Scotia to CHC

[detgnome]

Can anybody tell me the brief history of Scotia prior to it being part of CHC (I am assuming it was a stand alone company at one point)?

Google and Wikipedia have let me down on this one....

[ultima thule]

Scotia was the name given to the company formed when CHC helicopters took over Helikopter services of Norway who owned Bond Helicopters in the UK, and joined it with their own in Britain called British International Helicopters.

Today there are still two separate companies trading under the names B.I.H and Bond in the U.K and possibly overseas' in B.I.H's case but they have both started up again after the initial merger. Its clear as mud I know:bored:

[Martin Barclay]

Actually Scotia Helicopters Ltd is was and always has been a flying school based at Cumbernauld Airport just outside Glasgow which has nothing to do with CHC other than to get phone calls from confused passengers and other organisations. This confusion is caused by CHC using the name Scotia to brand it's North Sea operations.

Before I started at the school there was even a classic incident where 'security' for the Scottish First Minister called to check the arrangements for his forthcoming visit! Now much though we would have welcomed the First Minister with a mug of coffee and a hobnob it seemed unlikely that it was a flying school in Cumbernauld that he was visiting?

Maybe CHC (Scotland) or (North Sea) might be more appropriate.

[zalt]

All to appease the Dobbin from New Scotia.

[Hippolite]

Scotia was the name given to the offshore portion of BIH when it was bought by CHC. The onshore (or Penzance and some Falklands work) was retained by BIH.

CHC Helikopter Service is a separate company although they share resources. CHC Helikopter Service was formed in 1999-2000 when CHC purchased the majority of Helikopter Service shares.

At that time, Helikopter Service owned 49% of the old Bond Helicopters but had an agreement to purchase the other 51%. When that sale was completed, CHC ended up owning The assets of the old BIH, Bond Helicopters and Helikopter Service.

Scotia is therefore an amalgam of BIH, and the old Bond Helicopters with CHC Helikopter service as a separate but obviously related company.

[serf]

Thats cleared that one up then!

[outhouse]

To complete the history one MUST mention the beginning of BIH and the death of the old faithful British Airways Helicopters.
Not forgetting the Maxwell saga, the pension rip off and the exceedingly profitable share dealing when BIH experienced the management buyout in partnership with CHC following the administration nightmare.
Still it was a long time ago now, but some do remember the soap opera in real life.
outhouse
:mad::ok:

[Cyclic Hotline]

The history goes back even further to BEA and originally the experimental Helicopter unit. They operated just about everything produced in the UK at some point or other before finally settling into the S61 operations in Penzance, replacing their Rapides! They continued to grow from that stage, but were a truly innovative company.

With all the changes over the years, BEA/BA/BIH/CHC seems to have lost that identifiable employee loyalty that Bristow seems to have - even all the Bristow people that left and went there still seemed to be connected whenever we got together.

Anyone got any good pictures from this evolution, like the Bristow photo thread?

[outhouse]

Try this site for a few snaps.

http://www.airliners.net/search/photo.search?airlinesearch=British%20Airways%20Helicopters&distinct_entry=true

[ericferret]

Then there is also the link to Management aviation, North Scottish helicopters and the original Bond Helicopters (crop spraying).

When Bond Helicopters was formed for offshore work circa 1984 the three above were it's component parts.

[outhouse]

Have a look at:
http://www.bamuseum.com/images/large/60-70/60-70s6.jpg

The snap of the S 61, BEA livery with the nice little flag under the pilot’s emergency exit window. The airport name written on the roof of the building to save embarrassing questions from passengers, the smell cut grass and the feeling of a job well done.

http://www.bamuseum.com/images/large/60-70/60-70s_18.jpg

BEA Helicopter over New York, a little piece of history.

http://www.bamuseum.com/images/large/60-70/60-70s_17.jpg

Again the smell of cut grass and a time long gone.

http://www.bamuseum.com/images/large/60-70/60-70s5.jpg

Only one way to arrive for ones Trans Atlantic trip.

That’s it, if you want more of the old nostalgia visit:
http://www.bamuseum.com/60-70.html

The bird in the paper dress looked OK to me, nice legs.


outhouse
:ok:

[Bravo73]

outhouse's pics from the post above:


The snap of the S 61, BEA livery with the nice little flag under the pilot’s emergency exit window. The airport name written on the roof of the building to save embarrassing questions from passengers, the smell cut grass and the feeling of a job well done.

http://www.bamuseum.com/images/large/60-70/60-70s6.jpg


BEA Helicopter over New York, a little piece of history.

http://www.bamuseum.com/images/large/60-70/60-70s_18.jpg


Again the smell of cut grass and a time long gone.

http://www.bamuseum.com/images/large/60-70/60-70s_17.jpg



Only one way to arrive for ones Trans Atlantic trip.

http://www.bamuseum.com/images/large/60-70/60-70s5.jpg




:ok:

[detgnome]

Just a smidge of thread drift/creep going on(!), but many thanks for all your replies.