Pilots who worked in Gladstone QLD around 1983

[belly tank]

Hi Guys,

Whilst sitting here in the office staying out of the torrential rain today, i thought id revisit my childhood experiences that got me into helos!

I went with my folks when i was 6ish on a flight from gladstone to heron island in an orange allouette. this was my first experience it was awesome, then we returned in a white and orange jetranger with fixed floats, ive got pics in my album of it.

anyone know who was flying up there then was it lloyds then i think, i remember sitting up fromt in the 206 and asking the pilot what that thing does (being the collective) and why so many guages in that thing in front of me! i remember not looking out the window much but just looking at the dials and controls the whole 30 mins!!

needless to say 22 years later i would be flying one for a living!. just curious who the pilots were up there and if there still around thats all, they got me hooked on these wonderful pieces of machinery.

cheers

BT

[peter manktelow]

It was Helitrans for a longish period ....and before that I think it may have been Airfast. (Nigel , help me here....you should , as senior industry statesman , be accredited as the Oz Historian...a lot of nostalgia lately , eh)

Anyhow I never flew the line there but the base manager at the time was Brian Eaton who gave me my first float endorsement (206) in Gladstone in 1970 something.....I dont have my log book with me but it wud have been late 70's. Llloyds came in after them.

John Wood (DY) spent some time there. Of course Peter Crook was our Chief Pilot ...

Heady days were those Helitrans days , mostly in PNG.

regards.......Peter:8

[belly tank]

Thanks Peter,

Im pretty sure i remember a Lloyds logo, and i have a picture of a longranger also which was orange and white can recall the rego's as i was too young to even know, and even the pics i got which my folks took dont have regos in the pics, ill have a closer look tonight if i can spot a rego.

thanks for the info anyhow

BT

[Nigel Osborn]

Hi Manky

Never spent much time in Gladstone.

Helicopter Utilities/Airfast operated 206s there in the 60s, then I think Helitrans. As Helitrans had Alouettes, that must have been theirs. They also had a S62 which Brian E put in the water, closely followed by a 206! Later a Bell 214St, not to mention a S76!!!! Lloyds took over with 206s and maybe a 412 although CASA gave them some problems about pad sizes for OEI rejects.

Airfast had a double fatality when the pilot and island manager took off one night in a 206 in response to some emergency flares let off by some stupid boaties. Flew into the sea at full speed. Lloyds also had a fatality in a 206 about 1992.

Memory bank failing!!!:ok:

[evod]

I was flying in Indonesia a couple of years ago and ran into american/indo crews running a 212 between the newmont mine on Sumbawa and Bali. The company was Airfast and their machines were painted all yellow. Also ran into the airfast mob iat Harlim airport in downtown jakarta just after they bought a couple of md900's to service the rigs off the seribu islands. Any link between this airfast and the one operating out of Gladstone back in the 70's?

:ok:

[peter manktelow]

Airfast Indonesia is the only surviving child of a long dead parent , Airfast (Australia). I dont think Airfast Indonesia has any links now , money or management with Australia ..in any shape or form.

Airfast , at one time had operations all over Australia , PNG and Asia. It was a big company. S61 , S58T's , 204 , 205 , FH100 , S62 B206 etc etc

I have a copy of the history of the helicopter mustering industry in Australia. Thanks Bill.

I would love to see similiar for the rest of the Australian industry. Would be great reading.

regards......Peter:8

[Nigel Osborn]

Helicopter Utilities started in Sydney in the 60s. When the 206 and other turbine machines came on the market, they changed their name to Airfast to sound a bit more up market. Airfast operated in Australia, PNG, Fiji, Korea, Singapore and Indonesia & maybe somewhere else as my memory is fading. At one time, they had over 150 pilots and 100 aircraft, planks as well as helicopters, which made them one of the biggest outfits in the charter business.
In the 70s Airfast Australia was sold off, so the owner could concentrate on his cattle station. The overseas outfits were sold off, some changed names with their new owners but Airfast Indonesia kept that name with their new owner, American I think.
I flew with H.U / Airfast for 6 years and found the management very nice and was paid every cent and an unexpected bonus when I left to join DCA. I also received all my field leave and holiday pay without any arguement.
They were the first to import and try out new machines and some older types such as the 206, 212, FH1100, BO105, S55, S58, S62, etc.:{
I forgot the 204,205, S58T,S61

[belly tank]

I was looking at my photo album last night at some shots my folks took of me when i was a nipper standing next to a Allouette at gladstone.

It was all orange and on the doors were the letters in blach H.I.H
not sure if this gives you old stalwarts any idea but just something i observed. i couldnt make out any rego's though.

Oh...there also was in the photo a flight attendant loading the Allouette with bags etc...she had long blond hair and wearing a light blue uniform!!

Anyway its good to hear some history up there as it all got me interested in this wonderful world of aviation!!

Cheers

BT

[Nigel Osborn]

The flight attendant could have been Manky in the days he had hair!!!:ok:

HIH could have been Heron Island Helicopters.

[evod]

Peter and Nigel, thanks for the info. When i left Indo in 2002 airfast still had some operations in Kalimantan, Java and Sumbawa. However the sumbawa gig was to be taken over by a cessna caravan on floats due to the proximity of the newmont mine to the ocean. Go the beancounters...

Jumpa lagi and bintang bir besar untuk saya!

Cheers :ok: