Bristow Photos
Iran 1976.....Papa Charlie Operation 175nm East of Bandar Abbas
John "The Black Sardine" Black's first set of Alouette M/R Tip Caps.
Kind of a hard thing to do in the middle of a rocky desert!
John "The Black Sardine" Black's first set of Alouette M/R Tip Caps.
Kind of a hard thing to do in the middle of a rocky desert!
Wet Start
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check out the December rotorheads calendar http://www.pprune.org/rotorheads/352...er-2008-a.html
More Abu Dhabi 1974
Found a few more.......
212, WS55 and 206.
Colin Sole and KGP. KGP's 212 conversion I think.
Steve Conaway (I think) and Ray McGrath. Steve had some excitement when the float cylinder pressure relief blew off while he was hovering Bell 212 VR-BEX. The ac had recently arrived from UK and the bottle pressure hadn't been reduced for the Ta.
The view looking NE toward the harbour from the roof of the Al Mullah Bldg. No doubt current residents of Abu Dhabi will recognise the road on the left of the picture as Shk Hamdan St.
Another shot from the roof looking East. It was from a balcony in this building that an armchair was launched. Not by me I hasten to add.
212, WS55 and 206.
Colin Sole and KGP. KGP's 212 conversion I think.
Steve Conaway (I think) and Ray McGrath. Steve had some excitement when the float cylinder pressure relief blew off while he was hovering Bell 212 VR-BEX. The ac had recently arrived from UK and the bottle pressure hadn't been reduced for the Ta.
The view looking NE toward the harbour from the roof of the Al Mullah Bldg. No doubt current residents of Abu Dhabi will recognise the road on the left of the picture as Shk Hamdan St.
Another shot from the roof looking East. It was from a balcony in this building that an armchair was launched. Not by me I hasten to add.
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Thanks for the pics, Mr. Alan. Terima Kasih.
Duri nowadays are most likely still looks like Duri then, but of course, with modern touches. Some of the old plywood houses are still there, also those built from Portacamps.
Unfortunately, Chevron (successor of Caltex) do not carry seismic helicopter operations anymore, so they chose to replace the Bell 212 with a more elegant Bell 430 of Pelita Air Service. It flies between Duri and Rumbai, sometimes Seletar, Singapore....
Our current bird:
Duri nowadays are most likely still looks like Duri then, but of course, with modern touches. Some of the old plywood houses are still there, also those built from Portacamps.
Unfortunately, Chevron (successor of Caltex) do not carry seismic helicopter operations anymore, so they chose to replace the Bell 212 with a more elegant Bell 430 of Pelita Air Service. It flies between Duri and Rumbai, sometimes Seletar, Singapore....
Our current bird:
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Pictures from Nigeria??
Hi Alan,
Do you have any pictures from Nigeria operations. On a more personal note I have a picture of "two (very very young) men in a boat", who are now not so very very young, no not you and me!! and some other pictures of barbeques at the river beach at Port Harcourt but sadly hardly anything of the operation.
Cheers,
Graeme
Do you have any pictures from Nigeria operations. On a more personal note I have a picture of "two (very very young) men in a boat", who are now not so very very young, no not you and me!! and some other pictures of barbeques at the river beach at Port Harcourt but sadly hardly anything of the operation.
Cheers,
Graeme
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Graeme
Pictures of people & life in general on any Bristow operation (past or present) are as valid as pictures of aircraft. When I started the thread my intention was to carry on where www.skyweaver.co.uk had left off. To that end any related photo, video or anecdotal material is most welcome.
TTO
Pictures of people & life in general on any Bristow operation (past or present) are as valid as pictures of aircraft. When I started the thread my intention was to carry on where www.skyweaver.co.uk had left off. To that end any related photo, video or anecdotal material is most welcome.
TTO
An interesting comparison. Discuss
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Taken at Redhill.
S-58T (G-BCTX) in the foreground after being modified from Radial to Twin Pac in around 1974 or 75.
Wessex in the background, looks like a refurbished ex Nigeria aircraft destined for Skye or it could be ASWI from Great Yarmouth having had a paint job.
I can't work out what BCTX was doing there but I would date this picture in 74 or 75 or late 79 early 80?
So, Tail Take Off, am I right?
S-58T (G-BCTX) in the foreground after being modified from Radial to Twin Pac in around 1974 or 75.
Wessex in the background, looks like a refurbished ex Nigeria aircraft destined for Skye or it could be ASWI from Great Yarmouth having had a paint job.
I can't work out what BCTX was doing there but I would date this picture in 74 or 75 or late 79 early 80?
So, Tail Take Off, am I right?
Queens of the Skies they was!
I enjoyed flying the T-Bird as much as any helicopter I have flown.....clambering up the side of the ol' girl after having slung your kit into the windy...now that is a Man's Helicopter!
Add in the Riff Raff being imprisoned below your boots....having that great big windy to open so you could lean out and see the world from a right perspective....you had to as Bristow had mounted all sorts of useful Decca stuff and a third Bar Alt on the panel and in the windows.
She was stable, dependable, well mannered....and in plain terms a "Lady".
She provided entertainment.....you could watch the snow cone form on the main gear wheel....then disappear as the weight of it caused the wheel to rotate.....she spit snowballs out of the EAPS just at the corner of your vision....and made you wonder what the heck had happened.
The brakes never worked equally....or one preferred not to work at all....the tail wheel lock would either not release or would not latch...dependning upon which mode caused the most angst.
....and.....if you needed to do anything under the bonnet....you need two HVAC tin bashers and a small boy to get at anything.
We had some grand times flying the T-Birds.
And some stories to tell....locating ourselves in London by checking the time, whizzing about the Rassay Sound not looking at torpedo's, sneaking into France under a Bomber's Moon.....great days.
Eh, Soggy?
Now as to the other imitation of the T-Bird there was the Wessex....which was a great bird too.....in her own way.
I enjoyed flying the T-Bird as much as any helicopter I have flown.....clambering up the side of the ol' girl after having slung your kit into the windy...now that is a Man's Helicopter!
Add in the Riff Raff being imprisoned below your boots....having that great big windy to open so you could lean out and see the world from a right perspective....you had to as Bristow had mounted all sorts of useful Decca stuff and a third Bar Alt on the panel and in the windows.
She was stable, dependable, well mannered....and in plain terms a "Lady".
She provided entertainment.....you could watch the snow cone form on the main gear wheel....then disappear as the weight of it caused the wheel to rotate.....she spit snowballs out of the EAPS just at the corner of your vision....and made you wonder what the heck had happened.
The brakes never worked equally....or one preferred not to work at all....the tail wheel lock would either not release or would not latch...dependning upon which mode caused the most angst.
....and.....if you needed to do anything under the bonnet....you need two HVAC tin bashers and a small boy to get at anything.
We had some grand times flying the T-Birds.
And some stories to tell....locating ourselves in London by checking the time, whizzing about the Rassay Sound not looking at torpedo's, sneaking into France under a Bomber's Moon.....great days.
Eh, Soggy?
Now as to the other imitation of the T-Bird there was the Wessex....which was a great bird too.....in her own way.
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S58ET and W60
G-BCTX brings back many memories. Worked extensively on her in Aberdeen and Sumburgh. Among the fleet of Bristow S58T's she was probably the most tempermental. In 1979 she was sold to Astra Helicopters in South Africa along with G-BCRV and G-BCRW with me tagging on behind. In SA she was completely different, perhaps the climate was more to her liking!! I left SA in 1981 and don't know what happened to the S58's after that. By the way, they were left in Bristow colors, even after paint striping one it went back into Bristow colors. Never did find out the real story to that - if there even was one!
Graeme
Graeme
Got some old 35mm slides that I will one day get around to scanning and posting. I will have to withhold some of the names to protect the guilty....errrr...innocent however.
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No, Court Helicopters were doing the ship servicing. Although Astra Helicopters owned the ex Bristow 58's they were operated by Republic Helicopters supporting oil exploration. Jonny Kluer, Colin Sole were a couple of the pilots I remember that had an association with Bristow. It was Jonny that spent a few hours in the water off Durban after ditching a W55.
When I first went to SA I stayed at the Baragwaneth Flying Club in Jo'burg. In the main hall there was a bust - can't remember who it was - but it was dressed up in goggles, cap and silk scarf and according to the old waiter whose name was Nelson, these items were donated by Sharky Ward during his time there. I'm sure many stories could be told by some people on this forum about these long gone days.
Alan B - didn't you spend some time out there??
Graeme
When I first went to SA I stayed at the Baragwaneth Flying Club in Jo'burg. In the main hall there was a bust - can't remember who it was - but it was dressed up in goggles, cap and silk scarf and according to the old waiter whose name was Nelson, these items were donated by Sharky Ward during his time there. I'm sure many stories could be told by some people on this forum about these long gone days.
Alan B - didn't you spend some time out there??
Graeme
Johannesburg
Graeme,
I did indeed. I went to South Africa in 1975, initially in Jo'burg on the Hiller 12E's and Bell 47's doing powerline inspections and survey work. It was great sport and we would spend 4-6 weeks in the field with a Bell 47 staying in places like Oliphantshoek and Sishen. Went down to Durban for a few weeks on the ship-servicing contract based at Virginia airport and that was good fun too. We had a Wessex, Whirlwind and an Alouette 2. The Wessex & Whilrwind were for ship-servicing but the Al 2 was used on a 6- weekly pipeline inspection that went from Durban to Middleburg in Transval via Sasolburg and back down to Durban by a different route. I did that once and it was brilliant but regretably I took very few pics in South Africa.
When in Jo'burg I stayed at Baragwanath too. It was the Johannesburg Light Plane Club and steeped in history. 'Bara G' is closed now but hopefully JLPC is still there if only as a museum.
I did indeed. I went to South Africa in 1975, initially in Jo'burg on the Hiller 12E's and Bell 47's doing powerline inspections and survey work. It was great sport and we would spend 4-6 weeks in the field with a Bell 47 staying in places like Oliphantshoek and Sishen. Went down to Durban for a few weeks on the ship-servicing contract based at Virginia airport and that was good fun too. We had a Wessex, Whirlwind and an Alouette 2. The Wessex & Whilrwind were for ship-servicing but the Al 2 was used on a 6- weekly pipeline inspection that went from Durban to Middleburg in Transval via Sasolburg and back down to Durban by a different route. I did that once and it was brilliant but regretably I took very few pics in South Africa.
When in Jo'burg I stayed at Baragwanath too. It was the Johannesburg Light Plane Club and steeped in history. 'Bara G' is closed now but hopefully JLPC is still there if only as a museum.
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Not strictly Bristow - but when one of the two Bristow Wessex was written off, Djambi 72, a Puma was sent in as a replacement. Here it is two weeks after arrival, pictured on a jungle heli-pad.
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I can't work out what BCTX was doing there but I would date this picture in 74 or 75 or late 79 early 80?
So, Tail Take Off, am I right?
So, Tail Take Off, am I right?
By the way the registration on the wessex looks more like G-BAWJ to me.
I know that the S58t & the Wessex were built by differant manufacturers in differant countries & that one was a modified single while the other was always a twin but did they have any common or interchangeable components. (I suspect I have already answered my own question).