‘And now, for something completely different….’ – the SA341G Gazelle

Yes, I know, I know, it’s ANOTHER An-2…….

‘And now, for something completely different….’ – the SA341G Gazelle

By: shortfinals

Feb 04 2009

Tags: 145 mph, 1967, 1982-1985, 590 eshp, ABHCO, advanced composite main blades, Aerospatiale, aircraft, armed battlefield reconnaissance, Army Air Corps, AugustaWestland, Aviation, been repainted, Bell Jetranger, British armed forces, built for all the British armed forces, Carlise, civil variant, civilian market, composite main blades, crew training, Derbyshire, Derbyshire company, Egypt, England, fast and manoeuvrable, fenestron, flown in a Gazelle, French, French design, G-LOYD, G-SFTC, Gazelle, Great Britain, helicopter, Monty Python, more expensive to operate, multi-blade tail rotor, pilot and crew training, pilot training, pricey to own, RAF, rotorcraft, Royal Marines, Royal Navy, S341G, smoother than many other helicopters, SOKO, Specialist Flight Training, Turbomeca Astazou, Turbomeca Astazou IIIA turboshaft, turboshaft engine, vibration-induced shaking, vibration-induced shaking of instruments, Westland, Yugoslavia

Category: aircraft, Aviation, British Isles, Derbyshire, England, Great Britain, RAF, Royal Air Force

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Well, it might not be Monty Python, but it IS a helicopter – and what a helicopter! The Gazelle was a French design, first flown in 1967, which was successfully modified and built for all the British armed forces by Westland (later AugustaWestland). The Army Air Corps used it for armed battlefield reconnaissance, and the Royal Air Force, Royal Navy and Royal Marines used it for pilot and crew training. This version, the SA341G , is, however, a civil variant, powered by a Turbomeca Astazou IIIA turboshaft of 590 eshp. Seating five, the Gazelle was appreciable faster (145mph) than its main competitor, the Bell Jetranger, but also more expensive to operate. I have flown in a Gazelle, and they are markedly smoother than many other helicopters of this generation, with absolutely none of the vibration-induced shaking of instruments which can happen with other rotorcraft. This is due, in the major part, to advanced composite main blades, and the enclosed, multi-blade tail rotor, called a ‘fenestron’, which also makes the helicopter much quieter.

G-LOYD is now owned by a Derbyshire company, and has been repainted since it’s days with Specialist Flight Training at Carlise in 1982-1985, where it was registered as G-SFTC. SFT offered military-style flight training to overseas clients.

Overall, the Gazelle has been a winner, with a long military career – it was also built by SOKO in Yugoslavia, and ABHCO in Egypt – however, it never really established itself in the civilian market. Fast, manoeuvrable, but pricey to own.

Shortfinals – aviation and more!