Latest news with #Mark2
ITV News
2 days ago
- ITV News
Former RAF officer says Chinook crashed on Mull of Kintyre on 'show flight'
A former RAF officer has claimed a military helicopter which crashed during a flight from Northern Ireland to Scotland was on a "show flight" to prove its airworthiness. Twenty-nine people - four crew and 25 high ranking members of the security forces - were killed when the Chinook hit a hillside over the Mull of Kintyre in 1994. UTV can reveal that former squadron leader Robert Burke tried to have his concerns about the disaster raised in Parliament nearly 30 years ago. The family of Desmond Conroy, a senior RUC officer who was killed, is demanding that the Government reverse a decision not to hold a public inquiry. "To us, he was dad," his daughter Patricia Conroy told UTV. "He was a true family man. He was the center of our lives." Chinooks were the Army's workhorses during the Troubles. The helicopter used for this flight was a Mark 2 version, but it emerged there had been serious safety concerns surrounding the aircraft. A former RAF officer believes it was chosen to prove to the Army that the Mark 2 was safe following an upgrade. Robert Burke, who had been a test pilot at the time, said: "There were obviously major faults with that aircraft, however the Mark 2 was sent to Northern Ireland as a gesture by the RAF to show that everything was sorted." Patricia Conroy said: "If my dad had have known, any of those individuals had been told look, this helicopter hasn't got a good track record, none of them would have got on it." Recently it emerged files relating to the disaster have been sealed for 100 years. Robert Burke saw some documents before they were locked away. Now UTV has discovered he made a failed attempt to have his concerns raised in the House of Commons back in 1998. Patricia Conroy said: "This revelation from Mr Burke is truly shocking, it's devastating." The allegations have boosted calls for a public inquiry, but in a statement, the Ministry of Defense said: "The accident has already been the subject of six inquiries and investigations ... it's unlikely that a public inquiry would identify any new evidence or reach new conclusions." The statement also says: "Neither the RAF or the MOD recognise the term 'show flight' and have no information to support such a theory." Patricia Conroy said: "It's heart wrenching, you know, it's really difficult to think that we've been kept in the dark, and even now, all this information is coming to light and people can still say no." The crash happened in foggy conditions, but it's clarity surrounding the full circumstances that victims' families are demanding.
Daily Record
3 days ago
- General
- Daily Record
Chinook helicopter crashed on 'show flight', says former RAF test pilot
Retired Squadron Leader Robert Burke told the BBC that the Mark 2 version of the helicopter had been chosen for the flight to show it was safe because of internal politics between the Army and RAF. A former RAF test pilot has said that the 1994 Chinook disaster helicopter was chosen for a "show flight" despite safety worries, according to reports. RAF Chinook ZD576 hit a hillside in doggy conditions on the Mull of Kintyre, killing 29 people. The incident was initially attributed to pilot error, a decision that was subsequently reversed in 2011. Retired Squadron Leader Robert Burke told the BBC that the Mark 2 version of the helicopter had been chosen for the flight to show it was safe because of internal politics between the Army and RAF. Relatives of those who died in the crash have been campaigning for a new public inquiry. Burke said the Mark 2 Chinook was chosen even though RAF engineers and pilots had said it may not be fit to fly. He told the BBC: "The reason why that aircraft was flown in spite of all the reservations, and indeed the request from one of the dead pilots at the time, was to show the Army that the Chinook programme was running on time and the Mark 2 was perfectly safe to go into service. "It was a show flight. This journey - from airfield to airfield - was a perfect opportunity to fly such a high-profile group in an RAF Hercules for instance. "Not in a helicopter about which there were so many concerns. It was a gesture, that flight. A reckless act, but a show flight - it's as simple, and utterly tragic, as that." Many of the passengers who died were senior members of the security services. They were travelling from RAF Aldergrove in Northern Ireland to Fort George near Inverness, for a conference believed to about the Northern Irish Troubles. The pilots had asked to fly a Mark 1 version of the Chinook or two other helicopters instead. South Belfast woman Patricia Conroy lost her 55-year-old father Desmond Conroy - a Detective Chief Superintendent - in the crash. She told the BBC: "I feel sick to my stomach to discover that this flight was a show flight to effectively try to end an argument between the RAF and the Army about the safety of the Chinook fleet. "Instead, that decision ended my Daddy's life and started a lifetime of bereavement, trauma and a search for the truth." Last week Prime Minister Keir Starmer wrote to families telling them an inquiry would not be in the public interest. A UK Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: "We provided a detailed and considered response to the pre-action protocol letter stating the reasons why we cannot accept the demand for establishing a new public inquiry. "It's unlikely that a public inquiry would identify any new evidence or reach new conclusions on the basis of existing evidence. "The accident has already been the subject of six inquiries and investigations, including an independent judge-led review."
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bezos' SpaceX rival Blue Origin to lay off 10 percent of its workforce
Jeff Bezos' private space company Blue Origin announced it will be reducing its workforce by 10 percent, just one month after its first successful rocket launch, according to a report. After a Thursday all-hands meeting, Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp sent an email, obtained by The Independent, outlining the 'tough decision' to lay off about 10 percent of its staff. 'Our primary focus in 2025 and beyond is to scale our manufacturing output and launch cadence with speed, decisiveness, and efficiency for our customers. We grew and hired incredibly fast in the last few years, and with that growth came more bureaucracy and less focus than we needed,' he wrote. 'It also became clear that the makeup of our organization must change to ensure our roles are best aligned with executing these priorities. Sadly, this resulted in eliminating some positions in engineering, R&D, and program/project management and thinning out our layers of management.' The company will send impacted employees emails to their personal and work addresses notifying them of their employment status by 10.30 a.m. E.T Thursday. Employees not impacted will also receive emails at the same time confirming their continued employment at Blue Origin. 'We will continue to invest, invent, and hire hundreds of positions in areas that will help us achieve our goals and best serve our customers,' Limp wrote. 'This year alone, we will land on the Moon, deliver a record number of incredible engines, and fly New Glenn and New Shepard on a regular cadence.' He thanked impacted employees for their 'hard work and passion for our mission' and encouraged staff to work from home Thursday if their roles allowed for it. Bloomberg first reported that the space tech firm was preparing to make cuts Thursday. In the quarter-decade since its founding, the company has grown to 14,000 employees, according to the outlet.= The personnel cuts come weeks after Blue Origin launched its New Glenn rocket after a series of delays. Its initial launch was At a conference in Washington, D.C. this week, Limp called the launch a 'good first step,' noting that more work is on the horizon. 'We have a lot of work to do ahead of us, and we have to get to a cadence where we're flying very often, got to get the manufacturing to a higher cadence,' he said. 'But it's such a good first step to see it happen.' Blue Origin has been hoping to increase the number of New Glenn flights, the outlet reported. NASA plans to use the New Glenn launch vehicle in two upcoming trips. 'Future New Glenn missions will carry the Blue Moon Mark 1 cargo lander and the Mark 2 crewed lander to the Moon as part of NASA's Artemis program,' Blue Orbit said last month after its launch. It's ambitious space portfolio includes plans for space tourism, a moon lander, space station and supplying rocket engines. Blue Origin has been trying to make gains in the industry dominated by its rival SpaceX, which just landed a $40 million NASA contract as its CEO and founder Elon Musk, the head of President Donald Trump's Department of Government Efficiency, calls for significant funding cuts to parts of the government.
The Independent
13-02-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Bezos' SpaceX rival Blue Origin preparing for significant layoffs, report says
Jeff Bezos ' private space company Blue Origin is bracing for layoffs, just one month after launching a new rocket, according to a report. The space tech firm, founded by the world's third richest person, could cut 'hundreds' of jobs as the company is looking to concentrate its resources on ramping up rocket launches after investing into research and development for years, Bloomberg reported. In the quarter-decade since its founding, the company has grown to 14,000 employees, according to the outlet. Dave Limp, CEO of Blue Origin, is expected to discuss the workforce changes at a Thursday all-hands meeting, the outlet reported. At a conference in Washington, D.C. this week, Limp called the launch a 'good first step,' noting that more work is on the horizon. 'We have a lot of work to do ahead of us, and we have to get to a cadence where we're flying very often, got to get the manufacturing to a higher cadence,' he said. 'But it's such a good first step to see it happen.' Blue Origin has been hoping to increase the number of New Glenn flights, the outlet reported. NASA plans to use the New Glenn launch vehicle in two upcoming trips. 'Future New Glenn missions will carry the Blue Moon Mark 1 cargo lander and the Mark 2 crewed lander to the Moon as part of NASA's Artemis program,' Blue Orbit said last month after its launch. It's ambitious space portfolio includes plans for space tourism, a moon lander, space station and supplying rocket engines. Blue Origin has been trying to make gains in the industry dominated by its rival SpaceX, which just landed a $40 million NASA contract as its CEO and founder Elon Musk, the head of President Donald Trump's Department of Government Efficiency, calls for significant funding cuts to parts of the government.
