Ah well, it doesn't get much more nostalgic for me than to see one of the Beehive craft - thank you Yoyo!
Spent many hours flying G-AWGU, the 16th JetRanger to be registered in the UK and the former personal mount of Jock Cameron (BAH's MD). When Jock retired my godfather proposed to BAH's Board that the craft be gifted to Cameron in much the same way as Shell gave the ex-WW II flyer Douglas Bader a Piper Apache upon his retirement but, BAH's Board being what it is was .. did not approve the request and Jock's runabout was shipped-off to Oman - to do what I cannot recall.
In the immediate post-Ferranti years (1979-1982) my godfather made extensive use of this craft to facilitate the requests of former-Ferranti clients who remained loyal. With Ferranti gone BAH's crew looked after the craft's day-to-day maintenance (she was previously cared for by Ferranti who installed the Ferranti interior and avionics fit) and were always rewarded by my godfather for their efforts in installing 'GU's' dual controls which were not of the 'quick-fit' type but required about 30 mins work to install.
Here's a story taken from page
13 of this thread and which involved 'GU':
One of the Colonel's clients needed to be dropped at Stansted and we were using Jock Cameron's mount G-AWGU (the BA 206) for the task. We uplifted the client from the Copthorne Hotel (near Gatwick) and proceeded to STN. After crossing into Essex the weather deteriorated abruptly so that most of the time we were flying in IMC (I do recall GU having Schermuly flares fitted because Ferranti fitted them) - 'GU' also had Decca's DANAC moving map navigator installed.
Whether we were classified as IFR or whether the Col. managed to convince the controllers at STN to let him in on a special I just don't know - what I do recall is arriving at STN in pitch black, in torrential rain and with a thoroughly sodden Martyn Fiddler standing on the apron to receive the pax. Martyn shouted a few words in Bob's ear trying to convince him to sleep over but no .. there was an important function to attend in the city and so, to Martyn's disbelief, we disappeared into the blackness, rain and lightning heading for Battersea.
Like many of the rotary characters from the early days, my godfather was a determined type and having placed his dinner jacket and patent leather shoes aboard the craft there was no way he was going to miss his engagement!
By the time we approached North East London the cloud began to break-up and the city became visible. I think we joined the Thames somewhere around HMS Belfast (perhaps just to the West of her). The short cruise to Battersea above the city lights seemed somewhat surreal after the noise and buffeting of rain, cloud and storm of the previous 20 mins or so.
We wafted down to a dark and closed Battersea where I was assigned the job of putting on 'GU's' overnight covers. When eventually we reached the Waldorf and Bob headed off for his dinner I was able to call my Mum who was beside herself with concern as apparently, a couple of hours prior to our trip, a Hughes 300 had ploughed in somewhere near Stansted while battling the same weather!
Author's Note: Flying in marginal weather/IMC should only ever be carried-out in an appropriately equipped aircraft with appropriately qualified crew and even then with the utmost caution taking care to avoid storm cells and intense precipitation. What my godfather did on the trip described above would today be considered foolhardy but .. that is what happened. My godfather (being among the first rotary wing flyers in the UK) belonged to a group of pioneers who, rightly or wrongly, (mainly the latter) considered themselves invincible in the face of such minor 'irritations' as weather! If you are flying a single, and especially if you are not instrument rated with plenty of current experience, please stay the hell away from weather! Have lost far too many friends because they failed to observe this simple rule.