Shrieking Gazelles

[Savoia]

SA341G F-GFCI (cn 1206) as seen at Aeroporto di Brescia-Montichiari on 6th September 2009 (Photo: Aldo Bidini)

[Savoia]

Gazelles Over London


Aérospatiale SA341G F-WTNA in 1972


Westland SA341G G-BAGJ over Westminster in 1973


RAF SA341D HT.3 XW855 over Tower Bridge (possibly c. 1982)

If anyone knows which part of London F-WTNA is over-flying in the first photo, please let me know. (There seems to be at least one good landmark, but I just don't recognise it). Grazie.

[Savoia]

SerbiGaz


Serbian Air Force SA341 Gamas of 714 Squadron as seen near Kraljevo, Serbia on 8th November 2012 and armed with Soviet AT-3/9M14M Malytka anti-tank and SA-7/9K32 Strela-2 anti-aircraft missiles (Photo: Igor Salinger)

[Zishelix]

If anyone knows which part of London F-WTNA is over-flying in the first photo, please let me know.

Over St Paul's Cathedral vicinity, I think! (Never been in London btw, just saw another photo from the same promo flight).

Nice images Sav!

[Helipixman]

Having lived in London for 27 years before pole vaulting over Hadrian's Wall, I think the building with turrets is the Maughan Library, Chancery Lane, and looking northwards at the top you can see St Pancras and King's Cross stations.

Hope this helps.
Helipixman

[Savoia]

Ah .. well done Elipix .. grazie mille! The Maughan Library it is .. and which is just a stone's throw from St. Paul's (grazie Zis!).

Can I enquire, are there any more images remaining in the Helipix Gazelle collection?



SA341C HT.2 Westland Gazelle, XW856, CU-47 (cn WA1078) as seen at RNAS Culdrose on 17th July 1980 (Photo: Chris Wood)

[Helipixman]

Hi Sav

Yes I have thousands of Gazelle images in my collection... its now just finding time to scan them and upload them. Very busy working at Edinburgh Airport.... will try to do some soon.

Helipixman

[Savoia]

Oh boy, now you've done it! Zis won't sleep till they've all been scanned !!

FYI: Ferranti's developmental 'Flying Unit' used to be based at Edinburgh Turnhouse.

[Zishelix]

Ha ha yes .. but Helipix has been kind enough to share some of his great collection with me already, but I look forward to seeing the rest!

[Zishelix]

This Gazelle airframe was used to rebuild one of the original SA340 prototypes in Ailes Anciennes de Toulouse:



However, my poor French doesn't allow me to find out the ID of the SA341 which was used during the rebuild.

[Savoia]

From what I understand they are saying that the main fuselage was once used at CEAT (Centre D'etudes Aérodynamiques Et Thermiques) in Poitiers, for ground testing. They make reference to the 'second prototype' and at one point on the page they say "Our SA 340-002 made its first flight April 12 1968" so perhaps they in fact have cn. 002? Then they mention a second airframe, an SA341, but I don't see any reference to the construction number.

[Zishelix]

They rebuilt #002 by using parts from the above airframe... and that's the Gazelle I'd like to find about more about

[Savoia]

Gazelles in Russia


SA341G Aérospatiale Gazelle RA-2184G (cn 1034) as seen at Novonezhino Airfield, Primorsky Krai, (between Vladivostok and Nakhodka, near the Sea of Japan) Russia, in May 2015

Some may recall that we featured RA-2184G on our 'Gazelles For Sale' page over a month ago. These may be some promotional photos as part of the owner's ongoing effort to sell the craft.


RA-2184G, Novonezhino Airfield, May 2015


RA-2184G, Novonezhino Airfield, May 2015

And another Russian Gazelle from 2012:


RA-05702 'somewhere' in Russia in 2012

[Savoia]

A visitor passing through Benegaz territory ..


SA341D Westland Gazelle G-CBJZ (cn WA1734) as seen at Lelystad Airport, in the Netherlands, on 7th May 2015

Registered to Karl Theurer of Stuttgart in Germany.

[Zishelix]

Nice find Sav, glad to see the I-LDAV has started a new life in the Far East.

G-CBJZ looks very attractive!

Btw, a better RA-05702 photo can be found in post #650

[Savoia]

Grazie. What I don't understand about cn. 1034, is that she 'seems' to be operating as I-LDAV .. despite no longer being on the Italian register!!

Ah yes, I forgot about the earlier photo of RA-05702. I think she's an F2 but, as with so many of the Russian Gazelles, I don't have her construction number.

[Zishelix]

This photo might also be at home on the Nostalgia Thread!



The Gazelle with highest hours (at the time). SE-HUN, with 25,000 hrs on her frame, and the oldest flying V107 (1957) … sadly, both w/o. Gazelle destroyed and V107 preserved in a Museum. Photo taken in 2004.

[Savoia]

SA341G(S) YU-HVZ (cn 1295) as seen at Hanover's Langenhagen Airport in Germany on 15th April 2015 (Photo: Marvin Meinel)

[Zishelix]

Experimental Operating Limitations issued to WA1230 when the machine entered USA Register as N911XW back in 2001.

Quite restricted to fly ex-mil Gazelle under FAA rules...

[Zishelix]

Finally back online after unexpected break! I missed my daily Aviafora routine.

[xbdt]

Finally back online after unexpected break! I missed my daily Aviafora routine

[KurtLefebre]

Well done ! back ON-Line :-)

[Savoia]

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> FORUM ANNOUNCEMENT <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

.......
OUR SINCERE APOLOGIES

Dear Aviaforans and readers of Aviafora

Please accept our sincere apologies for the recent downtime experienced on the site (nearly two weeks!).

We were due to install a number of software upgrades, and chose to outsource this task. Sadly, the IT firm handling this fairly simple exercise made a complete hash of it, the result of which was all too obvious. We did not expect the site to drop offline, and neither did we imagine that such a routine procedure would turn into a major technical problem. It still isn't over (we are operating on 'temporary pages') but .. at least we have access to the forum.

Needless to say, we have learnt from this experience, and hope to avoid any similar outages in the future.

Again, we apologise for the downtime, but we thank you for your understanding and for your continued support.

Sav and Phil


.......

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

[Savoia]

L'armée de Terre


L'armée de Terre Gazelle 'AXG' as seen in May 2015 (location unknown)

UK Gazelles


SA341G(S) N340SM (cn 1509) as seen at Denham Aerodrome on 7th May 2015 (Photo: Brian Nichols)

Gazelles in Belgium


SA342M GAW (cn 1996) as seen at Beauvechain Air Base in Belgium on 20th May 2015


SA342M 3857-GJK (cn 1857) as seen at Beauvechain Air Base in Belgium on 20th May 2015 (Photo: Walter Van Bel)

The Gazelles in Belgium were taking part in a Tactical helicopter Procedures Update (THPU) exercise.



Westland Gazelle HT. Mk3, (cn 1728), N931XZ, (Owner: Howard A. Foote), cancelled on 28th May 2015 and sent to South Africa:

Gaz News Courtesy of Jos (who should soon be joining Aviafora now that the software is getting sorted-out!).


SA341D Gazelle N931XZ (cn WA1728) as seen at Durban's Virginia Airport in South Africa on 19th May 2015 (Photo: Brian Spurr)



L'armée de Terre SA342M 3857-GJK (as seen above) Hover-Taxis at Beauvechain, Belgium

N901B Performs an Engine Run as well as a little 'Hop' (and is still for sale)

XB Performs a Smooth Landing at Zomergem with the X-Craft!

And .. I thnk we may have discovered I-LDAV's real registration .. RA-2184G

See more I-LDAV/RA-218G see post #1088 above.

[Zishelix]

Please accept our sincere apologies...

Sav & Phil, since it's not your fault I don't think you two owe us any apology. The most important thing is that we're up-and-running again and that the threads have survived the recent upgrade.

[Savoia]

Thanks Zis, but we obviously made an error of judgement in selecting the wrong firm, causing disturbance to the site - and for this we apologise.

South African Gazelles

ZU-RLH


SA341B ZU-RLH (cn WA1600) as seen in South Africa in May 2015


SA341B ZU-RLH (cn WA1600) in flight South Africa in May 2015

I am not 100% sure if this is ZU-RLH as I have no corroborating information at present, but I think it is.

ZU-HHP


SA341F2 ZU-HHP (cn 1597) in South Africa

[Savoia]

Army Air Corps SA341B XZ345 (cn WA1705) as seen at Salisbury Plains Training Area on 8th May 2015 (Photo: Sam Whitfield)

Attached to 671 Squadron/7 Regiment.

[Savoia]

Gazelles from the airmobile unit 'SGAM Barracuda' fly over the Central African Republic in May 2015 as part of Operation Sangaris

[Savoia]

Montenegrin Air Force Gazelles during Exercise Adriatic Strike 2015

[Zishelix]

It's better for an aircraft to end its career this way than to be scrapped!



Retired ALAT SA341F s/n 1642 at Chabeuil, France in 2011

[Zishelix]

Did you note the unusual surveillance equipment attached to it's nose?



Not a regular "gadget" for ALAT Gazelles, I'd say.

[Savoia]

Ah .. I didn't pick-up on (what I assume is) the gun-sight.

But the arrangement reminds me of the set-up which Paramount used (below):


Paramount Group SA341B G-CHLW (cn WA1409) as seen at Pretoria's Waterkloof Air Force Base in South Africa on 20th September 2014 (Photo: Steve Brimley)

Ex-Army Air Corps XX439.

[Gary Gazelle]

I think this is a FLIR, not a stab optic sight? UK mil mount one on the stores boom.

[Zishelix]

Ah .. I didn't pick-up on (what I assume is) the gun-sight.

You're probably right about the purpose of such arrangement, but ALAT machines are usually equipped with APX 334 "Athos" gyrostabilized binoculars:



or APX 397 "Viviane" Laser Designators

[Zishelix]

The Ecuadorean Gazelles also use the ball shaped sight attached to the roof:

[Savoia]

It is possible that the ball sight could be an 'economic' version of the more traditional roof-mounted sight.




Gazelle ground run, Ladjevci Aerodrome, Serbia:

[Savoia]

Serbian Gazelles


SA342L Soko Gazelle as seen during Exercise 'Immediate Response' in 2009 (Photo: Dimitrije Ostojic)

[Zishelix]

The Gazelle in your photo is 12879, seen below being deployed in a medevac role: