Another Sea King returns to life
On 1 October 2020, Historic Helicopters based at Chard (UK) revealed that yet another one of the Westland Sea Kings in their collection made its first successful post restoration flight from their home base.
The Sea King is former Royal Navy HC4 Commando ZA314 with construction number WA918. It received its civilian registration G-CMDO on 17 June 2019. After thorough restoration, the British CAA released a Permit to Test on 13 August 2020. ZA314 still carries its dark green Royal Navy livery with code WT.
The Sea King provided a wide range of services in the Royal Navy, including wartime roles in the Falklands War, the Gulf War, the Balkan conflict, the Iraq War and the Afghanistan War. The Sea King is also well known in its capacity as a Royal Navy Search and Rescue aircraft.
The Sea King HC4 was used as a commando assault and utility transport version for the Royal Navy. The simplified undercarriage was capable of transporting up to 28 fully equipped troops. ZA314 was one of 42 Sea King HC4s built and saw her first flight in 1982. It was subsequently flown by 846, 845 and 848 Naval Air Squadron (NAS). After decommissioning, ZA314 was acquired by Andrew Whitehouse, the owner/founder of Historic Helicopters.
Photos: Historic Helicopters