In 1966, the French company Sud Aviation (later Aérospatiale, and even later part of Airbus Helicopters) began work on a new helicopter design to fit a requirement for a new light helicopter, primarily for the French Army, but also to attract overseas sales. The aircraft was designed as a scout and light attack platform and would see service globally in many conflicts under various flags. Designed initially for the French need to replace the Aérospatiale Alouette, the design was simply to enlarge the original airframe, and indeed, the prototype saw the larger airframe fly with components from the Alouette design, not least its tail and rotor design. As the design process continued however, and with a deal signed with Westland Helicopters at Yeovil in 1967 which saw 292 Gazelles built in the UK (along with 40 Pumas), the helicopter obtained its distinctive Fenestron tail boom design – making the Gazelle, as we now know it.
The Gazelles in British service are one of very few aircraft which saw action with all branches of our armed forces, having been designated the Gazelle HT.3 and Gazelle HCC.4 in Royal Air Force service, the Gazelle HT.2 in Royal Navy service, and the Gazelle AH.1 in British Army service; and indeed the Army is the only service in the UK to still use the Gazelle, alongside modern Wildcat and Apache helicopters. The Gazelle will remain in active service with the British Army as training, special forces support and surveillance platform until 2025, with around 34 airframes still within the Army inventory.
Of course, the Gazelle was also to be a civilian helicopter and many civilian airframes remain flying around the world, showing how versatile and user friendly the Gazelle is. Within the UK, along with the Army Gazelles, we are very lucky to have a dedicated squadron of civilian registered Gazelle helicopters, under the flag of The Gazelle Squadron. These ex-military airframes come from all the British Armed Forces, and with a dedicated team of engineers and crew from Falcon Aviation LTD, as well as former military pilots, the airframes are being restored and readied to fly at airshows, as well as appear at special events on static.
The Gazelle Squadron are a fairly new team on the scene, having been formed in 2014, but have slowly grown from a single aircraft display, to a two-ship this year, with plans to grow that further in the future. They are based in Hampshire, near Hurstbourne Tarrant, and for 2019 have put together a very enjoyable and slick routine which sees the two aircraft perform a synchronised display of manoeuvres, including their dramatic crossover.
As the airshow summer continues, and we head into the second half of the year, I caught up with The Gazelle Squadron to find out more about their display, their aircraft and the team behind the scenes, as well as their first appearance at one of the biggest seafront airshows in the country – Airbourne: Eastbourne International Airshow:
“Firstly, what is the Gazelle like as an aircraft? Obviously, it is a well-known aircraft and has been used in a multitude of roles in different armed forces. Is it a nice aircraft to fly and to display?”
“The Gazelle excels in all areas, it's fast, manoeuvrable, smooth, responsive, reliable and very safe. It's often referred to as the ‘sports car of the helicopter world’ and rightly so, it will cruise all day long at 120 knots and can obviously be pushed harder up to a maximum speed (VL*) of 168 knots. The cockpit layout is great and of course with its Perspex bubble and roof the visibility is unrivalled. When it comes to operating, it has very few serious limitations.
With that said, very long hours in the front seats may give you back-ache, whilst long hours in the rear seats tend to give your leg cramp. The engine (Astazou 3N2) is outstanding, but we are mindful of the fact that it's distinctive high frequency noise signature, which gives the Gazelle it's ‘whistling chicken leg’ nickname is damaging so we treat it's potential to damage your hearing with respect.
The aircraft that we operate are all on a ‘permit to fly’ and with the granting of that permit comes restrictions on how we operate them by way of aerobatic manoeuvres, so unfortunately we'll never be able to publically demonstrate fully what the aircraft is capable of, as these more extreme manoeuvres are forbidden under the terms of the CAA permits. It is certainly capable of doing a lot more by way of aerobatics than you'll see us performing at the shows. Images of inverted Gazelles do exist!”
“The Squadron is fairly new on the airshow circuit, how did you come to bring the Gazelles to form this squadron and decide to fly at airshows? What was the inspiration?”
“The Gazelle Squadron was established about 5 years ago by an ex-Army Air Corps pilot, Bruce Stuart. Without doubt Bruce's vision, knowledge, skill, support, drive, and ambition is the sole reason that we exist today and have grown to the position where we currently find ourselves. We're based at a private airfield near Hurstbourne Tarrant in Hampshire. Supported by Falcon Aviation Ltd, a CAA approved maintenance organisation which is owned and operated by Bruce and his team.
The Squadron itself consists of around 35 volunteers who donate their time and skills throughout the year to ensure that our aircraft are displayed in pristine condition. Our crews are almost all ex-military with many 1000's of hours experience operating the Gazelle. Additionally, the Squadron has within it a small number of individuals with no military experience whatsoever, but their contribution is no less valuable, we are a very cohesive team.
The Squadron operates to a military structure simply because it works, and everyone understands it. Thankfully, for some at least, we don't pursue the physical training aspect of military life, but we certainly have mandatory annual training in First Aid, Helicopter Handling and Flight Safety.
The decision to bring the Gazelles to the display circuit was, once again, down to Bruce. He is an ex-Army Air Corps Blue Eagles pilot and it is his ambition to see the Squadron deliver a four-ship display in the future. It is a measure of his confidence in us that he is happy for us to continue to work towards fulfilling his ambition. However, knowing Bruce's drive and enthusiasm he almost certainly won't stop there!”
“You have built up to a two-ship this year, what are the future plans for the display team? Do you plan to make a larger formation display?”
“Yes, most definitely. It is however a slow process and of course extremely expensive. We are taking tiny steps but each one takes us closer to the four-ship display goal. The restoration and preparation of the aircraft are done when the engineers at Falcon are quiet. Our engineers are incredibly talented and understandably, their skills are in very high demand.
To a large degree the pace of our growth is dictated by the availability of the right skills at the right time and of course the funds. We have a beautiful Gulf war Gazelle, which is tantalisingly close to gaining it's permit to fly and we are currently working really hard to get that ready for the show circuit. Nostalgic Army aviators will be delighted to see it. Additionally, of course, this will see us as a true tri-service display team with aircraft in all three service colour schemes.”
“How many Gazelles do you currently have in the Squadron?”
“It may sound daft but that's quite difficult to answer. A walk around our base at Bourne Park will reveal aircraft and aircraft hulks in all corners of the hangar and outside. We always have two Gazelles that are available 24/7, for shows, training, and self-fly hire to Squadron members.
We have a very good friend to the Squadron, Peter Unwin who owns his own Gazelle, Peter often joins us at many of the shows and kindly allows us to display his aircraft if required. We have another 2 or 3 in various stages of production and have just bought 2 fully serviceable aircraft from the Empire Test Pilot's School (ETPS) at Boscombe Down. These are currently awaiting their CAA permits.
So as you can see we have a very good crop of airframes, we just need to focus our efforts on keeping moving in the general direction of getting them all airworthy and certified without overstretching ourselves.”
“How many pilots do you have within the team, and who are the display pilots this year?”
“16 individual pilots have been active this season – remember we're all volunteers, so even with what is quite a large pool of aircrew we sometimes get caught out by availabilities. Many of the aircrew are commercial pilots and are at the mercy of their rosters, as are the remainder who also have commitments whether they be of a business, domestic or professional nature, add to that holidays, illnesses or licencing/currency issues and the demands of crew resourcing become apparent. The same availability issues apply to our groundcrew too.
Six of these pilots currently have a Display Authorisation (DA), but naturally this number will grow as we work more aircraft into the aerial display routine. We always transit to events with 2 crew per aircraft, not only is this safer as it eases the workload but sharing the transit flying helps us to maintain crew currency. Flight Safety is foremost in everything that we do.”
“Is there a personal favourite part of the display and show weekend for you guys? The display? Or meeting the public? As I know that's an important part of your work too.”
“Displaying the helicopters aerially is both challenging and satisfying, but it's not until your feet are on the ground and talking to the public that you can gauge how successful or otherwise your display was. Meeting the public is immensely rewarding, you never know to whom you are talking and ironically, we spend as much time listening to them telling us tales of their exploits in, or with the Gazelle than we do regaling them with what we do!
It's a fantastic dynamic and when you combine the joy of ‘talking helicopters’ to an appreciative public with the fundraising that we conduct for our charities it truly is a privilege to be part of the Squadron.”
“Who are your charities that you are supporting?”
“Our charities are:-
Naomi House - https://www.naomihouse.org.uk/news/easter-bunny-arrives-helicopter
Julia's House - https://www.juliashouse.org/
The privilege of flying the Easter Bunny and father Christmas into Naomi House is always hotly contested by the pilots - I dare say flying the Gulf war aircraft will be too when it arrives on the scene...”
“There has been a spike in classic helicopter restorations in recent years, as well as the Gazelles, there are obviously the Wasps, Whirlwind, and now the Wessex, and a prospect of a Sea King too. Does this sort of thing inspire the work you do? Do you enjoy seeing these aircraft return to the skies and indeed, at airshows?”
“It is pure joy to see these aircraft so lovingly restored and still flying around the UK – I guess that's a nostalgic view given that most of us within the Squadron are "of an age" and have fond memories of working with or alongside these aircraft.
Looking ahead, we are very keen to work with these other aircraft on a more structured basis whilst at the same time respecting everyone's independence. It adds another dimension for the show-goers and a very unique opportunity to watch and photograph us all together. We frequently liaise and work well with Terry Martin as his Wasp and our Navy Sharks Gazelle are closely associated with ‘Navy Wings’.
Airshows have had a tough time in recent years, post Shoreham and with the military's ability to support them visibly diminishing we actually feel as if we are in a very unique position to help the airshow circuit rebuild its confidence and fill the void that the military's absence creates.
It's exciting times for us, we are buoyed by a strong following, we feel that we're well respected and well received at the shows but at the same time we remain humble and mindful that we mustn't over-commit and grow too quickly without the resources in place beforehand.”
“Finally, are you looking forward to bringing your two-ship display to the sunshine Coast? I believe the last time a Gazelle displayed over Eastbourne Seafront was way back in around 2001 when the Blue Eagles displayed with their mixed army helicopter display.”
“Eastbourne has been on our dream sheet for the past few years, so we are delighted to be displaying there this year. The popularity of beachfront, council sponsored shows is growing, they're a real family event, great fun and of course they're free! We particularly enjoy the team trip to the pub in the evening!
Similarly, we are overjoyed to have been invited to the Southport show, which of course means that we get to reach up into the Northern half of the country and entertain new audiences, that's always a pleasure.
As I said earlier, we are currently enjoying some very exciting times and are gaining momentum. There is an energy within the Squadron that is slowly driving it forward.
We have yet to explore and implement so many new ideas, but we realise that the journey to Bruce's dream of a four-ship display team is a long one and that we must tread wisely – the good thing is we've taken the first few steps and they've been a real privilege.”
It must be said that the work being done within the Gazelle Squadron is superb and very exciting, as an enthusiastic fan of rotary aircraft, it’s very compelling to watch this type being seen again on the UK airshow circuit and continue to grow. This year will see the Gazelle Squadron travel up and down the country to display their two aircraft in what is a very enjoyable display – having seen it already this year, I can say it is definitely worth watching!
My thanks go to Craig and the team at The Gazelle Squadron for their time and insight.
Words and photos by Matt Silvaire.
