Bristow Photos
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Dave,
In 1978 when I was there we were operating Wessex and Whirlwinds from Shell Warri.
There were several Number 17s and in 1991 when I was at WT I lived in house 17 (whose real number has slipped my mind now) because that was the Bristow bar. The Shell guys would have a fish and chip night in their no. 17 on alternate Fridays, whilst we had roast pork night in our no 17 on the other Fridays.
I remember my first flight from Lagos to old Warri airstrip in an Islander. The pilot, an ex-RN Buccaneer pilot asked if their were any pilot 'chap pies' amongst the passengers. When I admitted that I was he asked me to come and sit in the cockpit, right hand seat. As we were flying down to Warri he asked me if I'd like to fly and even when we arrived at the airstrip, told me that I could land it and he'd just talk me through! I'm pretty sure I could feel many helpful inputs on the controls as I landed and that I was really just following him through on the controls.
In 1978 when I was there we were operating Wessex and Whirlwinds from Shell Warri.
There were several Number 17s and in 1991 when I was at WT I lived in house 17 (whose real number has slipped my mind now) because that was the Bristow bar. The Shell guys would have a fish and chip night in their no. 17 on alternate Fridays, whilst we had roast pork night in our no 17 on the other Fridays.
I remember my first flight from Lagos to old Warri airstrip in an Islander. The pilot, an ex-RN Buccaneer pilot asked if their were any pilot 'chap pies' amongst the passengers. When I admitted that I was he asked me to come and sit in the cockpit, right hand seat. As we were flying down to Warri he asked me if I'd like to fly and even when we arrived at the airstrip, told me that I could land it and he'd just talk me through! I'm pretty sure I could feel many helpful inputs on the controls as I landed and that I was really just following him through on the controls.
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The black and white pictures of the crashed Whirlwind............
Thats me in the pictures, young, beard,shorts, flipflops.
Also Lambert Abali, and Bill Petrie
I think the photo was taken by our pilot Tom Bayden who was an old time Fison/Bristow LAE who got his pilots licence.
We had flown out in a 206 to do a technical investigation, and found nothing wrong technically.
The pilot of the 55 was "Bentnose" Baker, who got bored while in the cruise, and decided to manually control the throttle.
Somehow he managed to end up selecting half way between computer and manual, the engine went into overspeed, the O/S cut out operated, causing the engine to shut down.
Tony
Thats me in the pictures, young, beard,shorts, flipflops.
Also Lambert Abali, and Bill Petrie
I think the photo was taken by our pilot Tom Bayden who was an old time Fison/Bristow LAE who got his pilots licence.
We had flown out in a 206 to do a technical investigation, and found nothing wrong technically.
The pilot of the 55 was "Bentnose" Baker, who got bored while in the cruise, and decided to manually control the throttle.
Somehow he managed to end up selecting half way between computer and manual, the engine went into overspeed, the O/S cut out operated, causing the engine to shut down.
Tony
Soggy.....it is well known you "live" in Bars.
Nigeria
Warri Texaco
Few details on this base. See previous posts for Bristow Nigeria general information.
Taken around 1992 when the fleet consisted of 2 X Bell 212 and 2 X AS355F1. One 355 based offshore on the Funiwa platform ( 4 days on, 4 days off ).
Bell 212, 5N-AOV on the pan. Work rosta in 1992 was 56 days on, 28 off.
Few details on this base. See previous posts for Bristow Nigeria general information.
Taken around 1992 when the fleet consisted of 2 X Bell 212 and 2 X AS355F1. One 355 based offshore on the Funiwa platform ( 4 days on, 4 days off ).
Bell 212, 5N-AOV on the pan. Work rosta in 1992 was 56 days on, 28 off.
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Warri Texaco group 1996:
Richard Turner far left & Jim Trott seated front right.
3rd bar picture:
Richard Turner on the left.
4th bar picture:
John MacIntyre on the right.
5th bar picture:
Simon Sorrell behind the bar with finger raised.
Richard Turner far left & Jim Trott seated front right.
3rd bar picture:
Richard Turner on the left.
4th bar picture:
John MacIntyre on the right.
5th bar picture:
Simon Sorrell behind the bar with finger raised.
The Widgeon in the set above is probably the one now in
The Helicopter Museum .it certainly was flown offshore onto a rig when the Biafra war got too close for comfort. I think it was the only survivor of the Widgeons in Nigeria.
The Helicopter Museum .it certainly was flown offshore onto a rig when the Biafra war got too close for comfort. I think it was the only survivor of the Widgeons in Nigeria.
Oman
Muscat
No pics for this one. Info from Ken Rowe.
Muscat Sept 71 (a/c Wessex G-AWOX)
We arrived at Muscat to be greeted by the rest of the crew, the total operation being:- Chief Pilot John Hobday, John Spreadbury, Chief Engineer Frank Tucker, engineers Geoff Chandler, Pete Robson, and of course myself Ken Rowe.
There was also "greenie" John Ferchal who had seemed to haunt us from times at Kuantan and we were soon to have a substitute Chief Engineer, Christos Niocholas, as Frank Tucker went on leave.
Conocco was contracted to drill 2 wells. The first one was only 2 miles off shore and took a whole 8 minutes flying time and as we only did one crew change a week so the first months flying hours were only 2hrs. During the second month the rig moved to 8 miles offshore and together with night flying training and one trip to Dubai for spares we reached double figures, just. It was hell working in that Waddi as it was flat out on the work front. The airport that we operated from was at Baet-el-Falaj and was the main operations base for the Airwork operation and was also the "international" airport. It was situated at the bottom of a waddi and was extremely difficult to enter. It was quite awe inspiring to see a 707 banking steeply and turning seconds before touchdown and the airline pilots used to say it was the most difficult airfield in the world to access.
Needless to say it doesn't operate today.
Muscat at that time was a walled mud brick town and operated at about three hundred years behind Britain. We had to have special dispensation from the Sultan to leave the town after dark to go to the airport should there be an emergency as no one was allowed to enter or leave the town at night as the gates in the walls were closed at sunset prayers and no one was allowed out or in. We lived in a beautiful three-story mud brick building next to the British embassy on one side and the countries gaol on the other. The embassy was a good contact as we could get alcohol through their diplomatic bag and the gaol reminded us of the severe penalties of a strictly Islamic culture should we digress and drink it. The embassy won.
After a quite enjoyable Christmas celebrated in secrecy, as I said at that time Muscat was three hundred years behind and strict Islamic rules prevailed, the oil company announced that it was moving its rig to Bangladesh but the Bangladeshi authorities would not let the helicopter company in so we were now homeless with one spare Wessex.
Then Alan Green telexed to inform us that we were on loan to Das Island!
No pics for this one. Info from Ken Rowe.
Muscat Sept 71 (a/c Wessex G-AWOX)
We arrived at Muscat to be greeted by the rest of the crew, the total operation being:- Chief Pilot John Hobday, John Spreadbury, Chief Engineer Frank Tucker, engineers Geoff Chandler, Pete Robson, and of course myself Ken Rowe.
There was also "greenie" John Ferchal who had seemed to haunt us from times at Kuantan and we were soon to have a substitute Chief Engineer, Christos Niocholas, as Frank Tucker went on leave.
Conocco was contracted to drill 2 wells. The first one was only 2 miles off shore and took a whole 8 minutes flying time and as we only did one crew change a week so the first months flying hours were only 2hrs. During the second month the rig moved to 8 miles offshore and together with night flying training and one trip to Dubai for spares we reached double figures, just. It was hell working in that Waddi as it was flat out on the work front. The airport that we operated from was at Baet-el-Falaj and was the main operations base for the Airwork operation and was also the "international" airport. It was situated at the bottom of a waddi and was extremely difficult to enter. It was quite awe inspiring to see a 707 banking steeply and turning seconds before touchdown and the airline pilots used to say it was the most difficult airfield in the world to access.
Needless to say it doesn't operate today.
Muscat at that time was a walled mud brick town and operated at about three hundred years behind Britain. We had to have special dispensation from the Sultan to leave the town after dark to go to the airport should there be an emergency as no one was allowed to enter or leave the town at night as the gates in the walls were closed at sunset prayers and no one was allowed out or in. We lived in a beautiful three-story mud brick building next to the British embassy on one side and the countries gaol on the other. The embassy was a good contact as we could get alcohol through their diplomatic bag and the gaol reminded us of the severe penalties of a strictly Islamic culture should we digress and drink it. The embassy won.
After a quite enjoyable Christmas celebrated in secrecy, as I said at that time Muscat was three hundred years behind and strict Islamic rules prevailed, the oil company announced that it was moving its rig to Bangladesh but the Bangladeshi authorities would not let the helicopter company in so we were now homeless with one spare Wessex.
Then Alan Green telexed to inform us that we were on loan to Das Island!
Ken Rowe..... a name from the Past!
Pakistan
Pakistan
Allthough not a strictly Bristow operation, the company provided the services of pilots and engineers.
A Bell 412SP was bought for "tourist development", by Panjnad Aviation and was based in Islamabad but operated all over Pakistan. V.I.P. and charter work.
Similar involvment with the Aga Khan foundation involving a couple of Bell 412s.
Completion of annual inspection at the Army Aviation Workshops, Rawalpindi in 1992.
Aircraft contracted to the Prime Minister of Pakistan, in1993 for S.A.A.R.C. conference in Sri Lanka. Ferried by Pakistan Air Force C.130 to Colombo from where it operated for two "weeks"
Group picture with Bell 412SP ( AP- BEA).
Allthough not a strictly Bristow operation, the company provided the services of pilots and engineers.
A Bell 412SP was bought for "tourist development", by Panjnad Aviation and was based in Islamabad but operated all over Pakistan. V.I.P. and charter work.
Similar involvment with the Aga Khan foundation involving a couple of Bell 412s.
Completion of annual inspection at the Army Aviation Workshops, Rawalpindi in 1992.
Aircraft contracted to the Prime Minister of Pakistan, in1993 for S.A.A.R.C. conference in Sri Lanka. Ferried by Pakistan Air Force C.130 to Colombo from where it operated for two "weeks"
Group picture with Bell 412SP ( AP- BEA).
Panama
Panama
In 1960, Sir Miles Wyatt asked Alan Bristow if he would like to take over the running of Fison Airwork and effectively merge it with Bristow Helicopters so although many of these operations were not strictly Bristow operations they were under Bristows control for a time and many staff joined the company.
Therefore the general feeling is that Fison Airwork should be included as part of Bristow history.
Fison Airwork itself was formed from Airwork and Fison Pest Control and had many contracts in the field of crop spraying of which Panama was one.
Panama - located at the narrowest point in Central America being only 36 miles at its narrowest.The climate is tropical.
Hiller 12, G-APKX, 1958.
Blade washing. Note the spray booms and insecticide tanks.
Crop spraying has always had a reputation for being unforgiving as there is very little time to react if the aircraft suffers a malfunction.
G-APNI, April 1959.
Puerto Armuelles - Panama. 4" Drive Tube came adrift!
In 1960, Sir Miles Wyatt asked Alan Bristow if he would like to take over the running of Fison Airwork and effectively merge it with Bristow Helicopters so although many of these operations were not strictly Bristow operations they were under Bristows control for a time and many staff joined the company.
Therefore the general feeling is that Fison Airwork should be included as part of Bristow history.
Fison Airwork itself was formed from Airwork and Fison Pest Control and had many contracts in the field of crop spraying of which Panama was one.
Panama - located at the narrowest point in Central America being only 36 miles at its narrowest.The climate is tropical.
Hiller 12, G-APKX, 1958.
Blade washing. Note the spray booms and insecticide tanks.
Crop spraying has always had a reputation for being unforgiving as there is very little time to react if the aircraft suffers a malfunction.
G-APNI, April 1959.
Puerto Armuelles - Panama. 4" Drive Tube came adrift!
Papa New Guinea
Papa New Guinea
Thanks to Andrew Rice for his input on this base.
PNG began for Bristow in 1985, when Pacific Helicopters bought a Puma from Bristow Australia. They had been contracted to provide helirig support for Gulf Oil, which later became Chevron. Initially two SA330J Pumas were required, one each from Bristow and Pacific. These were initially based at Tari, in the central highlands, 5,000 ft above sea level. Several BV107 helicopters from Columbia Helicopters shared the same facilities.
Crews worked 3 weeks on 3 weeks off and crew change flights arrived from Cairns in Australia. The rigs were drilling in the mountains and varied between 3,000ft and 9,000ft AMSL. In May 1986 the operation moved to Poroma, also 5,000ft AMSL. As there was no airstrip, crew change flights arrived at Mendi and the crews were transferred by helicopter.
In August 1986 the Bristow Puma VR-BIG was released from contract along with a number of BHL staff, but some Bristow crew remained to assist the Pacific staff fly and maintain their aircraft. Several other oil companies started operations in 1988 and in November that year Pacific bought two more Pumas from PHI (P2-PAY and P2-PAZ). The three aircraft continued to operate at various bases around the country, mainly in the highlands, and flew a considerable number of hours each month. Pilots could expect to fly100 hours in their three weeks of duty.
In January 1988 the operations changed to using long line and vertical reference techniques, requiring considerable pilot training.
Bristow did have a brief operation for Shell drilling in the Sepik River region in the PNG lowlands using one Bell 212 and a Tiger. Over the years the amount of flying began to reduce, and this became a dramatic reduction when Russian built aircraft began to work in PNG, lifting higher loads at considerably lower costs. The KA32 was able to lift almost twice the useful load of a Puma. The final Bristow crew left PNG in January 1991.
PNG operations seem to have been scattered around the countryside with the pictures having locations such as Tari, Paroma, Kikori and Sepic River. The contracts involved supplying technical and operational support to Pacific Helicopters for various clients and using types such Bell 212, Puma, Tiger and Hughes 300 as can be seen below.
Pumas P2-PHZ and VR-BIG (Bristow colours) at Tari.
Bell 212, P2-PHJ at Sepic River 1987. This aircraft is sporting the Bristow and Pacific names.
Bush operation with Puma P2-PAY at Kikori River late eighties.
Hughes 300 also at Kikori.
AS 332L Tiger P2-PHP location unknown.
Poroma base camp circa1986.
Crew change at Mendicirca 1987.
Gearbox change with rainbow and hangar boys at Poroma circa1986.
Cement hopper over Lake Kutabu circa 1986.
P2-PHZ at O'Malley Peaks relay station, 11,000ft AMSL, 23rd May 1986.
AS 330 Puma underslinging materials to a typical rig site.1985.
Rhodesia
Rhodesia
Even I had forgotten how Rhodesia came to be on the Bristow website!
But it all came from the complicated early days of Airwork, Fison, Bristows, British United etc etc
Here is a link to the British Caledonian website which clears things up a bit and has some great vintage pics............not just the helicopters.
BUA Bristows Helicopters Pt 3
So Rhodesia pictures, all from John Odlin I think.
The photos were taken in 1963 and show Hiller 12s being used on a contract for Rhodesian Federal Surveys working with Rhodesian United Air Carriers ( RUAC) who were based at Salisbury Airport.
The Granite outcrops were typical of the Rhodesian countryside.
The twig construction in this picture and the small lighthouse in the following one are survey markers.
Rhodesia-Namwala, July 1963, VP-YVP.
Even I had forgotten how Rhodesia came to be on the Bristow website!
But it all came from the complicated early days of Airwork, Fison, Bristows, British United etc etc
Here is a link to the British Caledonian website which clears things up a bit and has some great vintage pics............not just the helicopters.
BUA Bristows Helicopters Pt 3
So Rhodesia pictures, all from John Odlin I think.
The photos were taken in 1963 and show Hiller 12s being used on a contract for Rhodesian Federal Surveys working with Rhodesian United Air Carriers ( RUAC) who were based at Salisbury Airport.
The Granite outcrops were typical of the Rhodesian countryside.
The twig construction in this picture and the small lighthouse in the following one are survey markers.
Rhodesia-Namwala, July 1963, VP-YVP.
Romania
Romania, Constanta
I have details on 2 Bristow operations in Romania, both presumably at Constanta. Bristows provided a Bell 212 to support Enterprise Oil's offshore exploration activities from January - September 1997.
Previously, the same company contracted Bristows to provide an S-76A "plus" from November 1994 - April 1995.
As can be seen from the above dates the S-76 operation was through an extremely cold Winter and at one point the aircraft was so caked in ice it required six hours to thaw it out. This resulted in a state of the art hangar being erected by a team of leading construction engineers using some of the most advanced equipment available.See below.
I have details on 2 Bristow operations in Romania, both presumably at Constanta. Bristows provided a Bell 212 to support Enterprise Oil's offshore exploration activities from January - September 1997.
Previously, the same company contracted Bristows to provide an S-76A "plus" from November 1994 - April 1995.
As can be seen from the above dates the S-76 operation was through an extremely cold Winter and at one point the aircraft was so caked in ice it required six hours to thaw it out. This resulted in a state of the art hangar being erected by a team of leading construction engineers using some of the most advanced equipment available.See below.
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That is indeed Stan Chapman (4th from left).
I worked under his guidance for a few years on the Caltex operation in Duri Sumatra, and learned a lot from his high standards of aircraft maintenance.
Last edited by Rokan1; 2nd Jan 2014 at 21:45.
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The lady next to Stan is my mother and the elbow belongs to my Father. Only reason I know is mother told me when she pulled out a copy of the picture a fews back.
Seychelles
Seychelles
"Sitting like pearls in the tranquil turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean lie the 115 little islands which make up the Seychelles - glorious sandy beaches and outstanding natural beauty make this archipelago as close to paradise as you are likely to find."
No, not an excerpt from Bristow's "notes to newcomers" but from the Kuoni 2001 tour brochure. Not often we get a posting to paradise!
So here we have an over worked Kev Smith looking after Bell 212, G-BMVF on the main island Mahé. The 212 was supporting Enterprise Oil's offshore exploration activities (August - September 1995).
"Sitting like pearls in the tranquil turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean lie the 115 little islands which make up the Seychelles - glorious sandy beaches and outstanding natural beauty make this archipelago as close to paradise as you are likely to find."
No, not an excerpt from Bristow's "notes to newcomers" but from the Kuoni 2001 tour brochure. Not often we get a posting to paradise!
So here we have an over worked Kev Smith looking after Bell 212, G-BMVF on the main island Mahé. The 212 was supporting Enterprise Oil's offshore exploration activities (August - September 1995).