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Swords to Plowshares GB / Re: My take on Swords into Ploughshares
« Last post by Jonesthetank on Yesterday at 09:58:57 PM »Sikorsky H-34 Choctaw
The H-34/S-58 family was widely used by military forces in the 1950s and 1960s, but was quickly replaced by many users with more modern types, especially from the Bell 205 family. As they were retired from military service, many H-34s were picked up by other operators.
As the Canadian Armed Forces retired their H-34s, they were quickly refurbished and passed to the RCMP, who had a need for larger, more capable, helicopters. In RCMP service the H-34s were widely used for transport, rescue and medevac duties, as well as for supporting RCMP posts that were often difficult to reach by road in winter. The H-34s were gradually retired by the RCMP in the late 1970s, as new Bell 212s were taken into service as replacements.
In Europe the H-34 was widely used by French and German forces. Former Luftwaffe aircraft were redeployed with a range of civilian bodies, most notably with the Polizei and by ADAC. While the police used their aircraft for transport and patrol operations, ADAC used their H-34s for rescue and support roles. Both organisations used their H-34s into the late 1970s, when they were phased out in favour of more modern types, often the locally built MBB Bo-105.
French H-34s served longer than their German counterparts, so many were scrapped on retirement from military use. Some however were refurbished and passed to the Sécurité Civile service, where they would serve for many years on rescue duties, supported by numerous smaller Alouette IIIs.
The H-34/S-58 family was widely used by military forces in the 1950s and 1960s, but was quickly replaced by many users with more modern types, especially from the Bell 205 family. As they were retired from military service, many H-34s were picked up by other operators.
As the Canadian Armed Forces retired their H-34s, they were quickly refurbished and passed to the RCMP, who had a need for larger, more capable, helicopters. In RCMP service the H-34s were widely used for transport, rescue and medevac duties, as well as for supporting RCMP posts that were often difficult to reach by road in winter. The H-34s were gradually retired by the RCMP in the late 1970s, as new Bell 212s were taken into service as replacements.
In Europe the H-34 was widely used by French and German forces. Former Luftwaffe aircraft were redeployed with a range of civilian bodies, most notably with the Polizei and by ADAC. While the police used their aircraft for transport and patrol operations, ADAC used their H-34s for rescue and support roles. Both organisations used their H-34s into the late 1970s, when they were phased out in favour of more modern types, often the locally built MBB Bo-105.
French H-34s served longer than their German counterparts, so many were scrapped on retirement from military use. Some however were refurbished and passed to the Sécurité Civile service, where they would serve for many years on rescue duties, supported by numerous smaller Alouette IIIs.