Runnerbean, welcome back!
I commend your effort in reading the entire thread ... phew! I actually trawled through it the other day to up-date the index which I plan to post if and when page 50 appears. Yes, there's certainly a lot of interesting stuff here and .. plenty more out there which we are waiting to see come in.
Please do 'muster a pic' of G-WASP. To spur you on I'm posting what's available through the Air-Britain collection (below). Please do relay any stories you have from your days with WASP.
Didn't know Arthur Thurley but I am sure there are those here who may have.
If you are looking at returning to rotary-wing why not PM the venerable Dennis Kenyon (also a former Brantly B2 owner). What he doesn't know about the F280 series isn't worth knowing and he would doubtless be able to steer you in the right direction regarding any good 'deals' which might be around. As you know, its a buyers market at present. If your budget is a little thin then you could always look at shared ownership as indeed you did before. From what I've heard, co-ownership with a genuine friend seems to work better than groups of three, four or more.
Btw, Dennis also has some history with G-BALE.
Brantly B-2B G-WASP as seen at RAF Wyton on 15th July 1984 (Photo: Derek Heley)
A brief run-down on WASP's history:
Began life as G-ASXE in 1964 when imported to the UK by the Brantly distributor; BEAS. Bought by Freeman's of Bewdley in 1968 and then on to Sims Automatics of Glasgow in 1976. The following year she was registered to Donald and Elizabeth McGillivray and a Mr Walter Glen t/a Wester Air (Scotland).
Ahh de Havilland wrote on the Alan Mann thread: Wasp was headed by Don McGillivray and operated G-CHIC Hughes 269 in addition to G-WASP, G-BUZZ & G-WOSP. Don also had a Campbell Cricket (G-AYHH) which was replaced by G-WASP. G-CHIC was regn to Wasp on 31.7.79 but crashed soon after on 13.11.79 near Betws-y-Coed when it struck trees shortly after t/o. Wasp were based to quote Flight in a small hangar behind an industrial estate in north Glasgow, and all the aircraft were regn to the same Glasgow address as Sims Automations so there may be a financial link.
From West Air/Wasp Helicopters she went on to serve with a number of private owners including yourself.