Last flight of the lynx

[steve_s]

I see its the last day of service of the lynx

still hold the speed record
"The official FAI speed record for helicopters is 400.87 km/h (249.09 mph) and was set by John Trevor Eggington with co-pilot Derek J Clews, over Glastonbury, Somerset, England on 11 August 1986 in a Westland Lynx demonstrator."

 

[Robotstar5]

Saw it on the news tonight, not bad doing 40 years in service.

 

[penfold]

Replaced in service by the Wildcat, which looks suspiciously like a Lynx but costs as twice as much as a new design. God bless MoD procurement, the people who brought us Nimrods AEW and MRA4, the SA80, BOWMAN radio, FRES, the RB44, the Type 45 and with the aid of the Westminster asylum are in the process of making a dogs' dinner of the F35, the bloody carriers and soon the Types 26 and 31.

 

[Pete.]

They flew right past us at Canary Wharf today. I never realised the significance of the flight.

Mind you it's no wonder they are getting scrapped that last one is struggling to shake off a seagull...

 

[Seadog]

I wondered why 4 helicopters flew over my head today in Epping forest

 

[Robotstar5]

Think it was a Lynx I saw at RNAS Culdrose while on holiday in 2011?

 

[penfold]

Is the Chinook there to uplift any that suffer an unplanned 'failure to proceed'?

 

[fizzy]

I can't believe they are phasing it out - I wonder if the new one will be better.............

Isn't it incredible that after all these years with all the - everything Yank is bigger and better - the Lynx is still the fastest!

 

[Robotstar5]

I can't believe they are phasing it out - I wonder if the new one will be better.............

Isn't it incredible that after all these years with all the - everything Yank is bigger and better - the Lynx is still the fastest!

Being replaced by the SuperLynx

 

[Tinbasherdan]

Replaced in service by the Wildcat, which looks suspiciously like a Lynx but costs as twice as much as a new design. God bless MoD procurement, the people who brought us Nimrods AEW and MRA4, the SA80, BOWMAN radio, FRES, the RB44, the Type 45 and with the aid of the Westminster asylum are in the process of making a dogs' dinner of the F35, the bloody carriers and soon the Types 26 and 31.

Ah but the rb44 is peculiar in that it started off as a good design and was ruined by the mod procurement. The rest were absolute horrors regardless

 

[Nick67GT]

Great aircraft.

In the late 80's, I designed the high pressure cooling system for the infrared (IRR) tracking / guidance system of the TOW missiles, as fitted to the army Lynx. It was installed on a specially designed 'shelf' in the nose cone.

It was about the size of a shoe box and kicked out (can't remember) litres/minute of pure air at 6000psi.



Spent many a happy hour with the team down at Westlands in Yeovil, but never managed to get on a test flight, only static trials .

Mind you, I find helicopters unpredictable twitchy beasts at the best of times. Always glad when they touch down and you can get out.

 

[daleyd]

Best described to me by a Canadian SMR (senior engineer of the helicopter maintenance /Flight crew on a frigate) when I asked him if he’d ever actually been up in one - he said “no way man, that things like a thousand spare parts vibrating around an oil leak”

I was always amazed when we had one embarked and it was parked up in the hangar to see loads of trays underneath to catch the drips

 

[Tinbasherdan]

Best described to me by a Canadian SMR (senior engineer of the helicopter maintenance /Flight crew on a frigate) when I asked him if he’d ever actually been up in one - he said “no way man, that things like a thousand spare parts vibrating around an oil leak”

I was always amazed when we had one embarked and it was parked up in the hangar to see loads of trays underneath to catch the drips

But if it’s dripping then that means there’s oil in it. It’s when it stops dripping you have issues

 

[rosinante]

Had a few rides in one of these, last one was with the armature of the main exciter from a steam turbo alternator to a depot ship so I could skim the commutator, the pilot liked to do handbrake turns, I told him , up along , down , uh uh , handbraked it at every opportunity! !!!!, he barrel rolled one as a display, also flew under Humber Bridge twice, we had a visit from port admiral for that stunt,
Chris

 

[daleyd]

But if it’s dripping then that means there’s oil in it. It’s when it stops dripping you have issues

Apparently they didn’t drip when flying and pressurised - when they were parked up with no pressure then they leaked. Can’t say the sight of little puddles of hydraulic oil underneath inspired me with confidence, but they were good aircraft.

 

[GW8IZR]

Aye a good bus service the old army Lynx, have some happy memories of them ..

(edit) and no, I didn't know it was the last service day ..

 

[Kent]

But if it’s dripping then that means there’s oil in it. It’s when it stops dripping you have issues

Ah solihull engineering principles