boatman wrote:
Hi all i am a newbie an this is my first build post on this forum an its HMS EDINURGH scratchbuild in 1/64 semi scale an i have used a bit of moddelers licence on the lighting as this is a working model but i hope you will like it just a few pics to start
helideck

chris
Hello Chris,
You've assembled a beautiful model, I will reference the above photo and mention a few things that are probably unknown by folks who don't or haven't spent a number of years on a warship at sea.
Right now, in fact, my ship is at "Flying Stations", and a Sea King CH-124B landed above my head a few minutes ago, the rotors are still spinning and they just shut down one engine. (The joys of (slow) internet access at sea.)
Anyhow, a few minor points, that may be worth pondering on future projects:
Point 1. During flying stations, particularly when the helo is running, the hangar door is ALWAYS closed.
Point 2. Helos in the hangar go in nose first, rather than tail first. There isn't generally enough space to spin them around on the flight deck, and the traversing gear (RAST or "Beartrap") is what is used to traverse the helo. (This may be different in UK service.)
Point 3. The pipe over the PA system on the ship for Flying Stations is: "Flying stations, weather decks abaft the hangar are out of bounds. Off Caps." There would be no-one on the upper decks wearing a cap or hat during flying stations. Even the OOW on the bridge takes his/hers off.
Point 4. When launching/recovering the helo, the guardrails on the flight-deck are lowered, ie instead of pointing up, they're pointing out (they hinge at the base).
I don't mean to come across and tell you that your magnificent project is bad in any way, these are detail points that those of us in uniform know, and because they're so routine to us, we don't think to mention or document them.
I'll see if I can dig up a couple of photos of our helo ops that I might be able to share the next time I'm in port.
You have done a fantastic job on this, and your attention to detail is a delight to see, thanks for sharing!!
NavyShooter