Alan Bristow RIP

[Non-Driver]

One of the original legends sadly passed away last night.

[inmate]

RIP my friend.
You talked me into this wonderful side of aviation and we have seen it grow and flourish.
You have been a pillar and foundation for our industry, many of us have you to thank for where we are today.
I have been lucky enough over the years to thank you, and you can rest in peace with the knowledge that you will never be forgotten.
As a member of the industry that you help create our thoughts and prayers go out to your family, we will always be there for them.
God speed Alan, pull the collective mate one more time.

Your Friend.
Mike.

[Fareastdriver]

RIP Old Man.. The best boss I have ever known and flown for.

[Oldlae]

AEB will be sadly missed, he set up the best helicopter company in the world, he should have been knighted years ago.

[mtoroshanga]

The end of an era. The helicopter world will be the poorer. RIP.

[Barndweller]

Never met him, but my entire career and those of countless others has been shaped by him, along with an entire industry.

Condolences to his family and friends

[Rescue1]

So sad to hear this news Alan was one of the Helicopter Greats. RIP.

[Ongoing Saga]

A sad loss. He was one of the great entrepreneurs of the 20th century; recognised the market, knew how to exploit it and built a leading company in a relatively new field. OK, he didn't see eye to eye with everybody but he provided strong leadership, exciting prospects and secure employment for a lot of people. Thanks Alan.

[stacey_s]

Well said Oldlae, yes he should of, and yes honored to have met and worked for THE 'Ole Man', RIP.

[Owl 83]

He hired me in 1974 and gave me opportunities never dreamed of.
A real entrepreneur and the company has gone down in my opinion since he left.
THANK YOU Mr. Bristow!
I think the fact that our company still carries his name speaks volumes to the man and those he employed.

[griffothefog]

I remember meeting the "great man" back in the 70's alighting from the HS 125 in Sumburgh... A more tetchy, miserable git you could not meet.... BUT,
a great entrepeneur and innovator of indusrtry. I'm sure if you had his right side he would of come over differently....:{

Did he not turn down the sword on each shoulder???

Without Bristow, there would probably never be the aviation world so much of us enjoy today. RIP you old git..:ok:

[3D CAM]

RIP Mr. Bristow.
He built the best Helicopter Company in the world, bar none! Gave employment to hundreds, who even now are loyal to his name.:ok:
I will raise a glass tonight and say a big thank you to "Big Al". A sad day.
3D

[In the clouds]

This is to inform you all that as of yesterday Capt. Alan Bristow is no longer with us.

Our thoughts and prayers to the family.

[Buitenzorg]

Never met the man, and now I will never have the opportunity. My loss.

A much greater loss for our industry though. I hope that everything Alan Bristow stood for, warts and all, can somehow be re-discovered by our industry.

RIP Alan Bristow.

[leading edge]

AEB had been really very sick for some time but I know as recently as last week he had some of his old company Directors to his house working on finishing writing a book about his years in the industry.

In true form, he was, apparently, being argumentative as usual which was such an integral part of his truly great character. Alan didn't make an industry by always agreeing with everyone. Its good to know he was a character to the very end.

As others have said, he with his associates built the best helicopter company ever, gave so many a start in a great industry and was the pioneer of what we do now. I have the greatest respect for him and will never forget him.

RIP "The Old Man"

[Droopy]

His company gave me my career along with many others. Met him twice, found him to be exactly as the image. He was a pioneer, even a buccaneer, and the world has changed; there won't be another like him in the rotary world.

[malaprop]

Given his relationship with Philip it was unlikely he would ever be knighted.

[carholme]

I met him once when I worked for Bristow and again when I was at Sealand Helicopters in Newfoundland. He arrived in Newfoundland with the 125 under the cloak of United Helicopters when he and Mr. Dobbin were both seeking to acquire Okanagan Helicopters.

Rest well, Sir.

carholme

[WhirlwindIII]

Capt. Alan Bristow

Sorry to hear of his passing.

"...gave so many a start in a great industry"..."raise a glass tonight and say a big thank you to "Big Al" ".

Perhaps we should all 'raise a collective glass, tonight''.

Cheers, God Speed, and thank you...

WIII

[PoloJamie]

Alan Bristow created a fantastic company which gave opportunities to hundreds of people. He will be greatly missed. RIP Alan.

[SASless]

The "Old Man" was a real helicopter pilot! Without a doubt.....he was the best Boss I ever had......as I had absolutely nothing but respect and admiration for the Man.

Anyone who would throw Douglas Bader into a swimming pool....tin legs and all has to be admired!

[parabellum]

AB called Bader a "tin legged git" at some meeting/dinner or other, Bristow had to wait a very long time for another Shell contract! Wouldn't have helped with the knighthood either I suspect.

My Day 1 with Bristows. "Take the boss's (yellow) Bell47 to Gatwick, pick up AB, (then MD BUA), fly him to Battersea, drop him off and come back"

Duly fly Redhill LGW very carefully, first civvy flight ever, park on grass outside the office. AB comes out, "I will fly", and departs due North across the approach. Half way to London he says, "You take the train back", which I do. Arrive back at office, "Bloody fine mess you made of your first flight for the company, collected a violation at LGW no less".

Me: "please explain?" Them: "You flew right across the approach on departure, no ATC clearance"

Me: "I wasn't flying, AB was" Them: "Well he told ATC it was you!"

Thanks Alan! Still not such a bad old sod though, gave me my first job.

Sleep well.

[NickLappos]

Alan Bristow - A fine man, a great pilot and a legend in his time. I had to peel him away from throwing Sikorsky CEO Gerry Tobias into the swimming pool at the Jupiter Beach Resort at a celebration of the first flight of the S76! I was proud to call Alan a friend. I shall miss him.

[Geoffersincornwall]

Bristow (Alastair Gordon actually) gave me my first job in civvy street. First sight of the 'Old Man' was in the hangar in Aberdeen where he harangued one of our US pilots for having long hair. Rumour was he was followed everywhere by a guy who had to re-employ all those that AB had taken a sudden dislike to and summarily sacked. Quite a character. Had the pleasure of flying him down to Hickstead one year - an intimidating prospect as my boss insisted he sit in the front of my 206. All went well however and there was no attempt to take control - I deliberately left the duals in the boot!

A strong character that set the standards for our industry and provided an able foil to what seemed an inept group of regulators at the time.

G

[TipCap]

I was very sad to hear the news of Alan Bristow's death when I came into work this morning.

I joined Bristow's in 1968 when he was pilot No 1 and I was pilot No 72. A remarkable character. Love him or hate him, you knew where you stood. You had to admire and respect the guy.

He also had a remarkable memory as he proved to me on more than one occasion. Quite scary really

He was certainly an entrepreneur and in the "Old Days", it was "his" Company and he was fiercely proud of it. Those of us who worked with him from the early days knew that and worked for him with pride.

As I come up to my 40 years working for the Company, I will miss him. I was going to write to him and tell him that someone lasted the course!!!

My sympathies and thoughts are with his wife Heather and son Lawrence.

TC

[G550-PIC]

I never met him, but i know he has done a lot for Bristow and has brought joy to the heli. industry.He has accomplished a lot.

May he rest in peace.

[idle stop]

RIP the 'Old Man', and condolences to his family.
He was a real pioneer. It is at least fitting that, as well as the memory of him, his name lives on in the Bristow 'brand', despite the chequered ownership history of the company he founded.

[Attila]

Met him when I first joined the company in 1981, what a character!! My TRE was Mike Bill and we were walking through OPs in Aberdeen. The Man was coming the other way and Mike said "That's the Boss, don't expect to talk to him." AB walks across and says "Who are you, where have you come from??" When I told him Abu Dhabi, he started to rant on about how the Sheiks had tried to diddle him out of money, ending up with "Now f**k off and earn me some revenue."

Met him again some years later at Gatwick, whilst waiting for a medical, after he had been ousted. He actually remembered our previous, abeit brief, meeting.

God Bless Boss, sleep well. My most sincere condolences to Heather, Lawrence and Linda.

[Rokan1]

My first encounter with Alan Bristow was in early 1970 during my first month with the company, on a weekend morning at Redhill as duty engineer whilst carrying out a pre-flight inspection on Tommy Sopwith’s Bell 206. The handover log stated that the aircraft was to be prepared and fueled for Mr. Bristow’s weekend trip to France.

I was on a step-ladder with the L/H engine access panel open, going through the P/F checks in that area when I was approached by a stocky, thin haired chap wearing a loud Hawaiian shirt & shorts. As the Tiger Club was immediately adjacent to the hangar I naturally assumed that he was one of the many Tiger Club members & visitors who routinely rubber-necked through our facility at weekends. (As indeed we did in the Tiger Club Hangar) He casually asked me what was going on, and I informed him that this particular aircraft belonged to Tommy Sopwith, and that I was preparing it for Mr. Alan Bristow’s visit to France…. “Hmm, very interesting” he said, and wandered off.

45 minutes later I had the aircraft fully prepared on pad 1 with full fuel and a start-cart at the ready when the Rolls Royce swept across the apron, and out jumped Hawaiian shirt + weekend baggage etc. He walked up to me with his hand extended and a huge grin on his face and said… “I’m Alan Bristow – You’re new here aren’t you!”

I met him on many other occasions, mostly during his overseas operational visits. He was always immensely inspirational; both professionally and socially, provided you didn’t trade in bull****.

R.I.P. Uncle Alan.

[soggyboxers]

How sad that one of the last of the great characters and pioneers of the helicopter industry has gone to meet his maker. He did so much in his career even before he started what was to become Bristow Helicopters and I hope that someone in the company as it now is will try and publish a memorial book of his life and work.

Though often difficult and argumentative he was a great boss and someone who I will always remember with respect, admiration and affection.

He gave me my first job after I left the Royal Marines and I thought the company was great to work for with so much variety available and many opportunities for career advancement. I remember one of the (many!) times I had quit was when I was particularly mad that he'd given me stick for doing something which I thought was in the best interests of the company and I decided to go to Abu Dhabi. He was visiting Aberdeen with Alastair Gordon and i was spending a few days of my leave with Graham Jeffs there, so he asked if I'd be prepared to meet him. He was genuinely surprised that his rant over the telephone should have upset me and said he wanted me to stay on. He asked if I'd stay on if he was prepared to unconditionally apologise to me. What could I say, if 'The Old Man' was prepared to apologise to the likes of me? Naturally I accepted and he did the usual Alan Bristow thing; stuck out his hand, gave me a slap on the back and told me just to ignore him next time he shouted at me and tell him to go forth and procreate as well :}.

I got to meet him quite a few times when I was at Redhill FTS, after he'd sold his share i the company, but still came in to visit quite often. He still had a very keen interest in the future of 'his' company.

I'm lucky to have known him and proud to have worked for him when he was 'The Boss'.

RIP Alan and condolences to Heather and his family.

[Capot]

Abu Dhabi, mid 70.s........

Alan Bristow was in town, and around midday told his base there to cease all flying except casevacs, because the oil company had upset him in some way - an intractable contract dispute, I think.

That pretty much shut down the oil company's largely offshore operations within a few hours. The impact on the company was huge.

That same evening, about 150 people were at an A-list cocktail party given by that oil company's boss for local bigwigs, representatives of most large companies etc etc. The usual compulsory, boring evening, planned long before the problem with AB.

We had been there about 30 minutes in our best suits when Alan Bristow breezed through the main doorway, larger than life, Hawaian shirt, beaming and glad-handing everyone in the room as though he hadn't got a care in the world.

What a performer. What chutzpah. Great man.

[Pat Malone]

Obituary from tomorrow's Times:

The founder of one of the world’s largest helicopter services companies, Alan Bristow, whose attempted takeover of Westland Helicopters led to the Westland Affair, which eventually caused severe embarrassment to the Government of Margaret Thatcher in the mid-1980s, was managing director and then chairman of Bristow Helicopters from 1954 to 1985.

A test pilot and helicopter pioneer, Bristow was a quixotic and unorthodox businessman whose helicopters worked the skies over every country in the world outside the Soviet bloc, and were crucial in the development of North Sea oil. A colourful, brawling personality with a towering temper, he was as happy in the company of whaling captains in South American bars as he was drinking champagne with Aristotle Onassis in the Hermitage in Monte Carlo.
He won the Croix de Guerre in 1950 for rescuing wounded French Foreign Legion soldiers in Indochina and was appointed OBE for services to aviation in 1966. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society in 1967. A former chief executive of British United Airways, he numbered Douglas Bader, the Shah of Iran and the Duke of Edinburgh among his circle of friends, represented Great Britain at four-in-hand carriage driving and survived countless helicopter crashes and flying stunts of his own devising that were, in his own words, “bloody insane”.
Alan Edgar Bristow was born in Balham, South London, in 1923, and was brought up in Bermuda where his father, Sydney, was in charge of the naval dockyard. He moved to Portsmouth, when his father was promoted, and attended Portsmouth Grammar School with the author James Clavell, who remained a lifelong friend and wrote a book, Whirlwind, which was a fictionalised account of one of Bristow’s adventures. This occurred in 1979 when he extracted all his staff and most of his helicopters from Iran in a dawn operation under the guns of the Ayatollah Khomeini’s Revolutionary Guard.
After the Second World War broke out on his 16th birthday Bristow joined the British India Steamship Company as a deck officer cadet and was sunk twice, once aboard SS Malda by Japanese warships, and again aboard SS Hatarana by the German submarine U214 off the Azores. A squat, powerful man, Bristow was an unbeaten exponent of that vicious brand of shipboard boxing in which men fought when tied together at the ankle.
He was present at the evacuation of Rangoon in 1942 and the Operation Torch landings in North Africa in 1942 but jumped ship to join the Fleet Air Arm in 1944. Graduating in the top four of his pilot training course, he was sent to New York to learn to fly the Sikorsky R4 and became one of the first Britons to master the difficult and unpredictable early helicopter.
Bristow was hired as Westland Aircraft Company’s first helicopter test pilot in 1947, at a time when 25 per cent of the UK test pilot population was being killed every year, and survived many close calls. His record was six engine failures in different helicopters in one day. Always on a short fuse, Bristow was sacked for knocking out Westland’s sales manager after an argument, and moved to Paris to run an ad hoc helicopter operation where his duties included flying up and down the Seine with a pair of circus trapeze artists slung beneath his machine. He survived one crash when the ladder got wrapped around his tail boom and tore it off, and another when he was overcome by DDT fumes while spraying oranges in Algeria. After he had crashed in Senegal when an engine mounting bolt sheared, he fixed the helicopter with baling wire and flew it 30 kilometres to Dakar.
Bristow moved to Indochina in 1949 to try to interest the French Armée de l’Air in buying Hiller Helicopters for the evacuation of wounded in their colonial war with the Viet Minh, and was awarded the Croix de Guerre for rescuing four men under mortar fire. He managed to sell eight Hillers to the French, his first financial coup, but threw in his lot with a group of ex-SS mercenaries who were leaving the Foreign Legion to join a pirate whaling fleet operated by Aristotle Onassis.
For four whaling seasons Bristow flew underpowered and unreliable helicopters up to 100 miles out over the Antarctic Ocean, on one occasion surviving only by landing on an iceberg to sit out a snowstorm when his rotor blade iced up. His second financial coup came in 1953 when he sold the patents for a helicopter-borne humane killer for whales to the Netherlands Whaling Company, although it was banned by the International Whaling Commission the following year.
By then Bristow had moved into oil exploration support, having met the legless fighter ace Douglas Bader, who was in charge of Shell Oil’s aviation interests worldwide. Starting in the Persian Gulf in 1955, Bristow Helicopters expanded across the world, and by 1959 Bristow was a tax exile in Bermuda. There he was tracked down by Freddie Laker, who wanted to buy Bristow Helicopters on behalf of Air Holdings, a joint venture between blue-chip companies including P&O, Lord Cayzer’s British & Commonwealth, Eagle Star and Lazards which included the private airline British United Airways. Bristow was happy to sell a stake in order to get access to friendly capital, but their valuations of the company were £67,000 apart. Both gambling men, they settled the issue by tossing a coin at a lunch after which Bristow’s accountant George Fry needed medical treatment. Bristow won. On the proceeds he was able to build a substantial home and buy two estates in Surrey, one of which, Baynards, became renowned as one of the finest shoots in England and attracted sheikhs, captains of industry and oil company executives.
Bristow Helicopters continued to expand at remarkable pace, with Bristow gambling everything on the success of North Sea gas and oil exploration and seeing his risk amply rewarded. In 1968 he took over as chief executive of British United Airways and restored it to profitability, before selling it to Caledonian Airways three years later and returning to Bristow Helicopters.
Always inclined to brinkmanship in industrial and commercial relations, he resigned in 1985 in an argument with Lord Cayzer over Bristow’s offer of a seat on the board to Bobby Suharto, son of the Indonesian President. Cayzer arranged to buy Bristow out, leaving him with no financial interest in the company he had founded.
The following year Bristow, a staunch Conservative Party supporter who had provided helicopters free to Margaret Thatcher during election campaigns, mounted a takeover bid for Westland Helicopters, but the bid foundered when he discovered a £41 million government loan that had not been declared in the company’s books. In a bewildering series of political machinations, Westland was instead acquired by the American company Sikorsky, leading to the resignation of two Cabinet ministers, Michael Heseltine and Leon Brittan. At one of several parliamentary inquiries into the deal Bristow claimed that establishment figures had twice offered him a knighthood in return for help smoothing the affair. He was not knighted.
Bristow could be terrifying in a rage and had a reputation for sacking people on a whim, but many of his pilots and executives stayed with him for decades. He was loyal and generous to those who had worked for him and retained the friendship of his workforce to the end of his life. He continued to invent and innovate, building a rapid transit vehicle for town centres in the late 1980s and winning the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award for Agricultural Innovation for creating water beds for dairy cows, which he licensed profitably to Dunlop.
After his departure, Bristow Helicopters passed through several hands before being bought out by the American giant Offshore Logistics Inc. Bristow was gratified when the American multinational changed its own name to Bristow Group because, according to its president, William Chiles, the name was “solid gold” in the oil industry worldwide. The company remains as significant player in the world of helicopters.
Bristow is survived by his wife, Heather, and a son from his first marriage. A daughter of his first marriage, and his first wife, predeceased him.
Alan Bristow, OBE, Croix de Guerre, founder of Bristow Helicopters, was born on September 3, 1923. He died on April 26, 2009, aged 85

[flyer43]

What an absolutely brilliant obituary for an absolutely brilliant man!
Even though there were occasions when you could cheerfully throttle him, you couldn't help but admire what he had done and what he was capable of doing.
Having been the appointed "safety pilot" for him on numerous occasions in his latter years with the company, I have very fond memories of some very bizarre flights. Although the route he would chose to take was sometimes a "little" off the required track, the handling skills he had no doubt honed during his days as Westland's Test Pilot were more than obvious.
The helicopter world has lost a great innovator and an even greater character.

Rest well Boss!

[Frankie B]

I hope he managed to finish that book. Too late for my late hubby who was once a training captain with Bristow in ABZ, but it'll be on my Christmas list for sure.

My condolences to his loved ones.

FB

[africacorps]

I would like to concur with everyones comments,a truly great man and boss. I had met him several times in Abz during 70`s 80`s, to sum up several comments/storys,I was driving back from work one night in early 2003 ish with usual Abz weather when my mobile went off,I recognised the voice and when I introduced myself he remembered who I was and asked after my family after all that time.
It turned out he was going to fly to Gt Yarmouth to thank the guys for there contribution to his present of a silver replica of his boat,I think it was for 50 yrs of BHL and he wanted there phone number,I turned my car round and drove another 15 miles back to office to get the info he wanted! he had left company 18 yrs previously but did I hesitate to comply with his request,NO WAY! I cannot think of any boss nowadays I would do that for!!
Condolences to Lawrence and Linda,
RIP Big Al.

P.R

[chequePilot]

Built a great company and was proud to have been employed by Bristows, a name synonymous with professionalism. Thank you for the honour.
RIP Skipper.

[flysmart2]

I heard of his legendary name some 29 years ago, at the beginning of my career. I used to dream of becoming one of his pilots, 6 years ago that dream became a reality, have learned lots of things, met many friends, enjoyed every moment of it .
I thank god for blessing me with such a unique way of putting bread on my family table.
Two years ago, I had the opportunity to meet the legend in person, for sure a moment I will treasure, now that he has transcended this form of life, I say good bye to this visionary man.
Flysmart2

[aseanaero]

This thread has been a fascinating read so far

Bristow's do have a very professional reputation and it's interesting to see glimpses of the the 'man' from the inside from people who knew him.

Like so many 'hard men' if this is balanced by a genuine loyalty for their staff you can build a great team. No company has been great by being run by a wimp.

The fact he passed on in his 80's is a miracle , 6 engine failures in one day has to be a record.

Great stuff for a BBC mini series I think !

[Hilife]

Although not someone I could call a friend, I met Alan Bristow routinely during the 90’s and he even once invited me to accompany him to Antibes for a spot of sailing aboard his yacht.

Several years ago, a few of us had the pleasure of being invited to his estate in Sussex to discuss a couple of business opportunities over breakfast and as you would expect, he brought us back down to earth with a bump, but sound advice none the less. Breakfast for him consisted of a coffee and one of those huge cigars he always chewed on.

He had a foul temper at times and didn’t suffer fools gladly, but quite the pioneer that’s for sure and always very kind to me.

[Taff Missed]

From The Times obit....

"Bristow is survived by his wife, Heather, and a son from his first marriage. A daughter of his first marriage, and his first wife, predeceased him".

I didn't know Linda had died. She was really good news and had the same drive and enthusiasm as her father.

Taff

[Oldlae]

Funeral – at St. Nicholas Parish Church (High Street, Cranleigh, GU6 8AS) on Thursday 7th May at 14:30.

Reception following at Bramley Golf Club (Links Road, Bramley, GU5 0AL). Approx 20 mins drive to Bramley Golf Club.

Parking on Cranleigh Showground (Bookhurst Road, Cranleigh, GU6 7DW) signposted ‘Funeral Parking’. With a shuttle bus to transport people to Church and back to Showground. 5 mins journey to Church.
Last bus from Showground approx 14:10.

Suggestion is for car shares as it is also Cranleigh Market Day.

It is family flowers only at the funeral, but that others may make donations to either the RNLI, Surrey Air Ambulance, or St. Heliers Kidney Association.

[forget]

So who's up for organising a missing man formation with 5 machines. :ok:

forget. One time Bristow - and loved every minute.

[forget]

Daily Telegraph Obituary.

Alan Bristow - Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/finance-obituaries/5245637/Alan-Bristow.html)

[TipCap]

I didn't know that Linda had passed on as well.

I concur with Taff, what a fantastic woman she was. Plenty of laughs and fun. She was married to Charles (Chuck) Bond, one of Bristow's American Pilots for a while and I know she worked for a Radio Station on the South Coast. Aparently her programme was a hoot, I was told.

TC

[Alan Biles]

"So who's up for organising a missing man formation with 5 machines. http://static.pprune.org/images/smilies/thumbs.gif"

Good idea. Five Whirlwinds maybe?:eek: Or 212's....

[Pat Malone]

Both Lynda and Jean died in 2006. Laurence is the only one left.

[Oldlae]

Sorry to hear about Linda, her programme was on Southern Counties Radio. I was with Chuck at Duri, I think he was born in England and he certainly flew in Vietnam.

[onwings]

Condolences to the Bristow Family, Alan Bristow a great pioneer indeed.
He has made his mark in the sands of time.

[400]

I'm not a pilot. Alan was my great uncle. I still revere the stories I hear about him even though I never met him. I still have very fond memories of Jean, Linda and Laurence. I spent a week with my little sister at Blythe house in the early 80's I still remember we were picked up from Baynards in a jet ranger and flown to Redhill, where we were given a guided tour before being flown back. Can't remember the pilots name, but think it may have been Derek somebody,
As I said I didn't know him, but if it hasn't been for him I still would have never been in a helicopter...............happy days
can't believe no-one has mentioned the lighthouse "incident"

[WhirlwindIII]

Probably Derek Jones.

[267.4FWD]

Worked for BHL UK/ABROAD for many years and proud to have done so.
Met the old man socially,he was entertaining,ebulliant,the very person he was seen to be.
The best years of my flying career were spent in his care,a very sad loss to the aviation world:he and Alastair can have some good laughs aloft,along with Tommy Baden,another loyal servant of the company.

Sad times ,happy memories.

[parabellum]

Alan Green will be glad to see him again too.

[SASless]

You reckon they will all wind up in the same place?:uhoh:

[parabellum]

Either up or down it will definitely have a well stocked bar!;)

[Tail-take-off]

How many of the original "Air Whaling" bunch are still about?

[Pat Malone]

I think Jack Woolley may be the only Air Whaling man still alive. Am I wrong?

[carholme]

There was a very tall, thin, older engineer that I worked with in Egypt in the early '70s, first name Tom, buggered if I can think of his last name. Introduced me to Orangeboom. Am pretty sure that he told me he was there on the whaling ships.?????


carholme

[mtoroshanga]

I am sure a good friend of mine called Jim Wasd was with them as well and I think he is still around. I joined Bristow in October 1969 in South Africa and he was the Engineering Manager.

[Oldlae]

mtoro,
I think you mean Jim (Sharkey) Ward, I also think that Ken Bradley may have been in Air Whaling.
Carholme, are you thinking of Tom Gallop?

[mtoroshanga]

Thats the one though I never called him Sharkey. There was also a greenie from Air Whaling who was a chief engineer but his name escapes me.

[carholme]

Oldlae;

Spot on!! I have been trying to think of that name for days now. Thank you very much. Do you know if he did work on the whaling ops? He often talked to me about those days.

Regards

carholme

[parabellum]

There was also a greenie from Air Whaling


John Cromwell would probably have been old enough to be a young 'Greenie' with Air Whaling, I think?

[Oldlae]

Carholme,
Sorry, I can't confirm that Jim worked for Air Whaling, he once mentioned something that made me think he did.

Does anyone know when Air Whaling did its last season?

[Tail-take-off]

Does anyone know when Air Whaling did its last season?



From the book "LEADING FROM THE FRONT Bristow Helicopters the First Fifty Years" chapter 3, first sentence:


...his air whaling business came to an unexpected halt, in the spring of 1955,....


By the way is Clive Wright (former air whaler) still about? He obviously supplied much of the material for the book.

[bluesafari]

I worked with someone in the early 70s at Autair Luton, I believe name of something Cox who had been in the South Atlantic, South Georgia, etc, with Bristow, lots of interesting photos, bit of a senior thing am afraid about his first name

[mtoroshanga]

That would be Dennis Cox I think.Knew him with Autair and BEAS in the 60's and 70's. Roy Neep was another one from that era. Everyone knew everyone esle in the helicopter business in those days.

[helispeediii]

sad to hear of alan bristows last autorotation !! but what a life ?? i bought his b47 from bristows in 96, i think they sold it to spite him! i actually wanted to buy a ab 206 which was in a million bits and had been to the moon and back but bh would not sell unless i purchased the two, the b47 gasyw, was a lovelly old girl ? i had not purchased the 47 more than a couple of days ,when ab phoned me to see if he could buy it back i was at egkb then, we met for lunch what a" heliman ", anyway he could not [steal the 47 from me ] he had a look, i said he could fly it any time ,he never took me up on it , he wished me well gave me a lot of rotary advice and left me with quite an impression god bless ab helispeed iii

[Oldlae]

Tto.
Thanks.

[mtoroshanga]

I knew him from 1964 onwards, he was one of the best bosses ever, good sense of humour and rgreat with the men.

[Pat Malone]

A 'good' funeral today, with a full church to see Mr B off; highlight was the flypast as they lowered his coffin into the ground - an S76, a Bell 412, a Super Puma and, scurrying to catch up, a Bo117. Brian Collison and Richard Burman spoke in the church, but the best speech was by one of his renal nurses who confessed she'd thought of murdering him (a) with a golf club and (b) by throwing him in the pool, but she loved him anyway. Bryan Collins made an informal speech at Bramley Golf Club afterwards, and caught the tone just right; a difficult boss, always right, but a doer of deeds. Lots of oldish chaps there starting conversations with, 'I haven't seen you since...' And Steve Bond turned up, which was nice. A fitting exit.

[3D CAM]

A full house to wish the Old Man "bon voyage". Great to get the chance to be there, many thanks Mrs. Bristow. I doubt we will see another one like "Big Al"!
So many faces that haven't been seen for years. We haven't changed a bit!:) Well.. maybe just a tad.
3D

[Phil Kemp]

I was very saddened to read of the death of Alan Bristow; but he also lead a long, successful and adventure filled life - I certainly hope he was entirely satisfied with it. I know I would have been.

Like many people on this forum, I am a product of the company he created. Bristow trained me as an apprentice and put me through college. They provided superb training, experience and a pretty much unlimited range of opportunities within the organization.

He was a natural leader and certainly had a very imposing personality and presence. He was able to attract and retain a great selection of talented individuals within the organization and for that reason alone the company was able to expand and grow; despite operating multiple types, in differing roles, all over the world and employing people of every nationality and from every background.

Bristow was very much an organization with a "can-do" attitude. No matter what, where or when you wanted to do something, the people would get down and get it done. There were many people within the company that would make these things happen but it was absolutely driven from the top by a man committed to making it happen -and infusing the entire organization with the same drive and intent.

I can't claim to have ever personally known Alan Bristow, I was just a small piece of that large company. I did get to meet him many times and in many situations as I worked in various operations and locations. I also worked on the 125 and even spent a large number of weekends working on the estates at Cranleigh on all kinds of interesting outdoor projects - which most certainly beat working in the overhaul shop or hangar on beautiful weekends.

I credit Bristow with giving me the start for everything I have ever achieved in my lifetime. I started out sweeping the hangar floor and washing helicopters in Sumburgh. By the time I left 10 years later, I was licensed on everything operated on the North Sea and had worked all over the world - and loved every minute of it. I only moved for greater opportunity and even more adventure.

I made friendships that endure to this day - some of my very best friends I have ever made are people I worked with all these years ago at Bristow. I run into former and current Bristow employees all over the world on a regular basis. I still do a lot of business with Bristow, in fact I will be in Redhill next week.

I am sorry that I was not at the funeral, as I know a large number of the people that gave me my opportunities, trained me and so generously gave me the value of their knowledge and experience would have been in attendance. I have immense respect for all of you who took the time to share your knowledge and experience, and I want you to know that your values are the ones I use on a daily basis to perform my current job! These people were all accomplished in their own right and had the opportunity to know Alan Bristow when it was a small and growing company. They were loyal and driven employees of this great company because they truly and honestly believed in Alan Bristow and the team he created that became such a powerhouse in the helicopter industry.

It was my great privilege and an honour to have met this great man and worked for the company he created.

I hope you may rest in peace. You are truly the loss of one of the legends of this industry - and your name certainly lives on forever.

My thoughts are with all the family.

[SASless]

Phil,

Isn't it amazing how many of us feel as you do about Alan Bristow?

He was bigger than life and certainly set the example by "Walking the Walk" not just "Talking the Talk"!

I just wonder how the outfit would have turned out if he had stayed at the helm all these years....I know I would be in the Lake Country and be paying school fees yet....wearing my tweeds and propping up at my local.

Unless he would have found me out and sent me packing!

[TipCap]

I agree with Pat. It was a very good funeral - if there is such a thing.

http://i692.photobucket.com/albums/vv287/kernow_lad/aebcortege.jpg

I was one of the "bearer" party. L-R Tony Coleman, Cliff McQueen, Stu Gregg, Pat Gerard, John Whale and Alan Price. Some 200 years of service with Bristow's between us - scary. Some of us hadn't worn uniform for many a year. Felt quite alien but I believe Heather appreciated it. Yes, there were many faces from the past and a few who weren't there who we expected too. In the morning of the funeral, we left Gatwick for Cranleigh in a hired car with 5 pilots, 2 sat-navs on board and we still got lost but found the pub opposite the church, no problem. You couldn't write a book about it - or could you..........

TC

[leading edge]

Looks like some of those middle buttons haven't been done up in a while!

Great to see some of the old faces who I used to fly and share the crew room with.

My very best to you all my friends.

[TipCap]

I wont say who but there were only a couple of us with original uniforms or even our own uniforms!!! :ok:

[stacey_s]

Good to see 'The Glove' still rides

Stacey

[mtoroshanga]

Just a thought, one of the staff who came from the Air Whaling days was Paddy O'Mara. For a long time he was the only avionics man who was Chief Engineer f an overseas operation.( Doha I think.) Just wondered where he was.

[Alan Biles]

ISTR he was C/Eng in Dubai on the Police Air Wing in the mid-1970's. Died out there many moons ago.

[stacey_s]

Paddy came to Dubai in 1979 to do a leave relief for Bob Potts, Chief Engineer DPC contract, after he left he went on courses in preparation to take over as Chief Engineer at The Dubai Police Wing, finished getting all coursed up but passed away before arriving back in Dubai to take over, RIP Paddy, nice man.

Stacey

[Nigerian Expat Outlaw]

Anyone know where Les Briggs is these days ?

NEO

[Alan Biles]

Retired last year I believe.

[Oldlae]

Paddy, RIP, although an avionics eng, I think he also had an A&C on the Whirlwind, I helped him with his worksheets at Trengganu. He was also C/Eng Eket when Mike Griffin was there.

[exdas]

Anyone know Lee Smith (me!)
I only learned of the departure of the Old Man a couple of weeks ago and it still came as a shock.
Having worked with him from 1970 and left the Co with him to start up Air and Ocean Aids Ltd and BOSS Ltd which were his "toys" before he restarted his train track hobby!
In the end, he and I fell out big time as he wanted to cheat me out of some cash but you could not help but admire him!
I am very proud of my time with the Old Man and I hope that he rests in peace.

[Ainippe]

Although it was expected it was still a shock to hear of the AB's death. I am similar to Phil Kemp in that I joined at 15 and was an LAE overseas by the age of 21. His forsesight and the ability to expand around the globe allowed me to travel and see and do things most people don't. I have met great people and had some great times and it is all down to him and the people he personally employed. My father was a great admirer of AB and always rued the day he left.
He always remembered a face with a name even after 15 years he still knew who I was and when we last met - Sarolungan in 1981 - we took the duals out of the 212's and 205's so he couldnt fly from the cojo's side - he was not amused and ranted about it for the 3 days he spent with us. We will not meet many like him again in this business, its all run by bean counters and BSC's in Supply Chains etc but hey ho.