one!

@simonk1307

3 жыл бұрын

Cheers Craig 👍

Excellent,good honest bloke.Thanks.🤙

@simonk1307

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks Jerry 👍

Seems like a top bloke that pilot! Enjoyed that video, puma was my fav chopper as a kid! Never got to see many of them though at air shows

@simonk1307

3 жыл бұрын

There did use to be a display Puma...the pilot (not me) reputedly managed to get a tail rotor blade strike on the tail boom. I should add there is no way it should be able to touch so must have been some crazy flexing going on!

Great video - seems like a great guy to have a pint with!

@simonk1307

3 жыл бұрын

😂😂😂 I’m pretty dull tbh but thanks for the vote of confidence 👍

When did 230 lose the tiger?? Worked with them in Gutersloh in the early 80s. Brilliant Squadron.

@simonk1307

3 жыл бұрын

They’ve still got it….if it’s the badge you mean then it was a one-off badge😉 Tigers very much still everywhere over everything at 230 👍

@tattyheid7279

3 жыл бұрын

@@simonk1307 That is good to hear, I was with the embedded Royal Signals troop who provided MAOTs & C2 for the Squadron. That 'Tiger Meet' circa '82 was something else. Still got the badge somewhere.

@simonk1307

3 жыл бұрын

@@tattyheid7279 yeah tiger meets were great fun! Maots did a brilliant and thankless job - thanks for keeping us all safe 👍

@markroberts624

2 жыл бұрын

@@tattyheid7279 Yes the 82 Tiger Meet was a good one I was on 230 at the time

Genuinely interesting interview, too bloke - thank you for sharing this amazing interview.

@simonk1307

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks Anthony 👍

@AnthonyFurnival

3 жыл бұрын

@@simonk1307 no worries, really enjoyed this and your personable approach and engaging manner in which you talk made this one of the best interviews I’ve seen. I’ve always liked aviation, developed an interest in military helicopters a few years back and did a fair bit of research on them during which time I found the Puma to be the most interesting. I quite liked reading about the story of ZE449, spoils of war - taken from the Argentinians in the Falklands, converted to mk.1 standard by Westlands then later written off in an accident I believe. Anyway I’m waffling! Thanks again, there’s a typo in my post - should have read “top bloke” - sorry I have fat fingers!

@simonk1307

3 жыл бұрын

@@AnthonyFurnival glad somebody liked it and you kept awake through it all!

@AnthonyFurnival

3 жыл бұрын

@@simonk1307 loved it! Probably the best interview Mike has done. Was gutted to miss the live Q&A though I watched it back after the event.

Fantastic to hear about NI Ops from Aldergrove. Looking forward to Part 2. Q&A with this chap would be interesting too.

@simonk1307

3 жыл бұрын

Cheers mate👍🏻

@OldSchoolNI

3 жыл бұрын

@@simonk1307 Used to live a few miles out on the 17 approach path so had Pumas, Chinooks, Wessex over the top a lot. The mil pan must have been full in those days. Did you use area to the opposite side much for parking/maintenance or just the aprons/hangars behind tower?

@simonk1307

3 жыл бұрын

@@OldSchoolNI yeah just the pan next to the tower for us.

@OldSchoolNI

3 жыл бұрын

@@simonk1307 Cool. What was interesting was your reference to have quick. I know there were a few UHF stations back in the day but was havequick used often?

Loved these puppies. Turmo 3 C 4 . Approx 1200 shp.😀. Had the pleasure of having my mitts on one of these lefthand seat. 240 OCU. RAF Odiham. 1979.😀. Feel the Aircraft through the Arsehole..😀

@simonk1307

3 жыл бұрын

Never heard that one before 😂😂👏

@airbrushingbynick6071

3 жыл бұрын

@@simonk1307 If I can remember rightly it was xv212. It survived my flying without damage. 😃. Spent 4 years on them with Wessex and Chinook too. None of this Digital stuff. A true aircraft.

Brillianty honest!😀

@simonk1307

3 жыл бұрын

Brutally 😂

The Puma is the work horse of the South African Airforce. It saw a lot of action in Angola.

@simonk1307

3 жыл бұрын

Yeah we bought a few of them from South Africa when they retired them!

@tonynz9954

3 жыл бұрын

@@simonk1307 They now fly their locally built version of the Puma called the Oryx. Any bullet holes in some of those retired SAAF Puma's ?

@simonk1307

3 жыл бұрын

@@tonynz9954 not that I was aware of!

@johnsmith-ht3sy

2 жыл бұрын

SAAF Puma saw action in Rhodesia.

Fantastic interview, great questions, superb (And full) replies. Excellent job! I've spent many an hour in a Puma, in UK, Canada, America, a lot of Europe, Central America, ex air-portable Artillery Regt in the 70's (Started on Wessex). I've also spent many a happy 10-15 minutes imagining that my dubious Marshalling skills, bringing a Puma onto my Command Post Veh for slinging, were being followed :D General consensus was, after a year or two of doing it..... Identify YOUR Puma Stick both arms vertically in the air Wait 'til he points his nose at you Hover him POINT/INDICATE, BIGTIME, AT YOUR VEH/TRAILER/GUN Make random arm signals that mean nothing but you THINK they're having an effect, while the loadie brings it in and puts it on the right place for pick up. Wait until connection is successful and all personnel are clear, then make various "Upward" movements with yer arms until they eff off :) Yeah, great, loved watching that. Thanks.

@simonk1307

3 жыл бұрын

😂😂😂 brilliant 👍

1:28 good to know there’s someone else 😂

@simonk1307

3 жыл бұрын

Cheers!

Hey Simon, I wonder if your one of my long lost relatives?

@simonk1307

3 жыл бұрын

Hi Robert - no idea...it's a long story.....