Bristow Photos
Shorthand translation
The very Mrs Biles has dug into her distant memories of shorthand and reckons it's something like "Naval pilots were taught not only how to fly a Whirlwind whilst attempting a rescue, but also had to play guinea pig as part of their training".
No indication of where, when or who.
No indication of where, when or who.
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Malaysia 2007/8
Reminiscing on some good times had while working for Bristow in conjunction with the Malaysian Helicopter Services team.
Hope you are all well, and enjoying the chicken curry served up by the rigs at 7am!!! I could get used to that again.
Miri, Malaysian Borneo at the end of 2007.
Kerteh, Terengganu, East Malaysia at the beginning of 2008.
Link to some footage below.
A bit of AC/DC screaming in the background makes it all seem rather exciting.
Mike (Red team) 'You said you wanted a mention' - check out the golf swing!! No shanking!.... but there's a hint of a cricketers 'off-drive' in there!
Viddler.com - Malaysia 2007/8 - Uploaded by Rosh_Jaypalan
Hope you are all well, and enjoying the chicken curry served up by the rigs at 7am!!! I could get used to that again.
Miri, Malaysian Borneo at the end of 2007.
Kerteh, Terengganu, East Malaysia at the beginning of 2008.
Link to some footage below.
A bit of AC/DC screaming in the background makes it all seem rather exciting.
Mike (Red team) 'You said you wanted a mention' - check out the golf swing!! No shanking!.... but there's a hint of a cricketers 'off-drive' in there!
Viddler.com - Malaysia 2007/8 - Uploaded by Rosh_Jaypalan
Excellent video Rosh. Brought back a few memories of earlier times at Kerteh. I spent a total of six years there, the first being when the operation moved to the new airport from Kuala Trengannu and then a longer spell, married accompanied, when MHS was finding its feet and trying to break the bond with Bristows.
My son was born in Kuantan, while we were there, seventeen years ago so the following pictures are probably around twenty years ago from an earlier tour???
Couldn't agree more about the curry breakfast! Remember well, going to the terminal for Roti Chanai??? after the early morning flights were on their way.
S76A, S76C, S61 and Bell 412.
My son was born in Kuantan, while we were there, seventeen years ago so the following pictures are probably around twenty years ago from an earlier tour???
Couldn't agree more about the curry breakfast! Remember well, going to the terminal for Roti Chanai??? after the early morning flights were on their way.
S76A, S76C, S61 and Bell 412.
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Dave, Good to see pics of Kerteh from earlier times.
Kuantan was still the weekend getaway, the Hyatt Regency bar... good fun. I believe I still have a 3/4 full bottle of Jack Daniels behind the bar. Maybe someday, I'll get back to finish it off.
Roti Canai!!!..... beat the Standard 'North Sea bacon and egg roll' breakfast.... and also kept the movements regular!
and a couple more from Kerteh 2008. The tower and hangar look unchanged from the earlier pics.
Kuantan was still the weekend getaway, the Hyatt Regency bar... good fun. I believe I still have a 3/4 full bottle of Jack Daniels behind the bar. Maybe someday, I'll get back to finish it off.
Roti Canai!!!..... beat the Standard 'North Sea bacon and egg roll' breakfast.... and also kept the movements regular!
and a couple more from Kerteh 2008. The tower and hangar look unchanged from the earlier pics.
Last edited by Rosh; 27th May 2010 at 17:21.
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You're right.... However, if you squint your eyes and let them go out of focus, it looks a little like Roti Canai!
The Dosai was just as good and had the same effect!
Picture corrected!
When is the next 'roti' refresher course being run?
I may need to do the full initial 'roti' awareness course, as it has been a while.
Last edited by Rosh; 27th May 2010 at 18:52.
Before the thread totally degenerates into our favourite rig/airport meals...........
A few more vintage pics....From Das Island / Persian Gulf.
Persian Gulf - 1961.
Das Island - No date.
A few more vintage pics....From Das Island / Persian Gulf.
Persian Gulf - 1961.
Das Island - No date.
Colin Miller
Nemo Me Impune Lacessit
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Actually the Das Island at the time of the above photo wasn't so bad! Excellent food, good medical support, a tavern/pub styled on an English pub selling v.cheap booze, bungalow accommodation and a small golf course! Four months on and one month off. AUH and BAH were, by comparison, quite primitive.
Parabellum,
My dad was there in 1968 and won a golf tournament!!!( 6 hole brown's played thrice) I saw his name on the roll of honour wall in the golf club
The bar is still there, but sadly no hooch anymore
My dad was there in 1968 and won a golf tournament!!!( 6 hole brown's played thrice) I saw his name on the roll of honour wall in the golf club
The bar is still there, but sadly no hooch anymore
Last edited by griffothefog; 31st May 2010 at 13:09. Reason: woops... spelllliinng..
Continuing with Das Island....here is the info I have from the original website. Some pics courtesy of John Odlin.
Das Island is the main centre of the UAEs offshore oil industry, lying in the centre of the Arabian Gulf. In 1957 Bristows won a contract from BP to operate on a tiny uninhabited island in the Persian Gulf ( Das Island) 70 miles off the coast of Qatar.
Bristows had to provide the helicopters and Alan Bristow bought the first two helicopters owned by the company, two Westland Widgeons. At Das Island the Bristow crews soon proved that the helicopters, initially contracted merely to fly essential spares and key executives to the rigs, were far more reliable and effective than boats in ferrying whole rig crews. The company was to operate in the area for the next twenty years.
Back of photo Das Island 1958. Helicopters in hangar at Das Island Base.
Helicopters were used for communication between the island and Umm Shaif No.1 well, being drilled by Abu Dhabi Marine Areas Ltd, in which the British Petroleum Company has a two-thirds shareholding and Compagnie Francaise des Petroles one-third. So presumably the two aircraft in the photo were the first helicopters bought by Bristows.
Back of photo: WS-55 Srs 3 landing on a well-head tower at Das Island. Registration G-AOZK.
WS-55 Whirlwind G-ANUK at Das. Back of photo: Spencer Allen - one of Bristow's captains.
A couple of Whirlwinds at Das G-AOZK and ?.
Das 1957. Widgeon about to land on "Adma Enterprise" whilst in harbour at Das Island during final fitting out prior to being towed to the site of Adma Well F-1.
Aerial view of Das taken in 1976.
And a couple of people pics...........
Das Island is the main centre of the UAEs offshore oil industry, lying in the centre of the Arabian Gulf. In 1957 Bristows won a contract from BP to operate on a tiny uninhabited island in the Persian Gulf ( Das Island) 70 miles off the coast of Qatar.
Bristows had to provide the helicopters and Alan Bristow bought the first two helicopters owned by the company, two Westland Widgeons. At Das Island the Bristow crews soon proved that the helicopters, initially contracted merely to fly essential spares and key executives to the rigs, were far more reliable and effective than boats in ferrying whole rig crews. The company was to operate in the area for the next twenty years.
Back of photo Das Island 1958. Helicopters in hangar at Das Island Base.
Helicopters were used for communication between the island and Umm Shaif No.1 well, being drilled by Abu Dhabi Marine Areas Ltd, in which the British Petroleum Company has a two-thirds shareholding and Compagnie Francaise des Petroles one-third. So presumably the two aircraft in the photo were the first helicopters bought by Bristows.
Back of photo: WS-55 Srs 3 landing on a well-head tower at Das Island. Registration G-AOZK.
WS-55 Whirlwind G-ANUK at Das. Back of photo: Spencer Allen - one of Bristow's captains.
A couple of Whirlwinds at Das G-AOZK and ?.
Das 1957. Widgeon about to land on "Adma Enterprise" whilst in harbour at Das Island during final fitting out prior to being towed to the site of Adma Well F-1.
Aerial view of Das taken in 1976.
And a couple of people pics...........