Pity they couldn't listen to the end user
20 years ago the British Army wanted the Blackhawk and the Chinook; pity they didn't listen to them then :-(
Helicopters: President buys British, Queen buys American
The Queen's new helicopter will be supplied by an American company, it has been announced - just as a plan to replace the US President's helicopters with British-made ones seems to be faltering. In the late '90s the former Queen's Flight of the Royal Air Force was amalgamated with 32 Squadron and the Wessex helicopters …
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Wednesday 21st November 2007 13:15 GMT Chris C
Waste of taxpayers money
This is a huge waste of taxpayers' money on both sides of the pond. As for the President, maybe he should just get an Airbus A380 since he obviously needs such grand accommodations. Personally, I don't see why he needs a bathroom in his helicopter. Let him shit out the window. The American people are used to getting shit on by the president anyway. Imagine what we, as a scientific society, could do with the money wasted to shuffle about these useless meatsacks.
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Wednesday 21st November 2007 13:15 GMT Matthew Macdonald-Wallace
.net travel
"The new S76 C++, which will continue to provide the Royal Family with a helicopter travel service for official engagements, was chosen as... providing the best value and producing the lowest carbon footprint," said Captain Christopher Pittaway, Manager and Chief Pilot of The Queen's Helicopter Flight."
/me waits for MS to jump on the bandwagon and release a C# chopper...
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Wednesday 21st November 2007 13:15 GMT Anonymous Coward
@Pity they couldn't listen to the end user
Well, the British Army may be the "end user", but they aren't the operator; all battlefield helicopters above a certain size are operated by the RAF. From an operational point of view Blackhawk was too small to be a viable Wessex/Puma replacement, Merlin makes a lot more sense; a later version of Puma/Cougar might have made even more sense, but wasn't going to be acceptable politically.
I think the Merlin 'problems' are being a little overstated, although I know it is difficult to believe that the British press would do such a thing! Merlin was designed to be a Seaking replacement, and to operate from the same platforms as the existing choppers. I have pilot friends in both the RAF and RN who are more than happy with their new mount.
And politics works both ways; the USAF are going to be fielding a developed version of the CH-47 as their new CSAR helicopter, despite it's being the rank outsider in the recent CSAR-X competition - for good reason, as it was not really the best aircraft for the job!!
Of course the most important question is.... which country will Paris be buying her choppers from?
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Wednesday 21st November 2007 14:07 GMT Anonymous Coward
A380 for the prez?
Come on, usually, aircraft sale is political, so there is no way Air Force one will be an aircraft designed in Europe.
Add to that the fact that since they're so old fashioned, they wouldn't want an aircraft designed within the last 25 years, that would be way too modern, let alone last 5!
Amazing how much $hite comes from Washington (not DC, for once).... doit etre le trou du q du monde, in my best French!
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Wednesday 21st November 2007 15:52 GMT laird cummings
@Jim Booth; pretension
<< "It says a lot about the Americans when their Pretentious Prez cannot fly in a chopper without all that crap..." >>
Do recall, if you will, that the President is actually the chief executive the most influential and powerful nuclear power on the planet, whilst the Queen, lovely lady though I'm sure she is, is a parasitical hanger-on of an outdated and largely superceeded medieval system of government. If it all drops in the pot in mid-flight, what's the Queen going to actually be *doing* from her helicopter? Launching nuclear corgis? OTOH, It's quite plausible that the President might well be doing rather more than that... Well, maybe not *this* President, but the fleet is purchesd to outlast several Presidents.
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Wednesday 21st November 2007 20:04 GMT Barry
Power settling
The problem sited about the Merlin is called power settling. All helicopters are subject to it. But you do need enough grunt to get off the ground. I hoisted 4 dewatering pumps to a sinking boat on heavy fog and watched the wisps of fog curl up and back down though our HH-3Fs blades. It was so cool. We left the seen by going straight up until we could see the stars. Ya just have to have power if you fly a helicopter.
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Wednesday 21st November 2007 20:04 GMT Antony Riley
Tax-Payers money?
I wouldn't be too worried about the queen spending tax payers money for anything from the US, at the rate the exchange rate is going she'll be paying peanuts for it.
On the other hand, at the rate the US economy is going, she'll be lucky if it ever gets delivered.
Of course the US government might buy something eventually after having paid for several overrun failed projects, but I wouldn't worry about that in short-medium term.
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Thursday 22nd November 2007 03:11 GMT Gower
Helicopters
I thought the monarchy pay for themselves through tourism? anyway I support the British government looking after old people just wish they'd broaden the scope.
I believe that most choppers create a vortex in they're own downwash which can lead to rapid vertical descent...
Sea Kings all round I say
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Tuesday 27th November 2007 01:23 GMT Anonymous Coward
Weight Troubles
According to the current issue of International Airpower Review, the weight issues in the VH-71 version of the Merlin arose when not one, but two safes were added to the helicopter after the Merlin was selected. The current VH-3s do not have safes. Surely any IT person can understand scope creep?
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