Army pilot delivered a pizza by helicopter
By Marco Giannangeli
(Filed: 09/02/2005)
An army pilot has been reprimanded after he used his helicopter to deliver a pizza to his girlfriend.
Kindred spirits
The lieutenant decided to make the romantic gesture when he realised that a routine flight would take him over where the woman, a cadet at Sandhurst, was involved in military manoeuvres.
But the 25-year-old pilot inadvertently landed the £3 million Lynx helicopter near Sandhurst's commandant, Major General Andrew Ritchie, who was conducting a surprise field inspection.
Cadets found themselves covered in dust and flying debris.
Although the general is said "not to have noticed", it is believed that one of his adjutants asked for the identity of the pilot.
The officer has been punished with extra weekend duties, drastically reducing his chances of seeing the object of his affections for the foreseeable future.
Although the 30-mile, low-level trip between the 659 squadron base in Wattisham, Norfolk, and Thetford, Suffolk, had been scheduled, he had not been authorised to deviate from the landing zone or to carry the pizza.
Captain Chris Gladwell, the spokesman for 16th Air Assault Brigade, said that the pilot - who had never been in trouble before - had been performing a routine exercise designed to refresh his skills.
"This was clearly a gross error of judgment on the pilot's part. And he was particularly unlucky because General Ritchie and other senior officers from Sandhurst were making a surprise inspection on their officer cadets.
"It's true that he deviated from the designated landing site slightly, and that's what caused the problem. But ultimately he was scheduled to land at Thetford, so it's not as if he made the trip especially to deliver the pizza."
A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence added: "Although it was not the greatest of crimes, it is important to emphasise that the Army does not tolerate infractions of this kind."
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Lynx specifications
Specifications
Country of Origin UK
Builder WESTLAND
Role Utility, attack, antitank
Similar Aircraft OH-58 Kiowa, Hirundo A109, UH-1 Iroquois, UH-1N Model 212, Dauphin 2
Rotor diameter 42 ft (12.8 m)
Dimensions (External)
Overall Length Rotors Turning 15. 16 m
Fuselage Length 13. 33 m
Width (excluding rotor) 2. 94 m
Overall Height 3. 48 m
Folded Length 10. 85 m
Folded Width 2. 94 m
Folded Height 3. 25 m
Main Rotor Diameter 12. 80 m
Tail Rotor Diameter 2. 36 m
Dimensions (Internal)
Cabin Length 2. 05 m
Cabin Width 1. 78 m
Cabin Height 1. 42 m
Accommodation
Cockpit Pilot and Co-Pilot or Observer
Cabin Up to 9 passengers
Cabin Volume 4. 85 cu m
Cabin Floor Area 3. 45 sq m
Rotor System
Main Rotor Type Semi-rigid
Main Rotor Blades 4 composite blades
Tail Rotor Type Fully articulated
Tail Rotor Blades 4 composite blades
Weights
Maximum All Up Mass 5330 kg
Cargo Hook Capacity 1360 kg
Standard Fuel 786 kg
Auxiliary Fuel Tank 353 kg each
Engines
Number 2
Make Rolls Royce or LHTEC
Model Gem 42-1 CTS800-4N
Take-Off Rating 746 kW each 1015 kW each
Maximum Continuous 664 kW each 945 kW each
Performance
Cruise Speed 137 knots
Maximum Range (with auxiliary fuel) 530 nm
Endurance (with auxiliary fuel) 5. 4 hours
Armament Cannon, minigun, rockets, missiles, HOT or TOW antitank missiles
Crew Two
Cost
User Countries Brazil, Denmark, France, Germany, Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, UK
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