Most memorable passenger, or passengers you've carried..

[ShyTorque]

There's a little chinese boy out there somewhere with the same christian name as me.

In the early hours of the morning his mother was in labour and having severe complications so we were called in to casevac her from a small island. He was born in the cabin of the helicopter as we taxied in and shut down. His exhausted but happy mother said she wanted to call him after the crew and asked our names. If she did so he has one chinese name after the crewman and one western name after me. Personally very touchng; I felt the same strong emotions as when my own children were born. Must have had the same effect on the crewman and the ambulance man too as there wasn't a dry eye in the house.

[md 600 driver]

the children with cancer[and the familys that support them ] we take flyng every year at sherburn

some of them pass on shortly after, some dont even make it to the airfield but the resolve and determination of these children and the smiles they leave with is price less

steve

[SASless]

Do we see a trend here....the ones that touch us the most are not the famous ones...or the rich ones...or those with power... but rather the ones that show us what courage in the face of adversity is all about. When it comes to flying the young ones particularly.....I am the one that benefits more....knowing I have done something "good" that makes someone else a bit happier at a difficult time in their lives.

If you have not done so....find a way to get involved....you will not regret it. I know I would spend the Bossfellah broke doing it if I could.

[havick]

as for the naked girls it was at ayers rock mid winter, sunrise flight and there were 6 of them (meaning 2 R44 flights). Have the piccies on my laptop if anyone's interested.

[alouette]

Paul McCartney...very nice fella

[Bronx]

Course we're interested Havick.
Always good to see pics from round the world.

[nutcracker43]

Most memorable passenger

Has to be Heinrich Harrer about 30 years ago-he signed my copy of 'Seven years in Tibet'.

[Gaseous]

I took an old guy for a trip for his 92nd birthday. His bladder was weak and I needed fuel so decided to call in at my old school at Blackpool. When we landed he got out and relieved himself against the fence at the side of the apron in full view. His eyesight wasnt too good and he hadn' t seen all the people he was facing in the supermarket car park next to the school.

He came alive during the flight and told me all about his one previous flight in a WW2 glider to the battle at Pegasus Bridge! A great old chap, now sadly gone.

[Hughes500]

Two people come to mind, a ww2 Lancaster bomber pilot I gave a trial lesson to for his 80th birthday, only discovered after the lesson that was the first time he had flown since being shot down over Germany, much respect !
On a lighter note flying Angelia Jolie over the Cerne Abbas Man with a comment does one liked a man with a big dick !

[Geoffersincornwall]

Some happy memories.....

The little old lady who had a tour of London for her 90th birthday and was completely thrilled by the views, as she stepped out of the front seat of my 206 I helped her down and she said "Young man, that was much better than real flying". I guessed she meant fixed wing - we all know she was right there

Not so happy memories....

The arab sheik who downed a half bottle of scotch as we flew over Northolt and then proceeded to slide open the window and chuck the bottle out!

Least understandable....

Eddie, the Glaswegian Police sergeant whose first mission with me was a magical mystery tour as I could not understand a word he said.

Most fun passenger .....

Ged Hughes, famous for his Egyptian potatoes.

Most gentlemanly gentleman....

Niki Papadakis, director of AMH and all round good egg.

Best looking....

apart from my wife of course - the Playboy Bunny who had legs all the way up to her..... and sat next to me all the way from Battersea to Brands Hatch where she proceeded to remove her attire and sit on a horse in front of a knight in shining armour along with 4 other naked beauties whilst promoting the BMW County Race Championships.

Most heart rending ....

The wee baby who had been caught in a flash fire and cried all the way to the burns centre at Plymouth. Even ATC said afterwards that the sound during radio calls was moving to say the least.

G.

[zlocko2002]

Prime Minister, he behaved as a prick and now he is in jail

[DennisK]

Can I join the Celeb pax club ... but where to start. About 1973 I picked up the delightful young lady, Maggy Philbin who I thought has just been decorating, but the boiler suit was fashion I later discovered, and a little later the infamous Nastasi who played quite well at Wimbledon I'm told ... my business taught Mark Thatcher to fly in early 1980s and he was great company once airborne. Visiting his home near Eastbourne, I collected Sir Hartley Shawcross, he of Nuremburg fame of course, a real nicety was the ex of George Best, and a Miss World (Mary Stavin) who fell asleep on my shoulder as we transitted ex-Beauleigh to Battersea, and of course his Lordship himself. In the actress department there was the gorgeous French lady, Juliette Binoche, then Marion 'd'Arbo of 007 fame when I flew her to a superb bash at St George's Hill, near Weybridge. Quite a few race drivers, Barry Sheene, God bless him, when we taught him to fly an Enstrom ... ditto the rally drivers, Ari Vatenan, Tony Pond and the great Aussie F1 driver, Alan Jones who won the US 1986 Grand Prix which was held in the car park of Ceasars Palace! The wonderfull race car designer Colin Chapman who bought an Enstrom from us. Hard to believe that in the late 1970s, I flew HRH Charles who was judging at the UK heli championships at Epsom Racecourse, and while on the royalty bit, I picked up Captain Mark Phillips from his home in Gloucester and flew him to a Hickstead meeting. I gave out a good earful when the 'something of the night' Michael Howard was giving a talk up at Manchester ... with a captive audience almost two hours telling him why we small businessmen were having a hard time due to his politics. Like the others there's too many names to list all, but I remember the chrooner Val Doonican at Booker, Brian Rix who sponsored the disadvantaged kids in 'Sky High and Peter Sissons the political commentator and news presenter. I was once tasked to pick up the classy Peter Stringfellow and fly him to the Isle of Wight for a very special party. When Dennis Thatcher was a director of the motor firm (1983), I flew him to a business meeting. Quite recently the really nice Peter Andre who didn't want to go above 500 feet and of course his effervescent wife (then) the voluptuous Katie Price, who certainly had the right touch to make a sound rotary pilot. Out of a 1978 Farnborough display, I was asked by Robin Blake to fly to Highclere to meet a certain Andrew Lloyd-Webber who I initially thought was a racing driver, but later in the evening, I was so privileged to walk down to the church in his own grounds where he played the church organ with just me as an audience. Flattered I was. Flying Barry Sheene back from a Silverstone truck racing event, he spotted the mansion a mile north east of Henley .. "That's George Harrison's place Den, let's land there." So it was I met the great Beatle. The kitchen of Friary Park had the signature on the walls of just about any celeb or 'name' you could think of. In his multi million pound recording studio, GH played us his forthcoming release entitled "Somewhere in England" but I've never seen it actually released. Many years later when Lord March asked me to display at Goodwood House for the Barry Sheene commorative dinner, I met Harrison's son Dani, who was about five when we first met at Henley, now a handsome six footer. In the music department, there was Cosy Powell of White Snake who played his 1812piece on drums at the 'Monsters of Rock' concert at Castledon. The B206 was rigged up to flash lights from 500 feet and in time to his drum beat. Elaine Page at a party for the opening of Evita and Mike Read where we flew in to a 'Roundabout' broadcast. Tony Blackburn asked us to fly him to Cirencester for a Christmas business party he was hosting. On one glorious occasion, I was asked to fly in to Selsdon park Hotel with Sam Torrance for a pro/amateur round of golf. Sam shot 68 ... I shot a miserable 99 but he did sign my cap and score card. I mustn't foget the rascally Arthur Scargill who I punted around several mines prior to a big strike. (there's even a couple of mines in Kent! - one was called Betteshangar or something like that) Around the mid 1990s I collected Lester Piggott and Frankie Dettori ex Goodwood circa 18.00 and flew them to the Windsor course where Piggott raced in the 19.00 evening race. That got the punters thinking! I think I need to sign off myself now although there's surely as many more names to come as the ones mentioned and all I can say is in almost every case I enjoyed every minute flying with the great and mostly good. So to the wannabee rotary career pilots ... if you like 'names' the air taxi pilot job takes some beating. Bye for now and safe flying to all. Dennis Kenyon.

[Lantern10]

Some lovely touching stories here guys.
Many thanks.

[heliboy999]

I had an elderly lady passenger who flew with me and she was clutching an old book as she got into the helicopter. Upon landing she asked me if she could sign it for her as it was her first helicopter flight. As I looked back through the pages I saw various signitures of 747 captains and the like as she had travelled the world and I thought it was a nice momeneto but the book was ancient. As I looked further back I decided to go right the way to the front and there was a photo tucked inside the front cover of a beautiful girl standing next to a Mosquito. She had been a female delivery pilot during the war and the list of aircraft she had flown was amazing! I wish I could have sat and talked to her abaout her flying but it was not to be. I thought about her yesterday at the Cenotaph for Rememberance Parade.

I flew Terry Pratchett Around when he was doing his tour of England talking on behalf of The Alzheimer's Society. Was amazing talking to him about his life and some of the characters he has written and who they were based on. He just finds the humour in everything.

[Evanelpus]

Quite recently the really nice Peter Andre who didn't want to go above 500 feet and of course his effervescent wife (then) the voluptuous Katie Price

Probably best, above that height, her ts might have exploded!

Nice read this thread, thanks for all your memories.

[hihover]

Dennis

It looks like you've flown more names than the rest of us added together. I'm sure you've forgotten as many as you remembered.

I think one of my most memorable passengers has to be the King of Jordan's bodyguard. On a flight from Battersea to Hereford, my boss who was also in the back asked me if I could land because someone felt sick. As I landed, the bodyguard ran away into the bushes, to finish what he started by puking on the king. Poor guy, probably beheaded when he got home......I'm joking....maybe just 20 lashes.

Tam

[estepo]

There's a place in Surrey where I land if I'm seeing family in the village we used to live. It's a large house with wonderful woodland surrounding it. Last December, I noticed a Variety bus leaving with children on ventilators as I went to pick up the helicopter.

Every year at Christmas time, the owners pack a sleigh with amazing presents, attach 2 reindeers (which have been at the property as long as I can remember) and their gardener dresses up as Santa. He drives the sleigh through the woodland and the owners two lovely daughters dress up as elves and leap around the trees.

The children are absolutely gobsmacked when they spot Santa with the reindeer.

They do this selflessly for around 40 terminally ill children every year.

Tragically, it's often one of the last things they get to see.

[Machismo]

My most memorable was and old Vietnam pilot. I didn't know he was a pilot when he got in. About 10 minuets into the ride I looked over and he had tears running down his cheeks. I tried not to look, but he started to tell me how he flew OH-6s in Vietnam in 1968. The last mission he flew he was shot through the leg and his Co-Pilot was shot in the head. He told me the whole story from start to finish. I was out 30 minuets past our flight time just so I could hear it all. He was crying he said because he hadn't flown in a helicopter since that day and saw us and knew he had to.

I felt honored to fly this man, and I think he cleaned out some skeleton's that day too. I hope he remembers me, because I will forever remember him.

[wallism]

I took an old boy, my 85 year old neighbour Alf, for a local. We lifted from the field adjoining his property and went over the old Hatfield Aerodrome where DeHavilland used to make planes. He told me he was a cabinetmaker and used to work there making aero engines out of timber! He also made Concorde parts from wood as a pattern maker, later they were formed from aluminium by aero workers. He also went for a trial lesson in a Cessna from RAF Henlow nearby when he was 80.

[topendtorque]

In the tourist joy flight area you do enjoy a lot of as above. Although I didn't meet him one of our drivers told me of one of his annual regulars and very nice old fella, the late 'Rumpole." Another told me of an old fella that had climbed Mt Sonder as a lad and just had to bring his old cronies back to enjoy it as the sun set over a splendid clear sky desert, complete with champers and the sound of the William Tell overture I think it was. poor pilot had lumped all this stereo stuff up there but of course enjoyed the result.
My personal favourite was the late Robert Holmes a Court, a very humorous man. As pilot you get to act as quasi sales agent often, so whilst waiting for the rest and at a cattle yard I summed up my spiel by turning to his son and saying, 'Young fella, cattle are a good investment cos while you're sleeping their growing'. Without a second to think ol'mate turned and said, "Yes ---- that's why our company opened an office in New York, Our company never sleeps."

I did get to fly a couple of nudies but not by design. Turned out they needed extracating from a contract yard builders site as they had demanded out. Yard builder had somehow pressganged them (a couple of reasonably well built tourists) into his employ. When they got there they discovered it was nude rules. OK but in November, very bloody hot days handling railway iron? All they had on that side of a flooded river when I arrived was a pair of gloves. Their car was near our headquarters. A half hour flight and I dropped them off at their car and was able to extend our hospitality for an overnight, good clean shower etc. I understood completely when as we left they threw their gloves on the ground.

Most notable pax of late was a twelve foot rock python. We had been having our usual late arvo tot when Mrs Tet, in excitable voice says, there's a snake between your legs. Casually as possible I glanced down and locked eye to eye with this very large headed snake. So as close to Chips Rafferty as possible I says, "G'day ol' fella, how're yer going?" Whereupon he quickly back tracked, but of course he had to be caught and shifted 'somewhere' quite a ways away didn't he? Which I did in an old mail bag and from the seat while perched on a bank of a large dam flung the mail bag outwards. Only problem was the end flapped over and ol'mate ended up nearly under the flying machine immediately contemplating it as, 'good cover'. This I observed as, "not good" and quickly buggered orf, whilst checking that he hadn't managed to get on board to check out such interesting things as the engine cooling fan.