Ferranti Helicopters

[Oldlae]

The Puma Paddy and John ? were flying to one of the LNG ships off Karratha.

[Savoia]

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Does anyone know what caused the aircraft to fail?

[britneyacacia]

That's exciting - keep us updated, hope everything goes smoothly!

[CharlieOneSix]

CFIW - Puma SA330J VH-WOF, Mermaid Sound WA, 12 May 1991

The aircraft was tasked to carry out a marine pilot pick-up from a departing tanker. The flight was conducted by two pilots operating under night visual flight rules. Conditions were a moonless night with no defined horizon, no outside lighting other than from the ship, and a surface wind that was light and variable. The ship was steaming in a northerly direction at 12.5 kts. The flight proceeded normally until the aircraft was established on final approach to the helideck. As the aircraft descended through 500 ft the rate of descent had increased to about 1,000 ft/min. Although the pilot in command increased main rotor pitch, the aircraft's rate of descent continued to increase until just prior to impact with the water. Both occupants were rescued approximately 1 h after they evacuated the helicopter. The report concludes that the standard approach technique used by the pilots, coupled with the prevailing weather conditions, caused the aircraft to enter a high rate of descent shortly after the aircraft started its normal final approach to the deck. The high rate of descent was probably the result of entry to the incipient stage of Vortex-ring state'. A lack of visual cues and inadequate management of cockpit resources prevented the crew from recognising the abnormal situation until the aircraft was well into the descent. Recovery action was commenced too late to prevent impact with the water.

[Nigel Osborn]

Sav
There was nothing wrong with the Puma until it hit the water!!

[Shane101]

Irish Ferranti Helis

Hi all, this is my first post here.
FYI Heres a full list of Denis Ferrantis helis in Ireland. They were registered under Helicopter Maintenance Ltd but the real maintenance was done by Mick Byrne and the lads at Irish Helicopters who had to drive down to Mayo as Denis prefered to have it done there apparently.

EI-ARU Brantly B.305 c/n 1035 (ex N12H, G-ATYB) reg 14.8.67 cax 9.1.68 to CF-FKR

EI-ASW Bell 206A c/n 180 (new) reg 17.4.68 to welltrade ltd 1.12.68, to private 23.11.70, cax Sep 72 to G-BADS, SE-HGH, w/o

EI-ATY Hughes 369HM c/n 49-0036M (new) reg 28.5.69 crashed Scotland 11.1.72 , repaired, cax oct 75 to G-BDKL, G-VNPP, G-HSKY.

EI-AVK Brantly B.2B c/n330 (ex N2168U, G-ASLO) reg 19.10.71 cax ? to G-ASLO w/o

EI-AVN Hughes 369HM c/n 52-0214M (ex N9037F) reg 15.8.72 cax June 1993 to G-RAMM, G-KBOT, G-HAUS.

EI-AWA Bell 206B2 c/n897 (new) reg 7.12.72 cax 8.3.85 to G-COIN.

EI-BPM Aerospatiale AS350B1 c/n 1805 (ex G-BLSB) reg 3.4.85 cax July 1993 to G-OFHL, G-GIQW, G-OFHL

[Savoia]

.
Shane; welcome to Rotorheads and thanks for this information which is much appreciated.

Your list mirrors that of fellow-Rotorhead and Medal of Appreciation winner Ahh de Havilland's in post #374 on page 19 of The Nostalgia Thread.

Ahh de Havilland wrote; A list of the DdeF helicopter fleet:

EI-AVK/G-ASLO Brantley B2 - 9.63-10.75
EI-ARU Brantley 305 - 8.67-1.68
EI-ASW JetRanger - 4.68-12.68
EI-ATY Hughes 500 - 5.69-1.72
EI-AVN Hughes 500 - 2.72-7.93
EI-AWA JetRanger - 12.72-3.85
EI-BPM AS350B 4.85-6.93

But, I'm afraid that I'm still in a kerfuffle over Denis' Brantly 305 EI-ARU and whether this was ever entered on the UK register. One photographer had attributed Ferranti's 305 to G-ATUS (aka Atticus) but which in fact seems to have been the personal transport of Sir Quinton Hazell (see previous page). In your record you state that EI-ARU may have been G-AYTB but .. the record shows AYTB as being Rallye Club fixed wing!

What we have:


EI-AVN


EI-ASW


EI-AWA


EI-BPM

What we don't have:

EI-AVK Brantly B2
EI-ARU Brantly 305
EI-ATY Hughes 500

But .. we are making progress given that when this thread started we had none of the above so our thanks to all have assisted.

I should mention that the information we are compiling on 'other' members of the Ferranti family (such as Denis, Basil and Mark) shall form a separate section of the site which mainly focuses on Sebastian de Ferranti and Ferranti Helicopters.

Since we are addressing Irish registered aircraft today can I put out another humble request for any information which may lead us to an image of Mohammed Al Fayed's first Bell 206 (G-BAKX) supplied and managed by Ferranti Helicopters, sold to Roy Flood of Castle Motors and from there to Eire where she was bought by Dublin lawyer Brendan O'Mahony. We are looking for any image of G-BAKX when she was painted in the livery (below) but wearing her UK registration. The white circle would have been detailed with a blue 'F' denoting 'Fayed'. EI-BHI recently featured on The Nostalgia Thread.


Bell 206 EI-BHI belonging to Brendan O'Mahony formerly owned by Roy Flood and Mohammed Al Fayed

[Hofmeister]

FERRANTI BO105 PICs

Sav

Earlier in the thread you posted several pictures of Pope John Pauls visit to the UK, specifically pictures of him meeting/greeting BCal helicopter crews. In searching the web for some older pictures of ex Ferranti Bo105s I came across this web-site dedicated to the memories of ex BCal staff.

BCal Reunited

A request here may illicit more information on the names of individuals in the photos. Moreover, there are two pictures of what I believe are ex Ferranti BO105s on the same website........

BCal G-BATB

BCal G-BFYA

Hope this helps further.

Best Regards

Hofmeister

[Shane101]

Brantly

Oops just checked there its G-ATYB, my mistake

Yep I have a pic of EI-ATY, ill upload it as soon as I figure out how flickr works

[Shane101]

G-BAKX

I have a black and white copy of the add from Flight Magazine of G-BAKX actually, before it was sold to Ireland ill dig that out too

[Shane101]

Ei-bpm ei aty ei-avn

[Ant T]

Hi there,
My Dad (Mike Tuson) was Denis's helicopter pilot for a few years in the mid-1970's. EI-ATY was used a lot up on the estate at Meoble (Loch Morar) for taking the deer stalking parties up into the hills and underslinging the days kill back. I spent a couple of holidays there at the age of 15 or 16 and had my first flight in a helicopter there (in ATY) with Dad. Also had a flight in the Jetranger from Massbrook, Denis's house in Co.Mayo, down to Galway (landed at the same spot as EI-AVN in Savoia’s post#68 I believe) and on down to Shannon before heading back to Massbrook. Decided that it looked a fun way to earn a living.
I have now been flying for a living for 25 years - Bell 47, S61, AS332L, BN2 (Islander), DHC6 (Twin Otter), DHC7 (Dash 7) and now back on the S61.

As Shane101 said, EI-ATY became G-HSKY, and in 1986, while I was on my CPL course at Redhill, it was involved in a mid-air collision with a Bristow Bell 47 G-AXKO flown by Mark Wake. Everyone survived that incident. (Sadly, Mark later died in the S76 accident off Yarmouth)
Regards,
Ant Tuson

[Nigel Osborn]

Hi Ant,

I replaced your Father at Dennis's & by total co-incidence I believe he replaced me at Gulf Helicopters. At least that is what Dennis told me.
I think I also met your Father in the Navy; what's he doing now?

[Ant T]

Dad is enjoying his retirement in Hawick, Scotland.

I have PM'd you with more.......

[CharlieOneSix]

Nigel - Mike wrote a very enjoyable book about his life as a helicopter pilot - "A Mild Form of Insanity". One copy left in the river related UK online store.....

[Savoia]

.
C16: Thanks for the information on Paddy's Puma incident. Most sad. Thankfully no lives lost.

Hof: Many thanks for the BCal links. We've been in touch with both the BCal tribute sites and will maintain liaison with them in the hope of gleaning further details. Regarding BFYA, she seems to have come full circle in that since the beginning of the year she has gone from being registered with Sterling Helicopters at Norwich to being listed with Alan Mann Aviation at Shoreham (the politics of which I think was discussed on another thread).

Shane: Fantastic images representing an important contribution to the material covering Denis' fleet. Thank you. One of Denis' 500's was an 'M' model (ex-military) and I am guessing that it was ATY based on the information I was once given suggesting that the military version of the 500C had a wider rear passenger 'skylight' than its civilian counterpart as well as a slightly different shape of door window.

Ant: 'Antonio', welcome to Rotorheads. We share something in common in that our introduction to rotary-wing flight came by way of the Ferranti family. I also went on to fly commercially (for about a decade) until 'other duties' called! I have sent you a PM re: your father's tenure with Denis. Please forgive me for asking what may seem obvious to most but .. are yoy flying 61's ex-ABZ? I didn't think they were being used any more in the North Sea.

[TRC]

Denis's ... estate at Meoble (Loch Morar)

I've got some photos of the helicopter 'hangar' at that estate that I took on my only - and memorable - visit there. I'll have to look them out. The story of which is documented somewhere on this or the AMH thread.

[Savoia]

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TRC wrote: I spent about ten days at Dennis' hunting lodge in Scotland. Had to change the fuel tank in the 206 he had there.

It took that long because the 206 was a Bell and the tank was for an Agusta/Bell (or the other way around, can't remember), and the bolts for all the fittings were too short.

An interesting time.....

Do you happen to remember which of the 206's it was and .. did old man Ferranti offer you a bottle of his finest malt Whisky to spur your efforts!

[Ant T]

Savoia -
In answer to your question above, although my home is Aberdeen, I am flying the S61 on the military support contract in the Falkland Islands.

[Savoia]

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Ant: That is most interesting.

If it doesn't breach the protocols of your contract then please post a couple of shots of the old girl and, if you can manage it, a couple of lines regarding life/flying in the Falklands.

My godfather was based for a short while on South Georgia Island in the late 50's early 60's when he served as Chief Pilot for Christian Salvesen flying S55's on whaling support operations in the Antarctic.