History in the air
The Historic Army Flight has been in existence for more than twenty years when some aircraft went out of service and were gifted to the School of Army Aviation at Middle Wallop. or more than twenty years, forward-thinking people in the Army Air Corps have done their best to ensure that at least one example of aircraft used by the Corps remains airworthy. As the Lynx and Gazelle helicopters came into service some of the older types were gifted to the School and set the foundation for the Army Historic Aircraft Flight.
Officer Commanding, Major Bill Wright, Army Historic Aircraft Flight and Beaver pilot
“In 1980 they approached the Army Board and said look we would like to have a charter that allows us to keep one type of an aircraft in the air that has been in Army service for heritage and posterity and the Army Board agreed,” says Bill Wright Officer Commanding Army Historic Aircraft Flight, School Of Army Aviation at Middle Wallop and pilot of the Flight’s only De Haviland Beaver. The Historic Aircraft Flight charter was formalised and the School of Army Aviation was tasked with maintenance, day to day training and management.
Every year, each aircraft is allowed to fly just 50 hours enabling the Flight to commit to a number of displays throughout the summer season. “We try and do a few big events because we have a huge public contact,” says Bill. “At the Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford, for example, 150 thousand people plus saw the aircraft.”
Unlike other display teams like the Red Arrows, HAF pilots are volunteers. “I am a senior electronic warfare officer at the school,” explains Bill. “I have to carry out my normal instructor duties and then oversee HAF as the Officer Commanding.”
The 50 hours per year can get quickly cut down. Five hours are allocated for training but some of the pilots have experience and don’t need the full five hours. Bill has had three hours on the Auster and two on the Beaver which he currently flies. “But if we have a new pilot then we are talking about five hours to get him up to speed then we develop a display routine which takes about three hours. Generally, speaking the 50 hours is plenty for the year.”
The De Haviland Beaver
A very efficient and economical aircraft it was one of the best-procured aircraft ever bought by all three services because it came in on time and within cost. The Army bought 64 de Haviland Beavers that were built in Canada. In 1961 it was assembled and crated over to the UK, reassembled and then flown out to the Far East where she served for many years before coming back to the School. It was used for liaison, to drop stores, as well as in the air photography role in Northern Ireland before being replaced by the Islander. The Army bought 64 of the Beavers.
Connor Campbell – Chipmunk pilot
A civilian instructor working for Babcock Engineering on contract for the Army Connor, originally from Derby, has over 3,500 hours and 3,000 of them are military instruction. This is his third season with the HAF. “The chap flying the chipmunk was leaving the army and I asked if I could do it and there was no one else around so I was lucky enough to get it.
Flying is Connor’s life. “It’s my work and my hobby,” he says. “I started flying when I was 26, mainly light aircraft.”
For Connor, the De Haviland Chipmunk is a great aircraft to fly. All three services used the Chipmunk as a basic trainer for many years until it was replaced by the Firefly. “It cruises at almost 100 miles an hour,” he says. “Once you’re airborne the controls are very smooth you only have to think where you want to go and it will go. It is pure pleasure.”
The De Haviland Chipmunk
The Flight’s Chipmunk was delivered to the School in 1953 and is the Flight’s oldest aircraft having served as a basic trainer before being replaced by Fireflies in the nineties. It is the only aircraft in the Flight that was not an operational aircraft, which is why it is painted in its current red white and blue livery.
Lieutenant C Colonel Peter Adams – Auster pilot
Working at the Defence Aviation Safety Centre at RAF Bentley Priory, Lt Colonel Adams is the safety monitor for helicopters across all three services and flies the Auster for the Historic Army Flight. “The regimental colonel rang me up and asked me if I would like to participate. I said very much so as I have always wanted to be part of the HAF and the Auster has always been my particular favourite so the opportunity was just too good to miss.”
Originally from Forest in Scotland, Colonel Adams considers Andover to be his real home. “My family has grown up around here. So I consider Andover my home now.”
He is the first to acknowledge that flying the Auster is a physical challenge. “When you change power settings you change the attitude of the aircraft,” says Colonel Adams. “With our displays we have to change the power settings quite a lot. Sometimes you are flying slowly and you need some flap. Now the flap lever is in the roof, and the flap setting is behind your head so if you want to put the flaps down you pull the selector down and then pump away in the roof. Throttle is in the middle and the trim lever is on the floor down by your feet. It’s like being a conductor of an orchestra.” He wouldn’t fly the Auster if he didn’t enjoy it. “It is such fun.”
The Auster
License-built in Leicester before the war as a light civil aircraft, the Auster met the requirement for a light observation aircraft during the Second World War and entered service as the Auster Mark One. The type flown by the Flight is the last version of the Auster, the Mark Nine.
During the Second World War Austers were used as a spotter aircraft during the war flying from small unprepared strips. “She is very light,” says Colonel Adams. “The Beaver is a big aircraft with lots of vortexes coming off the wing. So if you get caught behind the Beaver you get enormous amounts of turbulence.”
Captain Chris Guild Army Air Corps Volunteers 7 Regiment. TA reservist pilots – Allouette pilot
Cap Captain Guild is an ex-regular TA pilot with 7 Regiment Army Air Corps and spends more than 100 days per year flying Gazelle helicopters in support of the field Army.
But with the HAF, Chris is the Allouette pilot. “About 4 years ago they were looking for an Allouette pilot and I was invited because I had flown it in regular service in Cyprus throughout the eighties and that meant there was less training for me.”
The forerunner of the Gazelle, the Allouette is a five-seat French-built light observation scout jet powered helicopter and has similar handling, similar limitations and is almost identical in appearance to the Gazelle.
When he left the Army, Chris set up his own engineering business which he ran for ten years until a serious motorbike accident stopped him from managing his company. “It took me three years to get over that accident so I used the money I got from selling my engineering company to buy property.”
As far as flying the Allouette is concerned he considers himself to be very lucky. “I just love it,” he says.
The Allouette
Before Westland could get tooled up for the Scout the Army filled the gap with the Allouette. Sixteen were bought and it was the world’s first military turbine helicopter and proved to be a great success. To display the aircraft the Flight fly it with a lighter fuel load to give them more power. “It’s good for what we do,” says Captain Chris Guild Army Air Corps Volunteers 7 Regiment . “I don’t display with heavy weights so I’ve got lots of power in hand.” When the Scout started entering service, the sixteen Allouettes were moved to Cyprus where they spent most of their working lives.
Staff Sergeant Jan Green
 Flying the Westland Scout for the Army Historical Flight Staff Sergeant Green, originally from Helston in Cornwall, is an instructor at Middle Wallop instructing students in their operational phase of their training on Squirrel helicopters.
Starting out working as ground crew Jan Green always wanted to fly so he worked his way up to become a helicopter pilot. He absolutely loves flying. “When I arrived here I volunteered to work on the ground crew for anything for the HAF then low and behold a slot became vacant on the Scout so I qualified on the Scout and I also qualified on the Sioux so I can jump one to another. She’s like a Land Rover and just goes on and on.”
The Scout can take a crew of five but Jan displays the aircraft on his own which gives him more power and less weight. “The weight of extra people can make a difference depending on the weather. If it is a very hot day the amount of weight I take on board limits my performance on the power. The heat affects density and altitude that affects aircraft performance.”
“I’m lucky that the Army pay me to teach students to fly helicopters and on weekends I’m able to display these old helicopters like classic cars really. They are not the most dynamic but just to get them in the air and keep them flying is a great job in itself.”
The Westland Scout
The Scout, skidded version, was procured by the Army initially as a troop carrier but was later turned into an anti-tank version. The Scout was the Army’s first direct fire anti-tank missile helicopter.
Major Rod Lambert Sioux Pilot
 Retired from the Army, Major Rod Lambert, originally from Ronstall in Lancashire, is now a civilian instructor for 670 Squadron at Middle Wallop working for FBH a contractor that provide civilian instructors for the Army Air Corps. He is also the Rotary Training Officer for the Historic Flight and when he’s not training he flies the Flight’s only Sioux helicopter. “I was the last operational Sioux pilot in the Army,” says Rod proudly.
“The Sioux is one of the earliest mass production helicopters and I think its maiden flight was towards the end of the Second World War,” he explains. “The British Army got it in 1964 through Augusta in Italy under license and it was the mainstay as observation reconnaissance helicopter right up to the mid-eighties.”
Compared to the other helicopters in the Flight and the fixed wing aircraft the Sioux, an American design, is under-powered. With its huge bubble canopy and strut-like fuselage, the helicopter gained prominence in the TV show MASH making it easily identifiable. “Its maximum speed is about 90 knots and normal cruise settings you’ll only get about 65 knots out of it,” explains Rod. “On some days when it is quite hot it is even difficult to hold in the hover above about 30 to 40 feet.”
When he was with the Army he was the training major with 7 regiment based at Netheravon. Getting close to retirement he noticed there was a job at FBH for a civilian instructor and applied for it. “I am still wearing a uniform with a different badge and I still think of myself as being in the Army.”
Throughout his flying career that started when he was 24 he has flown mostly helicopters apart from 4 years flying an Army airship. “It was an amazing experience,” he says. “It was a bit like sailing a yacht in the air. It was 200 feet long and 60 feet high with a tremendous endurance at 14 hours in the air.”
The Sioux
Most people know the Sioux from the TV show, MASH. The huge bubble canopy is very distinctive. The Army bought some from Augusta Bell and the first 17 were made in Italy and were crated up and sent to Britain. Westland tooled up and started building them but the one flown by the Flight is one of the original 17 built in Italy.
For their displays all the aircraft in the Flight take off with low fuel loads to make the aircraft as light as possible so they can do a lot of gentle manoeuvres. Every year all the aircraft in the Flight are taken to pieces and completely reassembled to ensure they remain in excellent condition.
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