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NJT: Thanks for the clarification on CHOC's ancestry. Can you also confirm that you painted over HMAC's 'red bits' or whether she was stripped down and repainted?
I mentioned Ben Turner Helicopters in the previous post and G-BBEU (a Bell) was delivered to Ben Turner Helicopters in August '73. From BTH she moved on to Heli-Air then Alan Mann. In January '78 she was bought from Mann's by International Messengers, a courier company founded by Andrew Walters, a close friend to my godfather Col. Bob.
Andrew had in fact approached Bob requesting whether Ferranti could supply a good quality used 206 but, since this request came in '77, the year Ferranti lost G-AVSN at Biggin Hill, there wasn't much they could do. SN had swiftly been replaced by the veritable G-BAKT which Ferranti was unwilling to sell as their fleet was fully committed at that time.
Bob did however manage to persuade Andrew to purchase a new Agusta-built 206 and shortly thereafter Ferranti placed this order with Mann's. The new aircraft was delivered in November '78 as G-OIML and was, to the best of my knowledge, the first Agusta-built JetRanger III in the UK. She was owned by International Messengers but operated by Ferranti. Unusually for a managed aircraft, IML wore Ferranti's livery complete with the Royal Mail cypher.
Back to BBEU; IM sold her to Hanson in July '81 whereafter she was exported to Uganda (via Autair) in June of the following year to become 5X-MIA. There she flew for the Uganda Police Air Wing until, as with every rotorcraft they have operated, she crashed during operational flying.
But .. I am at a loss to understand EU's BCal livery as she was never actually registered to BCal. One can only suppose that while owned by Hanson she was perhaps leased to BCal. Similarly NJT's recollection of her being owned by the Lord Glendyne - perhaps that was during her time with Mann's. Can anyone elaborate?
Any finally, what happened that necessitated her roof being changed?
BBEU at Brooklands (I think). (Photo: Graeme Lovell)
BBEU at Brooklands wearing the BCalH livery. (Photo courtesy of Speechless Two)
BBEU was of course one of a pair bought by Ben Turner, her sister ship being BBET (below) but
that is another story!
Bell 206B G-BBET seen at Greenham Common on 6th July 1974. (Photo: Peter Nicholson)
S.