Bit of a long-shot this!
I was at Bern-Belp airfield on 28/8/76. Heliswiss were operating Sikorsky S-55 (Whirlwind) HB-XDS and Sikorsky S-58 (Wessex) HB-XDT. The latter was formerly French AF 58-328. Both were civilian schemes.
However there was another S-58 sitting on the airfield in military colours that I didn't manage to identify. I've noted it as "non-flying" so it may not have been airworthy, and "ex-SAR". Later I have added "ex German" but not sure if that was definitely ex-Luftwaffe or if it had a green and dayglo colour scheme that looked ex-Luftwaffe or something like that!
Any ideas from anyone??
Thanks again.
Did you know that registration to Fighter Control is completely free and brings you lots of added features? Find out more....
Bern-Belp Sikorsky S-58/Wessex in 1976
-
- Posts: 341
- Joined: Fri Jan 19, 2018 12:33 pm
- Location: Leeds area
Re: Bern-Belp Sikorsky S-58/Wessex in 1976
Hi Fatherfaff
Not sure if this will help at all, but a report in BAR 11/79 states that former Marineflieger H-34G 81+04 was noted outside the Heliswiss hangar at Bern-Belp in July 1979. I don't know when it first arrived at that location, but I understand that the H-34Gs were retired from Marineflieger service on 1st April 1975. For info it was still stored there in August 1982 - or at least the pic at the URL below would indicate as much...
https://www.flickr.com/photos/24101413@N03/3452193915/
Best wishes
Not sure if this will help at all, but a report in BAR 11/79 states that former Marineflieger H-34G 81+04 was noted outside the Heliswiss hangar at Bern-Belp in July 1979. I don't know when it first arrived at that location, but I understand that the H-34Gs were retired from Marineflieger service on 1st April 1975. For info it was still stored there in August 1982 - or at least the pic at the URL below would indicate as much...
https://www.flickr.com/photos/24101413@N03/3452193915/
Best wishes
-
- Posts: 341
- Joined: Fri Jan 19, 2018 12:33 pm
- Location: Leeds area
Re: Bern-Belp Sikorsky S-58/Wessex in 1976
Thanks Dick. That is probably the one - I have found reference to several ex-German H-34Gs going to Bern in the early 70s and found a photo of two of them outside, in plain green with no SAR markings, and marked up with large white lettering "CH1101" and "CH1108" apparently to be converted to S-58Ts (like HB-XDT). The conversions never happened and the article had no info on what happened to the airframes. The airframe in your pic definitely is in SAR type colours with SAR on the side so this is probably the one I saw unless there were any others that Heliswiss bought in this colour scheme!
By the way what is "BAR 11/79" and can anyone get access to it?
By the way what is "BAR 11/79" and can anyone get access to it?
Re: Bern-Belp Sikorsky S-58/Wessex in 1976
Hi again
http://www.aeroflight.co.uk/mags/magazi ... gazine.htm
Until recently their entire output was available on a series of four DVDs, but I believe they've all been sold & the website set up for the specfic purpose of selling said DVDs has now been removed.
For what it's worth the report I alluded to covered no more than three lines of text & in full reads as follows...
"BERN-BELP
P2-05 U-107 and U-111; P2-06 U-139; Alouette II V-47; Alouette III V-215
(c/n 1371) and V-257. Noted outside the Heliswiss hangar on 23.7 was ex German
H-34G 81+04 (c/n 58-1671)."
Best wishes
Sorry I should have mentioned that "BAR" is British Aviation Review which was published monthly by British Aviation Research Group (BARG). There's some info on the group/magazine here...By the way what is "BAR 11/79" and can anyone get access to it?
http://www.aeroflight.co.uk/mags/magazi ... gazine.htm
Until recently their entire output was available on a series of four DVDs, but I believe they've all been sold & the website set up for the specfic purpose of selling said DVDs has now been removed.
For what it's worth the report I alluded to covered no more than three lines of text & in full reads as follows...
"BERN-BELP
P2-05 U-107 and U-111; P2-06 U-139; Alouette II V-47; Alouette III V-215
(c/n 1371) and V-257. Noted outside the Heliswiss hangar on 23.7 was ex German
H-34G 81+04 (c/n 58-1671)."
Best wishes
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: Tiffie Boy and 23 guests