.
TRC: I can't recall Dennis having owned a 206 but I shall check up on it as I am in contact with his son. I'm wondering whether he may have borrowed one of his brother's 206's from the Ferranti fleet and in which case it would certainly have been an Agusta Bell. I'm wondering what necessitated a fuel tank change?
Dennisimo!: Incredible story about the wing alignment on the Islander! The BN2 evokes only sad memories for me though - an horrific recovery operation I was involved in where one had crashed killing all on board. The military in the country I was working in had no operational helicopters so me and my team were tasked to recover the bodies. The army were kind enough to assist us with body bags which I grimly distributed to my pilots and then joined them in this gruesome task. The craft had impacted the ground at high speed and caught fire. My lasting memory of that exercise was of a mother and child 'welded' together in a charred statue of horror. Me and my team received a commendation from the government for this effort but it is not something I would wish to experience again. I can still remember the smell of the bodies as we heaved them aboard our aircraft.
Palma: First of all congratulations on your
own accomplishments which of course by now have substantially eclipsed anything my godfather achieved. I do recall meeting you here and there as a young lad while accompanying Bob and a couple of times with Mike Smith and I remember you showing me one of your 500's (a D model) at the '79 Cranfield show!
I believe this was one of your first 500's appaently appearing in an episode of 'The Persuaders' starring Roger Moore and Tony Curtis?
Re: Dennis de Ferranti, PPRuNer
500 Fan has a photo of EI-AVN which was Dennis' and there is a possibility that EI-ATY may also have been his. Concerning the craft's military origin - I seem to recall someone telling me the same thing.
In addition to Dennis' 500 Sebastian's Bell 47J2A G-ATFV was also an ex-military craft (MM80417 of the Italian Army) seen below in 1978 at Newcastle Airport while in the service of Air Anglia.
Anyone with any details, information or photos of anything to do with any members of the Ferranti family and their aircraft or Ferranti Helicopters specifically, please contact me.
S.