Savoia

Agusta Bell 206B JR III OO-FVR on the outskirts of Brussels in July 1996 (Photo: Eric Coeckelberghs)

This 206 autorotated into a field on the outskirts of Brussels during the summer of '96 as a result of fuel starvation! In concluding the auto the tail was severed. The craft was evidently repaired but went on to suffer a further crash resulting in a total write-off.


Westland SeaKing HAR3 XZ597 Mt. Pleasant, Falkland Islands, January 1991 (Photo: Ian Howat)

This RAF-king was towed from Mt. Pleasant Airport to Mare Harbour where she was loaded aboard a ship to be returned to the UK for servicing.

Sav

DennisK

Sorry to be away but just completed a pleasant four days oop north with Bill (Norman) Bailey DFM at Barton ... type rating three guys from Hamburg who have decided to start a heli school on the Enstrom!

So now the Enstrom 280L turns up. And funny enough while I was at Barton I was looking at a photo I took of the blue four-seat Enstrom mock-up while it was parked with my Spooner firm at Shoreham. I cheekily put the G-HAWK reg on the side for an exhibition and got no end of complaints from the reggie spotters!

I flew the real Hawk at the 1980 HAI at San Diego. I asked the boss, F Lee Bailey to just add an 'L' to the new four-seat model to help with CAA certification (silly boy!) ... so she initially became known as the 280L Hawk. When I flew her from the exhibition site with the Enstrom CP Bill Taylor, she was just a stretched 280C Shark using the same HIO 360 EAD series turbo Lycoming which wasn't quite enough puff to lift four pax. So all demos were made with just one in the back. In all respects the type was just a heavy 205BHP 280C Shark as the 225 BHP F models hadn't arrived then. I actually sold the first two off the specification ... one to the MD of Northair and the second to a guy in Scotland (he actually commenced legal proceedings later for failing to deliver). To solve the power situation, I suggested to Enstrom engineering they just used the IO 540 'Aztec' six-cylinder 250 BHP engine, but FLB said they didn't intend to put the 280L Hawk into production as they were planning an Allison 250 turbine 480 model! And that is what arrived.

On this tack and when loads of Enstrom Sharks were hanging about in hangars, I approached Bill Bonner, that innovative engineer at Shoreham who raced Jaguar engine F1 speed boats and displayed a water cooled Chipmunk at Farnborough. I designed a semi-mono construction three seat 'plug' the idea being to drag the hangar queens out and slip the plug between the plastic cabin and the engine pylon giving a five seater. Made in the UK was on and the great fixed winger, Derek Page, now Lord Page was interested in securing some Government finance. We even had a hangar standing by in Wales with a rent free first year. All this when the pound was barely worth a dollar! ... and I was already talking to my bank about setting up a world-wide network of sales distributors and investing a million dollars! Some hope, The design would have used the Ford Granada water-cooled engine and at 3000 rpm was especially quiet. It was to be called the Enstrom Skyline after my new company at Wycombe.

Sadly the extreme amount of money necessary for ... design approval, drawing office approval, manufacturing approval and uncle Tom Cobley torpedoed the scheme.

The original flying version of the 280L, which became 380L ... languished at the Enstrom's Menominee plant for many years. I think the blue mock-up was sold to Scandinavia. I invariably look back at one of my many 'missed opportunities' but ain't life like that!

Goodbye all and safe flying.

Dennis Kenyon.

PS. If you are not too bored, read on ...... At a distributor meeting at Menominee around 1980, FLB was pressing all those present to place $5,000 deposits to help with the funding of the new ship. (We ordered two!) One guy meekly asked what would happen to those who didn't. Since Captain Ernest Medina of the Melai Massacre fame was present, FLB just made rapid fire gestures from the hip and said ... "We send in Ernie Medina."

wiganairways

In 1990 G-OBIL, R22 was in Clyde's hangar, belonged to Heli-flite of Perth, still about today, still as G-OBIL but now all over red.





R22 Beta S/N 0792 new 1988, with F.C. Noakes,Perth & M.R. Tideswell, Glasgow, T/A Heli-Flite, Perth , 25-01-1990 to 11-05-1992.

902Jon

Funnily enough Griff, I remember seeing that particular angle on several occasions in the past.............probably a Viking shuttle

griffothefog

Salty....... I dont recall

Savoia

A British Army Lynx pursues the late Richard Britton at Ballykelly


A HeliAust AS350 gets down on the road to capture some compelling F1 footage

Sav

DennisK

Ref the great Karl, (Charlie) Zimmerman ... I first met Charlie at the 1986 WHC event at Cranfield. His unbelievable B105 freestyle display took second place to Herman Fuchs similar display. Charlie later said to me something like .. "My wife has been going to bed with a world champion for the last two events, but now as I came second, she is going to bed with a new man." German humour OK. On the final day of the event, I got to fly with him and couldn't even follow his sequence of control movements that produced his inverted flat spin with a roll recovery at around 100 feet! Andy Berryman took a fourth place with his service Gazelle. I suffered my second T/R failure during a max power torque turn when the left hand cable was 'snipped' by the upgoing T/R blade causing the floppy cable end to wind itself around the T/R gearbox and seize. I did manage to get the Enstrom down without damage in a 70 knot run-on landing. Happy days ... I think!

Dennis Kenyon.

Savoia

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Dennis, great to see you back!

No small feat (one imagines) recovering from a t/r failure mid-torque turn. Bravo on getting the bird down in one piece. Did you run her on to the grass or tarmac?

I also had the pleasure of meeting Karl Zimmerman although some years earlier c. 1980. An amazing chap with amazing skills!

Before leaving Karl, another clip (this one perhaps even better than the first) with an especially pleasing manoeuvre commencing at 2:30 which begins as a nose-over into bunt, goes inverted, proceeds into a brief tail slide and then recovers back the same way! Stirring stuff for helobatic fans.


Sav

311kph

Damn!!! That 2:30 thing is the greatest helicopter maneuver ever!
It'r right next to Linx's backflip, or Lama's takeoff...
Saw a lot of 105 YT videos, guess i wasn't paying attention...
Even RC bunch would've have a hard time performing that!
Teeter totter, haha!!!

studentpilotmcuk

Hi all, In the early 1980s Bond helicopters flew out of Strubby Lincolnshire. My father worked off shore at this time and I was wondering what happened to the white S58t.

I never had the pleasure of seeing it fly. Whenever I went to pick my father up with my mum it was sat on the ground feeling rather sorry for itself with the main rotors removed.

Also what happened to the 365c ending in KM?

and the s76 G-BMAL

all these helicopters at the time were with Bond Helicopters..... but were are they now?

I hope to God they have not been turned into coke cans or the like that will be just heart breaking.

Kind Regards

Stude

902Jon

Dennis - I remember your t/r failure at the Cranfield World Championships. I was just completing my CPL at Trent and the opportunity to watch the greats performing was unmissable. Watching you control the aircraft after the failure (during some amazing aeros) was amazing. I remember you making 5 or 6 approaches to the runway until you thought you had it just right and committing yourself. Zimmermans display was awesome - at that time I had no idea that helicopters were even capable of the things he did in that BO105. A real privilege to have been there.

studentpilotmcuk - I flew with Bond after gaining my CPL (above) at the end of the 80's. G-BMAL was flying for CHC at North Denes up until last year, when it was sold to Canada. According to G-INFO it had over 28000 hours when it was de-registered. KM the 365C was flown at Humberside until it was replaced by the 365N2's. These in turn stopped flying last year when Bristow won the BP and Conoco contracts at HUY.

Of course I should add that Griffo did educate me at Bond into the capabilities that the 365N had...........

griffothefog

Silence...................

Savoia

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Epiphany: I think this may have been how Uganda looked when your boarded her from Ascension:


HMHS Uganda Falkland-bound in 1982

Coming up on The Nostalgia Thread ...

Speedbird One meets North Sea hack

Seeking SeaKings

Classic 61

Cameron's 'Big Jock'

The Kenyon Files: What did Dennis sell Colin

Assorted Alouettes

Cigarette Copters

* * *

Sav

Savoia

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G-BAKF made her first appearance on page three when, as part of Speechless Two's regalement of his Rhodesian expedition, KF was revealed as the 'unidentified' 206 among his troupe.

In the inital photo (1978) she wears a yellow and orange livery of similar style to that of G-AZRU which recently appeared on the Mann thread. Here she is seen in one of the Dollar schemes from the 80's.

Accompanying KT is G-BFNC which at the time of the photo (below) was registered a Penelope Pilkington who, one assumes, leased her to Dollar!

KT for her part was registered to Michael Jeremy Belmont during her time with Dollar.


G-BAKF with G-BFNC at Coventry on 16th August 1982 (Photo: Courtesy of Brian Johnstone)

Sav

DennisK

Good evening Savoia,

KENYON to LOTUS. One Enstrom F28A, G-BAWI. Possibly serial number 120. About £20k I think, such were prices in those days. Colin Chapman's CP was the lovable Mike Hammelin (later Hammelin Jet) who mainly flew the company Navajo. Am I right in thinking the all-black Lotus 77 was the current beastie in thos days? I usually landed at Mr Chapman's small mansion .... Ketteringham Hall sounds about right, then we needed to fly beneath the trees either side of the river to land at his newly purchased 'Sunseeker' business. Memories, but as ever ... its the age thingy again. 'Twas years later, I purchased G-AYTF around Christmas time 1983.

PS for 'S' ... I also operated another 'dancer' ... Enstrom G-BHTF.

Dennis Kenyon.

DennisK

Just a 'quickie' to answer Savoia ... the 1986 T/R failure occurred during my WHC display routine and having previously experienced the condition circa 1975 when I suffered a T/R drive shaft failure on a sales demo, I'd taken the trouble to think the situation through and keeping the Enstrom power to less than 18 MAP and the speed above 60 knots, with the nose initially yawing to 10 'o clock in a descending, right cyclic approach , I managed the required, 'run-on' landing by progressively increasing power aiming to land ACROSS the runway tracking starboard 30 degrees out of wind and touching down on the right skid first. At a few feet AGL, a further opening of throttle to cushion the landing and swing the nose to 2 'o clock followed by a gentle power reduction returns the nose to around 1 'o clock when a prompt closing of throttle brings the skids to the 12 'o clock position when the cyclic is squeezed forward to touch down skids hopefully in the dead ahead position. Fortunately the runway edges allowed the skids to slide over the ramp as the Enstrom came to a stop upright. Three T/R failures caused by me, but in 14,000 hours ... no engine failure ... yet!

And even knowing the causal condition, I somehow repeated the event on the FX at Biggin Hill 1999, again getting the ship down in one piece on the 21 threshold end. It can't happen now as the Menominee factory have moved the left T/R cable outlet point closer inboard which the Enstrom engineers dubbed 'the Kenyon hole!' How rude!

Safe flying to all. Dennis Kenyon.

Savoia

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Ciao Dennisimo, buona sera!

To those of us who have known you across the years you are the undisputed 'king' of Enstrom flyers - presenting this craft to countless thousands at regional and international airshows and doubtless raising the profile of this neat little helicopter around the world. Beyond Enstroms your natural skill, love of aviation and approachable manner have made you the well-deserved rotary icon that you are!

This is to say that .. while managing a t/r failure is among the more challenging of rotary-wing emergencies, it surprises me not that on each occasion you have handled this with skill and aplomb.

The fact that Enstrom nick-named part of their aircraft after you is indicative of your 'synonymity' with the product - an association which I am sure has benefitted the Enstrom Corp. over the years.

Present at one of your t/r failures (Cranfield) would seem to have been a member of the PPRuNe fraternity; 902Jon!

Regarding Chapman .. I shall post a response to this anon.

Brgds

Sav

treadigraph

I recall that, was it really 12 years ago? I remember you had drifted down towards the 21 end; there suddenly seemed to be a fair bit of juggling at fairly low level going on, followed by a sudden set down with maybe a hop and a skip or two - and there the Enstrom stayed! Not sure the commentator was aware there was a problem.

Savoia

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The Kenyon Files: What did Dennis sell Colin?

Among the notable gentlemen rotary-wing owners discussed on 'Nostalgia' have been the Duke of Westminster, Cy Rose, Peter Cadbury and Colin Chapman. In true Nostalgia Thread style, Dennis has been involved with all of them!

We are still tracking down the Enstrom sold to DoW and trying to find out which aircraft Dennis demonstrated to Cadbury although the latter might only be uncovered via the pages of the maestro's log book! A photo of Cy Rose's Brantly (G-ATJY) was posted on page 17 but we are still searching for the Enstrom which Dennis sold him.

Regarding Chapman; Dennis mentioned G-BAWI in an earlier post (and we we shall come to BAWI) but .. the craft Dennis sold to Colin was infact G-BAAU.

Now here I was thinking that Dennis, being a man of great flair and possessing panache, would in his efforts with the UK's F1 leader at the time, deliver a sharp looking Shark, perhaps suited in jet black with snazzy accents in gold and silver and upholstered with white leather seats etc.! Imagine my surprise then to discover that what Chapman bought was an orange and fawn F28A!!!


Team Lotus Enstrom F28A G-BAAU at Blackbushe on 10th May 1981 nine days prior to being sold to RHM Investments in Hampshire

I am of course joking Dennis and well aware that Chapman was not into the fineries of executive aircraft. He was however interested in performance so I am still a little 'miffed' as to why you didn't offer him a Shark!


F28A G-BAAU at Bournemouth Hurn on 3rd June 1988 while registered to Merlyn Upton (Photo: John Sullivan)

BAAU was sold to John E. Clark and Co. of Bournemouth in August 1972 and bought back by Spooner, intriguingly registered for a time as 'Spooner (Enstrom Helicopters) Limited', until being sold to Group Lotus in July '76.

From Lotus she went to RHM Investments as mentioned above and from there to Dennis' chum Norman Bailey.

BAAU's final owner appears to have been a Stuart Cox under whose patronage she seems to have perished on 15th December 2004 at Coton Hill in Shrewsbury, Shropshire.

An excerpt from the accident report reads:

"The pilot was on the return leg of a solo flight from Manchester to Nottingham when the engine suddenly cut out. He entered autorotation however the aircraft sustained extensive damage in the ensuing forced landing. On inspection it was found that the aircraft had run out of fuel. Investigation revealed that there was no appropriate data on fuel consumption rates in the aircraft manual, although this information existed in the aircraft’s engine manual. The pilot did not possess a copy of the engine manual and had incorrectly based his fuel planning on the consumption rate witnessed on the aircraft’s fuel flow gauge on previous flights."

Sav

Savoia

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In my quest for interesting rotary nostalgia I have been searching for an image of a Bell 206 in which Concorde also appears. Alas, there have been no returns to-date.

I did however happen upon this shot of BA's G-BOAC being towed at LHR while a company S-61N was taxiing in the opposite direction!

Sadly, the image quality is less than fair but .. an interesting take nonetheless.


G-BOAC passes company S-61N G-BCEA at LHR in September 1984 (Photo: Air Nikon)

Sav