Flying the Puma HC1 | Simon Kovach ( In-Person Part 1) 

Looks like an old SAAF Shackelton in the background .

Ex South African defense force Ratel gunner here and the Puma was great support and a hard worker in the Angolan bush war, it did all the dirty work and our main workhorse was the super frelon for the heavy lift military work, i always wanted to be a pilot in the military but some how ended up with mechanised infantry lol, but that in itself was a huge experience that im not sorry about and loved the Ratels 👍

29:56 Seen through the cockpit window is a Avro Shackleton aircraft. South African airforce had a squadron

Great video Simon. Thank you for your service. Your one guy I always loved to see drifting into many an LZ in NI. Loved the Puma. It was regular taxi for me for many years. That smell of aviation fuel with the downdraft pure class. We had a G neg experience in a Puma as well. Fun and games for everyone except the poor lad with the L plate on his back. 😁 Bessbrook was brilliant. You guys made many of us smile after a tight Op.

I remember Simon. Saturday morning rotor tune. Sat in the cabin and down walks a rough looking pilot. Bit worse for wear from the night before. Made two of us

Almost 6 years on 230 as a sooty 78-83 great aircraft and the best Sqn

Makes me feel old, I left the RAF in 96 after 12 years. I was on Chinooks at Guttersloh in the late 80s, 230 was there at the time.

Flew in a French Army Puma in Kosovo. Fantastic, especially at low level which the French are always willing to do. Far more fun than the by the book Americans in their Black Hawks.

Spent the majority of my childhood with Pumas, including 3 years in Germany with 230 Sqn and Odiham with 33 and 240 Sqn. Dad was a loadmaster on them. Ended up joining up myself and found myself at Benson again with Pumas and again Dad was there on 33 Sqn 1999 to 2002. Love these helicopters. Obviously a massive connection to my childhood everytime I see them.

Perfection Can’t wait for part 2

00:21 perfectly random 😂 Love it

Always had a soft spot for the much maligned Puma, was the first helo I got to go out in as a ATC cadet, from RAF Hereford. As you can imagine this is just sheer enertainment for the flight crew as they had just come of a training op with the boys down the road. I was given a seat infront of the door, I suspect the ALM thought I looked scared/happy. It was a longer flight than orginally scheduled, it was low, fast and plenty of jinking that left me dangling in my seat towards an open cargo door (They used to say that I was 6 stone when I was wringing wet, the seat strap barely had tension to keep me in) and a smiling ALM located to my left with cans on. I just loved it, I think thats why I prefer helo to FJ in so many ways - dont get me wrong there is NOTHING like FJ, NOTHING - best job in the world. But Helo is a bit special, from the crazy downwash (not like the shithook) and the strange feeling from the charged air, the noise and the incescant vibration nd knowing that laws of physics if really being tested. I still wanna go up in a Huey, and it would be fantastic to get a ride in an Apache.

1:28 I actually laughed out loud 🤣 I grew up on a farm near Middle Wallop. As well as all the army helicopters there were a lot of pumas and chinooks, and I grew up wanting to fly helicopters for the army or Air Force. At 16 I went to the forces career office and for some reason they weren’t mad keen on kids with glasses flying multi-million pound helicopters 🤦🏻‍♂️

Another excellent interview. I was lucky enough to ride in a Puma; a tactical insertion onto Dartmoor during a training exercise (early 90's). The skill of the pilots was outstanding. Ducking and weaving through the tors and gullies, at full tilt, lower than a snakes bollocks, and then to flare and land on a really awkward side slope. They certainly knew how to chuck the Puma (and its passengers) around. I never felt so disorientated in my life! Much respect

Nice! Thank you both! Rich.

Brilliant interview Si!

Thanks Mike - great to see you getting out and about again I do love visiting Newark too. Simon was very entertaining, look forward to part 2!

Great interview

Thanks Mike and Si, very enjoyable. :-)

Excellent,good honest bloke.Thanks.🤙

Really liked that one!

Hugely enjoyable interview!

Seems like a top bloke that pilot! Enjoyed that video, puma was my fav chopper as a kid! Never got to see many of them though at air shows

Loved these puppies. Turmo 3 C 4 . Approx 1200 shp.😀. Had the pleasure of having my mitts on one of these lefthand seat. 240 OCU. RAF Odiham. 1979.😀. Feel the Aircraft through the Arsehole..😀

Great video - seems like a great guy to have a pint with!

Fantastic to hear about NI Ops from Aldergrove. Looking forward to Part 2. Q&A with this chap would be interesting too.

Brillianty honest!😀

Genuinely interesting interview, too bloke - thank you for sharing this amazing interview.

When did 230 lose the tiger?? Worked with them in Gutersloh in the early 80s. Brilliant Squadron.

1:28 good to know there’s someone else 😂

The Puma is the work horse of the South African Airforce. It saw a lot of action in Angola.

Fantastic interview, great questions, superb (And full) replies. Excellent job! I've spent many an hour in a Puma, in UK, Canada, America, a lot of Europe, Central America, ex air-portable Artillery Regt in the 70's (Started on Wessex). I've also spent many a happy 10-15 minutes imagining that my dubious Marshalling skills, bringing a Puma onto my Command Post Veh for slinging, were being followed :D General consensus was, after a year or two of doing it..... Identify YOUR Puma Stick both arms vertically in the air Wait 'til he points his nose at you Hover him POINT/INDICATE, BIGTIME, AT YOUR VEH/TRAILER/GUN Make random arm signals that mean nothing but you THINK they're having an effect, while the loadie brings it in and puts it on the right place for pick up. Wait until connection is successful and all personnel are clear, then make various "Upward" movements with yer arms until they eff off :) Yeah, great, loved watching that. Thanks.

Hey Simon, I wonder if your one of my long lost relatives?