Great post TRC! I did some trawling on t’internet tonight and found the article from Police Air News “Police Aviation – a history 1914-1990” that PA News seems to have used in his recent related posts on the Wessex thread. The article seems to confirm by the following two extracts that the date of XD’s incident was 1974, just two months after Twyford Moors was awarded the contract:
From June 27, 1974 Air Gregory lost its Metropolitan Police contract to Hampshire based Twyford Moors [Helicopters] Ltd…….
…….The first public exposure of the new contractor was at the National Police Air Rally on 23 July 1974.
However the article then refers to the first of the three incidents that happened to XD as being on Saturday 11 August. In 1973 that date was indeed on a Saturday, but on a Sunday in 1974. The next incident is shown as occurring on “the following Monday” with the final excursion into the Thames being “later that same week”. So still no further forward on which year!
EDIT: Ah, the clincher! From the "Flight" archives, the National Police Air Rally in 1973 was from May 22-23 but in 1974 was from 23-24 July - as stated in the Police Air News article quotes above - at Shoreham Airport so I'm now convinced my little grey cells are still working - XD's Thames outing was in August 1974!.........Although I've now seen PA News latest post on the Wessex thread where he has records of all the incidents being in 1973. Enough - filed under too difficult.
Last edited by CharlieOneSix; 14th Nov 2012 at 22:26.