The Rotary Nostalgia Thread
 

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Now flys as G-JLEE from Booker mainly. Plenty of pics on the web. Has also flown as G-CSKY & G-JOKE

Jokerman was Freddie Starr.

now belongs to a John Stanlet Lee from Beaconsfield, registered as G-JLEE, and on 31/12/2009 last last had accumulated 3492 airframe flying hours. Built in 1978. All from G-Info site.

http://www.avialine.com/img/photorep...t_100_4792.jpg

G-TALY's former home was Eaton Hall in Cheshire (above).

In the early 1980's TALY had two regional contemporaries, also Bell 206's, operated by Alton Towers and JC Bamford Excavators respectively.

The Alton Towers aircraft was based a stone's throw away at Stretton Hall and flown by Capt. Phillip Croucher. The JCB aircraft was a little further away at Uttoxeter and East Midlands and flown by Capt. John 'Chalky' White.

All three of these aircraft were up-graded to twins, the DoW to a twin squirrel G-TALI, Alton Towers to a Bell 222A G-JLBZ and JCB to a 109A MkII G-EJCB.

The two TALY/I's were named after the DoW's wife, Natalia, and who is a descendant of the late Russian poet Alexander Pushkin. Both aircraft carried the 'wheatsheaf' symbol taken from the DoW's coat of arms and both were fitted to a high standard of finish with executive interiors and a comprehensive avionics suite.

G-TALY
 

I had the pleasure of ferrying this machine back from the factory in the winter of 1979 with the DoW's pilot Ken (will need to look up the logbook for his surname - think it was Davies). Ken was the Dukes FW pilot and we (AMH) converted Ken to RW so that he could do the business with TALY. If I remember the trip correctly we had a chip light in Switzerland and had to plop down in a field to check the offending chip detector.

Happy Days

G.:ok:

Geoff: You conducted the delivery flight? That is interesting. Which Agusta factory did you collect the aircraft from?

I suppose the a/c must only have had a handful of hours and so a chip detection light might not have been entirely unusual. I imagine a new aircraft must have the same susceptability to chips as one which has just had engine work performed. Presumably it was just dirt that caused the warning?

When I flew her (just after she left the Duke's service) she still had the comfortable high back leather seating as well as a generous avionics fit including an autopilot which I guess was fitted by Manns.

When you mention training existing staff, I think it was Dennis de Ferranti who had his chauffeur trained to fly his helicopter in Ireland - back in the day. If the story is right, he was terrified of the thing! I think it was a Hughes 500.

G-TALY and the mists of time
 

S
Yes TALY did have an autopilot, and an early one but good nonetheless. The cyclic was not isolated from the servo-actuators, so in hands-off mode it moved around the cockpit correcting attitude and altitude. A little disconcerting! Flew with Ken Davis many times, great pilot. He was officially a 'gardener' since such a position is a claimable expense against the estate. Whereas a pilot isn't.

Your 2nd point about Alan Mann, all is not good there I'm afraid :sad:~ VFR

Savoia
 

I collected TALY from Frosinone, south of Rome. Interesting flight back through Genoa to Milan where we stopped at Cascina Costa to complete export formalities before heading off over the Simplon. I drive that route regularly now and often think of those ferry flights back to Blighty. I did G-WIZZ with John (Courtney)Horscroft, a couple for our own AMH fleet with Chris Hodgkinson and Brian Beale (YP?) - always during the winter when crossing the Alps was challenging. Every VFR ferry flight with a 'green' 206 (no radios, just a portable VHF, no heater) comes with a tale.

As far as I recall the DoW had a small twin piston (Piper I think). Ken had won over the Duke with a professional handling of an engine failure so was made for life.

Writing this from my Camper beside Lago Maggiore so very close to the scene of the action. Bloody rain has just soaked my washing! Summer in the mountains brings such pleasures.

Aye

G. :ok:

PS - lots of photos somewhere in my loft.

A campervan with a loft :eek:

You are a man of many talents, Geoffers :ok:

Did you lose your accommodation allowance Geoff? :)

Ode To Taly
 

Oh Taly, gee Taly, where are you now,
Some place far off or over the brow?

From I-Taly you came and G-Taly were named,
Your very first owner someone so famed.

Delivered by Geoffrey, you gave him a start,
When your little engine produced a small f*rt!

Your pilot a gardener known as Ken D,
Would deliver the Duke for afternoon tea.

Now you are known by the name of J-LEE
But for us you shall always remain G-TALY!

Great thread, I guess all you pilots could be called Talywags. :ok:

G-JLEE was at Aero Expo at Wycombe Air Park yesterday, parked outside Heli Air's hangar

Savoia..................

Take a look here.....Aerospatiale AS355F1 Ecureuil II, G-TALI, Private
Aerospatiale AS355F1 Ecureuil II, G-TALI

Planemike

Thanks LewyC and PlaneMike:

I wonder if JLEE is in the colours (red and silver) as posted by Earl?

It seems the only photos of the original TALY/I were taken at Cranfield, both in month of July, one assumes for the PFA meet. Perhaps DoW and/or 'Ken D' or someone close to the family was an enthusiast!

G-TALY's successor was G-TALI:

- March 1983 Purchased by and first registered to the Eaton Estate, Cheshire
- February 1991 sold to Avco Weston, London
- April 1991 sold to Walsh Aviation, Wotton-Under-Edge and re-registered as G-BTIS
- January 2005 sold to Skywalker Aviation, Surrey and re-registered as G-SKYW
- June 2010 sold to Latitude Aviation, Warwick and re-registered as G-NBEL

http://www.abpic.co.uk/images/images/1155307M.jpg

TALI at Cranfield (2nd July 1988) for the PFA Rally

Geoff mentioned delivering G-WIZZ seen here below at Brands Hatch 6th October 1985. G-WIZZ originally sported one of the few sets of high skid gear (without pop outs) to be seen on a 206 in the UK in the early days!

http://www.abpic.co.uk/images/images/1077274M.jpg

G-WIZZ
 

This helicopter was the first - or at least very nearly the first - 'out-of-sequence' - reg in UK. When I called LGW on the way in for Customs Clearance they refused to believe I was using a 'kosher' callsign!!

It was indeed delivered with high 'tubes' which made it very tricky when I had to do the old chip-detector 'service' in a field north of Troyes. The delay caused us to divert into Melun which is listed as a civvy airport but turned out to be the French equivalent of Boscombe Down and 'Les Gendarmes de L'Air' were not amused. A little bit of play-acting and a second chip-detector removal was meant to be 'window-dressing' but when a large 'whisker' was found sticking on the end of said detector all seemed to be understood. Unfortunately they said 'well now you have fixed it you can go on your way'. We knew the weather was cr*p and with only an hour of daylight we turned to the Met man who was horrified that any self respecting VFR helicopter man could be asked to proceed against the worst mother nature could offer - the dreaded 'warm sector'. One call to the Commandant and we were given a true airman's welcome and the entire team of Gendarmes De L'Air swung into action and we were taken to a local B & B via the local supermarket to buy a wheel of local Brie each. The driver was able to convince us that a Renault 4L with three-up and a load of bags would make an ideal rally-car and I swear he took the corners on two wheels. Suitably impressed we hoped that the ride the following morning we lack the sense of urgency. Got to UK on schedule without further incident.

Bit of thread creep but what the hell.

G.

This has turned into a very entertaining thread, keep the stories coming lads !!
I recall that the first "out of sequence" reg was G-OLLY a Navajo belonging to Robertson's Jam who's logo was a Black Golly. I don't think that it would be allowed these days !

Thread creep coming on...........

There are a number of instances of the use of "out of sequence" registrations before G-OLLY. Two that spring to mind are G-EDCA first used in Dec 1927 Genet Moth and G-ATEL Aviation Traders Accountant registered in 1957.

G-EDCA was also used on a deH 60X. One of the very few examples of the "reuse" of a registration on a British civil aircraft.

Planemike