HALIFAX — Canada’s fleet of geriatric Sea King military helicopters has finally reached its long overdue retirement on the East Coast, and the Royal Canadian Air Force is making sure the venerable, snub-nosed workhorse gets a proper send-off after 54 years of service. And so began the story of the Sea King’s constant reinvention. “We were really the first ones to do that with the development of the beartrap system,” said Connor, referring to the innovative cable system used to reel in Sea Kings landing on the rear flight deck. During the Cold War, Sea Kings were regularly dispatched for missions near Norway, where they lured Russian ships and submarines from their ports. Meanwhile, there are six Sea Kings still flying on the West Coast and, for a few days longer anyway, another four or five on the East Coast.

Source: National Post January 19, 2018 19:07 UTC