G-AVII Bristow IR 206

[heliski22]

Just picking up from another thread, G-AVII seems to have been central to the IR of a great many pilots.

Does anybody have any idea just how many or when it started as a training aircraft?

It may not merit a thread of its own - or maybe it does?

[XV666]

My first exposure to civvie IR, about 1978. What you don't know can't hurt you: talk about young and innocent ;)

[leading edge]

India India was used from around 1979-80 as a basic instrument trainer.

In early 1981, she went to Redhill for the dual panel, autopilot, Decca installation. She went back to the IR Training School in North Denes in mid 1981. The procedure trainer never quite caught up with her then "state of the art" instrument fit.

What great memories of the GY training school, Terry Kelly, John Dodgson and Wilf Busch as procedure trainer instructors. Happy days......

[HughMartin]

Have just checked my old log books. I flew G-AVII in January 1975 instrument training with John Nicholls as instructor.

Her sister ship G-AVIG was based at Redhill along with G-AVKG. G-AXKF and G-AWMK ( I also have G-AXVO in my log book for that period but according to the CAA database that was a BAC 1-11 so looks like I was as bad at keeping an accurate logbook then as I am now).

To be given a Jetranger to fly solo around the south of England (including the London heli lanes) with only 40hrs helicopter time on the Hiller 12E and 3 hours on the 206 was a real privilege. The instructors at Redhill, Stan Sollitt, Mike Dean, Lemmy Tanner etc were great guys. To be then sent to Aberdeen and put in the cockpit of an S61 with the likes of Bob Weston and Mike Norris as instructors gave me, and others, the best training any helicopter pilot could wish for.

From the CAA database G-AVII was built in 1967 and as of 31/12/2007 had flown 18871 hrs.

[SASless]

Decca....."state of the art"?

Ah, yes.....Decca and the last remaining Consol Station in Norway....however could we have found Teeside without them!:rolleyes::rolleyes:


For you youngsters out there.....

Consol was a radio beacon operating at 1 kilometer (300 kHz), with three fixed antennas in a row spaced a kilometer (one wavelength) apart. The antennas produced a complicated signal that allowed determination of the radial to the beacon. It performed a cycle of transmissions as follows:

* Broadcast of an omnidirectional beacon signal for 6 seconds, along with a station identification code, presumably in the form of Morse letters.

* A "break" of transmission for 2 seconds.

* Broadcast of a complex signal for 30 seconds that consisted of dots and dashes leading up to a tone. The radial was given by the number of dots and dashes before the tone.

* Another break of transmission for 2 seconds.

If the aircraft was on a track roughly perpendicular to the beacon, the navigator could get a fix on it at two different locations along the flight path and use simple triangulation to determine the aircraft's position.

[206Fan]

For you youngsters out there.....

Consol was a radio beacon operating at 1 kilometer (300 kHz), with three fixed antennas in a row spaced a kilometer (one wavelength) apart. The antennas produced a complicated signal that allowed determination of the radial to the beacon. It performed a cycle of transmissions as follows:

* Broadcast of an omnidirectional beacon signal for 6 seconds, along with a station identification code, presumably in the form of Morse letters.

* A "break" of transmission for 2 seconds.

* Broadcast of a complex signal for 30 seconds that consisted of dots and dashes leading up to a tone. The radial was given by the number of dots and dashes before the tone.

* Another break of transmission for 2 seconds.

If the aircraft was on a track roughly perpendicular to the beacon, the navigator could get a fix on it at two different locations along the flight path and use simple triangulation to determine the aircraft's position.

Yes we know, yous had your work cut out for yous in them days.. That we youngsters admire:D:D

[Tail-take-off]

Hugh


Her sister ship G-AVIG was based at Redhill along with G-AVKG. G-AXKF and G-AWMK ( I also have G-AXVO in my log book for that period but according to the CAA database that was a BAC 1-11 so looks like I was as bad at keeping an accurate logbook then as I am now).

I think you mean G-AWVO currently registered G-WIIZ.
http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/GImages/G-WIIZ001.jpg

G-AVIG was written off in Antartica in 1985 and G-AWMK is currently G-GAND.
http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/GImages/G-GAND002.jpg

G-AVKG is a Cessna 172 (the only jetranger registration anything like that is G-AVIG). G-AXKF is registered in Australia.

Personally I only flew "Double India" for 5 hours of Instrument proceedure training with Bob Balls back in '89 en route between the Redhill FTS & Aberdeen.

[Oldlae]

G-AVIG late sixties Redhill.

http://i397.photobucket.com/albums/pp52/fchammings/bristow/206old_big.jpg

[Tail-take-off]

At the risk of drifting the thread:http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z74/Tail-take-off/b1.jpg

[chopper2004]

G-AVII came to my old haunts in summer 04 bringing JC and an S76 G-BKYR with him!

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g209/longranger/JetRangerG-AVIIfinaltouchdown.jpg


http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g209/longranger/JetRangerG-AVIIlanded.jpg

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g209/longranger/JetRangerG-AVIIshuttingdownonce.jpg

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g209/longranger/JetRangerG-AVIIliftoff.jpg

[Tail-take-off]

Nice pictures chopper2004. These days double india is resplendant in the new Bristow Group colours:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2016/2168371111_cb4e5c56f7.jpg?v=0

http://www.airliners.net/photos/middle/6/3/7/1245736.jpg

[JimL]

Tail-take-off,

Recognise that picture with G-AWVO, it was me flying it over London in about 1973/4 when we were operating out of Battersea (with Ken Bradley in charge).

Jim

[hico-p]

Like HughMartin, I did some IF training on II in June 1975 - this was with Jerry Corke at North Denes.
Rather like SpeechlessTwo, who I followed from the RN a little later, my introduction to Bristows in January 1969 was fairly chaotic. Having done a fairly leisurely Whirlwind Series 3 conversion with dear Leo deVigne in preparation for the usual initial posting to Das Island or Nigeria, I was suddenly thrown into a JetRanger (G-AWLL) with Johnny Johnson for a total of 3 hours, which included, so my logbook tells me, 20 engine off landings, and then fired off to Trinidad. Sad for Rupert Wilson who had badly damaged his back in an accident there, but great for me, except for my wife of just 30 days, who had to stay behind until an accompanied posting was approved six months later!!

[John Eacott]

Another "II" stude, although with mixed memories. I did 5 trips from Redhill for IR training in February 1978, with two of them DNCO due to snow :hmm: , all with Mr McLaughlin :)

I had mixed fortunes riding my motorbike in the snow to and from Redhill, and finished up with a broken femur after an altercation with a van that pulled out in front of me whilst riding down for trip number 6 :ouch:

It wasn't until November that I caught up with II again for a better session of flights from North Deans with (?) Wood as instructor. I recall after all those hours feeling a bit cheated that it didn't allow a 206 endorsement in the licence! :rolleyes:

[magbreak]

John that may have been Mike Wood.

[Upland Goose]

When I started my IFR training at Redhill the end of 1976 we used G-AWMK - "Double India" was at ABZ I think. Both were unstabilised and the instrument panel was standard AB206 - IF panel in the "middle of the cockpit" and a raw ILS CDI (AVN210) and an ADF(KR85). How did we ever manage?

The fun part was taking up the hold at the GW or GE at Gatwick and fitting in in the ILS and NDB procedures with the big iron when it was quiet - which it seemed to be compared with now!

Des Sadler was our instructor and my compatriot was Mike Lightfoot (now flying B747-400 with BA - poor soul)

Sliding down the ILS the other night in Accra in my 28 year old S76 was just as satisfying - although give me the S76C++ to go to work.

The "box" was a converted Link Trainer with the all the bellows hissing and pissing whilst you struggled to sit on the "cone of confusion".

Good luck "Double India" you have served the industry commendably

UG:ok:

[heli1]

Following up from suggestions made on the previous thread I gather the Helicopter Museum has put in a bid to Richard Burman for Victor India India to be donated to the collection .
I am sure they would appreciate all Bristow pilots,past and present ,to now inundate Bristow HQ with letters of support.
In the event Bristow wants money maybe we can all have a whip round ?

[Allan Brown]

Great thread this, and brings back memories of flying in the back of II up to 10,000 feet over Goodwood Sussex to carry our the new autopilot 'runaways'. (I just operated the switches!) This was after the modification programme at Redhill. Mike Griffin (certainly) and Des Sadler (I think) were the pilots that day.
Thats one mod programme that certainly returned on it's investment, another down to Alistair Gordon's foresight.
Happy days!

[Upland Goose]

Allan

You are right, the SFENA Ministab although not without its foibles did the job.

I well remember flying B212 G-BCMC (Desert Fox) - first Single Pilot IFR machine on the North Sea - only a height hold and best get on with it.

As far as Alistair Gordon was concerned, the man was the technical guru, leader and driver of so many innovations - I owe my career to him.

Good to know the ex BUA apprentices are still live and kicking! You and I were the only two that drifted in Bristow and were eternally glad of the experience.

PM me if you have time - by the way Jimbo has retired!

Take care in Mumbai !

All the best

UG:ok:

[mazakari]

Dug a little deep to dig this thread out of 'retirement' hehe !!
Anyway, AVII is still on the flying program - she's not gone yet !!!
I have been lucky enough to work with her for almost 11 years now and will be sorry to se her go. :(

Fond memories of sticking her out on the apron and chocking the skids before the 'youngsters' came out for their trip. They would duly remove the chocks as part of their pre-flight and on their return stick the chocks back in again haha :):ok: All a bit of fun - showed true dedication and an eye for fine detail. They all saw the funny side when told later. . . . . . . . :D

I have found a few more pictures of her and rather than stick them up in the thread I have made a bit of a slide show with them. Just a bit of fun. :}

To watch, click HERE (http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=4995160933805951905&ei=9dxzScW9PJaWiQKE35TsCg&q=g-avii)

You have to click the link as it wouldn't let me embed it on this forum :sad:

maz

[nigelh]

Is she for sale or has she been sold ? I am looking for an AB206 and she would do nicely !

[Richard Lyons]

I had the pleasure/privilege of working with Steve Bell, Steve Menham and Andy Hellewell some years ago while completing my IR at Bristow's in Norwich. Tough going when coming to it a little later in life but got there in the end under the guidance of Steve and the boys in Double-India.

There were some funny moments along the way - one while returning to Norwich via Clacton following the Airway sortie to Southend. ATC cleared us only to FL90 instead of the planned FL100 (yes, I know, sounds odd in a JetRanger!) We were sitting in blue skies just on top of the cloud when Steve Bell said to me to look out just in time to see a Ryanair 737 pass above and only slightly to the left.

With his typical big grin, Steve laughed, "That's why you're at nine-zero, mate! Wonder what they'll have to say about the JetRanger they saw at 9000 feet, eh?!!"

[N495QS]

Hi guys,

I thought you might be happy to see G-AVII flying years later. Currently she's privately registered as VH-OKS in Snowy Mountains, Australia. With my girlfriend we had a great time filming and flying on her a few months ago in Jindabyne, as well as talking to her owner Jeff and the pilot for the day Mike. She's currently the oldest flying Jetranger in Australia. And still looking and sounding great.

I put two videos on youtube and a photo on flickr, hope you enjoy.

Bell 206 take off Jindabyne , Snowy Mountains - YouTube

Bell 206 low pass and little helicopter magic in Jindabyne - YouTube

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7133/7660000328_e017acfa9d.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/krzysztofmalek/7660000328/)
VH-OKS (http://www.flickr.com/photos/krzysztofmalek/7660000328/) by Krzysztof Malek (http://www.flickr.com/people/krzysztofmalek/), on Flickr

Regards,
Krzysztof

[gulliBell]

You don't see them bolted to low skids very often (nor should I mention see them fly backwards whilst climbing or those spinning vertical cimbs up into the H/V avoid area :uhoh:)

[LXGB]

Still going! 🙂

https://www.facebook.com/276801725728264/posts/2635353463206400/

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/960x720/fb_img_1557480177885_b6b0338ec91589b9c31151605a4ecf76afb17f5 0.jpg