International Helicopters - Offshore - UK - c1965
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International Helicopters - Offshore - UK - c1965
A close friend who was a CHSS-1 test pilot at P&WC in Montreal made the Trans-Atlantic delivery flight of S-61N, CF-OKY to the UK in May 1965 on delivery to International Helicopters.
The company was a joint venture established between Okanagan Helicopters and BEA Helicopters to operate the first offshore S-61Ns in the North Sea for Shell. Okanagan won the contract, and linked with BEA for licenses. The partnership disolved in 1966 because of the extreme differences in corporate culture, which saw helicopter bush pilots working with a helicopter company run like an airline (so I've been told) .
I'm interested in knowing more of the story of how this S-61N (became G-ATFM) was used operationally after arrival in the UK, but I don't believe any of the Canadian pilots or mechanics assigned to the Joint Venture are still alive.
For example, was it jointly crewed by OKH and BEA pilots?
Some maintenance was done at Marshalls in Cambridge and at Grawick, but have no idea what the shore base was or the offshore rig.
Are there any UK veterans of the International Helicopters joint venture still alive?
Any help or suggestion would be appreciated.
FYI - This was the start of Canadian offshore helicopter ops (if you exclude the guys from Kenting Helicopters who flew PHI S-55s and S-58s offshore for Bob Suggs in the GoM in the late 1950s and early 1960s).
The company was a joint venture established between Okanagan Helicopters and BEA Helicopters to operate the first offshore S-61Ns in the North Sea for Shell. Okanagan won the contract, and linked with BEA for licenses. The partnership disolved in 1966 because of the extreme differences in corporate culture, which saw helicopter bush pilots working with a helicopter company run like an airline (so I've been told) .
I'm interested in knowing more of the story of how this S-61N (became G-ATFM) was used operationally after arrival in the UK, but I don't believe any of the Canadian pilots or mechanics assigned to the Joint Venture are still alive.
For example, was it jointly crewed by OKH and BEA pilots?
Some maintenance was done at Marshalls in Cambridge and at Grawick, but have no idea what the shore base was or the offshore rig.
Are there any UK veterans of the International Helicopters joint venture still alive?
Any help or suggestion would be appreciated.
FYI - This was the start of Canadian offshore helicopter ops (if you exclude the guys from Kenting Helicopters who flew PHI S-55s and S-58s offshore for Bob Suggs in the GoM in the late 1950s and early 1960s).
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page from Flight International's archive shows BEA (H)'s main operating base to be Gatwick.
1965 | 2131 | Flight Archive
However Beccles (Ellough) Heliport was opened in 1965 by BEA to support the new gas fields off Gt Yarmouth - which seems more of a coincidence than can be ignored...
The first gas discovery in the British offshore sector was on the Sole Bank in, I think, 1964, with the Leman following in 1966. Whether there would have been a need, let alone offshore facilities for such a large machine in those early days is more than I can say. Most machines then were S55 I think.
1965 | 2131 | Flight Archive
However Beccles (Ellough) Heliport was opened in 1965 by BEA to support the new gas fields off Gt Yarmouth - which seems more of a coincidence than can be ignored...
The first gas discovery in the British offshore sector was on the Sole Bank in, I think, 1964, with the Leman following in 1966. Whether there would have been a need, let alone offshore facilities for such a large machine in those early days is more than I can say. Most machines then were S55 I think.
Last edited by Agaricus bisporus; 4th Apr 2009 at 14:49.
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That may have been the inspiration behind it.
On the demise of BEA the helicopter branch naturally became British Airways Helicopters until it was foolishly sold c. 1986 to that filthy, lying, evil, thieving bastard Robert Maxwell who renamed it "British International Helicopters" while systematically robbing its employees of their substantial BA pension funds (and everything else he could get his fat fingers into). When this vile wretch uncharacteristically did the decent thing and jumped, or allowed himself to be pushed off his yacht in mid Biscay it went into Canadian ownership and retained it's name.
Pffffffffffffffffffff! Feel better now!
On the demise of BEA the helicopter branch naturally became British Airways Helicopters until it was foolishly sold c. 1986 to that filthy, lying, evil, thieving bastard Robert Maxwell who renamed it "British International Helicopters" while systematically robbing its employees of their substantial BA pension funds (and everything else he could get his fat fingers into). When this vile wretch uncharacteristically did the decent thing and jumped, or allowed himself to be pushed off his yacht in mid Biscay it went into Canadian ownership and retained it's name.
Pffffffffffffffffffff! Feel better now!
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Britsh international, parts of it got sold. The parts being Penzance and Plymouth, they also took the name. The Aberdeen operation changed it's name and joined the old Bond which then morphed into CHC Scotia.
