Redhill, Main Hangar
A lot of pics I've probably posted before and the info was correct as of 2002.
Redhill, Main Hangar.......you either loved it or hated it. Many engineers ended up here during their "corrective training".
Personally, I was lucky enough to be involved in many interesting and varied projects although the organisation of most of them drove me close to resignation more than once!
My wife, Jan, also worked there in the IT department but I didn't meet her until she ended up working behind the bar in my local pub!!!
Around the mid-seventies a new head office was constructed at Redhill Aerodrome, in Surrey. Bristows had been operating here for many years from some of the older hangars on the airfield and it was decided to combine the office block with a new relatively large hangar.
During the last 25 years, Redhill's main hangar has been involved with heavy maintenance, line maintenance, major epairs and modification programmes on Bristow aircraft as well as customer machines. The scope of work carried out has been immense, from the smallest scheduled maintenance inspection up to Search and Rescue conversions and major accident repairs.
With its on-site C.A.A. approved design office, sheet metal department and avionic workshop the hangar has been able to carry out industry leading modifications such as I.H.U.M.S. ( Integrated Health and Usage Monitoring System) and the Dual Hoist fit on the S.A.R. Sikorsky S-61s.
This photo shows the base layout. The building with the blue door now houses the sheet metal and avionic departments. For many years the Bristows empire was controlled from the offices behind the hangar.
A 1977 picture showing a couple of Bristow Bell 212s, a Beech Baron and ex Ghanian or South African Wessex.
A Guiness Book of Record attempt at seeing how many Bell 212s can be squashed into a fixed area. These were ex- Iran machines after the pull-out, and apparently all arrived over one weekend.
Yet another typical Redhill Main Hangar collection, a couple of Bristow S76s, a customer Super Puma and of course the everlasting Bell 212s which, incidentally, is what I worked on the first day I joined Bristows in 1979.
Redhill Aerodrome before the main office block/hangar were constructed. At this time Bristows operated from the hangars on the left.
Remember modifying this one at Redhill.....
To be continued.........................