Heli1: I think the rationale behind why Metpol went for such a noisy aircraft was explained on page
14 in the transcript of the conversation between the Bell Helicopter representative and the Police Commissioner (and from which post I PPRuNed the 222 shots above!).
Pofman: We mentioned the t/r failure and subsequent crash at Hatfield. Do you recall which t/r component had failed?
Tarman: That is an excellent piece of deduction! Makes sense when you look at it with that understanding.
"The name Alexander is nicknamed 'Sandy' in Scotland." Yes well, the British and their nicknames!
Shane: That is a great clipping - and what a 'force' Gordon White and James Hanson would become in the years following this photo!
The caption states that the picture was taken in 1968 and my assumption is that it was taken at the end of the year (possibly December). Reason being .. the craft we can see with a company logo emblazoned on the fuselage is one of the David Brown JetRangers:
David Brown purchased their first 206 in August 1968 (the ubiquitous G-AWOL). The other 206 in the frame appears to wear a similar colour scheme and so I imagine this to be DB's second 206 which they purchased in November of the same year .. G-AWUC. Both AWOL and AWUC have featured on this thread but never wearing 'shorts' in red livery with the David Brown emblem so, this is a welcome image indeed, bravo!
Supplebottom: I think the aircraft in the middle is actually OO-TSM but .. close enough!