Friday, Feb. 13,1962: As a new helicopter specialist pilot in the U.K.'s Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm, I prepared for my first night familiarization flight since joining No. 815 Sqdn. The frontline unit — my initial posting after completing advanced flight training — was the Navy's first squadron to fly the new Wes-sex Mk. 1 all-weather antisubmarine helicopter. Gordon would be the aircraft's captain for this mission. An exchange officer from the Canadian navy, he proved to be an extremely capable and unflappable pilot. Dave, our observer, was a career Royal Navy officer who later achieved flag rank. Don, the crewman and sonar operator, rounded out the night's crew.
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