Bristow Photos
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: In the Haven of Peace
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I flew all the Prakla Seismos machines on the IHAC uranium survey for Uriran in 1978. The boom at the fornt was indeed a MAD boom, hexagonal in cross section and (if memory serves right) the actual MAD box sat about 16 feet in front of the nose on the aircraft centre line. We also had skywave detection equipment in the cabin just forward of all the consoles for the electronics operator in the cabin. The bulge in the tail was where the groundwave detection equipment was (not quite) fitted in the tailboom. We flew with a crew of 3: pilot, navigator and electronics operator.
I was also flying the Bell 412 demonstrator in Malcolm Pendrill's picture earlier in the thread. It had come over as the Bell demonstrator before going to fly for Amoco on a trial basis. The Bell test pilots were jet-lagged and didn't know the London area, so I took them on a local area famil and a famil of the London helilanes.
I was also flying the Bell 412 demonstrator in Malcolm Pendrill's picture earlier in the thread. It had come over as the Bell demonstrator before going to fly for Amoco on a trial basis. The Bell test pilots were jet-lagged and didn't know the London area, so I took them on a local area famil and a famil of the London helilanes.
Nodrama
I don't have any pics of current Nigerian operations but here are some very early Eket pics from mid-fifties?
The captions were copied from the scribbles on the back of the photos.
Photographs provided by the Strange family.
Snr. Ing Lombardi looking pensive - having found out that Mobil's planning for the hangar, if built to plan, would mean building over the prison next door. "Shorty" Gibbons says, "Hell, we will buy the place, charge it to Mobil !"
Hangar foundations laid - awaiting roof and sides !
Lombardi again - Getting correct bearing on Mobil's pipe yard to enable construction to continue. Hangar was mainly built out of drill-pipe "borrowed" when tool pusher wasn't looking.
Minor take-off obstructions being cleared - just so we can see the road.
Another view of our up to date air conditioned facility. Block and tackle in foreground is looking for a tree to hang it on. "Shorty" is still bemoaning the lack of hours being provided - 150hrs per a/c per month having provided all the luxurious maintenance facilities.
First Hangar/Workshop cost 25 Naira - extension cost 15 Naira. Had a problem collecting money from "Shorty" Gibbons due to lack of receipt ! He must of thought I was trying to defraud Mobil of N25 and thus cause them to stop the Nigeria programme.
..and finally........... Now we are really established - fully air-con hangar and scales. Writing on plank says, "Eket International. Daily flights UK-USA-Idaho platform, round trip 10 USD.
I don't have any pics of current Nigerian operations but here are some very early Eket pics from mid-fifties?
The captions were copied from the scribbles on the back of the photos.
Photographs provided by the Strange family.
Snr. Ing Lombardi looking pensive - having found out that Mobil's planning for the hangar, if built to plan, would mean building over the prison next door. "Shorty" Gibbons says, "Hell, we will buy the place, charge it to Mobil !"
Hangar foundations laid - awaiting roof and sides !
Lombardi again - Getting correct bearing on Mobil's pipe yard to enable construction to continue. Hangar was mainly built out of drill-pipe "borrowed" when tool pusher wasn't looking.
Minor take-off obstructions being cleared - just so we can see the road.
Another view of our up to date air conditioned facility. Block and tackle in foreground is looking for a tree to hang it on. "Shorty" is still bemoaning the lack of hours being provided - 150hrs per a/c per month having provided all the luxurious maintenance facilities.
First Hangar/Workshop cost 25 Naira - extension cost 15 Naira. Had a problem collecting money from "Shorty" Gibbons due to lack of receipt ! He must of thought I was trying to defraud Mobil of N25 and thus cause them to stop the Nigeria programme.
..and finally........... Now we are really established - fully air-con hangar and scales. Writing on plank says, "Eket International. Daily flights UK-USA-Idaho platform, round trip 10 USD.
Join Date: Jan 2006
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S61 Graveyard?
A sad sight.
Poor old Oscar Charlie, shouldn't she go to a museum with her famous background? She evidently holds the record for the most people saved on one mission. 56 crew rescued from the Latvian klondyker Lunokhods which grounded on Bressay on 9th November 1993
Poor old Oscar Charlie, shouldn't she go to a museum with her famous background? She evidently holds the record for the most people saved on one mission. 56 crew rescued from the Latvian klondyker Lunokhods which grounded on Bressay on 9th November 1993
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Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: taking up the hold
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What is their fate? OC is a particularly low hours machine (having done SAR for the best part of 25 years) if somewhat overweight with all the extra wiring & computers etc.
I spent sooooo many hours on those two, fitting all the SAR avionics then a really interesting project, working with the manufacturer, Bristow D.O., CAA and SAR crews developing that EHSI upgrade we did many years ago. I built an S61N avionic test bed at Redhill so we could fly it on the bench.
Then we could have lots of experienced "experts" staring at the wind arrow, spending hours debating what colour it should be
Now, pic of the day. Nothing on back of the photo but the phone number of the photographer only has 4 digits!
Then we could have lots of experienced "experts" staring at the wind arrow, spending hours debating what colour it should be
Now, pic of the day. Nothing on back of the photo but the phone number of the photographer only has 4 digits!
S61 Graveyard?
Fingers crossed that someone out there will give OC and IJ a nice new home somewhere warm and dry
Spent quite a few years nursing them pair too !
and Dave Ed,
did you just lapse into broad cockney above, and admit that you
spent hours "staring out the window" !!!!!
...you'll be giving us greenies a bad name with admissions like that
Fingers crossed that someone out there will give OC and IJ a nice new home somewhere warm and dry
Spent quite a few years nursing them pair too !
and Dave Ed,
did you just lapse into broad cockney above, and admit that you
spent hours "staring out the window" !!!!!
...you'll be giving us greenies a bad name with admissions like that
Join Date: Jul 1999
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Off the top of my head - OO-CWA, was registered to the Gouvernement Général du Congo on 18 May 1951. 
Westland-Sikorsky WS.51 OO-CWA
Westland-Sikorsky WS.51 OO-CWA
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