Bristow puma ex g-pumi

[liam225]

Hi bit of a random question is this puma still flighing or what happened after it ditched in nigeria? I found some old bond pics my dad took of it and was just curious.

[batboy1970]

What was the actual cause of that ditching, i seen a clip on You Tube some time back ??

[Savoia]

can someone resize that?

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-W-YJEFKCww4/T8EDHlsUdwI/AAAAAAAAI8s/nRiVJ2wFsfQ/s0-d/5N-BKJ.jpg

[Fareastdriver]

Last time I flew that it was a kind of maroonish colour.

[Ant T]

Along similar lines, does anyone know what happened to the two AS332s that Bristow had in Misrata, Libya. I was out there as a contractor, briefly, in August 2010 not so long before the fighting started. I believe one of the aircraft was destroyed on the ground, but never heard whether the other one was flown or shipped out, or lost. Haven't got my logbook to hand, so I don't have the registrations handy

[TipCap]

What's this Ant? Don't have your logbook with you!!!

Thought you would have it with you wherever you go..... lol

My favourite TIG was there - G-BMCX not sure of the other one. maybe Vince R would know

Hope things are going well and you are enjoying P1 in the S61N:ok:

J

[cmf146]

The two were G-BMCW & X and while G-BMCX was hangared in Benghazi it was destrored in a coalition air raid.

G-BMCW lived to fly another day, but has just recently been sold in the deal to sell eleven back to Eurocopter.

[Ant T]

Hi J. I'm in Stanley today and my logbook is at MPA !! Still enjoying the S61 - was told it had 2 years left in it when I started in Aberdeen in 1986, still going strong 26 years later !!

cmf146 - How did CW get out of Libya? Did they get it out before hostilities started or was it a covert operation like the Iran 212s?
I remember hearing a story from one of the guys who was in Iraq with Bristow flying Hans Blix and the UN WMD inspectors around - they got confidential information at very short notice to get out, just before "shock and awe" started the 2nd Iraq war:eek:

PS Are you sure it was Benghazi where CX was destroyed - I thought I read it was Misrata, which was the last place it flew on the rig support contract before that was suspended (nothing to do with the war, that was over rig specifications for deepwater drilling after the BP Gulf spill)

[Fareastdriver]

Poor old CX. The last G Reg 332L I ever flew because as from then I was too old. The next ones I flew were B (Chinese) registered using an Australian licence.
I was then being paid by a major UK helicopter company but I was not allowed to fly their aircraft.

If Bristow hadn't pulled out of China CX would have been there instead of Libya.

[Yachtyman]

Couldn't keep out of all this misinformation regarding CX - it is still in one piece with a few bruises and in a hangar in Libya (certainly not Benghazi) , the last I heard a few weeks ago. From the one that knows.

[Ant T]

Thanks for that YM !! As you are the one in the know (guess I know who you are;)), what about CW (if that was the other one in Misrata)??

Ant

(PS my original info about one being destroyed came off the web, along with a photo of it with a cartoon of Gaddafi drawn on the door, supposedly taken not long before it was destroyed - never trust the web I guess.........)

[liam225]

Hi, when it was the maroonish colour was that before or after the bristows ditching?

[Fareastdriver]

G-PUMI started off its comercial life being operated by Bond Helicopters within their G-PUM series of helicopters. Allofasudden Bond was taken over by CHC, or is forunner in Aberdeen, and G-PUMI was towed across the airfield to Bristow where it operated still in its maroon Bond finish.
The rumour mill suggested that it had always been owned by, and then leased from Bristow when they getting more Tigers than they could use.

[heli1]

So,where exactly have the 11 AS332Ls gone? Saw one at Halifax Nova Scotia on a truck recently heading for Vector ??

[Wizzard]

The rumour mill suggested that it had always been owned by, and then leased from Bristow when they getting more Tigers than they could use

Nope. G-MI was owned by Bond and was a different spec to the Bristow Tigers, including a 4 axis "coupler"

Maroon? Don't thinks so. Red - yes except for the L2 (G-MM) that went orange after it was washed on arrival at Aberdeen :}

[roundwego]

As asked by Batboy above, does anyone have a cause for the ditching or is Bristow keeping it a secret.

[pumaboy]

MM was orange before it got to Abz