Yeovil sightings Spring 2015 (March-May inclusive)

[Malcolm]

WHE05 currently showing on PP somewhere near Exeter as [0A4048] Lynx but reg unknown - anyone?

Thanks,
Chris

Algerian ZK193

[POL]

And up as WHE02 now is [0A4046] - would that be ZK191?

[Malcolm]

And up as WHE02 now is [0A4046] - would that be ZK191?

Yes, and 0A4047 is ZK192. However, for some reason they don't always turn the SBS on.

[Bertie_Basset]

Twin star wrote:

Have either of the S.Korean Wildcats been seen recently?

Yes. Saw them both on Monday at the back of the flight shed hangar.
Also seen were ZK191 - 193 Algerian Lynx Mk140
MM81864 (ZR352)& MM81866 (ZR354) plus ZR353 still in yellow primer.
Lynx Mk9A noted ZG884 & ZG888 plus one other.
Numerous UK MoD Merlins and Wildcats scattered around the place.
Cheers
Bertie

[apgphoto]

Anyone known the actual serial allocation for the Algerians?

[wezgulf3]

Afternoon All,

I made my first visit yesterday only noting one Wildcat outside ZZ5__ I found it very hard finding views around the field with the only spot being the leisure centre carpark! Is there anywhere else? Looking for both photo opportunity and reading off those outside!

Many thanks

Wes...

[Malcolm]

Afternoon All,

I made my first visit yesterday only noting one Wildcat outside ZZ5__ I found it very hard finding views around the field with the only spot being the leisure centre carpark! Is there anywhere else? Looking for both photo opportunity and reading off those outside!

Many thanks

Wes...

Probably ZZ515 which has been quite active recently. ZZ510,511,512 and 514 have been delivered to Yeovilton I think. ZZ513 hasn't been seen AFAIK, and no reports of ZZ516 onwards either.

From the Sports club car park fence, walk (north) back towards the exit. Before you cross the little bridge over the stream, there is a concrete path on your right alongside the stream. Take this, and follow it for perhaps 200yds. The path splits - take the right hand turn, up the hill keeping the perimeter fence on your right. At the top of the hill you come out underneath the runway approach end, and get a different angle on the main ramp, without the airfield 'hump' in the way. This is usually better for Wildcats, although the angle can be shallow and the tail boom winglets can be a PITA. If you keep walking you come out in Westland Road, next to the staff car park.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/50% ... !1s0x0:0x0

It's also worth a drive by on Bunford lane/ Watercombe lane at the western end. There are 3 test pads here, and you can occasionally get helicopters very close to the fence performing electrical tests. If you drive into the staff car park here (no barriers) there are a couple of dumped airframes just the other side of the perimeter fence.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/50% ... !1s0x0:0x0

There are a few other spots which can very occasionally be useful, but these 3 (sports club car park, Westland Road and Bunford lane) are the best.

[Malcolm]

Anyone known the actual serial allocation for the Algerians?

UK Serials says ZK191 to ZK196. No idea what the Algerian serials will be if that's what you mean.

http://www.ukserials.com/results.php?serial=ZK

[wezgulf3]

Malcolm that's an awesome reply! Thank you so much for putting the time into that! Hopefully I'll be back after Easter!

Wes...

[Malcolm]

Malcolm that's an awesome reply! Thank you so much for putting the time into that! Hopefully I'll be back after Easter!

Wes...

Wednesday is a bad day - its bin day and the bin lorries totally f**k up the local roads for most of the morning. Later in the week is usually better than early in the week for stuff outside the hangars. Here is a (fairly dated) set of destructions I wrote for Mil-Spotters-Forum many years ago(2006).

I don't know how well you know Yeovil, so I'll do this from first principles.

From the west, from the A303 take the A3088 towards Yeovil. After about 5 miles you will come to a roundabout (Cartgate) . Go straight across. This road runs along the southern perimeter of the airfield, towards the rotor test towers. This is the starting point for your tour.

From the north, from the A303 / Ilchester / Yeovilton take the A37 towards Yeovil. After about 3 miles, there is a small village on a left hand bend with 40MPH speed limit, and a speed camera - Half Way House Pub. Turn right here onto small road (which saves a 3 mile detour) and follow this road down the dip, and then up the steep narrow hill (Vagg Hollow). After about a mile you come to a crossroads. Go straight across, and then down the hill. After another ½ mile you come to a oddly shaped mini-roundabout. Turn right here. Follow the road along, leaving the 30 MPH limit into the 40 MPH limit. After another ½ mile, turn left (all the traffic goes this way). Go up the hill, then over the crest, and down the hill the other side (past the football ground on your right). After ½ mile you come to a roundabout (for KFC, Maplins, Dixons etc) Go straight across. Another 200yds, another roundabout. Again go straight across. Then a 3rd Roundabout by Palmers fish and chip shop. Go straight across again. The airfield western perimeter fence is now on your left. Turn left at the next roundabout (Cartgate), and you've reached the starting point for your tour.

From the south, from the A37 from Dorchester. As you approach Yeovil, you come across the first roundabout (Red Lodge Pub). Go straight across. The after about another mile a second roundabout, opposite the Quicksilver mail Pub. Turn left onto the A30 towards East Coker, Crewkerne. After about 1 ½ miles another roundabout. Turn right and go down the hill. At the bottom of the hill is another roundabout, where you turn left. The road curves right for the next ½ mile. Then another roundabout (Cartgate). Turn right, and you've reached the starting point for your tour.

From the East, from the A30 / Sherborne, you come down a long dual carageway hill (Babylon Hill). Straight on at the roundabout at the bottom, past Pittards and Yeovil Pen Mill Railway station. Then a mini roundabout, here you go sort of left/straight on towards the town centre. Past a Jeep and Peugot garage. The road then forks left / right. Take the right hand fork (the main A30) to the right of National Tyre. Go past Dominoes Pizza and up the hill past the Fire/Ambulance station (you need to be in the right hand/ outside lane here) continue up the hill untill you reach the next roundabout (the Hospital roundabout). Go straight on, down Queensway, past Tescos to the next roundabout (the police station roundabout). Turn right here. There is a pedestrian crossing and then some traffic lights next to B&H. Go straight on. Then some more traffic lights (the entrance to McDonalds & Morrisons). Again Straight on.Then some more traffic lights (the entrance to Westlands & a B&Q store). For the third time, straight on. Then after about 1 mile, a roundabout. Go straight on here, and follow the road as it bends round to the right. Then another roundabout (Cartgate). Turn right, and you've reached the starting point for your tour.

Ok by now you should be near the rotor test towers. (The parking place in the old back entrance Garradors was filled in a few years ago) This is where helicopters do their electrical tests before their first flights. If you are lucky there may be something parked here. There are 3 pads. The higher of them is a bit of a pig when Lynx's are on it because their tails are so low to the ground it makes it difficult to read them off. But the lowest pad (the ECM pad) is great, and right next to the fence. There is an old railway bridge that you can walk up on to (very busy narrow road, so watch that you don't get run over !) which looks directly down on the ECM pad, and is great for photos (but be quick - the security people aren't too keen on this) . There is a dumped Lynx here, plus a few bits of prototype/mockup EH101.

Once you're done at the rotor test towers, head back towards the Cartgate roundabout. Turn right. At the next roundabout turn right and park up in the Palmers fish and chip shop car park - there are some limited views of the airfield from here. You can then walk to the fence. From here there is a footpath which runs for about 300yds along the northern perimeter fence. This can be useful to get Lynx's on the topmost test pad.

When you're done here, leave Palmers and turn right at the roundabout. Go past the crematorium, to the next roundabout (ASDA). Turn right. Go straight on at the next set of traffic lights (the ASDA entrance). Go down the hill, past the Bell Inn / Hungry Horse Pub. Take the next road on the right (Westborne Grove). You can go straight on , through a new housing estate, to the perimeter fence here, but you are too low down to see anything. Instead, take the first left. Go along this residential street (with speed bumps and learner drivers reversing round all the corners!). After ½ mile, there is a turning on the right to Westlands Sports & social club. Take this turning, go past the tennis courts and if the gate is open park in the social club car park on the higher level, nearest the perimeter fence. If it isn't open, park in the main car park and walk past the gate into the upper level. From here you can see most of the eastern end of the ramp, and anything hiding behind "the mound"

If you can't get everything from here there is one more place to try. Leave the Sports and Social Club the way you came in. When you get back to the entrance turn right towards the Hairdressers. Then turn right again into Preston Grove (NOT Preston Road if you get lost). This heads down hill, bends left, then past St Andrews Church and Scout Hall. Preston Grove then changes name and becomes Huish. Straight on, up the short hill, and turn right into Westland Road at the Post office / Video / corner shop. Go down the hill, and straight on at the crossroads at the bottom (chinese takeaway at the crossroads) Go straight on until you see Westlands staff car park on the right. I normally park on the road here, but if there is space you can park in the car park. There is a small `residents only' type road on the right just before the entrance to the car park. Walk or drive up here until you come to the end. You can see the main ramp from here, but things tend to be parked nose /tail on and so can be difficult to read. Also, Merlins are big so-and-so's, and they tend to get in each others way. The road ends, but there is a path that goes around the end of the airfield. You can walk along here as far as you like to increase the reading angle (it eventually ends up at the Sports and Social club you were at earlier). But after a while it goes down hill, and you can't see anything from here. This path takes you under the approach end of the runway, so if you want photographs, and you are prepared for a long wait, this is probably your best bet.

Anyway, that concludes your tour of Westlands perimeter fence. On any given day you will be lucky to see more than 4 or 5 helicopters. I find the best times are 9am-10am, and about 1.30pm on weekdays. Most people pop in `on their way to Yeovilton', rather than sit here all day long, because it is usually very boring. Also between 9 and 11 on Saturdays you may, if you are very lucky, catch one or two out. You are highly unlikely to get anything on a Sunday. Hope this helps.

[apgphoto]

Malcolm was after the Algerian serials, initial enquiries seems to indicate the c/n as the serial but not confirmed.

Cheers

Paul

[Seaking93]

Afternoon All,

I made my first visit yesterday only noting one Wildcat outside ZZ5__ I found it very hard finding views around the field with the only spot being the leisure centre carpark! Is there anywhere else? Looking for both photo opportunity and reading off those outside!

Many thanks

Wes...

Probably ZZ515 which has been quite active recently. ZZ510,511,512 and 514 have been delivered to Yeovilton I think. ZZ513 hasn't been seen AFAIK, and no reports of ZZ516 onwards either.

From the Sports club car park fence, walk (north) back towards the exit. Before you cross the little bridge over the stream, there is a concrete path on your right alongside the stream. Take this, and follow it for perhaps 200yds. The path splits - take the right hand turn, up the hill keeping the perimeter fence on your right. At the top of the hill you come out underneath the runway approach end, and get a different angle on the main ramp, without the airfield 'hump' in the way. This is usually better for Wildcats, although the angle can be shallow and the tail boom winglets can be a PITA. If you keep walking you come out in Westland Road, next to the staff car park.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/50% ... !1s0x0:0x0

It's also worth a drive by on Bunford lane/ Watercombe lane at the western end. There are 3 test pads here, and you can occasionally get helicopters very close to the fence performing electrical tests. If you drive into the staff car park here (no barriers) there are a couple of dumped airframes just the other side of the perimeter fence.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/50% ... !1s0x0:0x0

There are a few other spots which can very occasionally be useful, but these 3 (sports club car park, Westland Road and Bunford lane) are the best.

ZZ516 was on the flight line this afternoon

[Malcolm]

ZZ516 was on the flight line this afternoon

7 April 2015 14:40L

14:40L [43C75D] (ZZ516) "WHE04" pinging on SBS, still on the ground and no Squawk.
14:45L SQ4364 1000' eastbound out of Yeovil

ZK191("WHE02") and ZK193 ("WHE05") also showing on SBS this afternoon.

[Malcolm]

LOG 8-April 2015 14:30L

After a power lunch at Palmers chippy, a scout around the perimeter fence revealed...

ZK191 Lynx Mk140 for Algeria - flying over the airfield.
ZZ401 Wildcat - On main ramp
ZZ516 Wildcat HMA2 - On main ramp and flying as WHE04
(MM81864/ZR352)/15-01 Merlin HH-101 for Italy

Also showing on SBS with Yeovil Squawk is ZZ391 "WHE03". ZK193 "WHE05" is showing with a St Mawgan squawk, so presumably is down in pasty land.

[Seaking93]

Did anyone see/hear a 'WHE03' leaving Yeovil and going to Yeovilton today, it should have been a HMA2

[Malcolm]

LOG 10-April 2015 09:00L

Out on a sunny airfield this morning...

ZK191 Lynx Mk140 for Algeria
ZZ516 Wildcat HMA2
ZG888 Lynx AH9A western end

Malcolm

[Malcolm]

LOG 14-April 2015 09:00L

Just the one this morning, but a bit curious.

ZZ406 Wildcat AH1 fully painted, no rotors, being pushed into the paintshop.

Malcolm

[Malcolm]

LOG 15-April 2015 09:00L

Out on a chilly but sunny ramp this morning are...

ZK191 Lynx Mk140 for Algeria
(ZK192) Lynx Mk140 for Algeria
ZZ401 Wildcat
(ZZ___) Wildcat AH1 - Heat Haze and shallow angle prevented reading
(MM81864/ZR352)/15-01 Merlin HH-101 for Italy

[richpittman]

Merlin ZR352 15-01 Flying up to 18:30 Today
Imminent delivery?

[Malcolm]

LOG 23-April 2015 09:00L

Out on an overcast and somewhat chilly airfield this morning...

ZZ510 Wildcat AH1

Malcolm