Bristow Photos
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 372
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From: Devon
Bristow bought 6 ex-RN Whirlwinds in 1969 and converted them to WS55 Series 3 with the Gnome engine, initially the airframes were sent to Westland to have the new nose fitted to accomodate the Gnome engine. Bristow eventually bought the jigs from Westland and finished the project. I started the initial stripping of the 6 airframes and then took delivery of the converted airframes in Abu Dhabi a couple of years later.
Last edited by Oldlae; 23rd December 2007 at 08:38.
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 124
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From: Darkest Wiltshire
Whirlwinds to AUH
And I ferried the last of those Series 3 Whirlwinds to Abu Dhabi with Jack Moss in Sept 73. But the writing was on the wall for the 55 by then as the hot new Bell 212's were arriving on the scene.
Taff
Taff
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 600
Likes: 0
From: In the Haven of Peace
Rosh,
Come now, it's not even in the same building as the C+ sim. You must have been on the same ghastly slot times as I was to be so disoriented! Did you manage to get a look at the 92 and Blackhawk sims (inside that is
) while you were there?
Taff,
Them there new fangled 212s didn't arrive in Nigeria for many years after 1973. We were still flying them, with the fixed floats, just like in John Eacott's photograph in 1978/79. The big advantage was that if the weather got very bad in rainy season you could land on one of the canals, put the spike in on the bank and shut down if need be until the rain cleared. They made the Wessex look very modern there too. I seem to remember we had a problem which resulted in them being flown in manual throttle the whole time.
SAS,
Jack never wore a tweed jacket! He wore a multi-purpose No. 4 tweed garment - for work, for winter (buttons done up!), for summer (unbuttoned) and quite frequently for sleeping after a few too many pints of ale
.
mtoroshanga,
One of the pockets was for his polos and the other for the petty cash and his fags (because of course, the petty cash accounts were always kept on the backing paper from the foil inside his fag packets and the cash inside a used fag packet so it didn't 'go astray lad'). I remember doing his line check in a 58T one time and when I switched off the Decca he never did manage to get it sorted out again (Oh heck, I can't see them Decometers without me specs and I seem to have left them behind today!), but we still got back to Aberdeen, on ETA with no problem
Come now, it's not even in the same building as the C+ sim. You must have been on the same ghastly slot times as I was to be so disoriented! Did you manage to get a look at the 92 and Blackhawk sims (inside that is
) while you were there?Taff,
Them there new fangled 212s didn't arrive in Nigeria for many years after 1973. We were still flying them, with the fixed floats, just like in John Eacott's photograph in 1978/79. The big advantage was that if the weather got very bad in rainy season you could land on one of the canals, put the spike in on the bank and shut down if need be until the rain cleared. They made the Wessex look very modern there too. I seem to remember we had a problem which resulted in them being flown in manual throttle the whole time.
SAS,
Jack never wore a tweed jacket! He wore a multi-purpose No. 4 tweed garment - for work, for winter (buttons done up!), for summer (unbuttoned) and quite frequently for sleeping after a few too many pints of ale
. mtoroshanga,
One of the pockets was for his polos and the other for the petty cash and his fags (because of course, the petty cash accounts were always kept on the backing paper from the foil inside his fag packets and the cash inside a used fag packet so it didn't 'go astray lad'). I remember doing his line check in a 58T one time and when I switched off the Decca he never did manage to get it sorted out again (Oh heck, I can't see them Decometers without me specs and I seem to have left them behind today!), but we still got back to Aberdeen, on ETA with no problem
Joined: May 2002
Aviation Qualifications: ATP+Mil
Posts: 18,633
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From: Downeast
Sogs ol' Man,
Do you know anyone who has done the Decca approach into Sumbrugh in an S-58T in the dark while single pilot?
If you do.....he deserves a whole lot of credit....but must have been an Octopus armed genius!
What ever happened to "Sword Stick"? Seems he ferried a Whirlwind to Nigeria and then later took it to Egypt or some such place. That was back in the compass and map era of helicopter flying.
Do you know anyone who has done the Decca approach into Sumbrugh in an S-58T in the dark while single pilot?
If you do.....he deserves a whole lot of credit....but must have been an Octopus armed genius!
What ever happened to "Sword Stick"? Seems he ferried a Whirlwind to Nigeria and then later took it to Egypt or some such place. That was back in the compass and map era of helicopter flying.
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 261
Likes: 0
From: Scotland
Gerry Sedgewick
Gerry was the QHI at Middle Wallop who foolishly sent me on my first helicopter solo! That was way back in January 1979, in a Bell 47G-4A, reg G-AXKW. Before my fisrt flight with him, I was told that he only carried two chinagraph pencils: a brown and a red. If a student warranted a 'green' he would borrow one from another instructor! Talk about cr*pping oneself!!
Last saw Gerry in Unst in March/April 1989, when he was flying the Bristow S61N to the Ninian field.
Anyone know where he is now?
bondu
Last saw Gerry in Unst in March/April 1989, when he was flying the Bristow S61N to the Ninian field.
Anyone know where he is now?
bondu
Joined: Aug 1999
Aviation Qualifications: ATP+Mil
Posts: 4,411
Likes: 83
From: Gold Coast, Australia
Originally Posted by SASless
Do you know anyone who has done the Decca approach into Sumbrugh in an S-58T in the dark while single pilot?
If you do.....he deserves a whole lot of credit....but must have been an Octopus armed genius
If you do.....he deserves a whole lot of credit....but must have been an Octopus armed genius
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 600
Likes: 0
From: In the Haven of Peace
John,
I remember that DANAC maps were a bit hard to read if a number of people had inadvertently left that 'write' feature on so they had ink lines all over them. Do you remember the other joy of Decca on the North Sea - that it invariably lost lock just when you needed it, making an approach in a snowstorm. Ah, happy days - thank heavens for GPS (but it's still nice to be able to revert to old-fashioned navigation when the GPS fails - as it has numerous times for me in the last few years).
SAS,
Surely you remember that one of the physical checks made in determining a pilot's suitability for the S58T was his ability to use all 8 arms in a synchronised fashion - that and being able to fly in an old tweed jacket and be able to substitute bailer twine for shoelaces .
I remember that DANAC maps were a bit hard to read if a number of people had inadvertently left that 'write' feature on so they had ink lines all over them. Do you remember the other joy of Decca on the North Sea - that it invariably lost lock just when you needed it, making an approach in a snowstorm
. Ah, happy days - thank heavens for GPS (but it's still nice to be able to revert to old-fashioned navigation when the GPS fails - as it has numerous times for me in the last few years).SAS,
Surely you remember that one of the physical checks made in determining a pilot's suitability for the S58T was his ability to use all 8 arms in a synchronised fashion
- that and being able to fly in an old tweed jacket and be able to substitute bailer twine for shoelaces .
Joined: May 2002
Aviation Qualifications: ATP+Mil
Posts: 18,633
Likes: 1,072
From: Downeast
Yes....Yes....the Bristow S-58T Pilot uniform....blue jeans, wooly pully, and rig boots whilst wearing that wonderful rubberized canvas bag.
What was that Ground Hosty's name that was frequently dropping her top whenever she played Squash and got behind on points?
What was that Ground Hosty's name that was frequently dropping her top whenever she played Squash and got behind on points?
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 67
Likes: 0
From: Florida
Pofman
Bondu
Gerry retired as CGI, HAI at the end of last year supposedly to go caravaning.
Obviously Val has too long a list of jobs for him and I last heard that he is on the CAPT website for their modular programme.
Gerry retired as CGI, HAI at the end of last year supposedly to go caravaning.
Obviously Val has too long a list of jobs for him and I last heard that he is on the CAPT website for their modular programme.
Last edited by Pofman; 26th December 2007 at 18:42.
Thread Starter
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 829
Likes: 9
From: taking up the hold
Gerry retired as CGI, HAI at the end of last year supposedly to go caravaning
Life in the fast lane!
I have no experience of his Ab initio instruction but he was one of the best operators I ever flew with on the North Sea.
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 6
Likes: 0
From: florida
Gerry S
Gerry Taught me Air law and HP & L at HAI in 2004/5. He was a very nice chap and I remember taking him for his first heli ride for 6 years in the s300. He took the controls like he had only been flying yesterday...legend. Hope he is enjoying retirement. T
Joined: Apr 1999
Posts: 202
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From: vocation
Tail-Take-Off, you are correct, seems you have already posted photos of the places I've been! Here's a few more.
Yemen, on the deck of the Interocean III in the Red Sea.
Yemen again, Mrs Cunningham, George Cunningham, Chippy Stokes, Ken Humphries.
Silverstone one year B214 and S61
Any of the S61 drivers remember the approach into St Kilda?
More Falklands
Simon Wilton
Ian Bell
The base at MPA
Yemen, on the deck of the Interocean III in the Red Sea.
Yemen again, Mrs Cunningham, George Cunningham, Chippy Stokes, Ken Humphries.
Silverstone one year B214 and S61
Any of the S61 drivers remember the approach into St Kilda?
More Falklands
Simon Wilton
Ian Bell
The base at MPA
Last edited by HOGE; 30th December 2007 at 20:58.