A really daft question - about Lynx helicopters

[iainmaoileoin]

Does Historic Military Vehicles Forum cover flying things?  or 'just not defying gravity' sort of things?

I have a nearly scrap Lynx Helicopter airframe and need to find out where to go to find plans and/or descriptions of the beast.

I have picked up lots of info about my APC/FV439 already - buy cant seem to find the same level of detail/interest on helicopters anywhere on the web.

Any thoughts?

Andym - you did a great job getting FoI for the FV43X series.  How would one do the same for a helicopter?

 

[MatchFuzee]

Have you contacted these museums, I believe that they all currently have a Lynx helicopter?

Duxford

The Helicopter Museum

The REME Museum 

Newark Air Museum 

[Rootes75]

You could also add the Fleet Air Arm Museum in Yeovilton.

[iainmaoileoin]

MatchFuzee+Rootes75: thanks for that info I will get these places onto my Christmas chase list.  

I was trying to find a more direct military contact, since they are likely to be able to release (or not) the manuals.  The kind of info I am looking for is the sort of stuff that andym prised out of the armed forces - see (http://www.fv432apc.com/fv432manuals.html) for ptarmigan FV43X series.  

[Ex-boy]

Don’t forget the museum of army flying in Hampshire.

[Sloppy Link]

Watcha after? I’m from the Historic Army Aircraft Flight at Middle Wallop.  Asking for plans is too broad, what is your goal? All the APs with all the information you require would comfortably fill the back of a Bedford MK plus if you included all the engine stuff. 
To start, what is the Reg? Is it AH7, AH9, AH9A - concentrate on Army Air Corps, HAS3 or HMA8, deal with the Fleet Air Arm. 

[iainmaoileoin]

Sloppy Link: thanks for the contact.

The beast is XZ218 built about 1979 I believe.  AH1 at that age, converted to AH7.  It is in a devil of a mess.  The pilot and observer instrument panel is in place and some instruments are present.  The central warning panel is in place. The overhead console and engine control is missing but I have some of the engine condition levers etc.  Cyclic and collective are present. The interseat console is gone.  I have some instruments for it, but the metal work is just not there!  Many of the wee the drop-down composites on the outside have been removed and replaced with alu plates.

So, a mess. 

I do have the gearbox and the rotor head and the rotors.

To start with I need to try to get hands on the plans for the internal metalwork for the interseat and for the overhead console. 

It will never be more than a gate guardian at the bunker (you can see it coming in to land at the bunker here:  www.behind-the-radar.co.uk) but it would be nice to allow folk to get inside and see what the beast was like.

So, I guess "concentrate on Army Air Corps".  Thanks

 

[iainmaoileoin]

21 hours ago, Sloppy Link said:

Watcha after? I’m from the Historic Army Aircraft Flight at Middle Wallop. ..  concentrate on Army Air Corps,

A phone call did not get a lot of joy - I am not sure what sort of division/dept I am looking for.   Any suggestions?  Would it be easier to write to "Middle Wallop, Stockbridge SO20 8DY" and see what sort of response I get?

[Sean N]

On 12/20/2021 at 11:16 PM, iainmaoileoin said:

 ... To start with I need to try to get hands on the plans for the internal metalwork for the interseat and for the overhead console. ...

 

That sounds as though you are looking for design and manufacturing drawings, not APs or the like. I'd have thought it unlikely that most military end users would come across those, and depending on how the contract dealt with IP, MoD may never have had them. Have you thought about contacting Westland (Leonardo)?

[iainmaoileoin]

7 minutes ago, Sean N said:

That sounds as though you are looking for design and manufacturing drawings, not APs or the like. I'd have thought it unlikely that most military end users would come across those, and depending on how the contract dealt with IP, MoD may never have had them. Have you thought about contacting Westland (Leonardo)?

It may be design and mfr.   On the ptarmigan front (not the same but similar to the AH1/AH7/9 conversion), the conversion from an FV432 to an FV439 was totally documented - including drawings for the new plates and thing like the mountings for the driver and commanders weapons.  I guess I was kind of hoping to see something that.

I have not tried Westland yet - did not think of that ;-)  I have just started the chase.  The work will start spring/summer next year at the earliest. If Westland hold the IP I doubt if I can ever get within 2e4x10^9 miles of it?  That wont put me off - so thanks for the thought.  

On a different topic I have been trying - on and off - for 3 years to get somebody at GEC to give me permission to use some of their technical (public) publications in my bunker.  After 3 years I still have not found a contact who can "that is my job and I say YES/NO"!  

[MatchFuzee]

Go to the top, the CEO. 

[iainmaoileoin]

Ah I like that idea!

[Sean N]

In my experience the situation with drawings is complex as it depends who the design authority is, whether drawings were made available to MoD as part of a contract, whether MoD took that option up, who they end up with in MoD, whether the equipment is still operational or classified (globally, not just UK), how easy to contact or amenable those who hold the drawings are, etc.

Another options might be to try to track down other dead Lynxes for replacement parts, or at least to be able to copy parts or take measurements from.