Whats the Queen flying in?

[Chris Trott]

You're mixing up two different helicopters. The CH-46 "Sea Knight" is based on the Vertol Model 107 and is actually a direct descendent of the H-21 "Flying Banana" aircraft made by Vertol's predecessor, Piasecki.

http://www.military-aircraft.org.uk/hel ... Knight.jpg

The CH-47 "Chinook" is based off the Vertol Model 234 and is a much larger helicopter -

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... H-47_2.jpg

The small number of VH-46's that still exist will be leaving the fleet soon however, not because of safety, but because of age and the MV-22 which is replacing it. HMX-1 still flies the VH-3, which are as old as the sister Sea King's that Prince Harry is currently flying, so the aircraft must be pretty safe since I doubt that the US would ever put a president in an aircraft they didn't have the upmost confidence in just as I doubt your government would allow Prince Harry to fly anything that wasn't in pretty good condition.

[airboatr]

Permission to rip into cupcake
... like a monkey...... ripping into a cupcake.

[SkippyBing]

No, I'm not mixing up the Sea Knight and the Chinook, after a US Sea Knight carrying 8 Royal Marines crashed in the opening stages of Op Telic UK troops have not been allowed to travel on them. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2871077.stm
They're not supposed to travel in Humvees either in certain areas as they don't provide enough protection.
The UK has Chinooks and if we didn't let people fly on those we'd have to pack up and go home.
Incidentally, WIlliam flies Sea Kings, Harry flies Apaches.

[airboatr]

Tissssss......

[Chris Trott]

First, sorry for mixing up who flies what.

Second, I wasn't aware of that restriction, but it's a mute point since the VH-46 and CH-46 are almost two different aircraft. Additionally, VH-46's are used only by HMX-1 and are cared for in much the same way as the VH-3s - meticulously.

[clavel9]

First, sorry for mixing up who flies what.

Second, I wasn't aware of that restriction, but it's a mute point since the VH-46 and CH-46 are almost two different aircraft. Additionally, VH-46's are used only by HMX-1 and are cared for in much the same way as the VH-3s - meticulously.

That's correct.

Two VH-60's were unloaded at Dublin Airport last Wednesday and hangared almost straight away. Like I said earlier, at least 8 different Chinooks have been spotted, around Dublin and County Offaly where he's due to visit an ancestral home. No-one I know has spotted a VH- or CH-46. A third Galaxy flew in on Saturday but all three have now departed.

[SkippyBing]

Link to some pics of the VH-46 at Mildenhall preparing for the visit to the UK.

http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/inde ... opic=70781

I think the Chinooks are actually 'special ops' types flying top cover, I'm sure there were pictures of them in the UK last time POTUS was over.