Puma for Newark Air Museum

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18 years 1 month

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NAM’s website & social media feeds are reporting that in the coming weeks they are acquiring an ‘incomplete’ Puma helicopter for the collection in eastern Nottinghamshire.

Due in from RAF Cranwell in the not too distant future.

Further details can be found in here!

Original post

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17 years 3 months

Posts: 106

Good news. Quite an under-represented type. Just the ones at FAST and Long Kesh in the UK AFAIK.

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18 years 1 month

Posts: 7,742

Yes, I agree with your comment about the Puma being … “an under-represented type” and to be honest I had initially missed the Puma delivery to Long Kesh.

Back in 2011 I was personally involved with the original discussions between MoD Abbey Wood and the museum, so it is nice to see a ‘long-term’ project come to fruition; now the additional work commences to secure the missing items.

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18 years 4 months

Posts: 2,810

The lack of museum exhibits would seem to show that the Puma has been very valued in service and not subject to the sudden withdrawals. Good news on the project.

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17 years 5 months

Posts: 8,980

Simple to work on, what is it missing? :)

Ex Puma Engineer

Hmm seems like a lot unless she was tarted up, poor old girl, I have worked on her in better times.....sigh

http://picssr.com/tags/xw218

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19 years 3 months

Posts: 597

A couple are also preserved at Army Barracks. one being the former Argentine Army example that was rebuilt for the RAF. XW208 is currently at Cranwell.

Tim

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15 years 2 months

Posts: 258

Well done Newark....be interested to see how much you paid for it. The Helicopter Museum put in a halfhearted bid,based on a bit more than scrap value but with a complete Super Puma in the collection already, decided there were higher priorities,like a new hangar and visitor services building to house the current growing collection! If the rumoured defence cuts go through there may be more Pumas available soon!

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18 years 1 month

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Thank you scotavia – valid comments.

TonyT – interesting to hear that you’re an “Ex Puma Engineer”; my understanding is that externally there is quite a lot missing (work already underway in that department), but in other areas it is quite complete. As far as I’m aware this is all reflected in the acquisition cost and that the Puma is known to be a ‘long-term’ project for NAM and its staff/volunteers.

Binbrook 01 – as ever thank you for the additional feedback!

heli1 – we’ll need to compare notes again sometime; perhaps scrap values are a little bit more ‘ .. up north!’ However I’d wager not significantly! I do know that the feeling in Notts was to move sooner, rather than later and in that way not to risk being expected to pay silly figures, as are being sought for Sea Kings!

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17 years 5 months

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Funny what you remember, 526mm 0404059 if I remember correctly was the nose door anti icing seal on the old intakes though it will have the polyV ones on it now, Wessex one was 26WX 6773... there were some parts on ebay recently, engines and things, jet pipe to from another I worked on.

Fitting the engines is so simple it is unreal, drop it's feet onto the plates on the decking, connect the two legs, and secure with nappy pins, then push it back and up into the gearbox and tighten the three 10mm bolts on the gearbox. then the quick release power lever connection, pipes and electrical connections and that's about it..

Look forward to seeing her again and well done to all... Interior probably is pretty good as I think it was used for load training?

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18 years 1 month

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Thank you for your additional recollections and thoughts TonyT – I understand that its utilisation as a ‘training aid’ at Cranwell is part of the rationale behind its acquisition and this may be reflected on how its initial display at NAM is implemented/accessed /interpreted.

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19 years 2 months

Posts: 5,196

Great news. Love the Puma.

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17 years 5 months

Posts: 8,980

You wouldn't flying down the length of the country at 7000 feet freezing your nutz off sitting in the seats facing the doors, the doors that had been removed due to doors falling off and sadly killing a crew earlier.. you are about 4 inches away from this big hole with a simple lap strap on.. mind you the view was brilliant :D but reading the paper was out.

Basically these seats

http://tecnodefesa.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Foto4SuperPumaBolivia.2.jpg

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8 years 9 months

Posts: 124

Well done NAM! Will it be the unfortunate XW218? I'm not complaining but I would like to see a whole one!

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19 years 2 months

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I've always loved SH TonyT! Fun in Chinook too!

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19 years 9 months

Posts: 1,777

Didn't the MOD send the unused ex-SAAF airframes straight to scrap? Wonder what ahppened to the others not updated to HC2 standard?

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17 years 3 months

Posts: 106

Hardly "straight to scrap". They were in storage for about a decade before being disposed of.

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14 years

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Good to see!

Shame on you TonyT: I couldn't remember a Section Ref if my life depended on it!!

SJ (ex-26WX and SA.330)

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18 years 1 month

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Rocketeer – thank you Tony.

TonyT – thanks again, I suspect you’ll feel quite at home when you visit.

Ossington – the NAM website was updated late this afternoon and it’s confirmed as XW208; while not complete my understanding is that the NAM acquisition team is already following up leads on some missing structures.

As for the ex-SAAF airframes, NAM is presently just focusing on XW208; and I know they’re pleased that the project is attracting such a lot of interest! Hope everyone takes a look at it on Saturday 3rd March while visiting the Indoor Aeroboot/Aerojumble Sale!

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19 years 3 months

Posts: 597

Of the 6 ex SAAF Pumas we bought, 4 went into the HC.2 conversion line and are still flying. As for the other 2, yes they were disposed of to a yard in/nr Hitchin (under supervision) in 2015, if I recall correctly when I read about it.

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18 years 10 months

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Incomplete: The doors would be my guess..

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19 years

Posts: 1,177

It will only be a few months and the projected defence cuts will see the whole lot "available", maybe a few Apaches too. "Step into the portakabin, we can do a nice deal... Anyone want a brand new aircraft carrier with no aircraft? We can do a good deal on her 'cos she's a bit leaky. Let's say buy one get one (unfinished) free? How about it, we can throw in a few bases for housing development or solar farms, maybe a bit of planning permission thrown in too? Roll up, roll up, everything must go. We've got statistics to massage and contracts to cancel, oh and a few thousand personnel to make redundant. Gotta get those NHS waiting times down somehow"...