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Old 29th Dec 2012, 10:12
  #1755 (permalink)  
Savoia
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Milano, Italia
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SmartHawke: Yes your contribution is much appreciated.

As mentioned, this is the first image of G-BFZE on the thread as photos of her have been rarer than red squirrels in Piedmont!

Here is the only shot I have of her:


Valley of Gleneagle Helicopters AS350B G-BFZE as seen at Edinburgh's Turnhouse Airport in 1980 (Photo: Robert Pittuck)

Clearly 'Gleneagle' picked-up a job from Barratt's who (perhaps understandably) did not wish to haul G-BEKH or G-HELY up to WBS (wee bonnie Scotland)!

Some more joining of the dots .. if you can bare it?

You posted a photo of the JetRanger G-BHYW which, as it happens, was bought in 1983 by .. Gleneagle Helicopters.

You also posted a JetRanger photographed at the Lilford Park show near Oundle. This helicopter was G-BAKF. "KF" was (back on page 3 of this thread) one of the 'mystery' helicopters in Speechless Two's photographic journal of his exploits in Rhodesia during their elections of 1980.

G-BAKF was operated by Dollar Helicopters at the time of your photo .. who in turn were the owners of another JetRanger you posted .. G-BALC, which you photographed at the RAF Halton Show in 1984.

Now G-BALC was of interest to us some while back on the thread because before her days with Dollar she was owned by F.W. Farnsworth of Nottingham. Now what (one may ask) was significant about F.W. Farnsworth? Well, not much really, except that they traded as 'Pork Farms' and (according to my godfather) this helicopter at one time used to have the slogan "Pork Farm Sausages" emblazoned across her hide! This was a matter of some buffoonery on the part of my godfather who chided her pilot enquiring if they were going to apply for the call sign "Pork Farms 206" or perhaps even "Sausage 1". All done in good humour of course!

And seeing as I have mentioned the Colonel .. G-BBBM (which you also posted) was at one time (1973-74) operated by my godfather before being sold to Alan Mann. The craft ended-up being purchased by the Daily Express newspaper who owned her for 7 years before selling her to a Belgian buyer.
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