*Old video, new one linked in description* Gazelle helicopter (SA341HT2) test flight

[@vettebecker1]

Love the Gazelle helicopter, every since the movie Blue Thunder. Would love to have the financial availability to build a full size Blue Thunder replica. Great job on the first flight in the Gazelle

[@wingtipsworld5909]

so glad some people are still keeping these old gazelles flying. they are such a unique design, and sound, and the unique fenestron , and what great visibility with such a simple dash..

[@byteme9718]

The fenestron was not unique to the Gazelle.

[@boulderup9c]

@@byteme9718 The fenestron is indeed "unique." Unique here does not suggest that it's "only" on the Gazelle. In this usage it means "distinctively characteristic." Which it certainly is.

[@byteme9718]

@@boulderup9c Two bladed rotors are unique to those helicopters that use them.

[@boulderup9c]

@@byteme9718 Ork.

[@cybourg]

Good call with venting to lower the residual T4 on the engine. This reduce risk of hot start.

[@markusanderson1517]

Great work. Nothing quite like being mentally saturated. Nicely done.

[@julesviolin]

Happy memories of the Gazelle in RAF Belize with the Army Air Core in 1985. Very Robust heli and I remember back then the running costs was $2000 per hr

[@hog8035]

Army Air Corps

[@AaronMatthews-op8fb]

I was a Sea cadet in Cornwall 80s early 90s remember these red and white Gazelles at RNAS cauldrose back then Royal Navy Helicopter Training squadron. They had there own Display team piloted by Instructors. Really good they were The Sharks. Really agile and fast Helicopters pleasure to watch the Displays.

[@lawrencemartin1113]

Awesome video. Thanks for sharing your experiences. What a great aircraft! 😊

[@samteo9625]

A real legend!

[@fdwyerSDMM]

Never knew what it was like to hand fly a helicopter until this video.

[@scopex2749]

In the RAF I served as an airframe fitter on these at RAF Shawbury I also got to fly them later superb little aircraft. I know every one of them by heart! How on earth did you manage to buy one? I would have bought one if I knew they were selling them off! The RAF replaced this nimble aircraft with the big clunky slow Merlin NOT a good first chopper to fly. Its like flying a tank!

[@samteo9625]

Good times! Sadly I can't afford one, but there are civilian companies in the UK that bought a good number in bulk when the Services sold them off, and now provide servicing and parts support by stripping some of the old airframes for spares.

[@pimuce]

Incredible fly !not so easy to keep an helicopter in stationary 😮

[@samteo9625]

Thank you! Yes it's one of the harder things to do with precision, especially in older helicopters like this.

[@pimuce]

@@samteo9625 m’y first fly was with a famous bell 47 with his lycoming engine !!

[@kevinjames8752]

Good to see Sam Allardyce doing something outside of football !

[@c.i.o.belley168]

Slalom is violent ! 👏👏👏 Beautiful French machine 🇫🇷 ✌

[@TechGaming45]

The chicken leg was amazing to fly in when I was in the Army.

[@luposolitario940]

quanto ti invidio ragazzo!!! bravo! complimenti!

[@MrPantss]

Love the gazelle, such a wonderful sound, excellent video

[@basbeek8149]

Cross coupling of the flight controls is residue oil being pushed arround. That is what you feel during flight control checks

[@SimDeck]

Superb video. Thank you!

[@robertrussell7388]

Cant hear the pilot over thr engine noise

[@rudolfkrebs2311]

The best video about the gazelle I have ever seen!😁💪 👍😎🇦🇹

[@bruceholmes3599]

Had a chance to fly in a Puma in Sennybridge , Got 10 feet up and there was a Hydraulic fault so we landed and that was my only time in a Chopper !

[@samteo9625]

Bad luck mate. I would love to have flown the Puma though!

[@piearm1271]

Who remembers the gazelle wheel pole javelin?

[@levitated-pit]

used to do test flights nearly every other day in these and lynx too. (ex brit army Tech, Detmold 1982~)

[@levitated-pit]

not forgetting having to get out to give a couple of taps solenoid valve to get it started ....chuckle!

[@peterg2458]

Its nice to see Bruce has not lost his touch 👍😀

[@66thgatekeeper11]

Good vid Sam . use to see these fly near my home often during the 80s. What is the insignia on your epaulette ? Thanks.

[@samteo9625]

Thank you! Great memories I'll bet. Those are Singapore air force insignia

[@helicopterovirtual-msfs6254]

Perfeito.

[@simongowers3140]

Incredible video, thank you. I was an AEM in the RN but on the SeaKings, where is this aerodrome please?

[@samteo9625]

Garford private airstrip

[@simongowers3140]

Thanks for the reply Sam. I will be having a drive there in the spring. The Gazelle is still an amazing chopper. Thanks again for the vids, and your reply.

[@byteme9718]

Insanely expensive to maintain and crap. Great as a tax payer funded machine with little purpose though.

[@butteredfrog1]

I have a friend that owns one, actually I had two, however one crashed his.

[@byteme9718]

@@butteredfrog1 They're cheap for a reason. Coincidentally, I saw one yesterday close to Watford if I recall. There also used to be one kept close to the Black Cat roundabout in the A1.

[@haeloglobal5725]

What’s crap about them in comparison to similar size turbine helicopters ? Maybe let’s do a top trumps . Let’s compare to jet ranger , ec120 , md 520 etc

[@MartinDauer]

Love these old gears!

[@rutkowskir]

would be good if we could hear what he was saying.

[@samteo9625]

That's in the works. Audio is not great though so I'll have to subtitle the whole thing.

[@gbrown9663]

How on earth you meant to remember all that on starting it in one lesson. You

[@samteo9625]

A student pilot should go through the aircraft manual and checklist before the flight, and ask the instructor all the questions required to clear any doubts, before stepping into the cockpit for the first time, so that the steps of the start procedure are already familiar. Then during the flying lesson the instructor just needs to reinforce what the student already knows, and highlight any finer points of technique. In short if the student pilot is well prepared, the learning curve will not be as steep. Works well for learning other things too.

[@peterhipsey2701]

Where was this recorded?

[@samteo9625]

Took off from Garford, a private airstrip in the UK.

[@richardlawrencesmith]

Where did you fly out from?

[@samteo9625]

Garford, a private airstrip in the UK.

[@WickedOne-1979]

Wannabe 500 is that the camera or is that thing whining bad?

[@samteo9625]

It does have a distinctive and loud whine

[@haeloglobal5725]

That’s called a gazelle that’s how they sound . Deffo not a wannabe 500

[@chrishayes-dj4kj]

Nothing like a 500! The old whistling chicken leg is much roomier and you can actually see outside when a back seater! Both crazy and nimble and both need a larger hanger, but both are amazing machines, old but amazing and fast! Brilliant video Sam and thank you

[@samteo9625]

@@chrishayes-dj4kj indeed the 500 flies very different. Each aircraft has its quirks but great scout helicopters both.

[@deltaechowhiskey4590]

Is there a version where we can hear the instructor?

[@samteo9625]

I'm working on one soon. The cockpit audio wasn't great so I'll do subs for it.

[@deltaechowhiskey4590]

Thanks that would be great.

[@SimonAmazingClarke]

Lack of audio after engine start ruined a great video

[@robertw.1499]

This was the first heli I ever rode in. As a soldier, I remember one ride standing on the skids and coming in to a sliding land, fully equipped and armed. Was really a great little machine with wonderful visibility 👍

[@samteo9625]

That visibility was nothing short of magical.