McAlpine Helicopters Puma SA330G
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McAlpine Helicopters Puma SA330G
Hello,
Was reading a book about a certain large helicopter operator and kinda got a bug to read about other operators. I found a snippet about McAlpine Helicopters being awarded a class 7 license to operate offshore in 1975. They had ordered an Aerospatiale Puma SA330 G for the job and were going to operate from Aberdeen, but I cannot find any further information as to whether they were successful or not, did they fold (from operating in the North Sea anyway) or were they bought out etc. Does anyone have any information & photos of colour schemes etc?
Much gratefulness,
Rolski
Was reading a book about a certain large helicopter operator and kinda got a bug to read about other operators. I found a snippet about McAlpine Helicopters being awarded a class 7 license to operate offshore in 1975. They had ordered an Aerospatiale Puma SA330 G for the job and were going to operate from Aberdeen, but I cannot find any further information as to whether they were successful or not, did they fold (from operating in the North Sea anyway) or were they bought out etc. Does anyone have any information & photos of colour schemes etc?
Much gratefulness,
Rolski
I remember this operation in Aberdeen, but never saw the machine up close - I seem to recall it was painted white (but I may be completely wrong about that). They were away from the main operations and the machine rarely flew by all accounts. Some of the people I know who worked there are still in the industry today, so might be better informed.
The 330G had metal blades and limited performance. The operation closed and everything went away, I really can't contribute any information beyond that. The 330J that followed into service had a very succesful North Sea career before moving elsewhere in the world as the 332 replaced it.
The 330G had metal blades and limited performance. The operation closed and everything went away, I really can't contribute any information beyond that. The 330J that followed into service had a very succesful North Sea career before moving elsewhere in the world as the 332 replaced it.
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Class 7 licences
Another snippet for your book: John Crewdson and Gill Aldam (Helicopter Hire then based at Elstree) also got, or applied for, a Class 7 licence. They were planning to use WG30s and definitely had one - G-KATE - and I think another. John was sadly killed in an Alouette II when it crashed in the Wash whilst filming. Gill is alive and well and has remarried. We did some training with John's son who I think was also called John and I assume that he is still around somewhere.
IIRC Glenagles Helicopters also got a licence and parked a Bell 212 at Aberdeen. It used to sit forlornly on the grass outside the old terminal in 1978. It was joined by a second, (so that they could provide a backup), but eventually they both left. I don't think they ever achieved anything.
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Class 7 licence
A Class 7 licence is a requirement for all companies wanting to do offshire operations - or used to be! I am not in that market and it well now have been replaced by something else!
You may get a bit of insight into the early SA330 from the recent book on Alan Bristow.
Bristow bought the 330 from Aerospatiale and found it to be pretty much a waste of time in the North Sea environs. After he had many words with Aerospatiale they went back to the drawing board and as a result Bristow bought large numbers of the new version called the Tiger.
On such things was the Bristow fable built.
The book is well worth a read.
Bristow bought the 330 from Aerospatiale and found it to be pretty much a waste of time in the North Sea environs. After he had many words with Aerospatiale they went back to the drawing board and as a result Bristow bought large numbers of the new version called the Tiger.
On such things was the Bristow fable built.
The book is well worth a read.
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Again, thanks for the info guys.
I find the whole early North Sea period interesting, and aside from the two biggest companies around then, I was pleased to see a good few other companies around, all trying to make their fortunes in what must haved seemed like a maritime gold rush.
Cheers,
Rolski
I find the whole early North Sea period interesting, and aside from the two biggest companies around then, I was pleased to see a good few other companies around, all trying to make their fortunes in what must haved seemed like a maritime gold rush.
Cheers,
Rolski
Originally Posted by PANews
Bristow bought the 330 from Aerospatiale and found it to be pretty much a waste of time in the North Sea environs.
Reversing the fan made quite a difference, I believe
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John Crewdson and Gill Aldam (Helicopter Hire then based at Elstree) also got, or applied for, a Class 7 licence. They were planning to use WG30s and definitely had one - G-KATE - and I think another. John was sadly killed in an Alouette II when it crashed in the Wash whilst filming. Gill is alive and well and has remarried.
They negotiated the purchase of a B Cal 61, but the deal fell through when Jill started getting a bit naughty over the fine print of the contract. HeliLog wasn't prepared to transfer any of their 212s onto the G-register or have their pilots upgrade to Brit licences and the CAA wasn't prepared to accept N-reg helicopters operating public transport in the North Sea, so the plan faltered.
The idea of having a main base in Southend while actually operating out of Aberdeen was never going to work and there really wasn't enough capital available to set up a full sized base at Dyce from scratch.
Then there was the tragedy of John's death in the Alouette (corroded Jesus nut came off during takeoff). That really put the kybosh on everything as Helicopter Hire's sister company Helicopter Maintenance was roasted by the CAA over some 'questionable' actions and inactions and record keeping. No oil company in the Western world would touch a helicopter company which had a stain like that on its record, so that was that.
We did some training with John's son who I think was also called John and I assume that he is still around somewhere
In fact John and Jill met on location at a castle in Bavaria during the filming of Where Eagles Dare. Somehow, I don't know how, John had persuaded the film-makers to include a Bell 47 in the screenplay, replete with swastika painted on the skeg. Quite what the Wehrmacht or the SS was supposed to be doing with a Bell 47 in 1944 is unclear!
Jill was there to do the stunt work for Mary Ure, abseiling and generally leaping about. In fact she ended up doing a lot of scenes on behalf of Mary Ure as she bears a strong resemblance to Ure.
John was a lovely bloke and one of those gifted pilots who could make extremely precise flying look effortlessly casual. Even a cantankerous bugger like the Widgeon became a precision instrument in his hands. He and Jill made a good pair as they both had a flair for self-publicity. They were natural show people, rather like circus performers.
Sorry about the thread drift, but John Crewdson is worth remembering.
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Jill Aldam negotiated that deal. She knew that the Brit gumment would do whatever it took to get the WG30 into service at any price, even if the aircraft had to be given away for free.
Very clever girl. Her Jewish mother was rightly proud of her.
The Indians did outfox her, however, as they accepted a couple of dozen of the things, together with a very large bucket of money to keep the poxy things flying, for a while.
John wanted to get involved in that transaction and have them sent out as deck cargo on freighters with little more than tarpaulins as weatherproofing for the voyage.
Very clever girl. Her Jewish mother was rightly proud of her.
The Indians did outfox her, however, as they accepted a couple of dozen of the things, together with a very large bucket of money to keep the poxy things flying, for a while.
John wanted to get involved in that transaction and have them sent out as deck cargo on freighters with little more than tarpaulins as weatherproofing for the voyage.
Helicopter Hire did a lot of work with the police in the late 1970s... he gained a contract to run Enstrom's for the Met Police, initially from Elstree until one got attacked whilst out on the field [nothing new there then] and then the ops moved to the safer location of Lippitts Hill.
He used his ill fated Alouette II G-AWAP to provide early [Marconi] heli-tele operations for the BBC and various police operators. It started with the Mk 1 version [as developed in 1974 for the AAC Scout] externally mounted in a crude box then mounted the ball version as later seen on the Met 222s and Belgian police 330s. In 1982 HH gained the contract to provide most of the security air cover over the Papal visit .... again the Marconi turret but the difference was that at night the colour camera was changed for a [very] early FLIR camera..... Getting that out of the military was amazing in itself. There was a war on.... The secret may be that he did most of the development flying for Marconi [also Essex based] and that later included BO105 G-BFYA famous for numerous 'actions' including the Iranian Embassy Seige.
Did anyone ever write a book about him?
He used his ill fated Alouette II G-AWAP to provide early [Marconi] heli-tele operations for the BBC and various police operators. It started with the Mk 1 version [as developed in 1974 for the AAC Scout] externally mounted in a crude box then mounted the ball version as later seen on the Met 222s and Belgian police 330s. In 1982 HH gained the contract to provide most of the security air cover over the Papal visit .... again the Marconi turret but the difference was that at night the colour camera was changed for a [very] early FLIR camera..... Getting that out of the military was amazing in itself. There was a war on.... The secret may be that he did most of the development flying for Marconi [also Essex based] and that later included BO105 G-BFYA famous for numerous 'actions' including the Iranian Embassy Seige.
Did anyone ever write a book about him?
