Raising the Roof!

Another visit to the Dulux Decorators' Centre, near the airfield in Yeovil, brought this sight.  It's a UK Coastguard Merlin and it must have been carrying out trials with the lines out of the back for lifting something. 

The high nose attitude of the Merlin in the hover can be a bit of a problem in certain circumstances; if the pilot has no external references, or if the aircraft is lifting in a clearing, that attitude can be confusing and cause the pilot to lower the nose to "correct" it and enter a forward movement unwittingly – not a good plan in a confined space.