S.E.A. Helicopters Sdn Bhd

[sillohed]

Anyone know whatever happened to South East Asia Helicopters (SEA Helicopters). They had a contract with the Malaysia military for pilot instruction in the 70's in Kuala Lumpur and also with the government of Sarawak to provide helicopter and fixed wing support. The owner was Alan McDonald.

[Saint Jack]

I visited a friend of mine who was working for this organisation once way back in the early 70's when they operated Bell 47's from Sungei Besi airfield (which is still operational despite being surrounded by the suburbs of Kuala Lumpur). I believe their contract was with the RMAF but was relatively short-lived due to 'contractual' problems. I remember that a lot of the instructors were Amaricans. Sorry, can't be more helpful.

[sillohed]

Thanks for the information. I worked for them for a short period of time as their operations manager but fled on principal as soon as I learned all of the crazy goings on. I was never quite sure how they ended up though except I read a newspaper article once saying that the owner was "missing" from Malaysia and would be welcome to appear there to explain some stuff! Mind my asking who your friend was?

[ericferret]

Charlie A, friend of mine also worked for SEA, I will ask him what he knows, he must be about 67 now.

[Saint Jack]

sillohed: It was a long time ago, but the name Chris Dillon seems to ring a bell - I can't remember if he and I were visiting or if I was visiting him. Chris (now deceased) was a British engineer/mechanic who had previously worked for Sabah Air and Bristow and I understand he later emigrated to Australia.

I also remember meeting a rather large-size (not overweight, just physically large) and extremely friendly ethnic Chinese RMAF Squadron Leader on the Flying Club veranda close by SEA Heli's premises where we were all enjoying a drink. He seemed to know everyone there, including the SEA Heli guys so I presume he had an involvement.

Finally, as your post has jogged my memory into recall mode, I now remember that one of the 'problems' that lead to the demise of the company was the 'misappropriation' of employees contributions to the mandatory Government-run pension fund (can't remember the actual name of this fund).

I never realised I could remember all of this .....

[Nigel Osborn]

Saint Jack

Yes Chris & his family did emigrate to Australia & joined Okanagan in Perth. When Okanagan folded, he had various jobs with Bristow, CASA & I forget who else. Sadly he kept getting laid off & this must have preyed on his mind as he went up on his own to his week ender in Jurien Bay, a terrific spot, & killed himself. I don't think anyone realised the torment he must have been going through as he had a very dry sense of humour. A very sad & unnecessary loss.

[ericferret]

I worked for them in KL and Kuching, '73 to '75. I believe I was the only engineer to leave them and get fully paid up - MacDonald had heard the rumours about me !!
While I was there, there was Smiley Richardson, Chris Dillon, Ron Beadle, Alan Watson, and an Australian guy (can't remember). Also, I recall, Frankie Cheah..
Chris Dillon, Smiley, Ron and myself were all ex Brit Army - I aslo did two years in Duri, Sumatra with Chris at Bristows, and shared the Flying Club watering hole at Kota Kinabalu with Smiley in '76 when I was with Sabah Air.
I believe SEA went out of business in the late '70's/earlu '80's, and I heard that police action was taken in the States shortly after that. Years later, Ron and Smiley were targeted by the Malaysian Government for tax arrears - the company had taken the contributions from their pay but failed to pass it on to the Malaysian govt. About 5 years ago, Ron Beadle won a 16-year action against the govt who were ordered by the judge to compensate him (and give him back his British passport), for the tax funds they had confiscated from him.
I left the Far East in '76 or '77 after nine years around Malaysia/Singapore/Brunei/Indonesia and did a bit in Africa/Middle East/Spain, and left the trade in 1986, starting a removals business (that still survives !)
Yes, I too, was shocked when I heard of Chris's death.
By the way, I am Charlie Ayton - the friend ericferret refers to...

[Saint Jack]

Many thanks Nigel. I've known for some time that Chris' death was not natural but this is this first time I've heard more detail. My wife and I spent many pleasant afternoons/evenings with him and his girlfriend in Singapore where he had a house right next to the old Changi Prison. Yes, he had a very dry sense of humour. Chris became my Chief Engineer on a Bristow-Masayu operation when the incumbent, Kieth Wilkins, was medevaced out.

One thought that came into my head when I read your post was "... not another one" as I quickly recalled that many years ago a Bristow engineer hanged himself in a Penang hotel.

I used to see Smiley Richardson and Ron Beadle at the Segambut Heli Base, but that was some time ago. I understand Ron went back to the UK when his passport was returned while Smiley and Frankie Cheah are still going strong.

Charlie Ayton, I think our paths crossed in Singapore, probably in the lounge of the Ladyhill Hotel of The Beefeater in River Valley Road.

[ericlks]

Does anyone remember the local guy that ran the office for sea?

Well I gather that the company did well enough to get on the radar of the local government who in the spirit of cronyism took it over by way of purchase. McDonald got in trouble by selling them out of time helicopters as good.

[kirt178]

Hi, the Aussie guy may have been my father Mike Kirton, who was the fixed wing and Chief Pilot who stayed on when they morphed into Hornbill Skyways.

[sillohed]

I worked with Alan MacDonald at the U.S. Army base in Fort Rucker, ALA instructing in Hueys. Later Alan contacted me and induced me to come out to KL to work with him at SEA. I did some instructing and minimal charter and Alan appointed me to be his "Operations Manager". I started in February of 1972 and gave it up in March of 1973. I was involved in setting up the Kuching operation with the 206's and Cessna 421. I checked out Kirton in the 421 on Sept 20, 1972. I remember Smiley fondly; some of the other names not so much. Eddie Lee Po Chin was the accountant. Winton Wilde was the general manager. Robbie Robinson was the chief instructor and was killed after colliding with power lines with a student. I eventually adopted a mechanics helper from Kuching, brought him to the states, put him through college and he married a girl from Kuching where they resided in Alaska. He was killed in a senseless helicopter crash in 1976. There were so many shenanigans going on with that company you can't even begin to put them all down. Alan was buying military surplus parts from the states that didn't always quite fit and Robbie and I kept pointing out the risk. I recall one tail boom that didn't quite fit and the mechanics had to put about a half inch of spacers under the forward drive shaft bearing. When it flew....and it did fly....the tail rotor shaft looked like a whip saw. When a helicopter crashed and was totalled by the insurance company, Alan had a bank account in Hong Kong where the proceeds went. That way he could avoid bringing the money back into Malaysia then get a dispensation to use hard currency in Malaysia to buy a new helicopter. All of this made poor Eddie Lee a basket case trying to handle the books and keep out of jail. There are a million other stories. In March of 73 Alan decided to buy a Cessna 320 for some reason and he sent me back to the states to find one. I found a couple preliminary ones but they were a bit pricey.....Alan got in his head that I was working a kickback scheme causing the prices to be so high so he sent Aida, his Cuban wife, to California to straighten me out. That's when I left in disgust and went on to other projects. Alan was some crazy guy who knew how to maneuver people and get what he wanted. Too bad he didn't have the ethics and fair play with his employees and business partners.

[sillohed]

Carlie, you must have arrived about the time that I left in disgust! I left March 26, 1973 and went to the States to find a Cessna 320 that Alan wanted. Read my later post and you will see why I left. If I recall correctly Smiley was Ismail, wasn't he.....married to a Malay muslim girl. He always seemed like such a nice kid.

[sillohed]

eriklks you may be thinking of Winton Wilde, an English gentleman married to a Chinese girl if I recall. A great guy and good friend.

[ericlks]

Yup that basket case is still alive today probably don't have all the facts in place.
Aida always look for the woman...

Anyway anyone flying out off Malaysia these days?

[Helicopter doctor]

I seem to remember two of my friends went to work there in the early 70s, Dave Sanders and Mike Adsit. Both American. I know they bailed out fairly quickly.
Doc

[Dick Sanford]

Looks like just me living out here in Kota Kinabalu with my family for the past 3 years. Would not want to be anywhere else, great life.

[YasminRichardson]

Hello everyone! Im Yasmin Suraya Richardson daughter of Clive Hughes Richardson aka Smiley some of u might call him. With greatest sadness and broken hearts, my father just passed on Saturday 4th of June in Bangkok. He passed in his sleep. Any of you know him?

[ericferret]

Hi Yasmin

Charlie Ayton and I had a Thai curry tonight thinking of your dad.
Very sad news indeed.

[bob2s]

Sorry to hear of your loss Yasmin,your dad,Chris and my self (Bob Stark)had many happy after work drinks at the flying club in KL before I went to Kuching and Chris to KK with the 212.
your post brought back a lot of memories of the government chasing me for tax that Alan apparently did not pay.

[YasminRichardson]

Announcing passing of U.Ron, hes in UK. Just got the new from Otto Gram's daughter Karen.

[Gray 14]

Fred Poff was in management there back in 1977. I took an acceptance ride with him in a 206B for a potential contract in Sarawak but they did not get it. He was a US type, was one of the instructors in my flight when I went through Primary in 69. I ended up on Prakla with IHAC (Bristows) and a few months later Fred showed up there as well.

[gnow]

I know the late Capt Armit Tilgner was an instructor at SEA Helicopters. Late he flew for Hornbill skyways a couple of years before he died in a crash in Sarawak. Used to enjoy listening to his war stories. I was a young co pilot with the Air Force at the time (1978).
The Chinese Air Force officer who seemed to know everybody mentioned here must be the RMAF check pilot at SEA ,Mej Benjamin Lee. Ben Lee us now retired in NZ.
I also know of another Malaysian the late Capt Nasir Ma Lee who flies for SEA.

[ramblingrotors]

I never worked for SEA Helicopters, met Smiley, Ron Beadle and Otto Graham a few times, all very decent people and had a good memories of the time spent with them.
It was sad what happened to them when Alan left them high and dry.
The other Chinese X RMAF pilot is Greg Lim whom I belief to have moved down under.
Met up with Franky Cheah last year and still very active in the industry working out of Subang.
Had the pleasure to work with Armit Tilgner in Kuching and Kapit.
Also worked with Bill Canada and Alan Watson, both are great guys to work with.

Cheers.

[David Underdown]

Hi, the Aussie guy may have been my father Mike Kirton, who was the fixed wing and Chief Pilot who stayed on when they morphed into Hornbill Skyways. Hi I worked with Mike in the 70's in Kuching and he and Charlie? were flying fixed wing and myself flying Jetrangers with Chick Baron, Tilgner (who crashed a Jetranger trying to let down through cloud in Sarawak) and a Malaysian pilot (nice kid, can't remember his name) also killed when a skid got caught on a floating log helipad and the machine turned over and I think he was drowned).
I was doing flying doctor operations in the 7 divisions and carting ministers around to kampongs.
Managed to get out back to Aus before the s##t hit the fan with Mac Donald (I actually got paid, but the Malaysian Tax dept contacted me in Sydney for back taxes Mac hadn't paid. I sent them a copy of my contract which included the company paying our taxes and they were happy with that and chased Mac instead).
He really dudded some of the other employees, bit of a bastard and a crook!
Could you let me know how to contact Dawn (With her permission), would love to catch up, so would Chick Baron.
Alan Watson has full blow dementia apparently and Chick is trying to find out which nursing home he is in.
Regards
David Underdown
0422575660
[email protected].

[Saint Jack]

Please allow me to post a couple of up-dates to this most interesting thread.
Helicopter doctor : Ref your Post#15 in April 2015. Dave Sanders is still in Singapore. I'm afraid he's not in the best of health having been overcome with dementia and is now confined to a wheelchair at home. The good news is that he is being well looked-after by his loving wife and a very capable live-in helper. He is visited regularly by his friends from around the region. I first met Dave in the early 1980's when he worked for Heli Services Pte. Ltd. and was assigned to fly the Bell 205A-1's on their heli-rig operation in Sylhet, Bangladesh. I met him again later in Singapore where he was doing a lot of free-lance work with Bell Helicopter Asia, testing, demonstrating and delivering helicopters for them. A real gentleman.
gnow : Ref your Post# 22 in June 2016, Nasir Ma Lee, one of the real "characters" in the Malaysian helicopter scene during his day, died following a crash sometime in the early 1990's. I understand he was flying a small fixed-wing aircraft that went down in a remote area. It was said that he survived the crash but died before help reached him. When the aircraft was eventually located, it was said that Ma was found "in a praying position." I first met him in early 1980's in Singapore when he was flying for Genting Sdn. Bhd. and took their Bell 206L-1 down there for some maintenance. I crossed-paths with him again at the Seganbut Heli Base in the late 1980's. Blue skies Ma.

Apologies for some very vague dates - it was a long time ago.....

[skidsoff]

Alan Watson is in the early stages of dementia and still living at home with his wife Colline, on the Sunshine Coast. My wife worked with Alan as the Aircraft Tech Records Clerk for Wira Kris Schreiner and later Hornbill Skyways in Kuching around mid to late 70's. When we were married in Kuching I met Alan and Colleen and we have pretty much stayed in touch ever since as well as worked together at various times over the years. Even though I didn't work for any of the companies in this thread I had the pleasure of briefly meeting a few of the people mentioned. They were very interesting times back then.