Leeds Heliport (1980s)?

[Desperately Sea King]

Hello, just recently qualified as CPL (H) and have been casting my mind back to where it all began. I was lucky enough to have a 206 pleasure flight in the mid-eighties (as a young lad, with my mates, on my birthday) out of, I believe, a place that called itself Leeds Heliport. I am pretty sure it was on the northeast side of Leeds, down a lane off the York Road (A64). I often drive past where I am sure it was and wonder how long it was there for, why it disappeared, who owned/ran it etc. Any info, just for curiosity and nostalgia's sake, would be welcome! Anybody on here work out of there July 86? Your steep turn back to the Heliport was talked about for years by me and my mates!

Cheers.

[Flaxton Flyer]

Used to be owned / run by a chap called Wally Holmes, I think the company was called Heli-Leeds. He was probably one of (if not the first) 206 operator(s) in Yorkshire. The "Leeds Heliport" sign was still standing there alongside the A64 long after the company folded, it also said something like "Saw Mill House".

I believe Wally died some years ago, but he was what is commonly called a "character" - I am sure there are plenty of people with stories about him, probably too scadalous to share..

[Desperately Sea King]

I know the Saw Mill House sign! Thought it might be it. Cheers. That sign - when it had heliport written on it - induced an excited feeling of disbelief (a bit like passing your CPL (H) skills test) in a car-ful of kids, way back when...

Thanks FF.

Any more info welcome and appreciated. Ta.

[L-Band]

Somebody once said to him, hello Wally, he turned around with a completely straight faced a said my name is Captain Holmes please remember that!
He also had a Jensen Interceptor and drove it down the motorway at 40 mph to save petrol. He did not like spending money. He was the first operator of the 206 in the north and setup quite a good charter and engineering place at Whinmoor.
L

[MPR]

Heli-Leeds

Walter Holmes t/a Credit Default Register had the following aircraft...

G-AVVS Hughes 269-B - Feb 1973 - Jan 1988

G-AYMX Bell 206A - Aug 1973 - Aug 1988

G-AXMM Bell 206A - Sept 1974 - May 1976

G-BBFE Bell 206A - Jan 1975 - June 1983

Hope this helps.

MPR

[Agaricus bisporus]

I was actually warned off joining Heli Leeds at about that time by an ops inspector of a well known organization who didn't rate them highly at all...they seemed thoroughly iffy when I visited for interview - but I don't remember Wally Holmes, boss then was someone with a Yorkshire name and the sincerity and slimy aura of a dodgy second hand car salesman.

[Desperately Sea King]

Oh no my childhood memories are being torn to shreds! Funny what the reality can be...

Thanks still, everyone.

[ericferret]

Tight as a ducks ar*e.

We used to supply parts to Heli Leeds and everytime they ordered spares they would ask us to call them back. One day the pips went when they held on too long.
The person ordering was given change to use the hangar pay phone!!!!!!!!!!

After that company policy was never to phone them back.

One of our crop spraying pilots claimed to have found a microphone hidden behind the light fitting in the crew room when he went over to Leeds for a check ride on the Hughes 300.
Spotted a second cable wound round the light fitting cable on the ceiling!!!!!!!!!
Tore it out and left it on Wally's desk.

One of our ex engineers went pilot and worked for them (nice guy). One day when he flew in he parked on the far side of the airfield. He walked over rather than let us see who he was working for out of embarrasment..

[Helipolarbear]

Met a few desperado operations similiar over the years. Heli industry me a*se! Cowboy's & Clowns playing with big dices and even bigger risks!!!

[md 600 driver]

eric
are you sure that was heli leeds off the a64 they didnt run from a airfield it was just large farm buildings
steve

[bullshitproof]

Leeds heliport

Some said he was not a REAL CPTN ! !
As the saying goes "your a cptn t ya moder, yar a cpt t me,...but ta a cptn YA NO CPTN. private message me and I will send you a photo of him on my pad in the earlie 80s with a 206A Reg G-AYCM to be fair he was the first to opperate and AOC "oopt" north and probably gave quite a few of us our first tast of helis.

[ericferret]

That was the one. MD 600

Did anything positive come out of Heli Leeds?

I would say yes.
A number of guys who went on to be first class commercial pilots got their chance at Leeds.
Industry feeling at the time was that they had sold their souls, but given the dearth of jobs what alternative did they have?

Wally also obtained a qualification as a licensed engineer. One of the most respected UK engineers sent his licence back to the CAA as a protest.

The CAA response was that as he had passed the exams fair and square that was it and there was nothing they could do.

I believe that Heli Leeds started when Wally bought a number of aircraft from the official receiver of Twyford Moors Helicopters.

[Up & Away]

dear Wally

He asked me to come for interview... and, as agreed, he wrote out a cheque for expenses in front of me, across a desk. He wrote the correct amounts in words but put the decimal in the wrong pace in the numbers!! he then placed cheque in sealed envelope and passed it to me only as he dropped me off at rail station. well done Wally, Bank would not cash it and I gave up after a month of phone calls.


He was very lucky to have such loyalty from a great engineer and many good pilots who worked for him!!

[ericferret]

I heard a version of the same Up and away.

Eric

Nice story, but a little too close to libelous if inaccurate

Edited to keep PPRuNe out of trouble

Splot

[MPR]

Quite correct Ericferret....

W.R. Finance Ltd. t/a Heli-Leeds bought the following from the official receiver (Credits [South Western] Ltd.) of Twyford Moors Helicopters Ltd. in March 1975....

All Hughes 269's - G-BBIT, G-BBIU, G-BBIV, G-BBIW.

Over the years W.R. Finance Ltd. also had the following... H269's G-BAKG, G-ASBD, Bell\AB 206's G-AVTE, G-AYCM, G-BARX, G-BEKH & AB47 G-APTH.

All between 1975 & 1989.

[ericferret]

First time I've ever had a post pulled, probably for the best.

So I suppose you definitely wouldn't want my post on the G-BBIT saga!!!!

Or any of my tales about what happened to the 206's in the end.

I thought I was staying away from some of the more contentious stories!!!!!

Just in case the above two are after the aircraft left Heli Leeds ownership.

My stories are never inaccurate, but they might be fourth hand!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Senior Pilot]

Originally Posted by ericferret

So I suppose you definitely wouldn't want my post on the G-BBIT saga!!!!

Or any of my tales about what happened to the 206's in the end.

Only if they are within the bounds of commonsense and reason: and not libelous

No names is a good start

[ericferret]

I remember G-BBIT's end as reported in the local paper.

"Bizarre sight in xxxxxx helicopter ablaze on back of lorry!!!!!!"

Is the whole story within the bounds of common sense and reason? I don't know.

What I do know is I was there and to use that well known phrase "you couldn't make it up".

I will have to save it for my memoirs!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[md 600 driver]

eric
go on spill the beans [rumours]

do i know you?

steve

[ericferret]

Not in the biblical sense!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry but the moderator has put the fear of god (actually the legal profession) into me.

Maybe I could do a Richard Bach and write a few aviation fables.