G-BALZ

[Tail-take-off]

G-BALZ is indeed still going strong and currently looks like this:



There are lots more pictures of her at www.skyweaver.co.uk a selection of which are below:



Sumburgh:



Bangladesh:


Bangladesh:



Kosovo:



Kosovo:




Incidentally does anyone recall her early history? http://www.geocities.com/rotorspot/g-1.htm quotes her first registration as N2961W then VR-BEK followed by G-BALZ. VR-BEK was a Bermudan registration and Skyweaver has her appearing with this reg at http://209.196.171.35/bases_santcarles.htm and quotes:

Bristow Base: Sant Carles de la Rapita, Spain.

Bell 212 VR-BEK awaiting its next task against a
rocky backdrop. It was the first Bristow Bell 212,
being a Bell demonstrator at the time.
Picture;: http://209.196.171.35/images/gcspain2.jpg

Further more the Bermudan registration shows her Registered to Bristows as VR-BEK then re-registered as G-BALZ on 10 January 1973.

However the Speachless Two’s photo above shows her in BEAS colours in 1973 but BEAS was not to be part of Bristows for a few years yet.

I know she went to Ireland registered to Irish Helicopters until 16 July 1974 when she was re-registered as G-BALZ.

Did Bristow originally just lease her or was there already a relationship between the two companies?