Summer of 76 - happy memories
Remember that long hot summer when it never rained for months? I was lucky enough to be working for Heli-Leeds loading people into G-BBFE (the lightest fastest 206A ever - quote Dick Meston) and G-AYMX (the heaviest slowest 206A ever - quote Dick Meston) for their £2.50 pleasure flights.
I worked out of Saw Wood House (Whinmoor) and almost everything I have read in this thread was true. We really did have to use a pay-phone to ring anywhere, Wally was as tight as they come, but then again most millionaires are.... The whole operation was kept running by a brilliant engineer (Brian someone)
Best memories are doing Church Fenton Airshow with three Rangies and flying back in formation at low-level 'attacking' targets on the way. Dick Meston was the main pilot, I was with him when we flew back from Kirmington and got reported for flying UNDER the Humber Bridge. We used to practice crop spraying on the way back from assignments, torque turns - you cannot beat-em! The other pilots were Manjit Singh an ex-Indian AirForce pilot and Bob Jones (I think he worked for the YEB)
Busiest day was the traction engine rally at Masham - 148 pleasure flights. By the end of the day Dick was doing the longest skids-on landings ever seen to relieve the boredom. We had to fill up with 5-star at an A1 garage on the way back.
Remember the Barratt Housing ads with Patrick Allen? He was terrified of flying and had a pair of 'lucky' shoes that he wore for filming. I used to stick the Oak Tree and Bar ratt signs on with wallpaper paste.... As a 16 year old it was great fun opening housing estates with two bikini clad women either side of me in the back.
Survived an engine out on the beach at Cleethorpes (Compressor blade broke off) and forced landing in a G-BBIU in central Leeds on Jubilee Day when a spark plug blew out.
Wally realised that newly qualified CPL-s needed hours on their licence so he used to hire them for peanuts. The same happened when there was the strike at Alan Mann, even experienced pilots needed to keep current.
The whole helicopter operation was an ego trip for Captain (Royal British Legion) Wally Holmes, his main income was from debt-collection (he used liquidate Avon Ladies - clients used to be given a big bag of Avon goodies, little did they realise they were reject stock from ladies who had gone bust).
Characters like him no longer exist, is that a good or bad thing?