UK2 XS349 Hughes AirB1.jpg

On Wed, 6 Apr 2016 14:57:38 +0100, Joseph Testagrose wrote
(in article ):

I was surprised to see a Hughes 269 with a UK military serial but it turns
out that there were two of them - the one in Joseph's photo plus XS685. Both
were owned by Westland who apparently were trying to persuade the Army Air
Corps to buy a few.

XS349 was with the AAC only for about 10 days in July 1962. However, it went
back to the army in August 62 as XS684 and served until July 63. It was then
returned to Westland who sold it a year later as G-ABSL to a farmer who wrote
it off in December 1964.

XS685 was also returned to Westland in July 63 and they put it in civvies as
G-ASBD; it was eventually destroyed in a fatal accident in 1981 (1983
according to the CAA). In the words of the accident report:

"main rotor thrust bearing failed through lack of lubrication.....annual
maint. check 2 months overdue.....no record of bearing lubrication since
1976".

Does anyone know where the designation AirB1 in the picture title comes from
(assuming you've read this far)?