Talk:Boeing Chinook (UK variants)

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[edit] NAO COPYRIGHT (HC3 Section)

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[edit] Title

This page should really be titled RAF Chinook Variants, the present title RAF Chinook implies that it is an RAF-Built Chinook !! MilborneOne 19:48, 27 August 2006 (UTC)

Perhaps Boeing Chinook (RAF) would be a suitable alternative, more closely following the company-name pattern for British military aircraft. -- BillCJ 18:38, 3 November 2006 (UTC)
I would agree with a slight modification as Boeing Chinook (RAF variants). MilborneOne 22:00, 4 November 2006 (UTC)
Works for me. However, we might also follow your suggestion for the Harrier II, and use Boeing Chinook (UK variants). While all UK variants are operated by the RAF at this time, it would make it more uniform, and conform to the Harreir II pattern. In addition, it's been "rumored" that the Army might one day gain control of the Chinooks; this would save us from a name change in the future, and would apply if an addional branch began operating them also. -- BillCJ 22:49, 4 November 2006 (UTC)
That would work for me too. --Guinnog 23:20, 4 November 2006 (UTC)
I created this article. I was only going by what had been created before, such as RAF Tornado... etc. I fully understand the points raised above and I agree. I have changed the title as per the consensus above, i.e. to Boeing Chinook (UK variants). Due to the organisation of the UK's helicopter force I can never forsee a "Royal Navy Chinook" variant. However there is a very outside possibity, so "UK variants" covers all the bases. If anyone disagrees let me know, or probably better for further discussion, add a comment below. Mark83 00:06, 5 November 2006 (UTC)
Looks good. THanks --BillCJ 00:54, 5 November 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Chinooks' Avionics

I read that the BAE Systems Multi Sensor Turrets (MSTs, forrunner of the Titan 385 Multi Sensor Turret System) is fitted on Royal Air Force Chinooks ([1], [2]). Do you know if these turrets are fitted on HC.1s, HC.2s, or only on 7 Squadron's HC.2s ? Rob1bureau 11:34, 13 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Just variants or UK use of Chinook?

Is this article just intended to be about the UK variants or is it also intended to cover the use of the Chinook in the UK? Either way, I do not feel this article is living up to potential as it seems to be missing information peculiar to how the UK determined to replace the Belvedere with the Chinook. It spends an inordinately disproportionate amount of time on the procurement problems of the HC.3, but no mention is made as to why there is a 9-year gap between the Belvedere's retirement and the purchase of HC.1s.

I would also recommend that it carry a {{Main|CH-47 Chinook}} at the top and that the CH-47 article carry {{Main|Boeing Chinook (UK variants)}} in its variants section. Currently rated as a B-Class but I will be assessing the B-Class criteria in the template and feel that it falls short in the first two criteria. This should really be a Start-class article until some gaps are filled. --Born2flie 15:27, 29 April 2007 (UTC)


Was the Bristol Belvedere helicopter not replaced by the Westland Wessex during the 9-year gap referred to above?
Dean Armond 02:48, 4 June 2008 (UTC)

[edit] RAF has 48 airframes

this is taken from the official RAF website[3]:

The RAF operates the largest fleet of Chinook Support Helicopters after the US Army, with a total of 34 HC2s, 6 HC2As and 8 HC3s (the HC3 has yet to enter operational service). The Chinook Wing, which forms the heavy-lift element of the Joint Helicopter Command (JHC), is based at RAF Odiham in Hampshire. Odiham supports three operational squadrons, No 7 Squadron, No 18 Squadron and No 27 Squadron, and the Operational Conversion Flight

The HC3s will be turned into HC2s or HC2As by 2009[4]

[edit] Unsourced minor incident

I've removed the fowwing unsourced item from the article (twice!):

  • On 10 June 2003 a RAF Chinook HC2 pilot flew low over horseriders in rural Lincolnshire. The emotional trauma to one horse caused it to behave uncontrollably and resulted in the death of the rider. At a subsequent inquest, the death was blamed upon the actions of the pilot while operating under inappropriate low flying rules from the UK Ministry Of Defence. The UK MOD undertook a review of their policies and raised the minimum flight height as a result.

Any such incident needs to have reliable sources, especially when the event can seem dubious. In this case, it's not really notable at all to the Chinook itself, as it could easily have been any helicopter. According to the blurb, the UK MOD changed its flight rules, but it doesn't state whether it applied to all its helicopters, all its aircraft, or just its Chinooks. Also, I had originally removed the section by itself, but that edit got caught in an edit conflict, and the summary was lost. Please be careful with vandalism accusations. - BillCJ (talk) 00:07, 10 April 2008 (UTC)

Removal of any entry should have been raised in this section before autonomously being censored and removed - you accuse of vandalism but readily admit to having taken destructive action in the first instance.

You opinion is that the topic is not relevant - it is the opinion of others that it is. Please exercise 'common sense' before imposing your will.

For your information: the accident victim was my sister...and I find your statements personally insulting. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.174.172.239 (talk) 00:18, 10 April 2008 (UTC)

My apologies for your loss, but your personal connection hardly makes your opinion neutral on this matter - you should defer to other editors on this matter (and I don't mean just me). Vandalism is the intentional "damaging" of an article, none of I did in this case. Third, we get all kinds of "dubious" material added to WP - none of them bother to add a source. This is why having sources is so important, it's the best way to prove one's additions are for real. I'm not say the incident shouldn't be on WP, just not in this article - it's not notable TO the helicopter. - BillCJ (talk) 00:27, 10 April 2008 (UTC)
Concur. Wikipedia is not a memorial, and it is not a repository of news stories. I, too, have no firm opinion on whether there's a place on Wikipedia for noting this incident, but the fact that it involved a Chinook is quite incidental, so if there's a place, it's not here. As BillCJ says, it could as easily been any other helicopter or perhaps a fixed-wing aircraft. Relating this incident in this article doesn't aid in the reader's understanding of this helicopter type. On the other hand, if the revision to the minimum height rule applied specifically and exclusively to Chinook operations, then perhaps this would be the place. --Rlandmann (talk) 00:34, 10 April 2008 (UTC)
  • Not notable here. The RAF article might be a fitting place for it due to the minimum flight height policy. -Fnlayson (talk) 01:38, 10 April 2008 (UTC)
I couldn't find an article related to "Helicopter safety", though we do have a small section in the Helicopter article on the "Hazards of helicopter flight". We do have an article on the Safety of emergency medical services flights, which relates mostly to helicopters. Pehaps we could combiine some aspect of these sections/articles, and add in info on saftey around helicopters, such as tail-rotaor hazards, and but togetehr one article entitled Helicopter safety. As this incident has had effects on UK MOD helicopter operations, I think this incident would be notable to such an article. We'd have to find more sources on the impact of the incident, but it's possible it might be notable enough for its own page, thnough it seems unlikely at this point. It's definitely one of those freak accidents that sometimes happens in life, made more tragic by the unfortunate loss of life. - BillCJ (talk) 02:04, 10 April 2008 (UTC)


A few remarks here: i. The name of the victim is never mentioned - the statement regarding 'a memorial' appears to be irrelevant to the matter at hand and somewhat antagonistic. ii. I see only four credible references here with a global statement that there is an implication that all 'other' text comes from a single source - by the discussion here, I assume there would be no objection whatsoever to mark this entire article as not citing it's sources. There can be no 'catch all ' here. It either is or it isn't. All documents here need to be presented for the masses as credible - by the statements made here this entire article is now questionable. I can find many statements not cited here. iii. A simple google search by those who have any serious interest in this discussion, would reveal that there is a relationship between; low flying, all aircraft types, the helicopter, the Chinook specifically, the Chinook flight recording technology, the flight policies of the Chinook, simulators of the Chinook and application of the Chinook in modern military forces - I would gladly support an individual willing to create a new article on these aspects with citations, evidence and scientific matter as supporting credibility - this whole matter is now an ongoing investigation of the serious crime squad as a result of corruption of evidence in this specific case. iv. Based on the statements here, the existing item regarding a Chinook incident 'happened' to involve a Chinook - again - no double standards here; it either is or it isn't. The incident involved a Chinook or it didn't. Pedantic comes to mind if a differential is being made here. v. I'm feeling somewhat overwhelmed here, that Wikipedia markets itself as a communication device of the community, but the reality is that that community is in fact very restricted, limited and censored to a narrow minded 'clique' - please don't confirm that stereotype. Allow the community to offer information - do not delete information based on personal opinion or a casual belief or internet search that extends to the first page of a google listing - question all information, validate every piece of data, but do no impose a belief based upon an 'I know better than you attitude' for fear you not only lose your own credibility but damage the reputation of the very medium that supports your voice......our voice.

Let me know - I'm no expert at this, but I sure as hell can overload somebody willing to co-operate, listen and help inform the masses with an important and credible article. I have no time for arrogance.

Paul