The Westland Wasp was the first manned helicopter in any of the world's navies designed specifically for operation from small flight decks on frigates and destroyers. It served operationally with the Royal Navy between 1963 and 1988 and achieved export success with the navies of New Zealand, South Africa, the Netherlands, Indonesia, Malaysia and Brazil. I never flew the Wasp myself but many of my friends and contemporaries did and, from them, I am aware of its characteristics and shortcomings. Given the Wasp's significant place in RN history and the fact that it was the first of its kind, it is surprising that it has not attracted the attention it deserves from historians or aviation writers. The authors have addressed this shortcoming with a book that certainly stimulates the readers' interest. Larry Jeram-Croft served in the RN as an aircraft engineer, retiring as a commander, and as a maintenance test pilot he flew both the Wasp and its replacement the Lynx. He wrote an earlier book about the Lynx. Terry Martin served in the RAF as an aerospace medicine specialist and pilot, retiring as a wing commander. He has subsequently worked as an aeromedical evacuation and intensive care specialist but has also purchased several 'retired' Wasps, restored them to airworthiness on the UK civil register and flown them at displays.
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机译：Westland WASP是世界上第一个专门用于从泄坑和驱逐舰的小型飞行甲板操作的载人的载人直升机。它在1963年至1988年间的皇家海军运作，并通过新西兰，南非，荷兰，印度尼西亚，马来西亚和巴西的海军实现了出口成功。我从来没有飞过黄蜂我自己，而且我的许多朋友和同时代人从他们身上做过，我知道它的特点和缺点。鉴于黄蜂在历史中的重要位置，这是它第一个类型的事实，它令人惊讶的是它并没有引起历史学家或航空作家的注意力。作者已经解决了这本书的缺点，肯定会刺激读者的兴趣。 Larry Jeram-Croft作为一架飞机工程师服务，作为指挥官退役，并作为一个维护试验飞行员，他飞过了WASP及其更换的Lynx。他写了一个关于Lynx的早期书。 Terry Martin作为航空航天医学专家和飞行员服务，作为翼指挥官退休。他随后曾担任过航空医疗疏散和重症监护专家，但也购买了几个“退休”的黄蜂，将他们恢复到英国民事登记册上的适航性，并在展示时飞行它们。
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