Leeds Heliport (1980s)?
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I will let you all know...!
Hey- well this is crazy!! Wally Holmes did run Leeds Heilport and he is also my Grandfather, he has now passed away but he was an amazing man, a character and often a very difficult guy however, he was well before his time with introducing Leeds Heliport and as well as running his companies he also became a qualified engineer. He also gave many people their first chance and oppurtunity to become a pilot at Leeds and was a Capt. despite what some may say!!
The place is now Saw Wood House which is still owned by my family and i have recently begun my PPL for my 21st i am up to 10hours and loving it sadly my Granddad is not around to see and help me,
Anyway hope that helps some people!
The place is now Saw Wood House which is still owned by my family and i have recently begun my PPL for my 21st i am up to 10hours and loving it sadly my Granddad is not around to see and help me,
Anyway hope that helps some people!
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Summer of 76 - happy memories
Remember that long hot summer when it never rained for months? I was lucky enough to be working for Heli-Leeds loading people into G-BBFE (the lightest fastest 206A ever - quote Dick Meston) and G-AYMX (the heaviest slowest 206A ever - quote Dick Meston) for their £2.50 pleasure flights.
I worked out of Saw Wood House (Whinmoor) and almost everything I have read in this thread was true. We really did have to use a pay-phone to ring anywhere, Wally was as tight as they come, but then again most millionaires are.... The whole operation was kept running by a brilliant engineer (Brian someone)
Best memories are doing Church Fenton Airshow with three Rangies and flying back in formation at low-level 'attacking' targets on the way. Dick Meston was the main pilot, I was with him when we flew back from Kirmington and got reported for flying UNDER the Humber Bridge. We used to practice crop spraying on the way back from assignments, torque turns - you cannot beat-em! The other pilots were Manjit Singh an ex-Indian AirForce pilot and Bob Jones (I think he worked for the YEB)
Busiest day was the traction engine rally at Masham - 148 pleasure flights. By the end of the day Dick was doing the longest skids-on landings ever seen to relieve the boredom. We had to fill up with 5-star at an A1 garage on the way back.
Remember the Barratt Housing ads with Patrick Allen? He was terrified of flying and had a pair of 'lucky' shoes that he wore for filming. I used to stick the Oak Tree and Bar ratt signs on with wallpaper paste.... As a 16 year old it was great fun opening housing estates with two bikini clad women either side of me in the back.
Survived an engine out on the beach at Cleethorpes (Compressor blade broke off) and forced landing in a G-BBIU in central Leeds on Jubilee Day when a spark plug blew out.
Wally realised that newly qualified CPL-s needed hours on their licence so he used to hire them for peanuts. The same happened when there was the strike at Alan Mann, even experienced pilots needed to keep current.
The whole helicopter operation was an ego trip for Captain (Royal British Legion) Wally Holmes, his main income was from debt-collection (he used liquidate Avon Ladies - clients used to be given a big bag of Avon goodies, little did they realise they were reject stock from ladies who had gone bust).
Characters like him no longer exist, is that a good or bad thing?
I worked out of Saw Wood House (Whinmoor) and almost everything I have read in this thread was true. We really did have to use a pay-phone to ring anywhere, Wally was as tight as they come, but then again most millionaires are.... The whole operation was kept running by a brilliant engineer (Brian someone)
Best memories are doing Church Fenton Airshow with three Rangies and flying back in formation at low-level 'attacking' targets on the way. Dick Meston was the main pilot, I was with him when we flew back from Kirmington and got reported for flying UNDER the Humber Bridge. We used to practice crop spraying on the way back from assignments, torque turns - you cannot beat-em! The other pilots were Manjit Singh an ex-Indian AirForce pilot and Bob Jones (I think he worked for the YEB)
Busiest day was the traction engine rally at Masham - 148 pleasure flights. By the end of the day Dick was doing the longest skids-on landings ever seen to relieve the boredom. We had to fill up with 5-star at an A1 garage on the way back.
Remember the Barratt Housing ads with Patrick Allen? He was terrified of flying and had a pair of 'lucky' shoes that he wore for filming. I used to stick the Oak Tree and Bar ratt signs on with wallpaper paste.... As a 16 year old it was great fun opening housing estates with two bikini clad women either side of me in the back.
Survived an engine out on the beach at Cleethorpes (Compressor blade broke off) and forced landing in a G-BBIU in central Leeds on Jubilee Day when a spark plug blew out.
Wally realised that newly qualified CPL-s needed hours on their licence so he used to hire them for peanuts. The same happened when there was the strike at Alan Mann, even experienced pilots needed to keep current.
The whole helicopter operation was an ego trip for Captain (Royal British Legion) Wally Holmes, his main income was from debt-collection (he used liquidate Avon Ladies - clients used to be given a big bag of Avon goodies, little did they realise they were reject stock from ladies who had gone bust).
Characters like him no longer exist, is that a good or bad thing?
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Hi Jeff
Brian Sharp is the name you have been looking for, I worked for many years with him at Leeds Heliport and Northair, but sadly died from heart problems a great loss. Sadly Dick was killed in a helicopter crash.I used to come across from Leeds to fix the radio problems.
Great to hear about the old place again.
See you
L
Brian Sharp is the name you have been looking for, I worked for many years with him at Leeds Heliport and Northair, but sadly died from heart problems a great loss. Sadly Dick was killed in a helicopter crash.I used to come across from Leeds to fix the radio problems.
Great to hear about the old place again.
See you
L
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Which Bob?
Don't know, if it was him he must be in his late 60s now... Used to have a full beard. When he worked at YEB they took delivery of a new 206B when they still had problems with 'max' everything. I remember him landing at a show we were doing and Dick giving it the once over. There were all sorts of warning labels stuck on the dials with temporary restrictions on them. Bob let Dick take it up to give it the once over, sitting in the back I do remember Dick pulling more power, higher temps etc than the restrictions allowed, then saying it was not as fast as G-BBFE.
It was interesting flying in two totally different spec 206A's. G-AYMX was ex Christian Sylvasen and had full VIP pack, leather seats, heater, fancy intercom, electric drain valve, rotor brake, flares, particle separator, ashtrays etc etc. G-BBFE had no extras, crap seats, basic instrumentation, not even demisters, but it went like the clappers.
Other Dick memories was him doing pleasure flights with one of the fuel pumps switched off so that the amber warning light was on. It always used to get a question from a nervous flyer.... How he used to tap that fuel gauge. I was under instructions to load any 'busty' women in the front (or middle seat in the 269s) or he used to give me the thumbsdown on takeoff. Just for a laugh on some weekends he would wear his ex-Army bonedome with darkened visor - 25 years before The Stig!!
Incidentally Wally used to spy on his own pilots, he never realised that we had cottoned on to him putting a fuse in parallel with the circuit breaker for the hours meter. I could get my hand round the back and take the fuse out so we could stop the meter running for a little pleasure flying of our own.
Final memory - Dick used to live in Ripon and drive down the A1 to Whinmoor each day. One morning we had an aerial photography job and Dick was late (no mobile phones in those days!). We were looking out of the first floor ops room and saw this person walking across the frosty fields from the York Road. As he came into view we realised it was Dick, he had skidded off the road and hit a tree writing his Ford Cortina off. It didn't stop him doing the job though.
How tight was Wally? Well he used to turn off the exterior lights on the hangar if we hadn't got back to base by the original eta. No GPS, beacons or remote on/off lights in those days, I was pretty good at navigating along the Ring Road at night..... Those rolling maps were useless.
We did a show in Glasgow and stayed overnight in the Esso Erskine Hotel by the bridge. We landed on the lawn in front of the bar restaurant and some people came out to take photos, '50p per shot' was his request. The next day he paid the hotel bill for four of us in loose change that were the takings from the previous days pleasure flights.
He never cottoned on that I used to fill up my Mini Cooper with AVGAS. When we were doing local shows with a 269 I used to drive over in an Escort van with 10 Army jerrycans in the back, if it was a bad day I would bring most of it back, he never missed the odd few gallons.
Happy Days
It was interesting flying in two totally different spec 206A's. G-AYMX was ex Christian Sylvasen and had full VIP pack, leather seats, heater, fancy intercom, electric drain valve, rotor brake, flares, particle separator, ashtrays etc etc. G-BBFE had no extras, crap seats, basic instrumentation, not even demisters, but it went like the clappers.
Other Dick memories was him doing pleasure flights with one of the fuel pumps switched off so that the amber warning light was on. It always used to get a question from a nervous flyer.... How he used to tap that fuel gauge. I was under instructions to load any 'busty' women in the front (or middle seat in the 269s) or he used to give me the thumbsdown on takeoff. Just for a laugh on some weekends he would wear his ex-Army bonedome with darkened visor - 25 years before The Stig!!
Incidentally Wally used to spy on his own pilots, he never realised that we had cottoned on to him putting a fuse in parallel with the circuit breaker for the hours meter. I could get my hand round the back and take the fuse out so we could stop the meter running for a little pleasure flying of our own.
Final memory - Dick used to live in Ripon and drive down the A1 to Whinmoor each day. One morning we had an aerial photography job and Dick was late (no mobile phones in those days!). We were looking out of the first floor ops room and saw this person walking across the frosty fields from the York Road. As he came into view we realised it was Dick, he had skidded off the road and hit a tree writing his Ford Cortina off. It didn't stop him doing the job though.
How tight was Wally? Well he used to turn off the exterior lights on the hangar if we hadn't got back to base by the original eta. No GPS, beacons or remote on/off lights in those days, I was pretty good at navigating along the Ring Road at night..... Those rolling maps were useless.
We did a show in Glasgow and stayed overnight in the Esso Erskine Hotel by the bridge. We landed on the lawn in front of the bar restaurant and some people came out to take photos, '50p per shot' was his request. The next day he paid the hotel bill for four of us in loose change that were the takings from the previous days pleasure flights.
He never cottoned on that I used to fill up my Mini Cooper with AVGAS. When we were doing local shows with a 269 I used to drive over in an Escort van with 10 Army jerrycans in the back, if it was a bad day I would bring most of it back, he never missed the odd few gallons.
Happy Days
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Brian Sharp it was, he used to live in Tadcaster! He had a Bobby Charlton hair style and a sense of humour to match. When I signed up to do my A&C license he was my tutor, although I do remember him making me take my overalls off to get my arm into fluroescent fluid tank in the NDT machine to dredge out the muck in the bottom.
His proudest moment for me was when a 206 wouldn't start after an overnight stay at a show in East End Park in Hull. When Manjit pressed the tit it started to wind up, but then would cut out. I got out my screwdriver, undid the little panel on the collective and shorted out the contacts with the screwdriver. Problem solved and it saved Brian a trip to Hull - he used to drive REALLY slowly! From that day on he called me "Jeff the screw", he even engraved my tookit with the phrase.
The other engineer there was Colin someone, he was Wally's right hand man so we never really trusted him.
BTW, did you work for Leeming Electrical over at Horsforth? It was another of Wally's companys and I do remember one of the TV engineers coming over to mend radios etc.
His proudest moment for me was when a 206 wouldn't start after an overnight stay at a show in East End Park in Hull. When Manjit pressed the tit it started to wind up, but then would cut out. I got out my screwdriver, undid the little panel on the collective and shorted out the contacts with the screwdriver. Problem solved and it saved Brian a trip to Hull - he used to drive REALLY slowly! From that day on he called me "Jeff the screw", he even engraved my tookit with the phrase.
The other engineer there was Colin someone, he was Wally's right hand man so we never really trusted him.
BTW, did you work for Leeming Electrical over at Horsforth? It was another of Wally's companys and I do remember one of the TV engineers coming over to mend radios etc.
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Jeff
I worked for Northair at LBA.
Brian took quite a lot of engineers under his arm and taught them about the job of repairing aircraft and was one of the nicest blokes you could ever meet.
Dick used to have people in tears with laughter with his stories about his flying and again a great helicopter pilot. I remember seeing MX lifting off then heading towards the trees to gain a bit of speed for the climb, only just made it!
Manjit used to fly the 269 a lot, and one day he dropped into Leeds with a complete radio failure, so got it fixed and Manjit says Captain Holmes has asked me to test fly it and you are coming a long, er no! but i ended up doing a circuit in it but was not happy.
What was Wally's daughter called, she ran the TV business.?
Great stuff Jeff
L
I worked for Northair at LBA.
Brian took quite a lot of engineers under his arm and taught them about the job of repairing aircraft and was one of the nicest blokes you could ever meet.
Dick used to have people in tears with laughter with his stories about his flying and again a great helicopter pilot. I remember seeing MX lifting off then heading towards the trees to gain a bit of speed for the climb, only just made it!
Manjit used to fly the 269 a lot, and one day he dropped into Leeds with a complete radio failure, so got it fixed and Manjit says Captain Holmes has asked me to test fly it and you are coming a long, er no! but i ended up doing a circuit in it but was not happy.
What was Wally's daughter called, she ran the TV business.?
Great stuff Jeff
L
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His son was called Jeremy, but I cannot remember the daughters name (Judith maybe?), she was about the same age as me although a bit more 'plumper'
I remember that Manjit could not pronounce Whinmoor, it always came out as 'Vinmoor'. The number of times he had to repeat it for certain ATC's.... I visited Northair a couple of times (X-licence was much more my kettle of fish) with radio sets. We used to swap 'pluggable' bits from BBIT, IU, IV all the time, it was only as a last resort that you guys were called in as you cost money. I even remember fashioning transponder aerials out of metal coat hangers...
Another great Dick Meston memory was one day we were doing a photo job, the photographer arrived and Dick was clearing tree stumps using a JCB. I ran over the field to get him. He was wearing his Army fatigues and a baseball cap on the wrong way round with the usual cigarette hanging out of his mouth. The photographer did not believe he was a pilot, to prove it Dick took off and proceeded to do a quick solo flying demonstration to prove he was!
Was all this 30 years ago? Seems like yesterday
I remember that Manjit could not pronounce Whinmoor, it always came out as 'Vinmoor'. The number of times he had to repeat it for certain ATC's.... I visited Northair a couple of times (X-licence was much more my kettle of fish) with radio sets. We used to swap 'pluggable' bits from BBIT, IU, IV all the time, it was only as a last resort that you guys were called in as you cost money. I even remember fashioning transponder aerials out of metal coat hangers...
Another great Dick Meston memory was one day we were doing a photo job, the photographer arrived and Dick was clearing tree stumps using a JCB. I ran over the field to get him. He was wearing his Army fatigues and a baseball cap on the wrong way round with the usual cigarette hanging out of his mouth. The photographer did not believe he was a pilot, to prove it Dick took off and proceeded to do a quick solo flying demonstration to prove he was!
Was all this 30 years ago? Seems like yesterday
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Oh yes Jeff, all this happened 30 years ago, and it does bring back some really good memories of the way aviation should be today,as we all worked as a team and had the laugh's to go with it.
Wally was a people that if you told them some of the stories they would never believe it, which brings me to the time he drove his Jensen Interceptor from Leeds to London at 40 mph to save money on the petrol, but that was Wally.
Great to hear from someone who worked there and with Brian, I see you are in Dublin, please feel free to contact me at sometime as it is great to go over old times.
Good to hear from you.
L
Wally was a people that if you told them some of the stories they would never believe it, which brings me to the time he drove his Jensen Interceptor from Leeds to London at 40 mph to save money on the petrol, but that was Wally.
Great to hear from someone who worked there and with Brian, I see you are in Dublin, please feel free to contact me at sometime as it is great to go over old times.
Good to hear from you.
L
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I worked at Twyford Moors Helicopters out of Sherbourn in Elmet just as Wally was starting with his Hughes 269, he also had a Bulldug I think. He may have been tight and a bit of a rogue and we had a few "discussions" etc, but he could surprise you.
My wife and I were having a meal in a retaurant in Tadcaster when a bottle of champagne appeared, on telling the waiter I hadn't ordered it he said "compliments of the gentleman over there", yep it was Wally!
He was the receiver when TMH went bust.
My wife and I were having a meal in a retaurant in Tadcaster when a bottle of champagne appeared, on telling the waiter I hadn't ordered it he said "compliments of the gentleman over there", yep it was Wally!
He was the receiver when TMH went bust.
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TMH
... I still have a donkey jacket somewhere with TMH printed in red on the back. BTW the daughter was called Gillian, not Judith, as per my earlier post.
Re the 269's, for some reason the newly qualified CPL's pilots sometimes had great difficulty starting them from cold in the morning. The ultimate disgrace was when they had to walk over to the house and ask Wally to come over and start-up for them. He used to waddle over in his dressing gown and slippers and take delight in humiliating them in front of whoever was within earshot.
Such a nice bloke.....
Re the 269's, for some reason the newly qualified CPL's pilots sometimes had great difficulty starting them from cold in the morning. The ultimate disgrace was when they had to walk over to the house and ask Wally to come over and start-up for them. He used to waddle over in his dressing gown and slippers and take delight in humiliating them in front of whoever was within earshot.
Such a nice bloke.....
1982 and i had just come back from crop spraying in Egypt and took over the running of GSM Helicopters near Ripon . Dick was my chief pilot . I was only 22 and was living during the week in a caravan next to the hangar . Every friday night was barbecue with Dick and Mandy and some take off,s on sat morning were better than others !! He was the greatest friend and greater pilot . I often laugh to myself when people on this site say this or that cannot be done safely or at all ( there was a discussion here where many "emminent pilots " said an engine failure at low level, ie 20ft, would definitely not give you time to auto ......dick demo,d dozens to me including one at 10ft doing a 180 turn !!!!) I had a Bell G3B1 G-BHKW . We flew to my parents house in shropshire and arrived just as it was getting near dark . We landed in the tennis court. By the time we had got our gear out and tied down it was black...then we discovered the gate was locked and my parents were out !! Sadly there are few gentlemen pilots like Dick left . I think my old heli is now in Cyprus . Looking at the weather recently i should be there with her !!
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Heli Leeds
Hi Jeff and all.
Worked at Heli Leeds 1976/7 as a 'loader' - basically putting punters in and out on pleasure flights. Many many stories and reading on here is unreal. Did you live in Roundhay Jeff? ... I think we may have lived near each other at the time. Names that come back to me are 'Wally' - ok - 'Capt Holmes' to me, Pilots: Dick, Manjit [I knew him as Majic], Ian, Mark [?]. I worked with a mechanic called Glen a lot and Jeremy [Wallys son]. Can just about remember Brian.
Who was the guy that used to service Wally's Jensen?
Spent a good few days up at a horse jumping show near Morpeth north of Newcastle, doing pleasure flights but trade was poor. Got up to a few 'tricks' including racing express trains across the site with the chopper! Tyne Tees TV complained about us flying too near to their cameramen on top of scaffolding towers. I was in a chopper that had a 'chip warning' forced landing at Cleethorpes.
I beleive 'Wally' became a changed man after he retired - I think he had heart problems. He started to help a lot of people and gave a lot of money away. Wasn't a bad bloke as it turned out.
Worked at Heli Leeds 1976/7 as a 'loader' - basically putting punters in and out on pleasure flights. Many many stories and reading on here is unreal. Did you live in Roundhay Jeff? ... I think we may have lived near each other at the time. Names that come back to me are 'Wally' - ok - 'Capt Holmes' to me, Pilots: Dick, Manjit [I knew him as Majic], Ian, Mark [?]. I worked with a mechanic called Glen a lot and Jeremy [Wallys son]. Can just about remember Brian.
Who was the guy that used to service Wally's Jensen?
Spent a good few days up at a horse jumping show near Morpeth north of Newcastle, doing pleasure flights but trade was poor. Got up to a few 'tricks' including racing express trains across the site with the chopper! Tyne Tees TV complained about us flying too near to their cameramen on top of scaffolding towers. I was in a chopper that had a 'chip warning' forced landing at Cleethorpes.
I beleive 'Wally' became a changed man after he retired - I think he had heart problems. He started to help a lot of people and gave a lot of money away. Wasn't a bad bloke as it turned out.
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Hi Dave
Do you mean Glen Burley, he went to Nunkeeling near Beverley for a few years and is now working on his own but maintaining helicopters at a place near Sherburn in Elmet.
Another is Paul Northgreaves, worked for Northair for a while and now working for Aero Maintenance at Walton Wood.
L
Do you mean Glen Burley, he went to Nunkeeling near Beverley for a few years and is now working on his own but maintaining helicopters at a place near Sherburn in Elmet.
Another is Paul Northgreaves, worked for Northair for a while and now working for Aero Maintenance at Walton Wood.
L
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More info...
Dave,
The guy who serviced the Jensen was 'Brian 2' and he lived in Woodhouse Leeds. 'Brian 1' was Brian Sharp the engineer.
I was at the Morpeth show with you, that was the one where Dick dropped the parachutists out of G-BBFE, why do I remember? Because one of the main chutes didn't open and the guy landed heavily on his reserve.
Were you diabetic as I remember someone injecting insulin into their thigh in the caravan?
I was the third Heli-Leeds apprentice along with Glen (does he still have his Olivia Newton John fetish?) and Paul who used to do the photo finish at the long demolished Elland Road greyhound stadium.
At the end of the Summer of 77 I couldn't take any more of Wally and left for a career in telecoms/computing that took me all over the world. I still get up in helicopters hired out of Sherburn piloted by a mate.....
The guy who serviced the Jensen was 'Brian 2' and he lived in Woodhouse Leeds. 'Brian 1' was Brian Sharp the engineer.
I was at the Morpeth show with you, that was the one where Dick dropped the parachutists out of G-BBFE, why do I remember? Because one of the main chutes didn't open and the guy landed heavily on his reserve.
Were you diabetic as I remember someone injecting insulin into their thigh in the caravan?
I was the third Heli-Leeds apprentice along with Glen (does he still have his Olivia Newton John fetish?) and Paul who used to do the photo finish at the long demolished Elland Road greyhound stadium.
At the end of the Summer of 77 I couldn't take any more of Wally and left for a career in telecoms/computing that took me all over the world. I still get up in helicopters hired out of Sherburn piloted by a mate.....
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Young school leaver at Heli Leeds
I was there between 1980/81 to 1983, as a young school leaver I learned very quickly how to make coffee. The aircraft were always painted with cellulose by Glenn. It was cheaper and didn't weigh as much as polly. the hydraulic fluid and oil normally took the paint back off, but if that didn't the T'cut usually did.
I remember a Pilot called Peter Warburton always went to the pub on the A64 smoking a huge cigar.
.I remember a Pilot called Peter Warburton always went to the pub on the A64 smoking a huge cigar.
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There is a blast from the past
Yes Loudone, I know of John Bairstow, I believe he was at Heli-Leeds 78/79 before running off with a crop spraying outfit, it's me 
. I remember having to install a tail rotor securing bolt 10 times by Brian because I could not get the split pin "just right", I remember servicing NiCad batteries, trying to make a good battery out of duff cells, I remember spraying that duff polish into the heater in the hangar and running for cover when the unit fired up, best of all I remember Wally. Having mellowed a bit with age he was a rogue, but there were some good points. Remember the fuse on the hour meter, what about the secret washers on the intercom in the office, that even if you pulled the plug out he could listen in from his kitchen. I remember the days on the shot blast machine trying to remove dust as we didn't have decent grit and going home glowing due to being soaked with mag flux dye using a machine that was pre industrial revolution, and everything was sprayed with waxoil, because he had a similar deal to the Avon one. Remember that old RAF trolly-ac, flat wheels and flat batteries. That 206A with 206B engine covers, problem was the transmission oil filler didn't line up with the flap in the cover, so best way to top up was with a milk bottle (clean of course), I was the one caught by the CAA inspector topping up with the milk bottle, back to team making I seem to remember.
There were some magic pleasure flight days, I remember flying with Nick back from Hull and going into the airway to see if the transponder I had "fixed" worked, we never found out as the radio gave up. Then there was Ptolemy I seem to remember ex Army type. Alex was the ex RN engineer, took over when Brian left, lots of tales I seem to remember of days on the Ark Royal.
I stayed in the aviation indstry till around 89, after going to uni and spending what seemed an age with Brit Aero, then found the underwater defence industry was more fun and the electronics more my line (even after getting a degree in aeronautical engineering). I have had the odd glider and a 150 aerobat over the years, I now find the boat is more my line, still the other week had to replace the throttle cable on the port motor, and guess what my split pin skills were called upon again, I hope Brian was watching, it was perfect first time.
Happy days
. I remember having to install a tail rotor securing bolt 10 times by Brian because I could not get the split pin "just right", I remember servicing NiCad batteries, trying to make a good battery out of duff cells, I remember spraying that duff polish into the heater in the hangar and running for cover when the unit fired up, best of all I remember Wally. Having mellowed a bit with age he was a rogue, but there were some good points. Remember the fuse on the hour meter, what about the secret washers on the intercom in the office, that even if you pulled the plug out he could listen in from his kitchen. I remember the days on the shot blast machine trying to remove dust as we didn't have decent grit and going home glowing due to being soaked with mag flux dye using a machine that was pre industrial revolution, and everything was sprayed with waxoil, because he had a similar deal to the Avon one. Remember that old RAF trolly-ac, flat wheels and flat batteries. That 206A with 206B engine covers, problem was the transmission oil filler didn't line up with the flap in the cover, so best way to top up was with a milk bottle (clean of course), I was the one caught by the CAA inspector topping up with the milk bottle, back to team making I seem to remember.There were some magic pleasure flight days, I remember flying with Nick back from Hull and going into the airway to see if the transponder I had "fixed" worked, we never found out as the radio gave up. Then there was Ptolemy I seem to remember ex Army type. Alex was the ex RN engineer, took over when Brian left, lots of tales I seem to remember of days on the Ark Royal.
I stayed in the aviation indstry till around 89, after going to uni and spending what seemed an age with Brit Aero, then found the underwater defence industry was more fun and the electronics more my line (even after getting a degree in aeronautical engineering). I have had the odd glider and a 150 aerobat over the years, I now find the boat is more my line, still the other week had to replace the throttle cable on the port motor, and guess what my split pin skills were called upon again, I hope Brian was watching, it was perfect first time.
Happy days
