Bristow Photos

[Thridle Op Des]

HP15

Due to overwhelming popular demand I present HP15 (actually only one person asked, but that was good enough).

Who would have though such bold aviators would have emerged from such a motley crew?

Left to Right

Keith Mileman - ?
Ian White - BA
Paul Quick - Chief Training something in ABZ
Steve Watts - bmi then lost contact.
Mark Cameron - EK
Chris Cairns - Back to BHL.
Nick Norman - Chief something 225 in ABZ.
Andy Edgecombe - Last heard corporate helicopters (think P&O).
Tim Collins - Sikorsky Helicopters.
Paul Robinson - BA (Training?) never allowed to forget this photo!

Aah SAS - innocence is lost so quickly in the aviation world!

Regards

TOD

[Tail-take-off]

he1iaviator

John Hoskins on Miri Beach 1980

No related to Bob Hoskins by any chance (striking resemblance)

[leading edge]

Thanks TOD for posting that, what a bunch we were in those days. It brings back memories!!

[HOGE]

Anyone else got an HP Course photograph?

I understand all the course photos from the training school were lost when the place closed down.

[C.C.C.]

HP15

For the record, HP15 was the first all Bristow HP course that had a 100% pass rate. The previous 100% pass rate had been a mixed course of BHL & British Airways Helicopters if I remember correctly.

And that photo was taken in April 1980!

Keith Mileman last heard of with BA.
Paul Quick, Training & Standards Manager, European Business Unit, Bristow Group.
Nick Norman, Chief Training Captain EC225, EBU, Bristow Group.
Andy Edgecombe, Air Harrods.

Originally Posted by HOGE

I understand all the course photos from the training school were lost when the place closed down.

Sadly that's what appears to have happened. I was based at Redhill when the Flying Training School was put into a container to start off the JAA part of HAI in the US of A. Rogue's Gallery was supposed to have been kept safe, but when I rejoined BHL last year, Paul Quick asked me about the Rogue's Gallery as they were looking to put it into the new Bristow Academy.

Thridle Op Des - Do you have one of our chalk board mural for Graduation Day?

[soggyboxers]

Looking at that graduation photo it's amazing that, just like me, all of you look exactly the same today .

[C.C.C.]

Originally Posted by soggyboxers

it's amazing that, just like me, all of you look exactly the same today

We must all be using the same Hair Colour restorer that a certain Chief Pilot was famous for!

[Thridle Op Des]

Just as a point of accuracy, the photos were taken at the start of the course, one could then walk past the photos of the failed between classes as Les was happy to point out at the time!

Sadly no other photos from that time apart from a box of slides of the Bell47 G-2 from different angles. I hope we can get a few more group photos from the other courses as well. The photos were taken by a professional photographer in Redhill, if he can be located he is bound to have the negs.

TOD

[SASless]

Soggy,

I do believe that particular Chief Pilot moved on to being a Director of Ops in the sandbox.....and odds are he still uses that same potion!

He was a bit sensitive to being exposed as I recall (much to my chagrin!)

[C.C.C.]

Galeota Point, Trinidad, 1986-7 - People

Who remembers Ozzie (?), one of our finest radio operators & hangar odd job man? Gave me my CCC nickname. Security Guards at the terminal gates could not cope with my surname so they called me Mr Cranes instead.

On the left, Tony Vieira.

The brainchild of Captain H. Anthony Vieira, Hummingbird Helicopter Services Limited commenced actual operations in 1996, offering contract Helicopter Pilot services to Bristow (Caribbean) Limited.

Cannot remember the name of the engineer whose leaving do this was - was it Don xxx ?

There were several Rum Shops / Bars around the Mayaro area where one could 'wet your whistle' after a long day. Here we see Dave Tye, John Nielson, Ray Farnes & Terry Carter (?) enjoying a Carib or two. The venue was Angie's Bar, Guayaguayare, which as the tail rotor blade top right proves, was a favourite with the engineers.

Having a beach on the door step of the crew houses led to some fine 'Sundowner' sessions. Here we have a Rum & Coke evening with Dave Simpson, Alistair Hutcheon & Ray Farnes. I did not drink rum, but occasionally took part in the Pina Colada evenings which lead to a visit by the 'Gorilla' the next morning!

And who has heard of the famous 'Yellow Submarine' Rum Run?

[C.C.C.]

HP15

Only photo (not mine) that I've managed to find of our Graduation. If you look closely you can see the original position of 'Rogue's Gallery' in the background. After the Engineering Training School moved out of this block, Rogue's Gallery filled the bottom corridor from the original front entrance. As well as the HP courses, it also had all the other courses held like Command Courses, F.O. Courses, Instructor Courses, etc. A sad loss if it has truly been lost.

Originally Posted by Thridle Op Des

The photos were taken by a professional photographer in Redhill, if he can be located he is bound to have the negs.

Assuming that he is still a member of the living.

[leading edge]

CCC

The Engineer in the leaving do was Don McQuaig who then went to Yarmouth....he was a great hand and a gentleman to work with during my time there.

In the "Graduashun" picture, I think the presentations were done by Cranley Onslow (local MP?). I can also see the late Alistair Gordon and TOD Senior on the left??

[C.C.C.]

Originally Posted by leading edge

The Engineer in the leaving do was Don McQuaig

Thanks for that.

And it was Stan Sollitt who was sorting out our wings and the CRP-1s (still carrying mine in the SK92 just in case the FMS goes funny, which it did last week during my line training - thought it was done intentionally by the LTC!).

[Brilliant Stuff]

Thank you chaps for reminiscing, it gives us young uns something to look forward to and remind us to savour each day.

[C.C.C.]

Duri 1988 - Aircraft & People

Story time.

Having registered a complaint about being paid less than some of the less senior pilots to me, following the controversial introduction overnight of the 'North Sea Commander's Allowance', I received a phone call from management asking me if I would go back to Duri on detachment following the loss of a 212 (PK-HCI?) with the crew (Pilot & Loadmaster) being pulled from the burning wreck by the passengers, and recovering from their injuries.

A replacement 212 was flown up from Australia, and was mainly used on the VIP trips, although got involved in the Muara Tembesi detachment as well.

Refuelling VH-BEL on a VIP trip with Mike Moran.

VH-BEL in action at Muara Tembesi.

One of the best Bristow inventions. A convex cargo mirror, where the focal point of the mirror was the mounting point, thus the mirror was free to vibrate but the picture remained steady. Used not just on the entire Bell fleet, but other types as well.

VIP Training Captain for your flight, Mike Moran.

Only other expat Line Pilot at Duri (rest were all National Pilots except Mike & Managing Pilot - Bill Vaughn), Richard Hambly.

Another VIP flight, this time to a Seismic location with a packed lunch, and your Captain Kabiyono (?).

Another story.

I flew down to Muara Tembesi with Mike Moran I think in VH-BEL. The prevailing winds were from the west, so a tailwind meant this flight was easily achievable with basic tanks.

I then had to fly PK-HCF back to Duri, via Rumbai at the end of the detachment. Of course we now had a headwind, and basic tanks would only get us to Rumbai. We had to take most of the engineering equipment, and had a Caltex Manager to drop at Rumbai. So we fitted the 4 man seat facing forward, manager was happy that his emergency exit was out my cockpit door, and we filled the 212 up to 11,200lbs. Take-off can best be described as Group Z, and I arrived at Rumbai with required minimum reserve.

Jess Bermudez and our Loadmaster (forgotten his name?) en-route to Rumbai.

At Rumbai I changed seats and handed control over to our Training Captain, Nasir.

But with no fuel at Rumbai, and not enough to reach Duri or Pekanbaru, what did we do? Answer we carried our own and with both engines back at idle the Zenith pump managed to keep ahead of the engines.


And a happy ending. At the end of my detachment, the accident crew had both arrived back at work. To get the Loadmaster Panji's confidence back they held a winch training exercise in VH-BEL.

[Flingingwings]

Thank you for the HP15 photograph

As one of Andy E's current colleagues I can confirm he looks exactly the same, albeit a 'tad' greyer in the hair department

[Tail-take-off]

Originally Posted by Thridle Op Des
The photos were taken by a professional photographer in Redhill, if he can be located he is bound to have the negs.

As I recall the gentleman's name was Malcolm Pendrill. He did all the company's photography at Redhill. skyweaver.co.uk (which seems to be permanently down now) had some of his work. I'm sure that when he did our course photo in 1988 he was in his fifties or sixties so possibly no longer around. I googled "Malcolm Pendrill Photographer" & came up with a book about Redhill & Rigate including aerial photographs but nothing else.

Not the official course photo (that must have got lost in a house move at one point) but a picture of HP32 is here post 31 of this thread.

Thridle Op Des I emailed a copy of your HP15 photo to Paul Quick's brother John who is going to forward it to him in case he hasn't got his own copy anymore.

[T4 Risen]

I am sure there was a gallery at the white house with all the courses on it aswell, Mr and Mrs peek might have info......

[Tail-take-off]

C.C.C.

the loss of a 212 (PK-HCI?)

Info suggests it was more likely to be PK-HCJ (ex G-BBBP) which was written off 17/6/8.

PK-HCI was re-registered in Nigeria as 5N-AQW where it was written off.

I must try harder not to be a spotterish geek

[C.C.C.]

Tail-take-off - Yes I agree with your observations about Malcom Pendrill, as he did my Instructors Course photo in 1989. Found this entry online -
Mr Malcolm Pendrill
24 West Street
Reigate
Surrey RH2 9BX [phone] CHAIRMAN PENDRILL FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY

But looking at the current Pendrill Family History Society it has a different Chairman now.

You have probably looked through the Rotorspot Register like I did. What confused me was there is a photo of G-BBBP in Post#23, and then 212man said he did his 212 conversion in G-BBP in Post#25. So he must be wrong as I now agree it was PK-HCJ which was written off after suffering a complete loss of tail rotor & inclined pylon on short finals to a staging area NE of Duri.

Registrations can be confusing. What was 5N-AJL (clue - there was actually 2 of them if you believe the internet!).

T4 Risen - The Rogue's Gallery in the White House was only of the later courses that went through there, not the whole Gallery from the 1st Bristow course.