Yeovil (Westlands) Sightings Spring 2019

[falconfighting]

ZZ550 for Phillipines is currently heading north along the English/Welsh border near Monmouth at 3,500

[Yammer]

""ZZ550 for Phillipines is currently heading north along the English/Welsh border near Monmouth at 3,500""

WESTLANDS 04

[Malcolm]

Friday 22nd March 2019 08:45

Out on an overcast ramp this morning were :

ZR358/15-07/MM81870 Merlin Caesar HH101A Full c/s. For Italy
ZZ549 Wildcat 220 Full c/s. For Philipeenes.
ZZ550 Wildcat 220 Full c/s. For Philipeenes.

Cheers
Malcolm

[Photogenius]

MM81871/15-08 was also towed out rotorless during the morning.

[Nigel Fairchild81]

Does anyone know which Wildcat landed at Yeovil about 2pm on Friday?

[Malcolm]

Monday 25th March 2019 08:45

Out on an lovely bluebird ramp this morning were :

(ZR359/15-08/MM81871) Merlin Caesar HH101A Full c/s, no rotors, in wash-rack so not read off. For Italy
ZZ550 Wildcat 220 Full c/s. For Philipeenes.
ZJ128/M Merlin HC6 Grey c/s

Cheers
Malcolm

[Freeman Lowell]

Tuesday 26th March 2019 0930hrs

ZZ382 Wildcat AH1. Flight line. Flew
ZZ408 Wildcat AH1. Flight line. No rotor.
ZZ513 Wildcat HMA2. Flight line. White Royal Navy titles...
ZJ128 M Merlin HC4. Eastern end.

and the rotorless HH-101A in the wash-rack.

1200hrs
ZH864 Merlin HM.2. Western end. No rotors

Freeman

[eagle driver]

Yeovil 28th, After a Very foggy early morning it slowly lifted to revile Zj128 M Merlin on the Eastern end
Both Philipine navy Wildcats were also outside Later read as ZZ549 and ZZ550 which Later flew ,where as Zz549 was hangared possible due to going tech.
Later ZZ513 Wildcat Hma2 was pulled out and put on the line along with ZZ106 Merlin 612 for Norway and later flew
And Merlin AEW ZH831 was towed out and later flew with a large crowd of the work force watching on ,so possible first flight in this config.

Later ZJ125/J Arrived from Yeovilton.

[Freeman Lowell]

Wednesday 3rd April 1125hrs
ZH831 Merlin (ASaC5 ). Flight line
ZJ128 M Merlin HC4 Eastern end
ZZ106 Merlin 612. Flight line. Norwegian serials covered
ZZ550 Wildcat 220. Flew

1400hrs
ZZ410 Wildcat AH1. Left by road
G-CIJX AW139. Flight line. Salvamento Maritimo.
Freeman

[Judwin71]

Just departed at 1215L EH101 looked like one of the Italian's. Anyone identify it.
Flying as WHE01. Should be 15-07 or 15-08

[Freeman Lowell]

Just departed at 1215L EH101 looked like one of the Italian's. Anyone identify it.
Flying as WHE01. Should be 15-07 or 15-08

Hi Judwin,
The HH-101A on the far west of the flight line at 1400hrs carried MM81870 on the tail and a UK serial on the fuselage. I think this is 15-07 but there was nowhere to view that from. I don't think any HH-101A carrying 15-08 has been sighted yet.
Freeman

[Judwin71]

Thanks for that Freeman, according to previous posts 15-08 has been seen but without rotors in the wash rig.
I have just checked my RadarBox log, WHE01 start time was 12.23 and end time was 15.00 which may mean that WHE01 was flying at 1400 so it is possible that today was the first flight of 15-08. I hope someone will be able to confirm. (Maybe Malcolm will be able to help.)
Regards
Keith

[Freeman Lowell]

Keith,
Thanks. I've read that report too. I did see the one in the wash rig recently but it wasn't readable in that position. I've also know someone who's photographed it clearly as 15-10...
"Tempus narrabo", as my old Latin master would have said (or perhaps the Italian crews still say ).
Freeman

[Malcolm]

Thanks for that Freeman, according to previous posts 15-08 has been seen but without rotors in the wash rig.
I have just checked my RadarBox log, WHE01 start time was 12.23 and end time was 15.00 which may mean that WHE01 was flying at 1400 so it is possible that today was the first flight of 15-08. I hope someone will be able to confirm. (Maybe Malcolm will be able to help.)
Regards
Keith

Can't really help. It wasn't out at 08:15 when I left the house - I think it would have been readable from the bedroom window. It was out at 08:30 when I got to the fence, but it was piddling down with rain. I could see the UK serial, and thus it wasn't for delivery today so the urgency decreased. I *thought* the UK serial ended in '8', but it could have been a 9 or 0. Couldn't get an angle on the code and no chance with the mickey mouse in that weather.

My gut feeling was that it was probably ZR358/MM81870/15-07 given that the one in the wash rack for most of last week had many panels and rotors missing. However, if they pulled their fingers out then I suppose ZR359 could be ready for flight by now.

I'm more interested in this comment :

The HH-101A on the far west of the flight line at 1400hrs carried MM81870 on the tail and a UK serial on the fuselage. I think this is 15-07 but there was nowhere to view that from. I don't think any HH-101A carrying 15-08 has been sighted yet.

If the micky mouse was readable (which is black on black) how come the code and UK serial weren't? Or are we just querying whether the code sequence is going to be 15-06, 15-07, 15-08, 15-09, or alternatively 15-06, 15-07, 15-10, 15-11. (I.e. skipping 08 and 09)?

[Freeman Lowell]

I'm more interested in this comment :

The HH-101A on the far west of the flight line at 1400hrs carried MM81870 on the tail and a UK serial on the fuselage. I think this is 15-07 but there was nowhere to view that from. I don't think any HH-101A carrying 15-08 has been sighted yet.

If the micky mouse was readable (which is black on black) how come the code and UK serial weren't? Or are we just querying whether the code sequence is going to be 15-06, 15-07, 15-08, 15-09, or alternatively 15-06, 15-07, 15-10, 15-11. (I.e. skipping 08 and 09)?

Hi Malcolm,
To add some more detail to my note: Today's HH-101A didn't fly whilst I was there and remained on the far western end of the flight line. I could see a white serial on it from the footpath at the end of 27, but like you I couldn't be certain what the last digit was so I didn't hazard a guess. From that position it isn't possible even to see the code. From the social club upper car park, it was easy (even in today's weather) to read the silver (?) on black MM serial using a tripod mounted Swarovski STX95 x70, but the aircraft sat too low in relation to the rise in the ground across the runway to see the UK serial or a code. I'm happy that this one would have been carrying ZR358 15-07 had I been able to see it.
Last week's wash rack HH-101A. Well, that's the only view I've had of it, so I can't say what it carries, but I'm led to believe it carries 15-10. As I said 'time will tell'.
Freeman

[Judwin71]

Just landed at 1330L HH-101A WHE01 Mode S code 43C910. Yesterdays code was 000001.
Were they the same aircraft now using the correct code or two different aircraft???
Just departed again at 1345 ish

[Judwin71]

Flying this morning HH101A (43C910) WHE06 assumed to be ZR358, 10-07.
also Merlin ZH831 AEW.

[kvanos]

Flying this morning HH101A (43C910) WHE06 assumed to be ZR358, 10-07.
also Merlin ZH831 AEW.

WHE06 (43C910) plotting south of Paris inb Italy

[razzer56]

Observed between 13.40 & 14.30

Aw.101 Mk. 612 - ZZ 106 for Norway departed circa 14.00
On the pan - Wildcat Mk 220 ZZ 550 for the Phillipines
Moved from the Wash Rack into the flight shed about 14.15 was an Italian HH-101A - no panels around main engines - no rotors, panels missing on the rear pylon area and had what appeared to be white inserts in the cab roof windows. Unable to see any markings due to all the staging in front of the shed and the speed it was put away.
This was followed into the flight shed by a complete HH-101A in full Italian marks with HH101A and MM serial on pylon and as it was parked on the pan nose on to the footpath at the time of our visit, it was not possible to confirm the code. It appeared to be 15-0 ?
15-07 was seen in this same position earlier this morning and still sporting its UK serial. If 15-07 has indeed been delivered today then Westlands have moved very quickly to produce another Italian HH-101A. AS they say time will tell!
No sign of Merlin AEW ZH 831

Later at 15.00 noted on a lorry at Sparkford heading West along the A.303 towards Yeovil was a Lynx tail boom in yellow primer - A new bit for a Brazilian maybe?

Regards
razzer56

[Two66]

Observed between 13.40 & 14.30

Aw.101 Mk. 612 - ZZ 106 for Norway departed circa 14.00
On the pan - Wildcat Mk 220 ZZ 550 for the Phillipines
Moved from the Wash Rack into the flight shed about 14.15 was an Italian HH-101A - no panels around main engines - no rotors, panels missing on the rear pylon area and had what appeared to be white inserts in the cab roof windows. Unable to see any markings due to all the staging in front of the shed and the speed it was put away.
This was followed into the flight shed by a complete HH-101A in full Italian marks with HH101A and MM serial on pylon and as it was parked on the pan nose on to the footpath at the time of our visit, it was not possible to confirm the code. It appeared to be 15-0 ?
15-07 was seen in this same position earlier this morning and still sporting its UK serial. If 15-07 has indeed been delivered today then Westlands have moved very quickly to produce another Italian HH-101A. AS they say time will tell!
No sign of Merlin AEW ZH 831

Later at 15.00 noted on a lorry at Sparkford heading West along the A.303 towards Yeovil was a Lynx tail boom in yellow primer - A new bit for a Brazilian maybe?

Regards
razzer56

Merlin ZH831 flew this morning, short flight within the airfield and then a small circuit.
15-07 departed and headed over to Italy, unlikely to be a delivery flight. Maybe just down there for trials
ZZ106 and ZZ550 both flew this afternoon

I don't think that was a lynx tail boom you saw, I was at RNAS Yeovilton between 1500 and 1600 and it came around the perimeter road. Looked like a fuselage