Bristow Photos
Joined: Sep 2008
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From: Sussex UK
Badanah is such an inviting place - its a real scream (not) following the pipeline/road down across Saudi - I have done it in a 212 and we both fell asleep to find it was still following the road - clever beasties those Bells.
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 56
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Great Post Dave!
Looks like you went on from strength to strength after I left
Do you remember working (how many night shifts) modding every Tiger with the Generator wire separation AD? Not quite as glamorous as your stint in the Amazon, though gratefully we did not need mozzie nets at the Skean Dhu!
Cheers,
Steve
Looks like you went on from strength to strength after I left
Do you remember working (how many night shifts) modding every Tiger with the Generator wire separation AD? Not quite as glamorous as your stint in the Amazon, though gratefully we did not need mozzie nets at the Skean Dhu!
Cheers,
Steve
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 148
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From: West Sussex
Ferry Flights
Reminds me of a flight I did from Redhill to Dubai, with Jacques Villeneuve, (apologies for spelling if wrong) also in a Whirlwind, although well used. Jacques was ex. French Air Force, having flown Thunderbolts in Algeria.
He would not let me fly, But made me navigate, of which I had no experience, and when I got lost , he would pretend we were really lost, although he new exactly where we were.
The most frightening time was when we had to fuel up to A.U.W. and then immediately climb out to 9000 ft. to clear a mountain range. The old girl managed 60 Knots, before a banging and clattering heralded the onset of retreating blade stall.
Parked at Ankara, a truck hit one main rotor blade, so having been with the company only a few months, I had to import a MRB to Turkey, and export the old one. I also had to hire a gang of Turkish laborers to help me change it.
I soon learnt that working for Bristow overseas required initiative.
He would not let me fly, But made me navigate, of which I had no experience, and when I got lost , he would pretend we were really lost, although he new exactly where we were.
The most frightening time was when we had to fuel up to A.U.W. and then immediately climb out to 9000 ft. to clear a mountain range. The old girl managed 60 Knots, before a banging and clattering heralded the onset of retreating blade stall.
Parked at Ankara, a truck hit one main rotor blade, so having been with the company only a few months, I had to import a MRB to Turkey, and export the old one. I also had to hire a gang of Turkish laborers to help me change it.
I soon learnt that working for Bristow overseas required initiative.
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 5
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From: Llandudno
The photo reminds me of an evening at PH when we went out to check tighten the rotor head nut. All went well untill my companion called down to Monday to get the Hydropack Ram from the Workshop. He came back 10 minutes later saying "It is not there sir, it has gone". Not to be daunted I looked down at Monday and said "Monday we fix am diss one, go get am the diss thing for diss one". "Ah ha", he say's and goes into the workshop and comes back with the Hydropack Ram
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 876
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From: Inside the Industry
OK you older (like me) Bristow guys. In the 1970s and 1980s, many of the S-61s had the oil company's logo on them. Some aircraft started off with one oil company in one place then moved to Gt Yarmouth or Sumburgh or Unst, some were traded against 332Ls and some ended up in Malaysia with MHS.
I am trying to remember which aircraft displayed or was contracted to which oil company. A trawl through the logbook has thrown up these matches but you maybe able to fill in the gaps and add more information, with a photo if possible!
G-AZNE ?
G-AZDC Mobil
G-AZRF BP
G-BAKA Texaco (Tartan)
G-BAKB Britoil (mainly Beatrice)
G-BAKC Chevron (Unst)
G-BBGS Mobil
G-BBHL BP
G-BBHM BP
G-BBHN ? (Ditched)
G-BBVA Amoco (Montrose)
G-BBVB BP
G-BCLA Amoco
G-BCLC ? Then Shell Southern North Sea 1983 Then SAR?
G-BCLD Hamilton Brothers (TW58)
G-BDII Mobil?
G-BDIJ Phillips
G-BFRI Chevron (Unst)
G-BGWJ Britoil?
G-BGWK ?
G-BHOF BP
G-BHOG ?
G-BHOH BP then Shell Southern North Sea in 1983
I am trying to remember which aircraft displayed or was contracted to which oil company. A trawl through the logbook has thrown up these matches but you maybe able to fill in the gaps and add more information, with a photo if possible!
G-AZNE ?
G-AZDC Mobil
G-AZRF BP
G-BAKA Texaco (Tartan)
G-BAKB Britoil (mainly Beatrice)
G-BAKC Chevron (Unst)
G-BBGS Mobil
G-BBHL BP
G-BBHM BP
G-BBHN ? (Ditched)
G-BBVA Amoco (Montrose)
G-BBVB BP
G-BCLA Amoco
G-BCLC ? Then Shell Southern North Sea 1983 Then SAR?
G-BCLD Hamilton Brothers (TW58)
G-BDII Mobil?
G-BDIJ Phillips
G-BFRI Chevron (Unst)
G-BGWJ Britoil?
G-BGWK ?
G-BHOF BP
G-BHOG ?
G-BHOH BP then Shell Southern North Sea in 1983
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 161
Likes: 1
From: Shetland
There are a number of pictures on the http://www.pprune.org/rotorheads/389...h-end-era.html thread (which I won't cross post), but I will have a look and see what other base pictures I can find, which illustrate this.
If I get me anorak on
, I can tell you exactly which oil company each S61 flew for, but its a bit warm at the moment
The Tigers also featured an Oil Company Logo in the early years, as they rolled out from the production line (and Redhill).
One day soon, I will get round to posting my pics from this era.
If I get me anorak on
, I can tell you exactly which oil company each S61 flew for, but its a bit warm at the moment The Tigers also featured an Oil Company Logo in the early years, as they rolled out from the production line (and Redhill).
One day soon, I will get round to posting my pics from this era.
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 876
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From: Inside the Industry
I put my anorak on and this is what I remembered
G-TIGB Britoil (Thistle)
G-TIGC Amoco (NW Hutton)
G-TIGD Amoco (NW Hutton)
G-TIGE Marathon (Brea)
G-TIGF Britoil (Thistle)
G-TIGG Marathon (Brae)
G-TIGH Amoco (NW Hutton)
G-TIGI Mobil (Beryl)
G-TIGJ Conoco (Murchison)
G-TIGK Conoco (Murchison)
G-TIGL Hamilton Bros (TW58)
G-TIGM Britoil
G-TIGN Phillips (Maureen)
G-TIGO Mobil (Beryl)
G-TIGP BP
G-TIGR Amoco
G-TIGS Mobil
G-TIGT ?
G-TIGU Conoco?
G-TIGV Conoco?
G-TIGB Britoil (Thistle)
G-TIGC Amoco (NW Hutton)
G-TIGD Amoco (NW Hutton)
G-TIGE Marathon (Brea)
G-TIGF Britoil (Thistle)
G-TIGG Marathon (Brae)
G-TIGH Amoco (NW Hutton)
G-TIGI Mobil (Beryl)
G-TIGJ Conoco (Murchison)
G-TIGK Conoco (Murchison)
G-TIGL Hamilton Bros (TW58)
G-TIGM Britoil
G-TIGN Phillips (Maureen)
G-TIGO Mobil (Beryl)
G-TIGP BP
G-TIGR Amoco
G-TIGS Mobil
G-TIGT ?
G-TIGU Conoco?
G-TIGV Conoco?
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 161
Likes: 1
From: Shetland
The Scores on the Doors !
G-BAKA (Texaco)
G-BCLA (Amoco)
G-BDII (Mobil)
G-BHOF (BP)
(G-BPWB in the foreground also had a BP logo IIRC)
Four Pics to be going on with, all taken in Aberdeen in the 80's
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 161
Likes: 1
From: Shetland
yep, that is the current Portland machine, with 16000 hours plus on the airframe currently.
... it WAS the Portland SAR machine, obviously CHC now run Portland with the AW139 G-CGWB.
The S61 G-BPWB is still flying for Bristow in Den Helder along with G-BIMU (the former Stornoway SAR machine).
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 42
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From: Europe
Yeah , when she returned to Cork Apt where she was based ..... we got her back with the wheels timexed and the airstair door wouldnt fit cuz of a drill bit being dropped on it 
Took us weeks to get that door right ..... almost needed a check 10 after ye lot getting yer mits on her !!! Still , kept us in work I suppose .
I reckon ye raided the Bristow stores and bolted on all the old knackered stuff before returning her to us . Well done !!!
We got her from Okanagan Australia ..... arrived with a nice little arangement of fuel drums and hand pumps in the cabin . Flew the whole way from OZ , with some remarkable engineers , who had many a run in with the local cops . She was based up in Shannon and later was based out of Cork Apt . Then she went for the SAR mods to Redhill . Where nothing worked .
Mick Whelan (Avionic chief) and the eng manager Mick Fitzgerald went to pick her up , as I said nothing worked , so right in front of the Bristow managment , at some hotel a check for one point something million was ripped up and binned ..... there was frantic movement in Redhill , EI-BHO worked fine after that and a new check was written .
Very sad that IHL (Irish Helicopters) closed as there was some brilliant people who worked there .
IHL leased a Bell 212 from ye , sometime in the mid 80's ..... it was overall white with a big vertical fin above the cockpit ..... we called her Jaws .
Took us weeks to get that door right ..... almost needed a check 10 after ye lot getting yer mits on her !!! Still , kept us in work I suppose .
I reckon ye raided the Bristow stores and bolted on all the old knackered stuff before returning her to us . Well done !!!
We got her from Okanagan Australia ..... arrived with a nice little arangement of fuel drums and hand pumps in the cabin . Flew the whole way from OZ , with some remarkable engineers , who had many a run in with the local cops . She was based up in Shannon and later was based out of Cork Apt . Then she went for the SAR mods to Redhill . Where nothing worked .
Mick Whelan (Avionic chief) and the eng manager Mick Fitzgerald went to pick her up , as I said nothing worked , so right in front of the Bristow managment , at some hotel a check for one point something million was ripped up and binned ..... there was frantic movement in Redhill , EI-BHO worked fine after that and a new check was written .
Very sad that IHL (Irish Helicopters) closed as there was some brilliant people who worked there .
IHL leased a Bell 212 from ye , sometime in the mid 80's ..... it was overall white with a big vertical fin above the cockpit ..... we called her Jaws .
