Bristow Photos
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 921
Likes: 30
From: Europe
Yes.
It was a photo shoot in 1974 - on the helicopter lanes - just west of Battersea. We had two jet rangers based between there and Redhill. The rear seat passenger on that flight was one of our engineers.
Ken Bradley was in charge (but rarely flew), the line pilots for that summer were myself and Mike Green.
There wasn't too much work out of Battersea at that time - mostly racing and VIP transport. Most memorable flight that summer was from Battersea via Heathrow to a private house in Sussex. My passengers were the wives of Tom Jones, Engelbert Humperdink, Gordon Mills and their husbands' manager. Spent the afternoon fishing on their trout lake before returning them to Battersea.
We used to set aside each Wednesday afternoon for sightseeing flights - from Battersea to Tower Bridge - with members of the 'interline' team. They were seen as extremely important for facilitating the transport of Bristow staff to/from various locations world-wide.
This was one of my last flights there before departing to Aberdeen and the S61.
Jim
It was a photo shoot in 1974 - on the helicopter lanes - just west of Battersea. We had two jet rangers based between there and Redhill. The rear seat passenger on that flight was one of our engineers.
Ken Bradley was in charge (but rarely flew), the line pilots for that summer were myself and Mike Green.
There wasn't too much work out of Battersea at that time - mostly racing and VIP transport. Most memorable flight that summer was from Battersea via Heathrow to a private house in Sussex. My passengers were the wives of Tom Jones, Engelbert Humperdink, Gordon Mills and their husbands' manager. Spent the afternoon fishing on their trout lake before returning them to Battersea.
We used to set aside each Wednesday afternoon for sightseeing flights - from Battersea to Tower Bridge - with members of the 'interline' team. They were seen as extremely important for facilitating the transport of Bristow staff to/from various locations world-wide.
This was one of my last flights there before departing to Aberdeen and the S61.
Jim
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 505
Likes: 1
From: Wiltshire, UK
The rear seat passenger on that flight was one of our engineers.
I remember Ken Bradley, Mike Green and Dave something. Were you the one with the longer than usual (for a pilot) hair?
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 2,422
Likes: 3
From: Milano, Italia
.
And if we are going to dip into issues such as Jim's hair length
then, while we are at it, can I enquire as to some of the writing on VO's fuselage.
It looks as though she carries a name on her nose?
Also something written by the cabin heater exhaust. Did it say 'Alan Mann engineers keep distance!'
Sav
And if we are going to dip into issues such as Jim's hair length
then, while we are at it, can I enquire as to some of the writing on VO's fuselage. It looks as though she carries a name on her nose?
Also something written by the cabin heater exhaust. Did it say 'Alan Mann engineers keep distance!'
Sav
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 505
Likes: 1
From: Wiltshire, UK
It looks as though she carries a name on her nose?
Also something written by the cabin heater exhaust.
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 90
Likes: 0
From: Always on the back of the drag curve.
Took me some years to find out that a Jet Ranger named Capt E.E Fresson was named after that hero of Highland Airways who paved the way to the Northern Isles in DH Dragons. I couldn't find him on the staff list.
Read the book "Air Road to the Isles" the guy is a legend.
The Bell 206 - G-BAUN I believe and based at Dalcross.
Paul Gliddon (DH owner himself) had a hand in that one I think.
My favourite was B212 G-BCMC "Desert Fox" - the first SP IFR 212 on the North Sea. In this time of 4 axis autopilots, it seems unbelievable that the only suggestion to assistance we had was an Altitude Hold - luxury. At least that allowed us to tune the Spilsbury and Tindall HF aerial without doing a barrel roll.
UG
Read the book "Air Road to the Isles" the guy is a legend.
The Bell 206 - G-BAUN I believe and based at Dalcross.
Paul Gliddon (DH owner himself) had a hand in that one I think.
My favourite was B212 G-BCMC "Desert Fox" - the first SP IFR 212 on the North Sea. In this time of 4 axis autopilots, it seems unbelievable that the only suggestion to assistance we had was an Altitude Hold - luxury. At least that allowed us to tune the Spilsbury and Tindall HF aerial without doing a barrel roll.
UG
Joined: Jun 1999
Posts: 320
Likes: 0
From: Cornwall
NotGettingAnyYounger, I remember flying out of Paull with Dick Metcalfe.
The first entry I can find in my logbook was 15th March 1973 when Dick Metcalfe and I ferried G-ATSC from North Denes to be based at Paull flying to the BP Platforms via Easington.
As my memory dims with age
I seem to remember that we replaced the Ws55s3 that was on contract but I could stand corrected on that
Wasn't there an old Beverley that had been converted into the Flying Club at Paull?
John Whale
The first entry I can find in my logbook was 15th March 1973 when Dick Metcalfe and I ferried G-ATSC from North Denes to be based at Paull flying to the BP Platforms via Easington.
As my memory dims with age
I seem to remember that we replaced the Ws55s3 that was on contract but I could stand corrected on that Wasn't there an old Beverley that had been converted into the Flying Club at Paull?
John Whale
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 161
Likes: 1
From: Shetland
As my memory dims with age I seem to remember that we replaced the Ws55s3 that was on contract but I could stand corrected on that
I seem to remember that we replaced the Ws55s3 that was on contract but I could stand corrected on that
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 129
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From: Sussex UK
yes I remember the Beverly and the flying club back in 73/74. I went there as a trainee with Phil Turner and stayed at Malcolm Innes's house on the airfield and spent the summer chasing a girl from the flying club. Joys of youth.
Anyone else remember the 212 "Lemau Besar" (The Big Lemon)??? - not named by Albert my might add!!!
Anyone else remember the 212 "Lemau Besar" (The Big Lemon)??? - not named by Albert my might add!!!
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 148
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From: West Sussex
Old LAE
I am not surprised you recall the name Betelgeuse, it was the name of 5N-AJK, which rolled over in Port Harcourt, which was just the second of its accident prone life. The first being featured in post 5, on page One.
In the mid seventies, while at PH, Redhill sent us a list of names to be used on the fleet, one of the Wessex names was supposed to be "Invader", which seeing the political situation at the time, did not seem a very good idea, so chief Pilot Mark Wilkins said "blow that", and we called it after a well site in Nigeria.
I am not surprised you recall the name Betelgeuse, it was the name of 5N-AJK, which rolled over in Port Harcourt, which was just the second of its accident prone life. The first being featured in post 5, on page One.
In the mid seventies, while at PH, Redhill sent us a list of names to be used on the fleet, one of the Wessex names was supposed to be "Invader", which seeing the political situation at the time, did not seem a very good idea, so chief Pilot Mark Wilkins said "blow that", and we called it after a well site in Nigeria.
Joined: Jun 2009
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From: South East Asia
Yes, I remember the 212 christened 'Limau Besar' (not 'lemau') which indeed is 'Big Lemon' in the Malay and Indonesian languages. But despite this, if I remember correctly, it was an IHAC (Iranian Helicopter Aviation Company, i.e. Bristow in Iran) helicopter and it was given this name for being a problematical helicopter by the sizable group of ex-Duri (Bristow Masayu, i.e. Bristow in Indonesia) engineers that were on that particular contract. But, for the life of me I can't remember the registration (EP-H__) or the contract.
Joined: Aug 1999
Aviation Qualifications: ATP+Mil
Posts: 4,411
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From: Gold Coast, Australia
Mayne-Bristow
The Australian Wessexes (Wessie?) were given marsupial names: Wombat, Numbat and Dingbat seem to ring a bell, but I can't read the name on this photo?
Thread Starter
Joined: Jul 2007
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From: taking up the hold
212s on flickr
Last edited by Tail-take-off; 12th April 2011 at 19:41.
Thread Starter
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 829
Likes: 9
From: taking up the hold
