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And spare a thought for anyone living in bessbrook having to put up with the consultant noise of choppers all hours day and night 😢

XMG 93-94

In my day 87-90 it was Wessex however, as always the RUC were superb, and the pilots knew everything, looking back and comparing it to Afghan it looks easy but the the fear was real and many were affected. As always someone unfortunate pays the price. Having read the comments below - if you know you know - I salute you, keep shtum we are now the enemy.

Wow ..like going back on time, so many stories,the good old days eh boys..❤

Always got time for the sound of our helis. Ex RRF.

I was stationed at Aldergrove between, 95-98 and got the opportunity to take flights on most of the rotary wing assets in SHFNI. ALso go tthe opportunity to operate the Gimpy on a Lynx at range at Ballykinler, loved the low flying and speed combined with the feeling of sheer power of the aircraft. Brought back some smile worthy memories watching this, could practically smell the mix of instruments, grease and avtur that most helicopters smelt of.

Takes me back to two tours I did with the Scots guards in the 80,s. Flew in them all but my favourite was the Lynx especially when tree hopping. 😊

Big changes indeed looks really good now. You’ve got aircraft there that a few of the museums here in Australia don’t even have. That aside I used to work on the Tucano, based at flight controls hanger 14 (Shorlac) which of course is now George Best Belfast City Airport.

2 para 2002 their last tour

excellent work, what a beauty the naval phantom

Good to see, brings back memories of my tour in S.Armagh 1989, however. This looks a bit like a REMF's jolly for the cameras. Some slack drills, some smirking officer in charge & not wearing helmets? The team/stick/multiple commander or whatever should have a headset to speak to the pilot. He should also be the first man out & last man in. We never put out a patrol of less than 3 teams apart from local patrols around Bessbrook. Not representative of reality. I don't intend to be insulting but what I say is fact. Thanks anyway for posting this!

Brilliant ❤

Brings back memories.

May well have taken the controls of that SA Bulldog if it was from the Queens University Air Squadron during my ATC days.

Lived college sq bessbrook 20 years back house was flight area back to base

Interesting video. Can recall the closing years of Op Banner seeing aircraft like these and Chinooks over Ballykinlar

I'd recognise that noise anywhere, I was posted to Odiham for 4 years, then home of the Puma with tours to Aldergrove.

Of all my tours...Omagh sticks out for me being picked up by "Brown boots" a pilot identification made by us squaddies when sat he was sat up high in a wessex and we just got a glimpse of his boots...a quick tap on those and the pilot would thrill us with a fast treetop ride back to base with a few negative G drops thrown in...one so good my GPMG was floating above me 😂😂

Bessbrook mill we were on top floor I remember they had a sun bed in middle floor just had to book a slot loved flying about there was a pilot that broke 2 lynxes in 4 months took us vertical till engines cut then dived to the hard deck to land in a field with bulls that charged us probably the ecm 😂😂

I worked on Pumas at Odiham for many years before they left for Benson.

Awesome 👍✈️

Sights and sounds that take me back to 99-03 when I was in and out of 'R850' fairly routinely. I can practically smell this video just watching it!!

Now where they at? Doing work in Ukraine ?

I can’t wait to get back to see all your new aircraft. Bravo UAS .

Why is it helicopters sounded so much BETTER back in the day? Evil tail rotor rasping like an angry wasp on steroids with aggressive turboshaft wailing at the front. These were what made all these army copters sound so intimidating and scary. They sounded like something to run from when they did a U Turn in the air and came back at you with that even more angry sound as they come back at you. I used to think "Oh s&&t run" when they did this. Now you listen to all the modern big ones they all sound like a harmless bumble bee collecting pollen from flowers. A helicopter has to sound a certain way to go with its aggression. These ones definately did it for me!

I am in this quite a bit but cant even remember seeing someone with a camera!

These troops look fresh and clean,we always got picked up cold,wet muddy,tired and pissed off after 4 days,these seems a walk in the park!!!!

It's a shame there is not more videos like this but to be honest back in the day it was not a good idea to point anything at a helicopter it could have been the last thing you ever did.

Would love to be part of that but logistics will not allow me but I like being an aircraft mechanic and pilot😊

I did 6 months at Dungannon as Buzzard Y453 That was the most rewarding job I ever did in 24 years service.

Used to see the Tornado GR4 buzzing around Marham all time. 😢

Awesome filming. Thanks for posting this. The sounds of Puma's and Lynx's turbines and transmissions are wonderful. I can smell the jet exhaust!! So good to be able to enjoy this without crap music all over it, or an unnecessary voice over. Excellent.

X UDR veteran here. Did all this old school in the early 80s using the Wessex & gazelle plus the lynx to hedge hop around south Armagh. These guys take to long to mount and demount the helicopter. The minute the helicopters wheels or skids hit the ground you were out. We had no helmets or SA80s then only the good old SLR, GPMG, LMG & 9mm browning. Walked for miles in all weather sleeping out night after night in freezing conditions. But you know what? I’d do it all again in a heart beat. Loved it.

Gives me goosebumps hearing the noise of the inside of a puma for the 1st time in 20 years

So many memories... I went back to a time that was Good and Bad, I am just glad it all worked out ok?

I served for three years in Omagh West Tyrone area and loved getting picked up by these legends. I flew in them all. Chinooks,Lynx,Wessex and Sea King. Brilliant!

Why dont they have helmets? Or is this PR footage ?

Looks about 92 this,sure 2 para where doing an armagh tour then

MEMORIES MEMORIES. ACE footage.good old 2 Para. I dont ever remember not wearing a helmet in south armagh. I do remember the ear splitting whine of the heli props and engines. No wonder most blokes have knackered hearing. Not just gun shots yo know.!! I dont understand the rupert not getting a head set once inside and sat down. So he could communicate. Bessbrook pad. Great ls. busiest in europe. I remember the wessex taking off and you wondered if it was going to make it up. \so slow it was unbelievable. Happy days.

For years this Gannet was on display outside Deeside College in North Wales... I used to see it regularly. They used to turn the engines over every so often. It was removed in 2003 and last I heard it had been badly damaged while being transported up north and was left to decay. Glad to see it's been saved and under restoration.

Excellent footage.

Those pilots were the buisness. Had some amazing rides with some right crazy (but extremely skilful) pilots. Great memories.

I once was flown from XMG to BBK in a Lynx in 7 minutes as this was the last shift for the Pilot and Co Pilot ,My machine went down with a blown hydraulic hose and it was holding a very important job up as we were installing new Sangers (Borucki and Alpha Sanger on the Cullaville Rd. Pilot also decided to hedge hop on the same journey so it was a very memorable flight. I was also in a Puma when a pilot decided to got to full ceiling height and initiated a stall test (cut engine) which seen a rather large door gunner do a one handed hand stand with the reduced effect of gravity. Not sure this was strictly legal by AIR Corps standards but fuck me it was a real giggle. As was the MK15 Barrack Buster that landed just behind the fence on Alpha Sanger as we were putting the mesh in for the Concrete foundations. But that’s another story for another time 😉 Incidentally the air lift for that job was the largest air lift in the British Army since the Falklands I gather with over 1100 troops airlifted by Chinooks all day. Dread to think of the cost of that single job because a hydraulic hose costs around £80 at the time 😬 An Ex Sapper 33 Field Sqn

looks he is having fun driving the wee tractor

FASTER move faster getting out of choper

A bunch of F-4 Phantoms and three Spitfires, Monogram 1/48 and one Airfix 1/72 I wish I could say more that's a nice collection.

9:34 what’s that little thing underside of the hull at the beginning of the tail? Nice quality of sound aswell remember a puma drop in a field behind my primary school in the 90’s. Also worked with a ex para he was in one which something failed in it a crashed after take off.

I remember a Lynx pilot from 1980, Staff Sgt MacAndrew, he used to fly so low and fast that when we landed there were some times tree branches on the skids, and also washing line! when you are a 19 year old on your first Tour, these are just some of the things that stick in my mind, Much respect to you "Mack" never for a single second did i doubt your skills.

Reminds me of kid growing up in n I

Bandit Country