Irish Helicopters Ltd

[Eket]

Another one of our machines (Irish Helicopters) ended up in Nigeria .

EI-BFH - 5N-AJL Bell 212 30878

Sadly I learned the she crashed in a river delta there , in 1998 I think . ALl hands lost !!!

Sad , amazing how you can get attached to a particular machine .

Anyone know what happened to her , the cause of the accident . I heard it was fire I think .

[Eket]

So , post your stuff here folks .

I worked with them for awhile at Cork Airport , mech and structures .

Ive lost contact with almost everybody . I did have some contact with Pat McCarthy , but sadly my email addy got hacked and I lost all my addresses too .

Anyone know how these folk are doing ?

Jim Egan , Stan Horan , Brendan White , Mick Bowe , Dick Murrey , Mick Whealan , John Carney , Mick Fitzgerald , Mick Connelly , John Cooper , Stanley Lane , Rockey Foster , Guy Perrim , Mick Hennessy ?

Most of these people lived either in or around Carrigaline , Co.Cork .

I hear Captain Connelly is now retired .

Pat McCarthy is a Snap-On dealer somewhere in OZ .

Post yer pics and stories folks .

This should be good !!!

[bolkow]

Theguys at Irish Helicopters said they thought she had shed a main blade, but other sources including the Griffin Helicopter accident database listed it as main gearbox failure.
Thats the ship the Pope was flying around in during his 1979 visit to Ireland and if I recall correctly spend her later years on the Kinsale gas field flying out of Cork.

[212man]

The guys at Irish Helicopters said they thought she had shed a main blade, but other sources including the Griffin Helicopter accident database listed it as main gearbox failure.

It was neither - it was a sheared bolt in the swashplate rotating drive link that resulted in one of the blades losing pitch control. The vibration was so severe that the tail boom detached and the MGB tore itself from its mounting bolts and remained attached by the lift link - though somewhat free to move around.

Sadly I learned the she crashed in a river delta there , in 1998 I think . All hands lost

They fell into the river near Onni Port, with no control at all. There were survivors (5 I think) but I think 6 died including the RHS pilot. The pilot in the LHS (who was actually a pax, but on a management visit) survived and is on these forums. He described the descent as like being in free-fall and remarked that he found it surreal to watch bits of the aircraft fall past him on the way down (such as the exhausts!)

I won't describe the cause of the bolt failure, but it was gross negligence that probably warranted a manslaughter charge!:ugh::ugh::ugh::ugh:

[bolkow]

so it was'nt a pitch control rod but something further down underneath that? Just curious because I once spoke to a mechanic in the hanger in cork who was working on that machine who told me that its pitch rods were interchangable with the bell 205 and that it was 205 pitch rods he had fitted on that occasion for that reason. My memory though timing wise is not accurate and that could have been anytime in the the few years befroe it finished with Irish Helicopters. I do recall though that it had new main blades fitted in the months before departure for Nigeria or wherever it went to, and being told it had airframe hours of 10000 around that point.

[212man]

Definitely nothing to do with the PCRs.

[stacey_s]

212 I totally agree with your last comment, unfortunately the individual involved is back in aviation and working in a Quality Department!!!

[mtoroshanga]

I remember that one and as you say Stace, thats where that type usually end up.

[Eket]

Naa ..... that was EI-BFH ..... the popemobile . Spent all her time on the Kinsale gas line after slinging the pope around .

[Eket]

Sad story ..... :mad:

[SASless]

I did my US ATPL ride at the Bell factory in a Bell 412 with an air stair door that had been used by the Pope....and also delivered the first South African bound 58T to the Liverpool Docks after a very interesting ferry flight and revenue flight out of Blackpool. I will have to dig out the log book and see who was with me on that bit of fun. Memory says it was Bobby Herbert.

[Eket]

Sorry , my mistake , EI-BFH was the popemobile .http://www.google.com/imgres?q=irish+helicopters+bell+212&hl=en&tbm=isch&tbnid=HVVxStUW5nZefM:&imgrefurl=http://www.abpic.co.uk/photo/1023088/&docid=r_Eeyk1sXJuhzM&imgurl=http://www.abpic.co.uk/images/images/1023088M.jpg&w=550&h=381&ei=DrOcTpKrFPHb4QS6rIjNCQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=656&vpy=145&dur=391&hovh=187&hovw=270&tx=135&ty=110&sig=108288207695793567689&page=1&tbnh=123&tbnw=164&start=0&ndsp=25&ved=1t:429,r:3,s:0&biw=1280&bih=749

Redirect Notice (http://www.google.com/imgres?q=irish+helicopters+bell+212&hl=en&tbm=isch&tbnid=HVVxStUW5nZefM:&imgrefurl=http://www.abpic.co.uk/photo/1023088/&docid=r_Eeyk1sXJuhzM&imgurl=http://www.abpic.co.uk/images/images/1023088M.jpg&w=550&h=381&ei=DrOcTpKrFPHb4QS6rIjNCQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=656&vpy=145&dur=391&hovh=187&hovw=270&tx=135&ty=110&sig=108288207695793567689&page=1&tbnh=123&tbnw=164&start=0&ndsp=25&ved=1t:429,r:3,s:0&biw=1280&bih=749)

You can see the papel crest on the exhaust cowling .

[bolkow]

yes it was definitely EI-BFH that acted as the Pope's main helicopter during the visit. There was a Bundesgrenschutz Puma from the German Border police hired by the Irish police and a pair of Sikorky S61N's from KLM, I think one of them was PH-NZK but odnt remember the ohter registration, anyone got pics?

[500 Fan]

EI-BFH was the Irish Helicopters Bell 212 that transported the Pope during he majority of his visit. I believe Sean Oakes was one of the pilots. The floats were removed and steps were fitted to the skids. I don't know if the interior got the V.I.P. treatment.

Irish Helicopters BO-105 EI-BDI was also used to transport additional personnel (Bishops, I believe) during the Papal Visit although it didn't carry any special markings.

PH-NZD and PH-NZK were the pair of KLM S-61Ns leased by Irish Helicopters for the visit. They carried "Irish Helicopters" and "Aer Lingus" markings along with the Papal Crest. PH-NZK carried the Pope on three occasions during this visit with -NZD on standby as a reserve. They must have been running behind time on the last flight in this helicopter from Greenpark Racecourse in Limerick to Shannon because the pilot shot a slightly spectacular and beautifully executed quick-stop onto the ramp next to the Boeing 747 taking the Pope to the U.S.A.

The Gardai borrowed three Pumas from the Bundesgrenzschutz, with one of them being D-HAXT. I believe the crews for these helicopters consisted of the pair of German pilots along with an Irish Air Corps pilot acting as observer. These Pumas carried large "GARDA" titles in white.

The Irish Air Corps used the Alouette III during the visit in support of Army Operations.

I can recall being present at Ballybrit Racecourse for the visit and enjoying the exotic array of rotorcraft on display, even as a seven year old!

500 Fan.

[Savoia]

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-EebH3Xdmz1A/Tp159SgqObI/AAAAAAAAFTU/pDJQU6cvssU/s800/B212%252520EI-BFH%252520IH%252520Dublin%2525209%252520Jul%25252088%252520% 252528Fergal%252520Goodman%252529.jpg
Irish Helicopters Bell 212 EI-BFH photographed on 9th July 1988 in Dublin prior to the Papal visit (Photo: Fergal Goodman)

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pFgjdT3UgnU/Tp16Ai9HsTI/AAAAAAAAFTY/7V6k1ghomK8/s647/IH%252520B212%252520Dublin%2525201%252520Oct%25252079%252520 %252528Gianfranco%252520Gorgoni%252529.jpg
EI-BFH departing Dublin on 1st October 1979 with HH aboard (Photo: Gianfranco Gorgoni)

I have an image of EI-BFH (replete with the late John Paul's Coat of Arms) in my private collection from my days in Eire and which I shall fish out next time I'm over in Blighty.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-60xRbRHNhQw/Tp159CYTasI/AAAAAAAAFTQ/VuZaRh5M5sw/s680/Aer%252520Lingus%252520S61.jpg
John Paul II disembarking a KLM 61 during his Irish visit in October 1979

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-4YUVIG5RJ_w/Tp15_w6Ra8I/AAAAAAAAFTk/-sA33JPPxCQ/s640/Knock%252520%252528Tim%252520Graham%252529.jpg
PH-NZK departs Knock with HH aboard (Photo: Tim Graham)

[bolkow]

The Puma I saw was D-HAXS, I honestly was not aware there was three of them, I thought there was only one. This thread is getting interesting

[bolkow]

Interesting that first photographer Fergal Goodman, I wondewr if it the same Fergal Goodman who was completing flying training at Wexford aeroclub as I was beginning mine? That was fixed wing on a beagle pup and ralleye morane.
Of interest also is the absence of any fod defelctors on the s61 in those days.

[Eket]

Sean Oakes ..... LMAO . I was workin down in Eket (Aqua Ibom , Nigeria) with Bristows , and there was a video playing in my bedroom at the Princess Suites , 5 star my arse !!! I was lying on the floor when I heard his beedy little Irish voice :eek:

My mouth hit the floor when Sean Oakes was on the TV , in the video . He was acting the part of a helicopter pilot , in the hanger at QIT (Qua Ibo Terminal) an oil storage facility ..... the movie was something about a Ju-Ju and he had to rescue some bird with his chopper . I remember the line was something like this .

The bird in question asked him was he a pilot , and he told her that he had a helicopter waiting outside just for her :rolleyes: ..... I laughed for 6 weeks .

That doesnt sound like him , rescueing women with his chopper !!!

About that Puma ..... I thought there had been only one leased too . Obviously wrong again .

Irish Heli's were busy in dem days . Bloody disgrace that they disapeared . Great company to work for , brilliant crew with a lot of laughs .

I hear Joe Durnan passed away too ?

Whats Mick Connelly doing these days , still flyin Bolkow's ?

[500 Fan]

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn274/Bolkow1/IMG_0077.jpg

Here is Capt. Conneely heading out for another week's flying on the Irish Lights contract in June 2008. I believe he has indeed retired.

500 Fan.

[Eket]

Captain Connelly ..... :D I never called him that .

I remember going out with him and a bunch of others one night , near Kinsale . We went down as a convoy , he had a light blue Fiat 127 .

We all got tanked up and when heading for the cars for the way back to his house , we spotted his car and decided to steal his back seat . We threw the seat in the back of the car we were in . Got back to his house and put the seat in his back garden . Sat out there drinking a beer watchin all the girls peeing in his garden and chuckleing to ourselves , they didnt see us .

I asked some of the people who came back in his car "how was the journey" ..... they said it was fine . Man , I was getting confused at that point . So I went outside for a look at Connelly's car and the seat was still in the back of it !!!

Turned out there was a 2nd light blue Fiat 127 at the pub ..... we had nicked the wrong seat from the wrong car !!!

Always wondered what the owner thought . The radio was still there , wheels and all , but his back seat was gone . We laughed for ages about that .

Whats Guy Perrim doing now . He used to be the storeman for IHL in Cork , then he ended up buying the company and opperating outta Dublin . Does he still own it ?

Stan Horan ?
Brendan White ?
Mick Whelan ?
Dick Murrey ?
Mick Bowe ?
Rockey Foster ?
Jim Egan ?

I know Pat McCarthy is in OZ now .

I guess their all retired now ?

EI-BLD is still flyin !!! I used to work on that too . She must be pretty high time now .

[Savoia]

Patrick McCarthy now there's a name I've not heard in a long time. My name would have been mud with him in the early 80's when I was called as the lead witness in a case over a mis-installed Sperry AH in EI-BHI. The owner refused to pay the repair bill for the AH after it caught fire en-route to his home after being 'serviced'. In their wisdom IH decided to take their client to court. The client just happened to be one of the country's leading attorneys and, needless to say, IH were .. well how can one put it - not successful.

One day at Ballydoyle stables in Tipperary (probably 1980) an Orange 206 came batting in (the driver's flying reminded me of the late Chalky White) but it was a chap named John Barnicle (an American I believe). As it happened I was to ride with him back to Westpoint (Dublin) where I was to meet my godfather who was bringing back EI-BFK (Vincent O'Brien's 206) from maintenance.

Barnicle had this routine worked-out of lighting a cigarette by leaning forward to the cyclic where his right hand held a match or lighter. Personally I always found that wedging the cyclic between one's knees enabled one to do something or other for a few seconds but there we are, we each have our quirks!

[500 Fan]

I presume Mick Conneely is or was entitled to the title of "Captain" given the vast number of hours he has flown during the course of his career. I'd imagine, though, that he is far too modest to ever expect anyone to address him as "captain". He is the only pilot I have ever seen flying with a flat-cap!

I believe -BLD is still active occasionally with Irish Helicopters as the relief ship for their EC135 when it's down for maintenance. I saw it during the (so-called) summer this year, floating around over Ballymun, presumably waiting for permission to cross the active for Knocksedan.

500 Fan.

[TipCap]

I worked for Irish Helicopters for a year on detachment from June 91 to April 92 from Lee-on-Solent on the Shannon SAR.

Checking my logbook I flew EI-BLY and EI-BHO. It was on the 19th August 1991 that I flew the most hours in a day in my life -11 hours 20 minutes of which 7 hours 5 mins was at night

Great memories of a great place with great people :ok:

John Whale

[Eket]

Connelly ..... Modest ..... NO !!!

But yes , he started in Vietnam war as a crew chief on the 204 , later was in the US Army with 204 and 205 as a pilot ..... lots of hours and I still wont call him captain !!! :)

[Eket]

What was the head winchmans name !!! Was it Noel ?

Your chief eng was John Cooper . Remember big Dermot on his scooter !!!

[Eket]

BLY was the standby machine . We modded her up ourselves in Cork , but she didnt have the electrickery that BHO had . Autohover and what not . I think it was called the Huey Newmark mod ?

Was the chief winchman called Noel or Sean ..... age thing now !!! His nickname was "sauce" .

He had about 700 boxs of matchs in his house in Shannon . He used to place a chair on top of the kitchen table and sit on it , so he could see over the wall around his house . The objective of this exercise was he could see the Aeroflot hosties walking to the corner shop . Then he would promptly jump down and scurry across the street and buy matchs , as an excuse to chat them up . He was very successful in that department !!!

Remember a small british eng called Bruce Humphries ..... I lost his addy too .

Did you by any chance know Des Tweedy ?

[Eket]

Yeah , the FOD/ice shield ..... IHL didnt use them at first . It wasnt until we modded up BLY at Cork for the standby SAR machine that we fitted the cone type . I remember looking at the structure , there was a lot of very rough field mods done . She had been loggin (Okanagan) before that and all kinda weird stuff was done to her . Even her cargo door had been paneled up with aluminiun sheet to save weight . All had to come off as it wasnt legal to the SRM . I think it was a requirement for the SAR machine though , the FOD/Ice cone mod .

Same with the HF antenna poles . That was gotten from a wrecked British Airways 61N ..... canabilised is the word . Farnborough I think the wreck was . I remember fitting the effing thing ..... I had to crawl down the inside of the tail boom , right down to the end . I couldnt do that now ..... too round !!!

[vfr440]

E
Bruce is (or was 6 months ago) down at Lasham, with Nick Cook's operation, ATC. I don't have an addy for him but Google gives [email protected] as a contact. Bruce is/was taking care of all things rotary, AS350/355 and doubtless others (I haven't been down to see him for ages) - VFR :O

[bolkow]

Mick Connealy retired 3 months before the new EC135 came into service, he was going to retire to Arizona but I believe may have remained in castletownbere.
Sean Oakes retired some years back, ex training capt on bo105d
Michael Hennessy was selling and acquireing choppers during the years of the celtic tiger but dont know what he is doing or where currently.

[bolkow]

Eket, I know bolkow EI-BLD had accumulated 15500 hours some 4 years or so ago, so multiply at the rate of around 46 hours per month? I reckon she is nudging the 18000 airframe hour mark currently. Dont know where LIT has gone, was'nt she going to become an air ambulance?
Sean Oakews son Cathal Oakes is a captain on the CHC S61N out at shannon.

[dubh12000]

I think Brendan is working out of Doha now. Last I knew Stan Horan was working down in Midleton.

...I know you can find Brendan on Bookface.

[Eket]

Thanks for that , Ive just written to the addy you posted . Hope for a reply .

[Eket]

He was Irish , got his licence in OZ ranching cows in the outback . Had an OZ accent .

[Eket]

Other names that spring to mind , as were talkin about people .

John Todd , Toddy , I hear be was flyin for IHL in 206's .

Pat Joyce ..... he wore a cravat and was building an autogyro in the hanger . Toddy and Joyce used to tow the thing up and down the ramp at Cork Airport ..... wonder did it ever fly !!!

Ive tried lookin up Brendan White on facebook , but there are way too many brendan White's , many without pics . So its pretty impossible .

[EI-ILS]

Todd is the only employed pilot at IH at the moment I think!
All the rest are contractors I think, ie, C Martin and some other chap ?

[Savoia]

He was Irish , got his licence in OZ ranching cows in the outback .

Ah well, perhaps this accounted for his spirited arrival over the Ballydoyle estate! Either way he seemed a pleasant enough chap.

Vincent O'Brien's craft was maintained by IH who would sometimes drop in to the estate (near Cashel in Tipperary) for fuel. I remember on one occasion one of the IH drivers was instructing the chap flying the 206 acquired by Anglo-Irish Meats and they came to Ballydoyle where I assisted fuelling them.

IH reciprocated in that we would sometimes use fuel from some of their stashes. If memory serves then one such occasion was when we were driven out to sea in the most foul weather and had to creep along the coast until we reached a small pad at a place called Castletown Berehaven where I think we uplifted some of IH's stock.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-I9D2FdBjbLo/Tp8qBioDN1I/AAAAAAAAFVk/9lzya_mrMNo/s800/B212%252520EI-BAM%252520Cork%25252012%252520Jul%25252077%252520%252528Chri s%252520Haag%252529.jpg
Irish Helicopters Bell 212 EI-BAM at Cork on 12th July 1977 (Photo: Chris Haag)

PPRuNer Speechless Two had an image of Bristow's G-BALZ in a predominantly green livery before she was sent to Eire (I think on contract to IH?).

[B222]

John Barnicle is American (Chicago) of Irish descent who served in Vietnam. After IHL he went on to be one of the co-owners of Celtic Helicopters.

[Eket]

I have another pic of a 212 G-BIGB that IHL leased from Bristow . It was overall white with a fin up on the roof ..... but I dont know how to upload the thing !!!

[bolkow]

try lifting the collective slowly?

[bolkow]

If memory serves me correctly Paddy Joyce died in a jet ranger accident near Gort in Galway years ago, the aircraft was EI-BMP and hit a hill in fog whilst on a regular trip taking american passengers from Ashford Castle to Shannon Airport. I remember Kevin Marron writing an article about him in the Sunday World, having used his services and helicopter earlier that week. Then some months alter Kevin Marron and a number of other journalists died in a plane crash in the UK somewhere?

[bolkow]

Anybody remember Fergus O Connor? Ex Air Corps, last time I think I saw him was in the 70's (70@s) flying the Alouette 2 EI-AUI filming a winter documentary for RTE titled "As the crow flies"!

[Eket]

Not the same Joyce ..... Pat Joyce was a mechanic in Cork , and possibily went up to Shannon on the IHL SAR job after Cork .

Good memory , I remember that accident . Was the pilot Keiran , not Paddy ?

And yes , I remember Fergus O'Connor . Captained the 61N for IHL . Gave me right crap for nearly getting my head removed by a 61 blade .

It was my head !!!

[Eket]

Anyone remember Stanley Lane ..... he was kinda the odd job man in Cork for IHL .

At the time we were modding up BLY for the standby SAR machine . He was kinda doing the painting on the 61 . He had various proposals for what the final paint scheme would be like , However , IHL commisioned a graphic designer down in the city to prepare some proposals as well .

Stanley wasnt impressed ..... at all . Cuz he was supposed to be the boss of this side of things . Plus the fact that this designer was of Asian origin . Stanley became very difficult with him ..... nothing was right , and every little thing he could find was wrong ..... LMAO . Helicopters wernt the only thing flying at IHL at that time , the insults were flying more !!!

Well , yaknow the big visibility dayglo orange chevrons on the belly of the 61 ..... well , I was cutting holes in the belly of it , inspection holes for looking under the floor of the baggage hold and fuel tanks , and Stanley was masking off the area that had to be painted ..... we finished our job and went to the pub for the evening while Stanley stayed in the hanger to paint the dayglo orange chevrons , overnight .

Now he did a pretty good job of it , except that the chevrons he sprayed wernt dayglo orange ..... they were dayglo alright ..... but they were pink !!! We cracked up the following morning .

He tried blaming the little Asian bloke and there was murder . Cant exactly remember what happened but , it all had to be rubbed down and in the end they were the correct color .

He also had a trench dug in the hanger floor where he was servicing the 40mm bofors gun from the Irish Navy ships ..... the gun mount was cemented into the floor and he had the gun mounted inside the pit . I just remember the pit . he was a funny man .

[Savoia]

Just received this PM:

The IHL pilot you mentioned instructing the Anglo Irish Meats pilot was Colin Sayers who came to Ireland initially to instruct Brendan O'Mahoney on his Enstrom. Colin had originally flown with BEAS having left the British Army. Colin also used also to fly EI-BFK for Vincent O'Brien.
Yes, quite right, Colin Sayers .. now I remember. And you are right too about Brendan's Enstrom which he had before buying ex-Ferranti 206 G-BAKX. After buying KX, which became EI-BHI, my godfather would 'ride shotgun' with Brendan much of the time - indeed Brendan was his 'other' client besides Vincent and it was in Brendan's bird that we had the incident with the smoking Sperry AH resulting in a battle with IH and Brendan moving his maintenance to SRS at Shannon.

Of Vincent, what a pleasant man. A quiet man. I would often happen upon him walking the gallops at Ballydoyle with his two black Labradors and which exercise he used to perform almost daily. Many-a-time I accompanied him for walks from the main house down to Ballydoyle's airstrip and back. As a young lad there really wasn't much to do living on a secure estate with no other kids around.

It was during those months over the summer holidays and on term breaks that I fell in love with horses and which passion I have maintained to this day.

Also, never once did I see him fly without carrying a small paper bag containing a selction of chocolate bars from which I was offered to take my pick and which generosity used to peeve the Colonel (who also had a sweet tooth and would therefore feign resentment at not being uninvited to pick from 'the bag'). Needless to say, I always shared my treat with the Colonel.

In compensation perhaps, whenever Vincent dismounted the craft upon arrival at a race he always handed my godfather a list of three or four horses and which were his predictions for 1st, 2nd, 3rd. If he was uncertain about a specific prediction he would write another horse next to it and place a question mark after it. I don't think my godfather ever lost a bet!

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-LcWXFPJarNw/Tp-qmYdrvcI/AAAAAAAAFWc/bGCgeiquko8/s459/MVOB%252520Ballydoyle.jpg
The late great Vincent O'Brien at the Ballydoyle Stables in Co. Tipperary

[Savoia]

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-CV5SUq4sfjg/TqEZoLfNnLI/AAAAAAAAFb4/DLe2jUKhevE/s720/AB%252520206B%252520Shannon%25252015%252520Jul%25252084%2525 20%252528Fergal%252520Goodman%252529.jpg
Irish Helicopters Agusta-Bell 206B EI-BIJ departs Shannon on 15th July 1984 (Photo: Fergal Goodman)

[500 Fan]

The only Hughes 500D to be registered in Ireland.

Air-Britain : Hughes 369D (http://www.abpic.co.uk/popup.php?q=1017427)

I believe it was used for general charter, gas-line inspection and fish transfer operations. I understand this helicopter was not all that popular at Irish Helis, for some reason.

500 Fan.

[Eket]

Probably cuz they only had it for a short time iirc . I remember it in the hanger , but didnt touch it .

[Savoia]

IHL's 'D' model was an intriguing anomaly. It would be interesting though to hear from anyone who drove her while in IHL's service. What, pray tell, are 'fish transfer' operations?

What they should have done is take BYV over to Denis de Ferranti's estate because, as with our fellow PPRuNer, he was very much a 500 fan and may well have added the craft to his collection.

My godfather told me that Denis had a warehouse in Ireland filled with classic motorcycles. I would love to have seen that!

Another prospective IHL anomaly (although doubtless less of an anomaly) were their Alouette II's:

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-bzp7ccpmMcA/TqJBvUFiIgI/AAAAAAAAFdk/Rh2kZ0PJDXE/s640/SE%252520318C%252520G-AWFL%252520c.%2525201970%252520%252528Martin%252520Cooke%252 529.jpg
SA318 Alouette II G-AWFL (Date and location unknown but c. 1970's) (Photo: Martin Cooke)

Awful (G-AWFL) seems to have started-out with Heli-Union UK then jointly to 'Dean Aviation' and BEAS before being exported to Eire in January '71.

But Awful wasn't the only AlII in the IHL stable. There was the SE313B G-BANR which was registered with BEAS in January '73 and then exported to Eire in June '74. BANR of course, after her Irish tour, went on to become TRC's G-FILM.

[500 Fan]

Fish transfer operations;

Live Fish Transfers Using an Aerial Crane - Irish Helicopters (http://www.irishhelicopters.com/live-fish-transfers.html)

http://www.irishhelicopters.com/assets/_files/master_background/apr_11/pdg__1303129240_Fish-transfer.jpg

Our sister company PDG Helicopters pioneered the use of helicopters for live fish transfers and together we have amassed more than 25 years of experience in this field.

We have flown more than 30,000 hours and moved over 250 million smolts in that time, providing us with an unparalleled level of expertise in. With our extensive fleet of helicopters, and bases throughout Ireland and Scotland, we are ideally located to support the requirements of the fish farming industry.

Our dedicated team is skilled in advising on all aspects of helicopter transfers, whether it's in moving salmon eggs, smolt and fry through to several other species of farmed fish. Furthermore, that advice is provided free of charge with our efficient, responsive and friendly service.

Maybe somebody can shed some light on this particular area of helicopter operations.

500 Fan.

[amostcivilpilot]

:)

Wow this thread has brought back some memories and names.

I worked for IHL between 1991 and 1996 flying the 206, 212 and S61N which were among the best of my flying days and a great team of pilots, engineers and admin staff to work with, Tom Brown, Ernie Perrin, Buzz Barr, Sean Oakes, Mick Conneally and Mick Hennessy and many others.

Since the Bristow thread I have thought about starting a similar thread and posting some of my photos which are a mix of personal and some which were given to me by the late Fred Balcombe.

Enjoy ;)

Commissioners of Irish Lights on their annual tour 1993. EI-BFH on the Aran Islands parked in another great spot. Sean Oakes was the captain.

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z231/Seaking111/IHLCILEI-BFHCILwithSeanOakes2.jpg


Night circuits at Kinsale in S61N EI-BLY with "Buzz" Barr :ok:

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z231/Seaking111/IHLEI-BLYS61NNightTrainingKinsal-1.jpg

EI-BFH landing on the dolley in Cork. Always fun....

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z231/Seaking111/IHLEI-BFHSlingwithPiper15.jpg

Slinging in G-BNTS, a Cherokee which had an engine failure somewhere around Ballymalloe I think winter 1993, with Tom Brown. He was driving and I acted as crewman in the back.

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z231/Seaking111/IHLEI-BFHSlingwithPiper9.jpg

Thats it for now. I will dig out some more and post when i get a chance.

Lets keep this going.

amcp :)

[500 Fan]

An interesting machine leased by IHL back in 1977.

http://cdn-www.airliners.net/aviation-photos/middle/6/3/3/1510336.jpg

500 Fan.

[500 Fan]

Here is a list of what I believe is or has been the majority of the Irish Helicopters Ltd fleet down through the years. I may have missed a few machines and gotten some of the details wrong. This is copied from a Microsoft Word Document chart I drew up so it is a little all over the place. Basically each entry contains the following information.

Number.
Registration.
Aircraft Type.
Date the aircraft arrived or entered service.
Colour scheme (some aircraft flew in two or three different schemes.)
Date the aircraft left the Irish Register.
Fate where known.


1. EI-ASW Bell 206A 17/04/68 White and pale gold. September 1972 Went to UK. (Not 100% sure this was an IHL machine.)

2. EI-ART Fairchild-Hiller FH1100 20/06/67 Green and white. Yellow lettering. 08/02/71 Went to UK.

3, EI-ATO Alouette III SE3160 8/7/70 Overall white with green stripes. First Irish Lights flight; 29/10/69. Ditched off Louth Coast on the 26/05/71 (no fatalities).

4. EI-AUI Alouette II SE.3130 10/7/70 1. White with black (?) reg. No IHL titles. 2. Orange and Blue. May 1980 Went to UK.

5. EI-AVI Alouette III SA316B 01/09/71 Overall White with black lettering 01/07/73 Used on Irish Lights contract. Went to France.

6. EI-AWB BO-105D 31/10/72 1. Yellow and Black.
2. Dark Green and White. 3. Orange and Blue 10/01/78 Used on Irish Lights contract. Hijacked by IRA on the 24/01/74 for Strabane Bombing attempt. Flew in jail-break scene in Pink Panther movie!

7. EI-AWC Alouette II SA318C 30/01/73 Overall White with black lettering (?). Hijacked by the IRA on the 31/10/73 for Mountjoy Prison Escape. Crashed 15/05/74 at Cashel (no fatalities).

8. EI-AWK Bell 212 19/03/73 Overall White and Dark Green. 16/07/74 Went to UK.

9. EI-AWN Bell 212 28/05/73 White and Dark Green 28/05/74 Went to UK.

10. EI-BAM Bell 212 15/11/74 1. White and Dark Green. 2. Orange and Blue 18/08/83 Went to New Zealand.

11. EI-BDI BO-105C 26/7/77 Orange and Blue. Used on Irish Lights contract. Ditched off Donegal Coast on 03/06/81. Flew in the film "North Sea Hijack".

12. EI-BFH Bell 212 19/09/78 Orange and Blue.
Orange, Blue and White. 09/04/97 Papal Helicopter in 1979. Went to Nigeria.

13. EI-BHO Sikorsky S-61N 02/11/79 Orange and Blue. 14/05/97 Converted to SAR ship before 24/04/92. Went to UK.

14. EI-BIJ AB206B-2 29/01/80 Orange and Blue. Sold to Celtic Helicopters in March 85, registered with Celtic on the 13/05/95.

15. EI-BIY Bell 47 G-3 (Turbine) 03/06/80 Yellow and Red/Purple? Unknown Went to UK.

16. EI-BJR Bell 206B 28/08/80 Pale Gold and White. Unknown Went to UK.

17. EI-BJV AB206B-3 17/10/80 White overall. Unknown Private heli leased-in. Went to UK.

18. EI-BKG Bell 47 G-3 (Turbine) 02/04/81 Yellow and Red/Purple. Unknown Went to UK.

19. EI-BKT AB206B-3 06/04/81 Orange and Blue.
Orange, Blue and White. Unknown (In last few years). Is now privately owned in N. Ireland, flying in IHL scheme.

20. EI-BLD BO-105DB 21/07/81 Orange and Blue with CIL badge.
Orange, Blue and White. Used on Irish Lights contract. Currently for sale. Still flying as back-up for EC135.

21. EI-BLY Sikorsky S-61N 10/12/81 Orange, Blue and White. (2 different schemes in these colours). 16/02/98 Was interim SAR Ship prior to April 1992. Went to UK.

22. EI-BMP AB206B-3 28/04/82 White with Red and Black trim. Crashed in 1982, Headford (with fatalities - RIP).

23. EI-BRE Bell 212 24/04/85 Overall white. Went to UK.

24. EI-BRL AB206B-3 09/08/85 Colours not known. 29/10/85 Went to UK.

25. EI-BTE BO-105D 06/10/86 Colours not known. Unknown Used on Irish Lights contract.(?) Went to UK. WFU

26. EI-BXQ Bell 206B-2 20/06/88 Red, White and Blue. (Bristows Scheme). Unknown Went to UK.

27. EI-BYV Hughes 500D 16/02/90 Metallic Grey with Orange Tailplane. March 1993 Went to Turkey.

28. EI-CAF Bell 206B-2 23/10/89 Overall White with IHL Titles. 07/01/94 Went to USA.

29. EI-CTK Sikorsky S-61N 28/04/89 White with Orange stripes. Carried “Schreiner” titles and small IHL titles. 26/04/01 Went to The Netherlands.

30. EI-HER Bell 206B-3 01/07/94. White with Red and Grey trim plus IHL titles. Has left the Irish Register for the UK recently.

31. EI-LIT BO-105CBS 20/02/96 Orange, Blue and White. Used on Irish Lights contract. Possibly still with IHL but for sale?

32. EI-IHL AS350B1 Squirrel Pre-2005 Maroon with gold markings Crashed 12/07/07 in Clare (Fred Balcombe RIP).

33. EI-FAC AS350B1 Squirrel Not known Maroon with gold markings Believed to be currently with IHL.

34. EI-PDG AS350 Squirrel Not known Maroon with gold markings Believed to be currently with IHL.

35. EI-ILS EC135T2i 11/2008 Blue and Orange. Primary Irish Lights contract ship.



If anyone has any information to correct or update this list, please feel free to do so. I hope this is of use.

500 Fan.

[Savoia]

Well done 5F!

If you check out this page (http://www.pprune.org/rotorheads/417831-ferranti-helicopters-4.html) on the Ferranti thread you'll see that ASW was Denis de Ferranti's ship. Like many private owners he seems to have had the craft registered with a company as opposed to having his name listed. In this regard you'll probably find that BFK was registered to IHL even though in reality it belonged to Vincent O'Brien and was paid for by the Ballydoyle Estate.

I have a number of IHL photos back in Blighty and which I shall dig out on my next visit.

Rgds

Sav

[Eket]

EI-BFH fell into the river near Onni Port (Nigeria) , with no control at all. There were survivors (5 I think) but I think 6 died including the RHS pilot. The pilot in the LHS (who was actually a pax, but on a management visit) survived and is on these forums. He described the descent as like being in free-fall and remarked that he found it surreal to watch bits of the aircraft fall past him on the way down (such as the exhausts!)

Taken from another page in this thread . Sad .

[Eket]

1. EI-ASW Bell 206A 17/04/68 White and pale gold. September 1972 Went to UK. (Not 100% sure this was an IHL machine.)

2. EI-ART Fairchild-Hiller FH1100 20/06/67 Green and white. Yellow lettering. 08/02/71 Went to UK.

3, EI-ATO Alouette III SE3160 8/7/70 Overall white with green stripes. First Irish Lights flight; 29/10/69. Ditched off Louth Coast on the 26/05/71 (no fatalities).

4. EI-AUI Alouette II SE.3130 10/7/70 1. White with black (?) reg. No IHL titles. 2. Orange and Blue. May 1980 Went to UK.

5. EI-AVI Alouette III SA316B 01/09/71 Overall White with black lettering 01/07/73 Used on Irish Lights contract. Went to France.

6. EI-AWB BO-105D 31/10/72 1. Yellow and Black.
2. Dark Green and White. 3. Orange and Blue 10/01/78 Used on Irish Lights contract. Hijacked by IRA on the 24/01/74 for Strabane Bombing attempt. Flew in jail-break scene in Pink Panther movie!

7. EI-AWC Alouette II SA318C 30/01/73 Overall White with black lettering (?). Hijacked by the IRA on the 31/10/73 for Mountjoy Prison Escape. Crashed 15/05/74 at Cashel (no fatalities).

8. EI-AWK Bell 212 19/03/73 Overall White and Dark Green. 16/07/74 Went to UK.

9. EI-AWN Bell 212 28/05/73 White and Dark Green 28/05/74 Went to UK.

10. EI-BAM Bell 212 15/11/74 1. White and Dark Green. 2. Orange and Blue 18/08/83 Went to New Zealand.

11. EI-BDI BO-105C 26/7/77 Orange and Blue. Used on Irish Lights contract. Ditched off Donegal Coast on 03/06/81. Flew in the film "North Sea Hijack".

12. EI-BFH Bell 212 19/09/78 Orange and Blue.
Orange, Blue and White. 09/04/97 Papal Helicopter in 1979. Went to Nigeria with Bristow 5N-AJL. Crashed In Nigeria , W/O . With Fatalities RIP .

13. EI-BHO Sikorsky S-61N 02/11/79 Orange and Blue. 14/05/97 Converted to SAR ship before 24/04/92. Went to UK.

14. EI-BIJ AB206B-2 29/01/80 Orange and Blue. Sold to Celtic Helicopters in March 85, registered with Celtic on the 13/05/95.

15. EI-BIY Bell 47 G-3 (Turbine) 03/06/80 Yellow and Red/Purple? Unknown Went to UK.

16. EI-BJR Bell 206B 28/08/80 Pale Gold and White. Unknown Went to UK.

17. EI-BJV AB206B-3 17/10/80 White overall. Unknown Private heli leased-in. Went to UK.

18. EI-BKG Bell 47 G-3 (Turbine) 02/04/81 Yellow and Red/Purple. Unknown Went to UK.

19. EI-BKT AB206B-3 06/04/81 Orange and Blue.
Orange, Blue and White. Unknown (In last few years). Is now privately owned in N. Ireland, flying in IHL scheme.

20. EI-BLD BO-105DB 21/07/81 Orange and Blue with CIL badge.
Orange, Blue and White. Used on Irish Lights contract. Currently for sale. Still flying as back-up for EC135.

21. EI-BLY Sikorsky S-61N 10/12/81 Orange, Blue and White. (2 different schemes in these colours). 16/02/98 Was interim SAR Ship prior to April 1992. Went to UK.

22. EI-BMP AB206B-3 28/04/82 White with Red and Black trim. Crashed in 1982, Headford (with fatalities - RIP).

23. EI-BRE Bell 212 24/04/85 Overall white. Went to UK.

24. EI-BRL AB206B-3 09/08/85 Colours not known. 29/10/85 Went to UK.

25. EI-BTE BO-105D 06/10/86 Colours not known. Unknown Used on Irish Lights contract.(?) Went to UK. WFU

26. EI-BXQ Bell 206B-2 20/06/88 Red, White and Blue. (Bristows Scheme). Unknown Went to UK.

27. EI-BYV Hughes 500D 16/02/90 Metallic Grey with Orange Tailplane. March 1993 Went to Turkey.

28. EI-CAF Bell 206B-2 23/10/89 Overall White with IHL Titles. 07/01/94 Went to USA.

29. EI-CTK Sikorsky S-61N 28/04/89 White with Orange stripes. Carried “Schreiner” titles and small IHL titles. 26/04/01 Went to The Netherlands.

30. EI-HER Bell 206B-3 01/07/94. White with Red and Grey trim plus IHL titles. Has left the Irish Register for the UK recently.

31. EI-LIT BO-105CBS 20/02/96 Orange, Blue and White. Used on Irish Lights contract. Possibly still with IHL but for sale?

32. EI-IHL AS350B1 Squirrel Pre-2005 Maroon with gold markings Crashed 12/07/07 in Clare (Fred Balcombe RIP).

33. EI-FAC AS350B1 Squirrel Not known Maroon with gold markings Believed to be currently with IHL.

34. EI-PDG AS350 Squirrel Not known Maroon with gold markings Believed to be currently with IHL.

35. EI-ILS EC135T2i 11/2008 Blue and Orange. Primary Irish Lights contract ship.

[bolkow]

Bolkow EI-BTE was borrowed for a while from Bond, in the UK its identity was G-AZTI, I believe it worked in the airambulance role in the Cornwall area and was the usual Bond orange/red colour scheme overall.

[griffothefog]

I flew G-AZTI in 1989 in Cornwall and her livery then was all red with the " FIRST AIR AMBULANCE " logo of a white circle with red cross down the side. That had to be removed if I remember correctly due a complaint from the red cross Suisse..

Memory a bit sketchy these days.... :{

[Savoia]

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-RmF0o5hxDOo/Tqgs5g1Bd1I/AAAAAAAAFjs/j3OWM4yhq8Q/s720/EI-LIT%252520BO105DBS%252520Mick%252520Conneely%252520Rathlin%2 52520Island%252520lighthouse%252520%252528John%252520Eagle%2 52529.jpg
Irish Helicopters Bo105 DBS EI-LIT being flown by Mick Conneely slinging druns at Rathlin Island lighthouse (Photo: John Eagle)

[industry insider]

Wasn't there an S-61 I saw at Silverstone British GP once registered as EI-EIO?

[bolkow]

There was one EI-BHO, but that is now G-BPWB near the isle of wright or somewhere on the UK south coast for the coastguard.

[Savoia]

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-c8wB44PLWyo/Tqkbm93SzsI/AAAAAAAAFkw/C1CGSYJEA1c/s720/Shannon%25252019%252520Jul%2525201980.jpg
Irish Helicopters Sikorsky S61N EI-BHO at Shannon Airport on 19th July 1980

EI-EIO was a Piper Seneca based at MacDonalds Farm (aka Weston) ;). Weston was where Brendan O'Mahony stabled his 206 until he moved to Courtdown Stud and built the hangar which would house his Agusta 109A EI-BUX.

[industry insider]

Wow, maybe it was just an urban legend and I was "seeing" things! Must have been the beer (after flying)

[bolkow]

500 fan, what was that SA330J Puma leased for by Irish Helicopters in the 70's? Do you remember? Was it for oil rig work?

[funfinn2000]

Howya, Brendan is working with Gulf Helicopters, currently in Yemen. I have his email if ya want. pm me

[500 Fan]

Bolkow, the Puma was apparently employed briefly for work in The Celtic Sea.

I believe one or both of IHL's S-61Ns came from Okanagan and may originally have been leased from that company before being purchased.

Greenland Air S-61N OY-HAO also operated in Ireland for a while but I don't know if this was leased by IHL or was used by some other company.

500 Fan.

[Eket]

EI-BLY came from Okanagan (VH-IMQ) , not sure about BHO . But I got something telling me she was a new machine when IHL got her ?

Greenlandair was leased in by IHL for oil exploration support off Shannon . I think for the Gobin Spur iirc .

[Eket]

Great , check your PM ..... thanks .

[bolkow]

Cant remember if it was BLY or BHO but I was definitely told one of them came brand new and was the last off the S61N production line?

[Savoia]

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-NGVmKdVv0_0/TqwMtQf7WPI/AAAAAAAAF3w/3jwamsRKeUg/s800/Bo105DB%252520Cork%25252023%252520Aug%25252081%252520%252528 Derek%252520Heley%252529.jpg
Irish Helicopters MBB Bo105DB at Cork on 23rd August 1981 (Photo: Derek Heley)

A few weeks before this photo was taken the Colonel and I came into IHL's Cork base with EI-BFK. I'm fairly certain BLD (and about three other ships) were present.

Being in the area we had dropped-in to do a comp wash and which IHL's ground crew willingly performed!

[elro]

http://img811.imageshack.us/img811/1962/eibld2ork16dec08.jpg (http://www.cork-spotters.com/photo/albums/userpics/EI-BLD2_ORK16DEC08.jpg)

http://img403.imageshack.us/img403/8030/eibldfront2ork16dec08.jpg
(http://www.cork-spotters.com/photo/albums/userpics/EI-BLDfront2_ORK16DEC08.jpg)

http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/415/eibldpit2ork16dec08.jpg (http://www.cork-spotters.com/photo/albums/userpics/EI-BLDcockpit2_ORK16DEC08.jpg)

http://img513.imageshack.us/img513/7236/litm.jpg (http://www.cork-spotters.com/photo/albums/userpics/lit.jpg)
Pictures taken of Irish Helicopters 105's operating out of EICK.

I believe BLD (http://www.eurocopter.com/pre-owned/doc_upl/DT_BO105DB_0318.pdf) is now up for sale. TTAF: 15,741 Hours.

[Eket]

LMAO ..... thats Mick Connelly in that pic . He looks old there . I guess I havent seen him since 1994 .

The big handle bar tache looks mad , with that flat cap .

I guess were lookin old now !!!

[Eket]

Then it woulda been BHO was the last one .

[bolkow]

I am surprised airframe hours are that low, I know she was over the 15000 mark back in 2008 but thought that she would have continued to turn over 600 plus a year for the three years up to now? I guess the new EC 135 must be doing all of the hours she previously did.
Any idea how much they want for her £200.000?
I also wonder what machine will be back up for the lights job to the EC135 if BLD is going? I thought it was a requirement one was available for the 135s (135@s) downtimes.

[bolkow]

Last time I saw Mick he was complaining he could no longer read the GPS, and was commenting it should have a much larger screen. Got to admit it is a bit small though.

[peter manktelow]

Dave Whyte (Chief Pilot) and myself ferried VH IMQ from Australia to Shannon arriving 16 March 1981. It was an Okanagan Australia Pty Ltd machine which flew on sub contract to IHL for some 9 months out of Shannon and Cork. (I stayed for the duration. A wonderful time) This 61 was re-registered CGPOH in May that year. At the end of the contract we flew it up to Aberdeen and put it in storage in the British Caledonian Helicopters hangar. I later heard that it was sold to IHL. I remember Fergus O'Connor. He was the Lead Pilot on IHL's 61 in Shannon. We (wife and family) had a very memorable new year's with Fergus and his family a couple of years later when we holidayed back in Ireland. I heard that Fergus went up to Dublin with the Irish Civil Aviation Authority but would now be long retired. Ireland was one of the best contracts I have been on. Heady , happy , funny days made more so by our Irish colleagues in IHL.

[griffothefog]

Peter,

For what its worth, Fergus did my Irish validation on the 365N at Cork in 1996 during which we had many a lantern to swing regarding our similar experiences on the Bolkow (him Irish lights, me Trinity house UK)

Must be retired by now as his son has taken over the reigns of chopper pilot.

The best cold water posting I ever had bar none.... let it rain :ok:

[bolkow]

Any news on EI-LIT or is it possibly going to be retained as the back up for the lights contract EC135T.2+ ILS?

[Eket]

What about the time Ronald Regan visited Ireland ..... IHL had all sorts leased in , for transporting journalists . Any pics of them ?

I believe there was even Chinooks leased in , but I didnt see them .

This thread has been excellant so far . Since it opened , Ive made contact with 2 of the mechanics who I worked under in Cork Airport ..... keep it coming boys !!!

[Eket]

I was too young to have worked for IHL at that time ..... but I remember hearing some wild stories about you boys ?

Was there one of your mechanics who had a Renault 4 up in Shannon ..... there was a lot of beer consumed on that contract as I understand it !!!

While at work in Cork , one evening I met this stunning little English birdy who I managed to bed , but when I got there , I got all unwell and she ended up comforting me all bloody night :zzz: ..... Oh , it will be ok sweetie !!!

Jumped over the back wall the following morning , into Captain Connelly's garden (where I was staying) ..... had to get ta work ya see . Got to work and skidded across the hangar floor in a pool of oil and flaked me face on a 212 tail boom ..... not a good day at all !!!

[John Eacott]

I was too young to have worked for IHL at that time ..... but I remember hearing some wild stories about you boys ?

Not at all: we were all perfectly behaved, and never touched a drop of potcheen :p

[Eket]

They used to say about Cork Airport "If you want your son to be an alcoholic or your daughter to be a whore , send them to work at Cork Airport" ..... that was after you lot arrived in Ireland !!! I got told that , no personal experiance myself , cough .

Im not listening to your Australian stuff ..... cuz I know the truth .

Corruption of the highest order I say .

I went to work at Cork airport ..... Ive been a right whore ever since :ok: , musta got something mixed up !!!

Do you remember the Shannon Kinghts pub and Fibber McGee's ? And that pub near 6 mile bridge ..... and the Honk ?

[mechanicalapple]

thought you lads might like to read this

Coast Guard winchman retires with more than 30 years' service - The Irish Times - Wed, Dec 01, 2010 (http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/1201/1224284484893.html)

[John Eacott]

And that pub near 6 mile bridge ..... ?

Vividly, and the sash window that trapped my fingers. Especially when the barman commented that someone else had their fingers crushed the same way only the day before.

Only the Irish :rolleyes:

[Eket]

That winchman is Sauce ..... I knew him well. Sauce is his nickname. I havent seen him in 17 years either. Yeah , a bit of a super hero he is.

Last time I spoke with him , he had a damaged back after landing on a ship , wrongly!!!

Anyone got contact details for him?

Taken from post 26 of this thread :

Was the chief winchman called Noel or Sean ..... age thing now !!! His nickname was "sauce" .

He had about 700 boxs of matchs in his house in Shannon . He used to place a chair on top of the kitchen table and sit on it , so he could see over the wall around his house . The objective of this exercise was he could see the Aeroflot hosties walking to the corner shop . Then he would promptly jump down and scurry across the street and buy matchs , as an excuse to chat them up . He was very successful in that department !!!

Best of luck to him .

P.S. you know , to be honest ..... this brings a tear to my eye. To think of what he has done, selflessly, thrown his life on the line for others day in and day out ..... Its a wake up call that there is still good people in this world ..... both winchmen and the crews who fly that bird , but especially the guy at the end of the line.

Just found this :

bDCs3fctxb0

And :

gHvGw_t-1ak

Yep ..... tremendous respect for these people.

Im proud to know Sauce Donnelly :ok:

[Eket]

As much as I enjoy finding out about people from my past , in this thread , its also sad to say I just learned that Guy Peren passed away .

He was the storeman/logistics man in Cork at IHL , and I never met a better man at it since .

God bless .

[vollpower]

That is the sadest thing iv heard in a long time.
What a lovely man.
God bless ya Regi

[bolkow]

I saw that 500 in the hanger at Cork once also, the main blades were off it as they had found micro cracking in them according to the technician who was nearby and commented noticing my interest. I do recall it was used for fishery trasfers, and the remark was that it was very very fast, never saw it in action though. Godawful colour on it also in my opinion, overall greywith a dayglow tail.

[amostcivilpilot]

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z231/Seaking111/IHLCILEI-BFHCILwithSeanOakes4.jpg

CIL tour west coast 1992. Sean Oakes in blue suit

Next when I was doing joy rides in EI-BKT off the pier in Kinsale 1992. Great fun during the Oyster Festival

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z231/Seaking111/IHLEI-BKTKinsale1992.jpg

Bolkow EI-BLD slinging. I believe this is Mick Coneally some where around Galway. The photo came from Fred Balcombe

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z231/Seaking111/scan0027-1.jpg


Alouette II filming 1970's I believe, Can anyone identify the crew. Again from Fred.

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z231/Seaking111/scan0030-1.jpg

[bolkow]

love these Irish Helicopters pictures, flew with Sean Oakes in both that alouette 2 and the bolkow. I know he is long retired now. I dont suppose anybody had a pic of the original Irish Helicopters bolkow EI-AWB in the green and white colour scheme? Later returned to bristow or bond and reverted to G-AZOM. After that came bolkow EI-BDI lost off Donegal, before finally EI-BLD which is currently up for sale.
They must be fairly early photographs bcause of the bolkow radome, and the pop out floats on the Jet Ranger EI-BKT. Which of the 212's is it, I assume its BFH?
Three out of four of these aircraft have since had accidents, AUI later became G-FILM and crashed with fatalities and was written off, I beleive they hit wires in a valley in some far flung foreign parts, BFH crashed with fatilities in Nigeria, noted earlier in this thread, and BLD had that incident with windshear at the Bailey where she splayed her skids but was returned to service. The report on that incident found no fault on the part of the pilot, but it was just one of those things that could not be recovered from.
Jet ranger EI-BKT became G-SKII and either last year or the the start of this year was up for sale with just over 10000 airframe hours, for £230000 with an overhaul.

[CharlieOneSix]

EI-AWB/G-AZOM was written off when it ditched off Norfolk in 1984 whilst operating out of Strubby.

[TipCap]

I remember Noel when we started up the SAR in Shannon in 91. Also remember John Manning both were ex Air Corps

John

[G-HALE]

I heard a company called Trans World Helicopters (TWH) based in Shannon in the early 60's started doing work on the light houses before Irish Helicopters was formed? Is this true and does anyone know anything about TWH. Would be interesting to hear about the history of that company. I believe it was former UK robinson dealer/Instructor Mike Smith of the old Heli Air that operated TWH. Rumor was that at the time, it was the largest civil helicopter company in the world! Thats all I heard
Photo of Hughes 269B, EI-AOU, Trans World Helicopters (http://www.irishairpics.com/photo/1000955/M/Hughes-269B/EI-AOU/Trans-World-Helicopters/)

[bolkow]

As far as I am aware the lighthouse service started around 1979 after a winter trial of some six months with an alouette 3. ? I am open to correction, memory and all of that. I believe Irish Helicopters was formed by Ken Besson when he bought the American Ambassadors hiller after he returned to the US?

[PAD39A]

I spent my youth around the hangars at Cork Airport.
The sites of the original hangar and the development of the large hangar around 79/80 are now part of the new Cork Airport terminal.
I first became aware of Irish Helicopters around the mid 70s with the gas exploration off the south coast.
There was a rig located off the beach at Myrtleville, in Cork and was seviced by two Bolkow 105 machines one yellow and one orange. The orange one turned out to be EI-BDI which I recall may have been written off a decade later.
A school friend Derek, Cronin found the location of the IHL hangar at Cork airport and we headed there one friday eve after school.
Jim Egan, one of the engineers let us sit in the cockpit of EI-BAM, another B212 an Okanagan Helicopters machine was parked beside it. Stanley Horan was there that day as well.
Fergus O'Connor and another pilot an American named Bill Thompson were sitting in a portacabin and were the first pilots I met in my life.
I recall a couple of Okanagan 212s and a 61 around Cork at the time and those lads flew those machines everywhere.
I continued to visit the hangar as long as IHL had it up to around 1998.
The lads who worked there were the salt ot the earth and it was a blow when the company was sold by Aer Lingus.
I became friendly with a young engineer named Brendan White, who was a minefield of tech gen and I owe him a great debt of gratitude for the assistance he was to me in my aviation career.
Mick Hennessy was a brand new co-pilot on the 212 when I got my first "flip" from the site of the old hangar to the ramp at Cork airport around 1976, John Cooper and Alec Dunne strapped me in. I washed the windows of BAM and BDI to pay my debt for the flight.
I was hooked on helicopters after that and I'm sure the IHL lads regretted letting me go on that flip cos I was always around after that.
I never made it as an IHL pilot but had an opportunity at a flying cadetship around 1990/91 when IHL recruited 2 pilot cadets from the ECA which was a flying school based at Cork.
I had gotten an Aer Lingus cadetship a couple of years before and had just finished the course. I was grateful to Aer Lingus for the opportunity and decided to stay there.
As I recall, one of the trainees was an instuctor at the ECA and the other a student from the the school.
I remember the delivery of BHO and the training that went on around the airport in the weeks after its arrival. Cork Airport was the Mecca for helicopters in Ireland at the time.
There was a constant thump of the Bell's blades during the Summers, quieter in the winters.
I remember the preparations for the Papal visit in 79 and the new interior in 'Fox Hotel'.
I also recall the flying done around the time of the Whiddy Island disaster and the pipline inspections.
Thanks to all the contributors who have posted photos, they are fantastic and take me back to those great days...keep them coming please...

[bolkow]

Pad39a, yes BDI was written off after a ditching off donegal, fuel error on tank selection by the pilot of the time apparently, sometime shortly after the papal visit in 1979. The other yellow bolkow I assume was EI-AWB which was later painted green and white and eventually orange. It returned to Scotland to bristow whom it had been leased from for some six years and itself ditched 5 miles off skegness when it was flying in snow, from that point on an amendment was made that they fly using continuous ingnition to stop engine flame outs in hail Back in the UK AWB again had become G-AZOM.

Alouette 2 EI-AUI eventually returned to the UK as G-FILM and hit powerlines in a far away country flying down a valley with fatalities. BFH crashed in Nigeria somewhere, again with some fatalities. BAM is I believe in Canada, BHO is flying for the UK coastguard as BPWP, and BLY is somehwhere in Canada flying.

[Eket]

Jim Egan is now retired ..... Brendan White is in Yemen . Stan is doing fine and is now a production manager for a big company .

Hennessy is selling A/C , before the economic downturn .

John Cooper ..... a man I would sooner forget about !!!

Ive still got a tail rotor from a Bolkow (IHL) its painted green white and orange ..... before my time there . Any idea what A/C it came from ?

[i am a bee too]

jim only retiring this month, brendan back in libya. j.c with sar snn,

[bolkow]

Hi Ekat,

dont suppose you want to sell me that tail rotor?
If you give me the date yiou started there working, and I note you said it was before that time, I'll bet you a pint I can narrow it down as to which bolkow it was. I can tell you that someone must ahve painted a used tail rotor that colour because none of them were on aircraft in service in that colour. If you scrape a bit off it coul;d give a clue, if its yellow underneath its definitaly AWB

[500 Fan]

Does anyone have any details on any helicopters operated by a past American Ambassador to Ireland? I have heard mention of a Hiller (possibly EI-ART) and a Hughes 500 being operated at some point, often from his residence in the Phoenix Park. Thanks.

500 Fan.

[Eket]

Brendan has left Libya ..... he is now back in Yemen , since 3 days .

Sell my tail rotor . I dont know what to say about that , cuz I dont have it handy . Im in Austria now , and the tail rotor is in Ireland . Painted ..... must be some great paint to stick up to tail rotor air flow and still stay on . From what I remember ..... it looks a little worn , but the colors are just fine . Must root it out when I get home , I know exactly where it is . Dick Murray wanted me to make a garden windmill outta it , never got around to that . I started workin there , and found it lying around . First Bolkow that I worked on with IHL was BLD ..... started workin there around 1990 to 1995 .

J.C still up in Shannon ..... pity they didnt base him out on the Blaskets !!!

[griffothefog]

Eket,

Is Mick Bowe still working in Cork?

[bolkow]

Hello 500 fan. I do remember reading an article a long time ago about Irish helicopters and it mentioned it being set up originally by a Ken Besson who began the operation when he bought the hiller helicopter put up for sale by a departing US ambassador. I remener seeing the aircraft once when I was very young, Can recall it was painted a light blue but I do not know the registration number I'm afraid, guess it could have been EI-ART but cant say for sure.

[SirSokky]

Hi Griffo,

Hope you doin ok and the 'sand' is not causing too much discomfort in 'yer crack'!

Jim E, Mick B and Pat J are all contracting at the moment to cover the permanent Engineering staff who are transitioning to S92A. The 3 lads, affectionatley known as 'Last of the Summer Wine' (you decide which is which!), are primarily at the Shannon base for the moment when not either on a Golf Course, in the Bandon River etc etc.

Regards

SS.;)

[206Fan]

Out of curiosity, when does the first S-92 arrive in Ireland for SAR operations?

Fantastic thread btw.. Interesting read for us younger members here who wern't around in them days. Love the photos!

Dave

[Eket]

Last of the summer wine ..... :D


Bet they love that !!!

Which one of dem could be compo is my question , the dirty little letch of a man in the TV show ?

[bolkow]

I believe the first s92 comes in 2012, a used one from the UK and the others comes in drips and drabs after that.

[NABLAG]

First one due, brand new, in January 2012.
Due to be Shannon based.

[aengus]

Anyone know who the Pilot is in this video from 1978?
ao3r1qdb1ak

[Savoia]

Aengus, what a wonderful piece of IH nostalgia. Brilliant! :D

I rather suspect the 'vintage' feel of the vid is an effect however - nonetheless, most enjoyable.

[bolkow]

I cant get the vid, its blank, otherwise I might have known who it was.

[Savoia]

Bolkow, log onto You Tube and search the video title: Clifden Aerial View 1978 - Galway Ireland and see if you can access it that way.

[bolkow]

I think I have actually seen that one, with bolkow BDI (the one that crashed off donegal). I od know the video I saw did identify the pilot but I did'nt know him and cannot recall the name, it was'nt Oakes, Fergus O Connor and was before Kennealy and Hennessy times.

[i am a bee too]

Could it be Peter Hall. Pat Joyce hooking up the load.

[Eket]

Hall springs to mind .

[i am a bee too]

does magic chef bring back memories

[i am a bee too]

and rosies

[elro]

http://img442.imageshack.us/img442/5084/eiaui.png

EI-AUI Eurocopter SE3130 Alouette II MSN 1648, Irish Helicopters Ltd - Shannon - EINN- 10-07-1977.

[aengus]

gjizVWTbmRk

[bolkow]

if thats a picture of alouette aui I cant seem to open it.

[Eket]

Rosies ..... oh yeah , lost a few years in there !!!

[elro]

Irish Helicopters: News*|*Irish Helicopters donate EI-LIT to the Dublin Institute of Technology (http://www.irishhelicopters.com/irish-helicopters-donate-ei-lit-to-the-dublin-institute-of-technology.html)

http://www.irishhelicopters.com/assets/_files/master_background/dec_11/pdg__1323764859_LIT.jpg

Today Irish Helicopters donated their BO-105 helicopter EI-LIT to the Department of Transport at Dublin Institute of Technology, Bolton Street.
The department provides courses to the Irish Aerospace Industry, from aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul apprenticeships.
Training and Examinations manager at Bolton street Mr Ivan Sheridan said, “Dublin institute of Technology are delighted to accept the donation of the BO-105 from Irish Helicopters.
We hope to make use of the functioning basic Instrumentation and Navigation equipment on board the aircraft to enhance our students learning experience."

EI-LIT first went on the Irish register 1996 and entered service on 22nd of February that year.
It completed 5710.8hrs during its service with Irish Helicopters, and the majority of hours were flown in support of the contract with the Commissioners of Irish Lights.
Its last flight was completed by Capt. Colm Martyn from the Kish lighthouse to Dublin Airport on the 16th Sept 2008.
The accountable manager of Irish Helicopters Mr Iain Baird said, “A number of Irish Helicopters engineers have benefitted from the Training delivered by
Bolton Street over the years so it was appropriate Irish Helicopters made this aircraft available once it was decided to retire her from active service.
Hopefully many more students can benefit from the addition of the Bolkow to the institutes training facility”.

[bolkow]

Quite low hours at retirement for LIT really. Particularly when you consider some of Bonds are in the region of 20000 plus, and BLD is nudging towards the 16000 mark. If I remember right it arrived with 4000 hours on it so those can be added to the 5000 plus it did in ICL service.

[i am a bee too]

Donate as I understand it means free. Maybe DIT supplied the transport.

[bolkow]

I do recall a while ago when the transmission shaft to the tail was almost due it was being offerred for sale for around £200000 plus £70000 if you wanted the shaft overhauled as well.

[flytom]

Undoubtedly Peter Hall flying. Recognize that bald spot anywhere. Kieron Joyce was doing the marshalling. Severe nostalgia trip.

[PAD39A]

Flytom,

I think it's Gay Rogers. Peter hall is a taller man...

[500 Fan]

Late one November, probably 1990 or thereabouts, I read an advert in one of the local papers in Galway that Santa Claus would be paying a visit to the Dunnes Stores supermarket at Terryland, arriving there by helicopter. Curious to see what machine would be doing the job, I hopped on my bike and pedalled down to the shop at the appointed time. It turned out it was a Jet Ranger and, if I recall correctly, it was operated by Westair. The landing was uneventful, Mr. Claus exited and was greeted with cheers from the gathered crowd of children. The helicopter took off and turned out to the left and it looked like it was heading off towards Carnmore Airport. It didn't gain too much altitude though and maintained a left-hand circuit. It then started descending again and made an approach into the Galway Shopping Centre, which if you know the area, is adjacent to the Dunnes Stores Supermarket. I pedalled furiously to the new landing site to see yet another crowd gathered to welcome the helicopter in the car park there. Much to my horror, I witnessed a second Santa Claus exit the Jet Ranger. I hope none of the kids at the first drop glanced across the road to witness the arrival of this imposter. They could have been scared for life!

Happy Christmas.

500 Fan.

[Eket]

Wishing you all a happy new year folks

[Savoia]

BAM & BFH at Cork on 7th October 1978 (both of them looking as though they could use a tub):

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-CvUFjAHRtys/TxKIcgS6mPI/AAAAAAAAHRs/KVyaiBz4GE8/s800/EI-BAM%252520Cork%2525207%252520Oct%25252078.jpg

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-D2v9wc-yo2U/TxKInOHA3AI/AAAAAAAAHRw/iEquzX7e04g/s800/EI-BFH%252520Cork%2525207%252520Oct%25252078.jpg

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-GT-vFFQHsio/TxKIjzS6CuI/AAAAAAAAHR0/eJENgrYYx3A/s720/EI-ILS%252520Fanad%252520Lighthouse%252520June%25252015%2525202 010.jpg
ILS at Fanad Lighthouse on 15th June 2010

[mutt]

Awesome picture... well done..

Mutt

[bolkow]

yep, fantasic pics, and really interested to have seen them. Does anybody know what kinds of hours the new EC135 Is accumulating, just wondering what airframe hours it has up given the current recession.

[Savoia]

Bölkow, this might be more up your street:

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-RG-CvVXvUxc/TxOw0w3ZowI/AAAAAAAAHV8/9jYZAnin6ng/s433/EI-BDI%25252C%252520flown%252520I%252520believe%252520by%252520 SO%252520lifting%252520what%252520looks%252520like%252520an% 252520electrical%252520relay%252520housing%252520unit%252520 just%252520off%252520O%252527%252520Connell%252520St.%252520 Dublin%25252C%252520near%252520Easons.jpg
EI-BDI lifting what looks like an electrical relay housing from O' Connell Street in Dublin (date unknown)

[Savoia]

Have received a couple of PM's for a larger version of the photo of ILS and which can be found here (http://www.flickr.com/photos/60690020@N03/6706221213/sizes/l/in/photostream/).

Never really thought that the 135 was an especially attractive aircraft but, then again, neither was the 105!

Do you think that makes the 135 the 105's 'spiritual' successor? ;)

[Brilliant Stuff]

IMHO an EC 135 on low skids with the right paint job can look the cats whiskers.

[bolkow]

Hey Sav,

I remember that pic of BDI when I first saw it in Rotor and Wing many many moons ago, it was liftign an air conditioner onto the roof of some store in Dublin. That was the machine that ditched off the Donegal coast around 1979-80 apparently after a human error in not switching fuel tanks.

[bolkow]

Brilliant Stuff, the EC 135 is certainly growing on me. I live in Wales so see a lot of the Air Ambulance, beautiful to observe.

[Savoia]

Bolkow wrote: That was the machine that ditched off the Donegal coast around 1979-80 apparently after a human error in not switching fuel tanks.
I recall this being talked about when I arrived in the Emerald Isle in 1980. Was the craft carrying an underslung load at the time?

500: Which craft is to be used for this shuttle?

[bolkow]

yes savoia,

it was slinging at the time, I remember all the initial speculatiojn that a short strop was used when it should have been a long one, and because it was a short strop when the box moved into the downwash, this was supposed to have downed the helicopter. I believe Gay Lyons was th epilot?

[Peter-RB]

On page one it amazes me to see the Holy Father stepping down from the Heli wearing his Ponceu with a Shamrock on top as well, now how was that achieved ?;)

Peter R-B
Lancashire

[bolkow]

It may be intersting to note that this machine as of June has come onto the UK register, as G-XBLD. No Idea of whether it has acquired a new colour scheme or what it is doing but I think it may be in Scotland somewhere. Anybody else got any information?

[500 Fan]

EI-BFK.

All sizes | EI-BFK & G-VRES | Flickr - Photo Sharing! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/namcys11/7180369172/sizes/l/in/photostream/)
Photo: Ken Meegan.

Two more from Ken Meegan's collection. First is the Greenlandair S-61N OY-HAO with an IHL decal and the IHL tug in the background along with one of IHL's own S-61N's.

All sizes | OY-HAO | Flickr - Photo Sharing! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/namcys11/6207629879/sizes/l/in/set-72157624177776643/)

Here is a photo of a KA-32 from Omega in, what is I believe, the hangar at Celtic Helicopters. Does anyone know if these helicopters got much use while in Ireland or was it a planned operation in Ireland of a heavy lift helicopter that didn't quite get off the ground (apologies for the pun)?

All sizes | RA-31584 | Flickr - Photo Sharing! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/namcys11/4711996614/sizes/l/in/set-72157624177776643/)

500 Fan.

[Shane101]

Yes, One of them lifted an anchor in place at Malahide Marina Apartment complex.

The one pictured gave a spirited display at the 1993 Helicopter Club of Ireland fly in in Weston.

[500 Fan]

Here is a nice photo of what was, I believe, the very first SAR S-61N in Ireland. The "Roinn Na Mara" (Department of the Marine) titles indicate that EI-BLY is in interim SAR configuration at the beginning of the first civilian SAR contract, awaiting the arrival of EI-BHO in full SAR configuration.

All sizes | EI-BLY | Flickr - Photo Sharing! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/namcys11/5301028436/sizes/l/in/photostream/)
Photo: Ken Meegan.

Here is EI-BPK of the short-lived Dublin City Helicopters.

All sizes | SIKORSKY S61N EI-BPK DUBLIN CITY HELICOPTERS | Flickr - Photo Sharing! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/shanair/6367927207/sizes/l/in/photostream/)
Photo: Malcom Nason.

A large gathering at Shannon.

All sizes | SIKORSKY S61N's IRISH COAST GUARD/CHC | Flickr - Photo Sharing! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/shanair/4574118745/sizes/z/in/photostream/)
Photo: Malcom Nason.

EI-BHO awaits painting before taking up duty as the primary SAR ship in the early nineties.

Irish Helicopters S-61N EI-BHO | Flickr - Photo Sharing! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/24101413@N03/4309520595/)
Photo: Irish 251.

500 Fan.

[Shanair]

Regarding G-XBLD, this is flown in full Irish Helicopters colours and has recently been based in Ireland doing gas-line inspections using callsign "Osprey 66" see BOLKOW 105DB G-XBLD PLM DOLLAR HELICOPTERS | Flickr - Photo Sharing! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/shanair/8228390538/)

[TipCap]

Brings back memories 500.

I was DCP on the first IHL SAR Flight at Shannon being seconded from HMCG SAR Flight at Lee-on-Solent. I spent a very pleasant year with great people in setting up the service

http://i692.photobucket.com/albums/vv287/kernow_lad/irish2.jpg

TC

[bolkow]

yes, BDI was slinging something or other at the time but I understood the error was in fuel tank selection with one running dry which brought her down.

[ericferret]

Not aware that there is any tank selection on a 105 unless a long range tank is fitted which would be unlikely if load lfting

[Rower]

Just came across this thread while lurking. I worked as a loadie during the offshore oil exploration in SNN in the summer of 77 and can remember a lot of the characters mentioned above. We regularly were invited for a spin to the rigs when there was space. I clearly recall the Greenlandair helicopter and I am sure I have several old pics at home somewhere, I will find them and post. Also I recall that when Greenlandair finished their contract they invited us to the Shannon Shamrock for "a drink" That turned out to be some night. Thank for a most enjoyable read

[500 Fan]

Here is a photo found on Flickr;

All sizes | Lie of the Land | Flickr - Photo Sharing! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/87690396@N07/8578769058/sizes/c/in/photostream/)
Copyright; Ronan M Lee

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8374/8578769058_d7e9c79ae8_c.jpg

Left to right; Ronan Lee, John Williams, Colin Sayers and Fred Balcombe. The title of the photo is "Lie of the Land". This was a short documentary series on RTE (Irish Television) shot during the 1980's which captured the beauty and history of Ireland from the air. Below is, I believe, the camera mount used.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8503/8315815530_d87e8ac470_b.jpg

All sizes | Eurovision 1988 | Flickr - Photo Sharing! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/87690396@N07/8315815530/sizes/l/in/photostream/)
Copyright; Ronan M Lee.

500 Fan.

[Rower]

Finally found some oics from SNN circa 1978 of Greenlandair.

Need instructions on how to attach,

Rower

[suitcase]

i was there too - an amazing experience!
where are you now?

[500 Fan]

A nice photo of EI-BDI.

All sizes | EI-BDI | Flickr - Photo Sharing! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/83327151@N08/8703671110/sizes/o/in/photostream/)

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8259/8703671110_8e12bc8670_c.jpg

500 Fan.

[Savoia]

Nice photo 500! :ok:

MBB Bo105CB EI-BDI is seen landing at the helipad in Castletown Berehaven (Co. Cork) in 1978.

Last landed at that pad in 1980, around Springtime, in Bell 206 EI-BFK while tracking coastal from Dingle to Baltimore in what was the most foul fog .. so foul indeed that we had to temporarily discontinue our journey .. and Berehaven was our refuge.

The ground crew not only fuelled the craft (we had been groping around the edges of the Waterville Peninsula .. well out to sea a couple of times .. floats armed) but also provided us with mugs of tea and stories of the woes of their work (not enough pay and how they should all become fishermen) while we waited for the weather to improve.

The Colonel had a liking for Walkers shortbread biscuits (from his native Scotland) and we had a packet of these on board which I retrieved to supplement the mugs of tea and to share with the ground crew!

[500 Fan]

Hi Sav. Yes, thanks to whoever it was that posted that photo on Flickr.

The current issue of "Flying in Ireland" magazine has a small photo essay on helicopters that have used the helipad at Cork University Hospital over the years. One interesting little photo features IHL's Bell 212 EI-BFH on the pad on the 1st of August 1980, delivering a casualty from the Buttevant Rail Crash which occurred on that date. What is interesting is that the helicopter still bears the full set of additional markings from it use as the Papal helicopter from the year before. The Aer Lingus decal and Papal Crest are still proudly worn.

500 Fan.

[Savoia]

Great!

If you can scan of the photo .. 'twould be even greater! :ok:

I do have a hangar shot of the craft in question (still with the Papal emblem) which I took at Westpoint many moons ago.

Will try and fish it out.

[500 Fan]

Check out the entry on this page, fourth from the bottom, right hand side, for a few photos of BO-105 EI-AWB. I think the green and white paint scheme hasn't been posted here before.

"MBB BO 105 from S-1 to S-30" (http://www.mbb-bo105.de/bo105_s001_s030.html)

500 Fan.

[Savoia]

The current issue of "Flying in Ireland" magazine has an interesting photo featuring IHL's Bell 212 EI-BFH on the pad on the 1st of August 1980, delivering a casualty from the Buttevant Rail Crash which occurred on that date. What is interesting is that the helicopter still bears the full set of additional markings from it use as the Papal helicopter from the year before.


http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7392/10673147926_07fbb64529_b.jpg
Irish Helicopters Bell 212 EI-BFH on the pad at Buttevant Hospital on 1st August 1980 (Photo: Gabriel Desmond)

Reproduced with the kind permission of Flying in Ireland (http://www.flyinginireland.com/) magazine and with special thanks to Alan Dwyer (Flying in Ireland's Editor) and Gabriel Desmond who took the photograph.

500 Fan: I have to say that the Papal insignia is not .. how should one put this now .. especially obvious! ;) A great photo nonetheless! :ok:

Gabriel has also sent us this:

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3768/10673158164_050bf18ca9_b.jpg

Here 'BFH' no longer has the Papal insignia but instead an 'M' .. if anyone knows what that is for?

~ ~ ~

Alan & Gabriel have been sent the link to this thread (as indeed is the case with all who graciously grant permission for their work to be posted on PPRuNe).

Gentlemen; in addition to this thread we also have another one dealing with non-Irish Helicopter topics in Ireland, see here: http://www.pprune.org/rotorheads/510272-helicopter-ops-ireland-not-irish-helicopters-ltd.html

Then there are various other places around Rotorheads where Ireland crops-up. These include segments of the Ferranti Thread where we have discussed the past craft of Denis de Ferranti, see here (http://www.pprune.org/rotorheads/417831-ferranti-helicopters-4.html) and various posts on the Nostalgia Thread where all sorts of different stories have been repeated including an incident involving my late godfather and a cat at the Shannon Shamrock Hotel here (http://www.pprune.org/rotorheads/419023-rotary-nostalgia-thread-30.html#post6421178), some reflections on Vincent O'Brien and Ballydoyle here (http://www.pprune.org/rotorheads/419023-rotary-nostalgia-thread-80.html) and reflections on Cashel Palace here (http://www.pprune.org/rotorheads/419023-rotary-nostalgia-thread-83.html).


.

[griffothefog]

Hi Sav,
The "M" is almost certainly Marathon oil and gas for the Kinsale gas contract I flew from 1996-2000 :-)
But we flew a SA365N2...:ok:

[500 Fan]

Thanks for searching out those photos of EI-BFH from "Flying in Ireland". I didn't want to scan the photos and breach copyright. As for the Papal Crest on -BFH from the 1980 photo, yes, I am pretty sure it's there. The Aer Lingus badge on the small forward rear door and the additional "Irish Helicopters" titles over the rear sliding door are all left-overs from the Papal flight operations of the previous September. If you look closely at the engine panel just forward of the rear air intake, a dark marking can be seen. This is Pope John Paul II's Papal crest.

Here are a few more photos of the IHL fleet that I think haven't been posted before.

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn274/Bolkow1/Weston/IHL%20gallery/BR_Castletownbere_Helipad_EI-BLD_Bolkow_Bo105DB_02-1990__zpsee09b74e.jpg (http://s306.photobucket.com/user/Bolkow1/media/Weston/IHL%20gallery/BR_Castletownbere_Helipad_EI-BLD_Bolkow_Bo105DB_02-1990__zpsee09b74e.jpg.html)

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn274/Bolkow1/Weston/IHL%20gallery/BR_Castletownbere_Helipad_EI-BLD_bo105_28-06-1990_zps5b2fd7b1.jpg (http://s306.photobucket.com/user/Bolkow1/media/Weston/IHL%20gallery/BR_Castletownbere_Helipad_EI-BLD_bo105_28-06-1990_zps5b2fd7b1.jpg.html)

Two shots of EI-BLD at the Castletownbere pad in Cork in 1990.

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn274/Bolkow1/Weston/IHL%20gallery/BR_Cametringane_Hotel__EI-CAF_Bell_206B_Jet_Ranger_10-05-1991_zpsa6be1e36.jpg (http://s306.photobucket.com/user/Bolkow1/media/Weston/IHL%20gallery/BR_Cametringane_Hotel__EI-CAF_Bell_206B_Jet_Ranger_10-05-1991_zpsa6be1e36.jpg.html)

I think this is the first photo here of EI-CAF. All three photos come from the collection of Bram Risseeuw (Irishavsites website).

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn274/Bolkow1/Weston/IHL%20gallery/1360075F_zpse09fd886.jpg (http://s306.photobucket.com/user/Bolkow1/media/Weston/IHL%20gallery/1360075F_zpse09fd886.jpg.html)

EI-BLD in a the later paint scheme.

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn274/Bolkow1/Weston/IHL%20gallery/1325095383_zps01e8581b.jpg (http://s306.photobucket.com/user/Bolkow1/media/Weston/IHL%20gallery/1325095383_zps01e8581b.jpg.html)

EI-BHO in 1985.

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn274/Bolkow1/Weston/IHL%20gallery/KenMeegan_zps3b1b01cb.jpg (http://s306.photobucket.com/user/Bolkow1/media/Weston/IHL%20gallery/KenMeegan_zps3b1b01cb.jpg.html)

A nice shot of EI-BLY from the Ken Meegan collection. The "Roinn na Mara" titles and winch indicate that -BLY is serving as the interim SAR S-61N for the Department of the Marine prior to the arrival of EI-BHO.

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn274/Bolkow1/Weston/IHL%20gallery/EI-BHO_19920615_S7250-L_zps076e39dc.jpg (http://s306.photobucket.com/user/Bolkow1/media/Weston/IHL%20gallery/EI-BHO_19920615_S7250-L_zps076e39dc.jpg.html)

EI-BHO at Shannon on the 15th of June 1992. (Markus Herzig Collection)

500 Fan.

[Savoia]

An update from Gabriel Desmond who's photos of Irish Helicopters Bell 212 EI-BFH appear above:

"The second photo of EI-BFH was taken at Cork University Hospital, Wilton on 31st May 1989. The aircraft was being used to service the offshore platforms in the Kinsale gas field for Marathon Petroleum whose "M" logo the aircraft carried.

In this photograph the helicopter is delivering a diver who was suffering from the bends. The aircraft had followed a very low level route from sea into Cork Harbour and then upriver across the city centre to the hospital."

[griffothefog]

Well rummaged Sav ;)

[Savoia]

Ciao Griffo!

Did you perform that medevac?

[griffothefog]

Not guilty m'lud....:=
My days of air ambulance were 1989-96 in Cornwall :ok:

[bolkow]

Sad news for those who knew him Michael Hennessy long time bolkow pilot on the Lighthouse contract in Ireland and latterly of Hennessy aviation in Dublin passed away last week at his home in Killarney

[griffothefog]

That's very sad to hear indeed... RIP Mick :(

[flytom]

Could it be Peter Hall. Pat Joyce hooking up the load.
Definitely Peter Hall and Kieron Joyce refueling.

[flytom]

An update from Gabriel Desmond who's photos of Irish Helicopters Bell 212 EI-BFH appear above:

I flew that flight with Sean Oakes and was disappointed when he would not agree to fly under the wires at Tivoli docks!

[skallywag1]

The highlight of this thread has to be the mentioning of Bronco. He was some character ...

[i am a bee too]

all still going retired.all scadered all around the world.mc carthy in aus .m connely in west cork. j egan in dublin. volraths in austria.t brown teaching in cork

[i am a bee too]

marion welshe rip suddently

[skallywag1]

Yip, heard that sad story, she fell ill while working an AL flight it seems, that was relatively recently too as I recall, this summer even perhaps?

RIP.