Bristow Photos
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Calabar
That's Barrie Asquith behind the bar.
It's the Bristow bar which was in the accommodation block and continued in a slightly revised form up until the sad day that the operation closed.
Peter
It's the Bristow bar which was in the accommodation block and continued in a slightly revised form up until the sad day that the operation closed.
Peter
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Sorry Peter, thats not the Bar in the House, thats a bar that Barry and Nasim ran/frequented in town, the 212 operation temporarily closed down in 1999 when I closed it after Nick Owen took early retirement, for the last two or three weeks I had no helicopter just packing the spares up for shipment back to Eket, the operation opened again sometime later.
Claude Pujol or known as BBC (Bad Breath Claude!!) retired to Nice, some years now since I have had a message from him.
In the staff photo's it's Graham (Boots) Conway sitting in the pilots seat and Sammy Samarisihna (R.I.P)(BEARDED AND LEANING ON THE NOSE)
Stacey
Claude Pujol or known as BBC (Bad Breath Claude!!) retired to Nice, some years now since I have had a message from him.
In the staff photo's it's Graham (Boots) Conway sitting in the pilots seat and Sammy Samarisihna (R.I.P)(BEARDED AND LEANING ON THE NOSE)
Stacey
Nigeria
Eket 1
It was my 55th birthday Thursday. The fire audio warn circuit breaker tripped on our primary SAR aircraft. Didn't take long to carry out repair on chafed wire but had to take out complete Bell 412 instrument panel to get to it!!! Started 05.30, back on line 16.30......earned my beer that day....
So, off to Eket. I'll leave it as it was written eleven years ago. No doubt there have been many changes since then, IF it's actually still there ???
Also I have posted some of the pics before but this will put them all together.
Bristow Helicopters has a wealth of experience of operating helicopters and aeroplanes in Nigeria with the Bristow Group's first ever oil industry support related contract being awarded by the Shell D'Arcy Company of Nigeria in the mid-1950's.
As of year 2000, helicopter sectors (flights) were standing at over 1.5 million and passengers carried 7.5 million.
Most of the oil related work is based in the Delta region where numerous flow stations, production wells and other facilities are scattered. They are served by a number of bases, one of which is Eket. In recent years the contract has been in support of Mobil but this base has origins dating back to the Fifties and below are some excellent very early pictures of how it came about. The captions beside the photos are as they were written on the reverse sides.
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.
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.
Thanks to Nick Strange (and his mum for Pics).
................................................moving on...
This picture is dated at about 1984 and was taken from the runway. It was a compact base as can be seen from the proximity of the staff
accommodation behind the hangar.
I have no details of Wessex operating at Eket but as can be seen from above, Whirlwinds were operational and of course the 212s have been Eket's trusty work horses for the last 20 years.
The following two pictures were taken at Eket in 1977 and show the BN2A Islander that was in use before the Twin Otters, and a Wessex giving a Bell 206 a helping hand presumably after suffering some misfortune.
The following pictures were taken at the Mobil Airstrip, after the fire station and before Q.I.T. What was Q.I.T.? See Bottom of page.
The first two show general shots around the base:
The rescue of 5N-AJS, whose tail rotor struck a wind-sock offshore.
Replacement parts had to be robbed from a Check 2 aircraft and flown out to the stricken aircraft.
Thanks to Paul Richardson for the following:
The QIT is the Qua Iboe Terminal, a major terminal with about 10,000 workers.The BHL Eket helicopter base is now within this compound. If you ask anybody about the QIT, the best thing to do is to ask them about the meals in the QIT mess!
Just outside the QIT is a accommodation block where most of the BHL guys are located. This is similar to a school dormitory block, and has the local name of 'Club Med'.
I spent some time there Sept 2000 and I can remember the lovely rusty brown water coming out of the showers, along with the evenings where each guy cooked something in his room, and all would sit down to a meal served by walking around between the various 'cooks'. Next door to the QIT is a golf course. So if you get posted there, don't forget to take your golf bats!
About 20 mins driving from the QIT and Club Med is Esa Akpan. Esa Akpan is where most of the BHL engineers had accommodation. Late one evening I was introduced to House One (once a very grand place) and noted that quite a few of the lights were blown/didn't work and the water was inop. This prompted a quick reaction from a local electrician who set about the next day re-wiring the main hall light to the fuse box. Much scratching of head, but just before nightfall he finished. A wafting smell of 'warm' wiring sent me off to the BHL bar for refreshments. A few hours passed (very thirsty) and on returning to House One, bless me, the light was still working! Unfortunately, some cross-wiring must
have taken place as the bathroom fittings had all become live! It was still possible to have a bath though, by standing on a rubber mat and getting in/out with some care.
It's only by going there yourself that you can really experience the whole place!
I remember the house electrician at Warri.......used to check for voltages with his fingers. de
It was my 55th birthday Thursday. The fire audio warn circuit breaker tripped on our primary SAR aircraft. Didn't take long to carry out repair on chafed wire but had to take out complete Bell 412 instrument panel to get to it!!! Started 05.30, back on line 16.30......earned my beer that day....
So, off to Eket. I'll leave it as it was written eleven years ago. No doubt there have been many changes since then, IF it's actually still there ???
Also I have posted some of the pics before but this will put them all together.
Bristow Helicopters has a wealth of experience of operating helicopters and aeroplanes in Nigeria with the Bristow Group's first ever oil industry support related contract being awarded by the Shell D'Arcy Company of Nigeria in the mid-1950's.
As of year 2000, helicopter sectors (flights) were standing at over 1.5 million and passengers carried 7.5 million.
Most of the oil related work is based in the Delta region where numerous flow stations, production wells and other facilities are scattered. They are served by a number of bases, one of which is Eket. In recent years the contract has been in support of Mobil but this base has origins dating back to the Fifties and below are some excellent very early pictures of how it came about. The captions beside the photos are as they were written on the reverse sides.
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.
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.
Thanks to Nick Strange (and his mum for Pics).
................................................moving on...
This picture is dated at about 1984 and was taken from the runway. It was a compact base as can be seen from the proximity of the staff
accommodation behind the hangar.
I have no details of Wessex operating at Eket but as can be seen from above, Whirlwinds were operational and of course the 212s have been Eket's trusty work horses for the last 20 years.
The following two pictures were taken at Eket in 1977 and show the BN2A Islander that was in use before the Twin Otters, and a Wessex giving a Bell 206 a helping hand presumably after suffering some misfortune.
The following pictures were taken at the Mobil Airstrip, after the fire station and before Q.I.T. What was Q.I.T.? See Bottom of page.
The first two show general shots around the base:
The rescue of 5N-AJS, whose tail rotor struck a wind-sock offshore.
Replacement parts had to be robbed from a Check 2 aircraft and flown out to the stricken aircraft.
Thanks to Paul Richardson for the following:
The QIT is the Qua Iboe Terminal, a major terminal with about 10,000 workers.The BHL Eket helicopter base is now within this compound. If you ask anybody about the QIT, the best thing to do is to ask them about the meals in the QIT mess!
Just outside the QIT is a accommodation block where most of the BHL guys are located. This is similar to a school dormitory block, and has the local name of 'Club Med'.
I spent some time there Sept 2000 and I can remember the lovely rusty brown water coming out of the showers, along with the evenings where each guy cooked something in his room, and all would sit down to a meal served by walking around between the various 'cooks'. Next door to the QIT is a golf course. So if you get posted there, don't forget to take your golf bats!
About 20 mins driving from the QIT and Club Med is Esa Akpan. Esa Akpan is where most of the BHL engineers had accommodation. Late one evening I was introduced to House One (once a very grand place) and noted that quite a few of the lights were blown/didn't work and the water was inop. This prompted a quick reaction from a local electrician who set about the next day re-wiring the main hall light to the fuse box. Much scratching of head, but just before nightfall he finished. A wafting smell of 'warm' wiring sent me off to the BHL bar for refreshments. A few hours passed (very thirsty) and on returning to House One, bless me, the light was still working! Unfortunately, some cross-wiring must
have taken place as the bathroom fittings had all become live! It was still possible to have a bath though, by standing on a rubber mat and getting in/out with some care.
It's only by going there yourself that you can really experience the whole place!
I remember the house electrician at Warri.......used to check for voltages with his fingers. de
What was it Barry Oliver said to Nigel Tanner when the need for the new Wind Sock occurred?
Something like...."I think that was the Wind Sock, Nigel!"
Something like...."I think that was the Wind Sock, Nigel!"
Brief Interlude
Remember post 2169, the first bit about the short circuit on one of my 412s.
A couple of pics. Not the sort of thing you want the passengers to see..............and not the sort of line defect you want to crop up very often!!
A couple of pics. Not the sort of thing you want the passengers to see..............and not the sort of line defect you want to crop up very often!!
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The hangar picture above was post a check two, I am the slimline bloke in the middle with the beard holding a bottle of Star, Jeremy Wright behind me (RIP) CP at the time.
The swimming pool was built with some help from the German construction company that built the new Mobil Housing site, BHL bought the pump, filter etc. Jim Lawn used to bring bits and pieces down in the King Air and used to really go out of his way to help us.
The swimming pool was built with some help from the German construction company that built the new Mobil Housing site, BHL bought the pump, filter etc. Jim Lawn used to bring bits and pieces down in the King Air and used to really go out of his way to help us.
Had to think about that a bit....but it is early here!
Was it "Tiger" or "Tigger" for the Boss Dawg?
Was it "Tiger" or "Tigger" for the Boss Dawg?
Definitely Tigger. He used to wander in to the accommodation corridor in the middle of the night and jump up to paw open the door of whoever's room he wanted to curl up in. Quite alarming to get up for the middle of the night pee to put your feet on the bloody dog beside your bed. Brilliant dog.
Last edited by Droopy; 3rd Dec 2013 at 22:00.
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'Tigger'
When we moved from the airstrip accommodation into the Esa Akpan compound 'Tigger' picked up the transport schedule very quickly. As Crew No.1 one day it was my turn to drive the rest of the pilots to the airstrip in the minibus. As I climbed-in in the low morning light I noticed a distinct dog smell, only to find 'Tigger' had been left in the back overnight. Opened the sliding door to let him out, he did his 'business' then climbed back in to start the morning shift at the airstrip! Priceless!
When he was finally put down after a bad illness he was given the dignity of a burial at sea from one of the unmanned platforms so that he did not end up on the menu of the local 'roadkill' - roadside restaurant signs displayed '504 is ready' if I recall correctly.
When he was finally put down after a bad illness he was given the dignity of a burial at sea from one of the unmanned platforms so that he did not end up on the menu of the local 'roadkill' - roadside restaurant signs displayed '504 is ready' if I recall correctly.
Nigeria
Lagos
As usual the info below is over 10 years old....things have probably moved on!
The Lagos base is the headquarters for Bristows operations in Nigeria and over the years a variety of fixed wing types have provided transport to the outlying bases such as Warri, Port Harcourt and Eket.
A panoramic view of the Lagos hangar and pan with the Mitsubishi MU-2 just visible inside.
Some way out of the airport is the Bristow guest house which provides accommodation for Lagos based staff as well as having spare rooms for staff transiting to and from the outlying bases.
......and from Keith Roberts
An aerial shot of the Lagos hangar (left hand one) with a Shell owned Dornier 328 stationed outside. The Dornier 328 Props and Jets are operated by BHNL on behalf of Shell.
............and a few people pics.
As usual the info below is over 10 years old....things have probably moved on!
The Lagos base is the headquarters for Bristows operations in Nigeria and over the years a variety of fixed wing types have provided transport to the outlying bases such as Warri, Port Harcourt and Eket.
A panoramic view of the Lagos hangar and pan with the Mitsubishi MU-2 just visible inside.
Some way out of the airport is the Bristow guest house which provides accommodation for Lagos based staff as well as having spare rooms for staff transiting to and from the outlying bases.
......and from Keith Roberts
An aerial shot of the Lagos hangar (left hand one) with a Shell owned Dornier 328 stationed outside. The Dornier 328 Props and Jets are operated by BHNL on behalf of Shell.
............and a few people pics.
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Tigger was indeed buried at sea, just north of Ubit Delta I think from a 212.
He was placed in a wooden box with enough concrete to weigh down a dog twice his size, the original idea was for Barry Pettet to winch me down to within a few feet of the sea then cast him adrift, however none of the pilots on site wanted to do that, so from a low hover we kicked the 'Ole Bugger' out, and true to form he floated!!!!, well only for a minute or two but enough time to think that we were going to have to go and get the winch anyway!! but slowly down he went.
On board were myself Martin Boardley (Chief Engineer) & Bary Pettet (Basil) and Lady the replacement German Shepard who hid around the opposite well seat thinking she was next!!!.
Pretty fitting that we were the ones to put him to rest as we were the ones who had to hold him while the vet give him the 'Jab', still got the mark on my hand where he bit me as he closed his eyes, drank and cried a lot that night, welling up now!!.
RIP Tigger!
Stacey
He was placed in a wooden box with enough concrete to weigh down a dog twice his size, the original idea was for Barry Pettet to winch me down to within a few feet of the sea then cast him adrift, however none of the pilots on site wanted to do that, so from a low hover we kicked the 'Ole Bugger' out, and true to form he floated!!!!, well only for a minute or two but enough time to think that we were going to have to go and get the winch anyway!! but slowly down he went.
On board were myself Martin Boardley (Chief Engineer) & Bary Pettet (Basil) and Lady the replacement German Shepard who hid around the opposite well seat thinking she was next!!!.
Pretty fitting that we were the ones to put him to rest as we were the ones who had to hold him while the vet give him the 'Jab', still got the mark on my hand where he bit me as he closed his eyes, drank and cried a lot that night, welling up now!!.
RIP Tigger!
Stacey
Tigs was a Character amongst many Characters.....as it should be too!
Eket Stories are legend!
A Captain in a Chain Gang....CP's killing Wind Socks....mild parties in the Bar....Snakes in the Accommodation Block....Strikes...Riots...The Wizard of Oz...Fishing offshore...A Parrot talking about the Stock Market.....some good times there!
Eket Stories are legend!
A Captain in a Chain Gang....CP's killing Wind Socks....mild parties in the Bar....Snakes in the Accommodation Block....Strikes...Riots...The Wizard of Oz...Fishing offshore...A Parrot talking about the Stock Market.....some good times there!
Nigeria
Port Harcourt
Bristow Helicopters has a wealth of experience of operating helicopters and aeroplanes in Nigeria with the Bristow Group's first ever oil industry
support related contract being awarded by the Shell D'Arcy Company of Nigeria in the mid-1950's.
As of year 2000, helicopter sectors (flights) were standing at over 1.5 million and passengers carried 7.5 million.
Most of the oil related work is based in the Delta region where numerous flow stations, production wells and other facilities are scattered.
They are served by a number of bases, one of which is Port Harcourt.
I never received any 212 era pics for Port Harcourt.
The following pictures were taken in the early sixties.
The two hangars, the control tower plus three Widgeons and a Twin Pioneer.
As for above except the addition of a Hiller 12E.
A Hiller 12E on finals to a swamp based oil installation.
Widgeon 5N-ABV on a sortie over typical Niger Delta scenery.
This picture is a bit grainy but you can make out a couple of Whirlwinds and a Twin Pioneer.
Ignore pic above comment in this pic.
Port Harcourt, AGIP
Only about 5 miles from the Shell operation it was operational circa
1981-1985.
As can be seen from the pics an S76 was based here servicing an
offshore rig.
Bristow Helicopters has a wealth of experience of operating helicopters and aeroplanes in Nigeria with the Bristow Group's first ever oil industry
support related contract being awarded by the Shell D'Arcy Company of Nigeria in the mid-1950's.
As of year 2000, helicopter sectors (flights) were standing at over 1.5 million and passengers carried 7.5 million.
Most of the oil related work is based in the Delta region where numerous flow stations, production wells and other facilities are scattered.
They are served by a number of bases, one of which is Port Harcourt.
I never received any 212 era pics for Port Harcourt.
The following pictures were taken in the early sixties.
The two hangars, the control tower plus three Widgeons and a Twin Pioneer.
As for above except the addition of a Hiller 12E.
A Hiller 12E on finals to a swamp based oil installation.
Widgeon 5N-ABV on a sortie over typical Niger Delta scenery.
This picture is a bit grainy but you can make out a couple of Whirlwinds and a Twin Pioneer.
Ignore pic above comment in this pic.
Port Harcourt, AGIP
Only about 5 miles from the Shell operation it was operational circa
1981-1985.
As can be seen from the pics an S76 was based here servicing an
offshore rig.
Nigeria
Warri - Shell
A good aerial shot taken by Gunter Burmeister showing the general layout of the Shell, Warri base.
Having been based there for two years I found this of particular interest. There are a few small location words in the following two pics if you look closely.
And another aerial photo of Warri Nigeria. This picture was taken by Dave Cameron from about 8,000 feet sometime in 1993 or 94. It clearly shows the layout of the Shell residential area, dock area, Idugbo camp, (where the world famous no.17 is.) and Ogunu village.
Types known to have operated at Warri (Shell) were Wessex and Bell 212s, the latter replacing the former in the early eighties. Both types can be observed in the picture.
The staff routines were either "two and one" or bachelor postings or one year and six weeks leave for married accompanied staff. Travel to and from the operation was by fixed-wing out of Warri strip, typically BN-2 Islander in the early days replaced by the Twin Otters later on.
Always a great feeling walking down the path to board the twotter.
One of the numerous swamp based installations supported by Warri based aircraft. This flow station was equipped with an NDB ( navigation beacon) that was fitted and maintained by the Bristow avionic guys.
After this beacon mysteriously stopped functioning I was dropped off at the flow station with toolkit and test equipment and spent the next few hours in the little white metal box clearing electrocuted ants out of the electrical junction box. With outside temperatures of about 32C I was well parched by the time we got back to Warri - had to wait a few hours to be picked up if I remember rightly.
Another dramatic shot from Gunter showing a Warri Bell 212 positioned on an offshore installation.
Some of Gunter's original pictures are quite stunning but cannot be done justice in a 50kb jpeg!
....and a few misc pics.
Warri Shell people pics next time.
A good aerial shot taken by Gunter Burmeister showing the general layout of the Shell, Warri base.
Having been based there for two years I found this of particular interest. There are a few small location words in the following two pics if you look closely.
And another aerial photo of Warri Nigeria. This picture was taken by Dave Cameron from about 8,000 feet sometime in 1993 or 94. It clearly shows the layout of the Shell residential area, dock area, Idugbo camp, (where the world famous no.17 is.) and Ogunu village.
Types known to have operated at Warri (Shell) were Wessex and Bell 212s, the latter replacing the former in the early eighties. Both types can be observed in the picture.
The staff routines were either "two and one" or bachelor postings or one year and six weeks leave for married accompanied staff. Travel to and from the operation was by fixed-wing out of Warri strip, typically BN-2 Islander in the early days replaced by the Twin Otters later on.
Always a great feeling walking down the path to board the twotter.
One of the numerous swamp based installations supported by Warri based aircraft. This flow station was equipped with an NDB ( navigation beacon) that was fitted and maintained by the Bristow avionic guys.
After this beacon mysteriously stopped functioning I was dropped off at the flow station with toolkit and test equipment and spent the next few hours in the little white metal box clearing electrocuted ants out of the electrical junction box. With outside temperatures of about 32C I was well parched by the time we got back to Warri - had to wait a few hours to be picked up if I remember rightly.
Another dramatic shot from Gunter showing a Warri Bell 212 positioned on an offshore installation.
Some of Gunter's original pictures are quite stunning but cannot be done justice in a 50kb jpeg!
....and a few misc pics.
Warri Shell people pics next time.
Nemo Me Impune Lacessit
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At the beginning of 1969 the Shell Warri operation was supported by two Bell 206, 5N-AHM and -AHN. Previously a Whirlwind III had been there and amid considerable controversy as to why, it ended up in the bush, a T.W.O. ,between PH and Warri. Some Shell staff were injured and Shell aviation did their own safety audit.
