Day 269/18. A quick trip to say farewell.

A lunchtime trip to a local airfield for a flyover by 3 Sea King Mk7 helicopters.
After almost 50 years of active operations, the last military Sea King helicopters flying in the United Kingdom, left RNAS Culdrose for retirement today and headed to Portsmouth for disposal
The Sea King Mk7 ASaC helicopters – known throughout the Royal Navy as Baggers – have been the ‘eyes in the sky’ of the Navy since 2002, searching for aerial threats to the Fleet – or suspicious movements on the ground in support of land forces.
They owe their nickname due to the distinctive inflatable black sack or bag on the side of each helicopter.
It may look a rather cumbersome piece of kit from the outside, but inside that sack is the Searchwater 2000 radar capable of remarkably-accurate detection of surface and air targets.