River, Hawk, Dam…. In June, the Helicopters (Hels) Trials Officers were sought for advice from the frontline after the banks of the River Steeping had burst its banks. Lifting 450 tonnes in quick succession, the Joint Helicopter Support Squadron and the Chinook crews realised that the stocks of mandatory ‘2m Disposable Strops’ were not going to be sufficient to continue lifting the Single Use Load Bags of sand and aggregate. Lt Nikoufekr informed the operators of the risks which allowed the Chinook Delivery Duty Holder to make an informed choice as to how to proceed and the Military Aid to the Civil Authorities operation continued. Shortly after Hels were tasked with an opportunity to conduct an iconic ‘Uncleared’ Load (one which has not been JADTEU trialled and therefore did not have produced scheme), the idea… to move a Hawk T1, which was to be donated to Old Sarum Air Museum, 45 years to the day that the jet was first flown under Test & Evaluation with the RAF. QinetiQ at MOD Boscombe Down were quickly rebuilding the jet with a glorious Empire Test Pilot Scheme paint theme. The challenge… to create a scheme to safely lift a 3300kg jet, without scratching it, underneath a CH47 … Challenge accepted. Following appropriate scrutiny and engineering assessment by Flight Lieutenant Phil Ware, one of JADTEU’s resident Trial Eng Offrs (TEOs). Assessment and preparations done, it just needed the rebuild to be complete, the team to deploy and a Chinook to be available…
In the meantime, another unforeseen event occurred, the Whaley Bridge Dam started breaking up risking extensive flooding to the local village. The JHSS team supporting the operation soon faced a recently similar predicament, the stocks of already depleted 2m Strops had not had enough time to be restocked and so another call to Hels&Trg followed. Sqn Ldr Richards headed a team, combining the Hels Rigging Team, JADTEU Eng and specifically JADTEU’s Chief Design Engineer, Mr Raed Ma’ayta. They worked tirelessly and with ingenuity to create and test a bespoke, airworthy alternative strop that could be quickly and locally manufactured using in-Service cord which enabled continuation of front line civil aid. This timely solution contributed to the effort to ensure that the homes and families of Whaley Bridge could be saved from the danger.
In the days that followed, CPOA(AH) Beal continued to prepare the Hawk for lift, with MAcr Sutherland providing mentoring and safety oversight as a TO. The scheme was to use 10,000kg USL Bands, known as ‘Belly Bands’ – a ‘JADTEU only’ piece of Helicopter Under Slung Load Equipment. Once JADTEU TEOs had given their approval - based on their structural assessment of the rebuilt aircraft - and MAcr Sutherland certified the rigging scheme as safe, the wait came for the big day and everyone went back to ‘normal jogging’ back at JADTEU.
The 21st of August arrived, the team were in place, the Chief Test Pilot (CTP), Gp Capt Austin, was collected for his first exposure underneath a Chinook! CPOA(AH) Beal having orchestrated the event, MAcr Sutherland conducted the final independent checks, the crew were briefed and CTP positioned in place with the Hawk’s strop stirrup in hand, the Pickup Team ready and waiting. With the CH47 in the overhead CTP fought the downwash and connected the load, the aircraft climbed and the rigging team ensured the strops and Belly Bands were correctly seated. The Hawk came to the hover, several metres below the connected Chinook flying above, itself operated by a 27 Sqn crew with Flight Sergeant Steve Jones and Mac McClymont as the Crewmen. All the time, the process being documented by JADTEU photographers and under observation from the QinetiQ team that had reconstructed the jet. As the two aircraft sat conjoined in the hover, a final thumbs up from MAcr Sutherland to confirm the load was stable in flight proceeded a slow and deliberate departure to the jet’s final resting place at Old Sarum.
At this point the Pickup Team departed to combine with the Drop Team at the destination. JHSS staff, supervised by MAcr Scotty Mitchell, with specialist support from JADTEU Hels&Trg’s own Heli Handling Specialist (HLS) Sgt Nelson RE, ensured that the drop point HLS was ready to receive this unique load. A huge success and another diverse role which brought together many of JADTEU’s internal sections, alongside many other external agencies, with a variety of ranks from Cpl to Group Captain side by side hooking up the load. In the shadow of the success the teams modestly returned to their respective units, to continue with their daily business, for Hels&Trg, delivering trg to those involved in heli ops, and conducting T&E on new underslung load capabilities.
Our thanks go out to all of those involved including all JADTEU personnel, Joint Helicopter Command, 18(B) Sqn, 27 Sqn, JHSS and all those supporting at RAF Odiham.
