Found some more photos from my days at Redhill.
George Bedford (Principal, Redhill FTS) looking over the Bozz's (Alan Boswell, Instructor, Redhill FTS) model railway in a briefcase. It is Z gauge, and one of them included a scale size model of 'Harold the Helicopter'.
Cockpit of Bell 206 G-BAUN (now G-OAMI), used for charter work and visual training. As well as a cockpit out of a museum it was fitted with a Trimble TNL 1000, which I think we got for free when Bristow first ordered the Trimble TNL 2000s.
Cockpit of Agusta Bell 206 G-AWMK. Long term resident of the Redhill FTS which finished its BHL career after a fuel tank explosion (now G-GAND). I had the privilege of teaching a self funding student for his CPL(H) in MK, and IF was very interesting with a AI which had no pitch datum information (just a moving horizon line, and if you got extreme the words dive or climb), rather a case of 'this is what 5 degrees & 10 degrees nose up & down looks like'!
Cockpit of R22B G-BOAM (now De-registered), which was added to the original fleet of 5 R22s in 1989. Very well equipped for IF with HSI, slaved RMI & DME. For IF training we used a fabric screen which fitted between right edge of instrument panel and front edge of right door, together with a hoodwink. Some of my students who cheated by looking up above this IF screen were greated with real IMC to make them look at the instruments!
As myself & an engineer held T&T licences it was a simple paperwork exercise to get approval to complete a C of A renewal on Bell 212 9Y-TIJ (now ZJ969).
With the loss of the 212s at North Denes, and not always having one at Redhill, we had to chase around the country/world to get training & checking completed. During some days training & checking at Blackpool in 1996 I was asked by the Pilot in Charge to do a days duty to give his other pilot a day off. Here we see G-BWBP (ex 9Y-TFA, now C-FBUC) working for Esso on the Glomar Adriatic XI. This was one of the first contracts to bring in the Drug & Narcotics testing for all staff, now an accepted industry standard. Spent a couple of very pleasant days doing training & checking at Barrow-in-Furness courtesy of some very friendly Vickers staff.