Bristow Photos

[Fareastdriver]

A Little Known Operation

In April 1986 a short drilling contract came up in Haverfordwest, South Wales. One 76, GBISZ, was purloined off Redhill as the sole aircraft. The Aberdeen A team was sent down to pick up the aircraft and run the operation. In charge was Action Man plus two pilots, ably supported by Redhill hangar’s best..

We operated from offices rented from a one ship plank operator which also included hangar space. The flying depended on the same criteria as Sumburgh in the eighties. You waited until the fixed wing from Aberdeen arrived and then you took them on to the rig. When Haverfordwest was socked in then it would go to Brawdy, just up the road, so no problem for us to shuttle them from there. The rig was only thirty minutes away so you could always go to Cardiff.

Action Man was incredibly fastidious as I found out after my first flight. Whilst I was waiting for the engine wash he presented me with a copy, written in copperplate, of my MSLS to sign. This was because one of the major advantages of my life was that nobody could read my handwriting so I couldn’t be nailed for anything. His role expanded to planning the flight log, filling in the MSLS and doing the compressor wash. In the end all I had to do was pitch up twenty minutes before T/O, climb into the aircraft, do the trip, step out, sign a couple of forms and go back to the hotel.

All good things come to an end and so did this contract. I was detailed to take SZ back to Redhill. The route took me just south of Odiham. my last RAF base, so I thought it might be a good idea to nip into the old squadron and show them my shiny S76. A chat with the powers at Redhill where I explained that as the company was on the lookout for pilots my showing up might be enough for a few to return the Queen’s shilling. This was agreed as long as there were no landing charges. I confirmed this fact with Odiham and it was laid on.

I took off from Haverfordwest and in the back I had one of our pilots and a Redhill engineer plus two bits of Welsh totty off for a dirty weekend in the Smoke. The general track was East and I cleared with Cardiff and then up came Bristol. I flicked through the Aerad and the first one I saw was Bristol, Filton. This I was happy with because the last time I had been in this area was when I delivered a Valiant to Filton in 1965. I called up Filton, gave them an overhead and everybody was happy. Apart from this Shorts Sherpa that went by at right angles about 300 ft below me. That’s when Filton asked me to contact some airfield called Bristol Lulsgate.

There was bit of a discussion and it was apparent that I had erred slightly. Maybe more because it was quite common for amateur pilots to inadvertently brush a Control Zone but I, being a professional, had gone through the whole thing, longways. I then continued to Odiham.

Lots of interest in the aircraft at Odiham. Strange things like VORs ILSs, weather radar and NO oil leaks. The girls had coffee in the crewroom looking slightly shaken. They hadn’t expected to arrive at Odiham via a 60degree/2G/100ft break over the squadron offices. The proceedings were then slightly soured by the adjutant asking me to telephone the supervisor at Lulsgate.

I apologised profusely to him and I thought that was that. I continued to Redhill and then followed a miserable train journey back to Wales to pick up my car.

Two weeks later a call from Flight Safety at Redhill. Bristol had filed an MOR and the CAA wanted an explanation. I wrote the most grovelling apology, pointing out that Lulsgate was over the page from Filton.

They Let Me Off!!!!!! Either it was a brilliant story or they couldn’t make head or tail out of what I was writing about. It kept my sheet clean so that in the end when I retired I could claim forty-eight years of undetected crime.