Alouettes & Lamas

[Savoia]

An opportunity to post anything and everything about Alouettes and Lamas.

The Lama is one of my favourite helicopters and .. while she looks as though she may have been designed by Frank Hornby, and though she shakes like a drunk in withdrawal, and despite the poor leg room of her rear-seat passengers, and even though she can't accommodate their baggage, yet .. for her size, her performance is dazzling .. and who, pray tell, can resist the exquisite shrill of her antique Artouste as it leaps into life - a call to flight for anyone within a kilometre of her frame!

And all this talk of Lamas reminds me of a little poem I once read, composed by a boy who had watched Lamas at work in the Italian Alps:

Lama dear lama, who can compare,
to your crane-like frame so rugged and bare.

A Meccano construction of Perspex and tin,
you even can fly, while lacking a fin!

Some in disdain have called you a ‘bug’,
little they know, you are more like a tug!

To others who stare, you seem incomplete,
till you haul man and ware, to ten thousand feet!

“A collection of tubes which both shake and do rattle”,
says he who has never seen you in battle.

Take heart lovely Lama, and pay them no heed,
for you are a contraption most splendid indeed.

[Savoia]

Ciao Andy, so great to hear from you! 👌 Yes, Gay sadly passed away in January 2019 and she was indeed the first UK CPL(H).

Hoping this finds you well.

[AndyM]

I understand that Gay Absalom/Barratt has passed away.
I believe she was the first female commercial helicopter pilot in the UK

[Vernon Howell]

Thank You!

[Savoia]

Grazie Zis! 👍

I've also copied this to Shrieking Gazelles in case anyone there can assist.

[Zishelix]

Feel free to contact this guy http://alouettelama.com/contact/index.html

I'm sure he's able to help

[Vernon Howell]

Hi,

I am considering doing a color change on my Alouette II to its original French Navy colors. Can anyone on this forum advise as to what blue is to be used. I searched for French navy helicopters in model form, as the color chart to be used on the model is usually specified, but haven't had any luck. Your help will be appreciated.

[Savoia]

Grazie mille Jos! 👌

[Rotorspot]

2-ALOU to G-ONTY

New: G-ONTY SE313B, c/n 1583 (ex 2-ALOU, etc.); registered 29-Jun-2023 to Lark Aviation Ltd, Ipswich

[Savoia]

I-MURE


Airgreen SA315B I-MURE (2509) as seen at Aeroporto di Torino-Aeritalia in Piedmont on 2nd October 2022 (Photo by Fabrizio Capenti)

[Savoia]

2-ALOU


SE313B Alouette II 2-ALOU (cn.1583) as seen at Nottingham Heliport on 22nd December 2021 (Photo by Graeme Lovell)

F-AYEP


SE313B Alouette II F-AYEP (cn.1322) as seen at Aéroport Figari–Sud Corse on 23rd January 2022 (Photo by Damien Fournier)

[Zishelix]

F-GHCO in advert for Yves Saint Laurent

[Savoia]

Alouette III V-268 with Lama HB-XRL as seen in Switzerland NFI (Photo by Ralph Werlen)

[Savoia]

SA315B HB-XRE (cn.2462) as seen at Chateau-d'Oex in Switzerland on 28th January 2017 (Photo by Pierre Cester)

[Savoia]

Nice shots of 9A-HAT Zis 👍 although one is sad to hear of her mishap. As you say, thankfully no one was hurt.

[Zishelix]

The Sole SE3130 in Croatia 9A-HAT as seen in April 2009







Sadly, this machine force landed in May 2018 (luckily with no injuries or worst) and badly damaged.

http://www.ain.hr/Investigations/Get...ra-Alouette-II

[Helipixman]

Great shots again AndyM, I was a regular at Cumbernauld when they had the Lamas there and have many photos of them, also Dollar Lamas including the two Swedish registered examples. Many of my early photos of the Dollar fleet are taken at Bagington. I must start to put some on here !

[Savoia]

' .. 𝒂𝒔 𝒊𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒆𝒅 𝒖𝒑 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒃𝒓𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒐𝒏, 𝒓𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒅𝒔 𝒂 𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝒅𝒓𝒐𝒑 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒔𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒚 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒋𝒖𝒎𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒏 𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝒎𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕!' — Ha ha, great stuff Andrea! 😄 You've shared some really nice Lama nostalgia with us, bravo! 👍

[AndyM]

Memories from Dollar

After leaving the Army I served with several civilian operators including Dollar Helicopters. The shots below feature Dollar's SA315B Lama G-DASL (cn.2537) operating in Scotland in 1979. Dollar bought this aircraft in April 1979 and sold her a year later to France where she became F-GCLB.







The above photo was taken just after an old guy had ignored a stop marshall further down the road and had driven under the aircraft. He had glasses with lenses as thick as bottle bottoms and could only just see over the steering wheel. I remember the pilot looking down on his Morris Minor and shaking his head.

Ex-Dollar staff will recognise the "The Great White" support van in the background. Slightly unusual site on the side of a public road. The Great White was lucky to have survived to this point, as it had been parked up without the handbrake on, rolled towards a steep drop and had been saved by someone jumping in at the last moment!

[Jensen Jordan Lubowa]

A Second Life for the Alouette III







This is the Alouette M III Helicopter manufactured by Aileron Helicopters located in Dnipro City, Ukraine. We havey made very many upgrades including the airframe being made up of composite material, We have also installed modern avionics, crash resistant fuel tank, autopilot GFC 600, air-conditioning system and we have received aviation authority certification.

If you would like to know more about this helicopter, please email me at the address at the end of this post.




Alouette Spares Available

I have spare parts of a used Alouette III including a main rotor gearbox, main rotor blades, tail rotor head, tail rotor blades, transmissions, main rotor head and other parts.

Most of the parts are at 258 hrs TT and 527 hrs, all these parts are being offered for sale at a low price so that I can clear these spares.

Please email me at the address below for further details.

Jensen

aileronhelicopters@gmail.com

[Jensen Jordan Lubowa]

Hello, I have main rotor blades of Alouette III with 527 hrs TT, and spare parts. You can email me on aileronhelicopters@gmail.com

[Savoia]

Very interesting indeed Andy 👍 and I think I have shared one or more photos from the site over the years.

[AndyM]

Scottish Forestry Helicopters

There is an interesting website with Lama and Alouette photos plus other aircraft engaged in Scottish forestry work.

There is a nice shot of Dollar's Lama G-AZNI after it force landed in the forestry plough after the engine wound down while under slinging.

https://www.forestry-memories.org.uk...-Forestry-Work

[Savoia]

Grazie Andy, much appreciated! 👍

I only have 15 hours piston time, on the 300, and these were flown with Mike. I wonder if he is still with us?

[AndyM]

Air Gregory SE3130 Alouette II G-AVEE (cn 1203) as seen at Plymouth's Roborough Airport on 17th October 1970 (Photo: Chris England)

Gay Absalom and Mike Smith in the background

[Savoia]

Grazie Jos! 👍

[Rotorspot]

TF-KBG to G-ESJA

SA318C Alouette II TF-KBG (c/n 2068) was registered G-ESJA on 03-Sep-2021.

Owner is Gudbergur Gudbergsson (Iceland). This is the same owner as for TF-KBG.

[Savoia]

Grazie Jos, much appreciated! 👍

[Rotorspot]

TF-KBG Cancelled from Icelandic Register

TF-KBG, SA318C Alouette II, c/n 2068, was recently cancelled from the Icelandic aircraft register. Fate is not known.

[Savoia]

Yes, have sent you an email.