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The Kenyon Files: The Maestro and His Hughes'
Beside his beloved Enstrom's Dennisimo has been involved with a number of Hughes' also (along with a plethora of other types one should add).
With this first craft I'm just taking a stab at it because I actually don't know whether Dennisimo was involved but .. a couple of pages back we uncovered the little Enstrom F28 G-BAAU which Dennis sold to Colin Chapman.
Now BAAU's first owner was John E. Clark & Co. of Gecco House, Bournemouth who owned her from August 1972 to Januray 1974. What I have discovered is that the same lot bought a Hughes 500 (369) in November 1973 (just prior to selling BAAU).
The craft they bought was previously owned by Autair but, given that Clark/e's (spelled without an 'e' in the first registration document for BAAU and
with an 'e' in the second - for the 500) were one of Dennis' clients I'm assuming he may have had something to do with the sale.
Either way Clark/e's traded-up to a 500 which they operated from November '73 until the end of 1975 when the record states the craft was destroyed. Clark/e's 500 was registered as G-BAYN but, I am unable to trace any information relating to the accident report and I wonder .. is there an exhaustive list of UK aircraft accidents? My experience (of which BAYN is but one example) is that there are inconsistencies.
Hughes 500C G-BAYN at Lee-on-Solent on 8th July 1975 (Photo: Brian Johnstone)
We've previously discussed Barry Sheene's Hughes 500C G-STEF and which we know Dennisimo sold him. However, prior to being named after Barry's wife, G-STEF existed as G-BKTK which was bought by Southern Air in June of 1983. She is then registered to 'Suflinks Holdings' (what a name) in the Channel Islands prior to being re-registered as STEF.
While in her original colours she sports an intriguing piece of artwork on her tail which appears to be some sort of creature standing atop what looks like a horizontally placed barber's pole!
I can only hope that the Maestro can fill in the gaps!
Hughes 500C G-BKTK at Shoreham c. 1983 (Photo: Andy Parsons)
MB: Welcome aboard!
What I can tell you is that courtesy of the Nostalgia Thread's leading discoverer of difficult-to-come-by helicopter images, we shall soon be graced with images of most of Sopwith's rotorcraft.
You mention seeing some of the Sopwith fleet at Shoreham in the 80's and the image above is also from Shoreham. Dennisimo was of course based there for an appreciable time along with my godfather for a short season.
Shoreham, so they say, is the UK's oldest licenced airfield and has appeared in numerous television and film productions due mainly to its classical terminal. They say that scenes from the Da Vinci Code were also shot there but I am trying to think which ones those may be. My understanding was that Hanks & co. used a 125 which taxiied into a hangar - was that Shoreham?
Enough for now.
Sav