The Rotary Nostalgia Thread
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Memory fades
Ah well ... the man of great flair, panache and 'uncle Tom Cobley' has a failing memory and now I have the correct registration ... Yes, I remember it well ... as the great Maurice Chevalier would have sung! I think I may have fooled myself by recalling that I actually demonstated G-BAWI to Lotus at his Sunseeker base but actually supplied G-BAAU. The Westland Whirlwind owner, Roger Windley DID buy G-BAWI tho.' My log book for the period remains elusive. Savoia, it wasn't possible to sell Mr Chapman the latest Enstrom's snazzy 280C turbo Shark since they hadn't made the model at the time!
The Enstrom supplied to one of the two founder members of the Helicopter Club of Great Britain, Cy Rose, (the other being Tony Everard) was the first Enstrom 28C-2 turbo model to be imported. Dash 2 'cos it had the one piece cabin glass a la Bell 47 and all the new aircraft in those days were Dash something or other! If I rack my brains enough the reg may pop up. But it was mostly blue with a unique gold and bold colour scheme. I delivered it to Tony's home one Saturday morning just off the M40 near Gerards Cross. (Hedgerley I think)
Hope someone is liking all this! Dennis Kenyon.
The Enstrom supplied to one of the two founder members of the Helicopter Club of Great Britain, Cy Rose, (the other being Tony Everard) was the first Enstrom 28C-2 turbo model to be imported. Dash 2 'cos it had the one piece cabin glass a la Bell 47 and all the new aircraft in those days were Dash something or other! If I rack my brains enough the reg may pop up. But it was mostly blue with a unique gold and bold colour scheme. I delivered it to Tony's home one Saturday morning just off the M40 near Gerards Cross. (Hedgerley I think)
Hope someone is liking all this! Dennis Kenyon.
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Pics
PS. For Savoia ... I have a piccy of the Cy Rose Enstrom somewhere I know, and will put some effort into finding it. Also have a picture of an Enstrom 280C Shark, G-BENO at the Queen's Jubilee event at White Waltham 1977. The pic has a BA VC10 flying past at about thirty feet AGL! DRK
S61 and Concorde
We operated an Okanagan Australia S61 from Cork back in 1981, supporting Irish Helicopters. These photos were from a trip to Shannon: Concorde looks to be missing a bit of the fin 
Thread Starter
Classic 61
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Dennisimo, that's great and thanks for the continuing narrative of your many and interesting Enstrom exploits!
John: Brilliant stuff! I am at a loss however to account for the Concorde. There are no obviously recorded incidents in 1981 which place the bird at Shannon and '81 is well before the type's 'rudder shedding years'. Consequently I have no answer as to the irregular tailpiece. I do however know that both BA and AF used to conduct training sorties ex-SNN.
Out of interest were you performing crew-changes from Cork and in your top photo to whom did the other 61 belong?
* * *
BA's S61N Mk II G-ATFM at Aberdeen's Dyce on 1st March 1986 (Photo: Gary Watt)
Bristow 61 (no details)
BCalH S61N 'Loch Fyne' at LHR in 1985
Sav
Dennisimo, that's great and thanks for the continuing narrative of your many and interesting Enstrom exploits!
John: Brilliant stuff! I am at a loss however to account for the Concorde. There are no obviously recorded incidents in 1981 which place the bird at Shannon and '81 is well before the type's 'rudder shedding years'. Consequently I have no answer as to the irregular tailpiece. I do however know that both BA and AF used to conduct training sorties ex-SNN.
Out of interest were you performing crew-changes from Cork and in your top photo to whom did the other 61 belong?
* * *
BA's S61N Mk II G-ATFM at Aberdeen's Dyce on 1st March 1986 (Photo: Gary Watt)
Bristow 61 (no details)
BCalH S61N 'Loch Fyne' at LHR in 1985
Sav
Thread Starter
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The Kenyon Files: BAWI & THCoGB
Following on from Dennis' mentionings of The Helicopter Club of Great Britain, herewith is an excerpt from the 'sport' section of a 1967 Flight International article:
Some interesting names appear in the report which alludes to the participation of three women. Clearly one of these was Gay Absalom. A Rosemary Rose is also mentioned, presumably Cy's wife? Another name seems to be Jeanne Lodge whom I am similarly unfamiliar.
Anyone with recollections of any of the others?
Dennis mentioned G-BAWI:
Enstrom F28A G-BAWI at Biggin Hill on 16th May 1981 (Photo: Geoff Allan)
BAWI's first registered owner (April 1973) seems to have been a Gregory Simon Rose of Red Lodge, Slough. From Rose she went to Roger Windley (Sept '79) in Lincoln and then a string of owners including Glasgow-based Galaxy Aviation, Red Baron Properties of Staplefield and M&P Foods of Sutton Coldfield.
The sign in the above photo seems to indicate an asking price of GBP 24,000. Inflation, inflation!
Also appearing at Biggin on the same weekend, the tail of which is just visible in the above photo, was G-BISD:
Enstrom 280C Shark G-BISD at Biggin Hill on 16th May 1981 (Photo: Geoff Allan)
However, BISD's UK heritage is somewhat brief having been sold to a welding company 'Pioneer' in October of '81 and then exported to South Africa in June of 1984.
Sav
The Kenyon Files: BAWI & THCoGB
Following on from Dennis' mentionings of The Helicopter Club of Great Britain, herewith is an excerpt from the 'sport' section of a 1967 Flight International article:
Some interesting names appear in the report which alludes to the participation of three women. Clearly one of these was Gay Absalom. A Rosemary Rose is also mentioned, presumably Cy's wife? Another name seems to be Jeanne Lodge whom I am similarly unfamiliar.
Anyone with recollections of any of the others?
Dennis mentioned G-BAWI:
Enstrom F28A G-BAWI at Biggin Hill on 16th May 1981 (Photo: Geoff Allan)
BAWI's first registered owner (April 1973) seems to have been a Gregory Simon Rose of Red Lodge, Slough. From Rose she went to Roger Windley (Sept '79) in Lincoln and then a string of owners including Glasgow-based Galaxy Aviation, Red Baron Properties of Staplefield and M&P Foods of Sutton Coldfield.
The sign in the above photo seems to indicate an asking price of GBP 24,000. Inflation, inflation!
Also appearing at Biggin on the same weekend, the tail of which is just visible in the above photo, was G-BISD:
Enstrom 280C Shark G-BISD at Biggin Hill on 16th May 1981 (Photo: Geoff Allan)
However, BISD's UK heritage is somewhat brief having been sold to a welding company 'Pioneer' in October of '81 and then exported to South Africa in June of 1984.
Sav
I think the other S-61N might be this machine;
Photos: Sikorsky S-61N Aircraft Pictures | Airliners.net
If not this exact airframe, it appears to be a Greenlandair S-61N.
500 Fan.
Photos: Sikorsky S-61N Aircraft Pictures | Airliners.net
If not this exact airframe, it appears to be a Greenlandair S-61N.
500 Fan.
Last edited by 500 Fan; 30th Apr 2011 at 12:34.
A long story, but I left Australia in March to work in Bombay for a month, and got back home in September after shuttling between England, Eire & India. And proposed to the then girlfriend along the way
Thread Starter
Of 61s, Shannon and Pussy Cats!
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John thanks. Bombay; charming place ..
but great food! Please excuse the trivial nature of my questions but roughly how far offshore were the rigs you were servicing. Its just that I have very little knowledge of the Irish offshore 'landscape' as it were.
Bravo 500! A great piece of investigatory nostalgia.
You are indeed quite right as the scheme in John's photo is certainly that of Greenlandair. If, as John suggests, it was an IH 61 then perhaps they had bought this from Greenland?
Either way its a great find and well worth posting (below):
Greenlandair's S61N at Shannon on 19th June 1982 (Photo: Fergal Goodman)
Another 61 at Shannon, in more recent times, was BLY:
Irish Helicopters S61N EI-BLY at Shannon on 12th July 1991
Any clues as to the significance of the wording atop BLY's cabin?
Now I do have a story about Shannon and the Colonel.
In the post-Ferranti days Col. Bob flew for a season with the race horse trainer Vincent O'Brien (EI-BFK), this would have been 1980-81. He also assisted another one of his clients, a lawyer by the name of Brendan O'Mahony, who bought an ex-Ferranti-managed craft (EI-BHI). BHI used to be serviced at Shannon (SRS I think) and on one such occasion Bob was staying at the Shannon Shamrock Hotel while he awaited whatever maintenance was being performed on the craft. Brendan, by the way, was another great employer of the term 'craft' when referring to helicopters - delivered of course with his broad 'Hoir-rish haccent'.
Well, there was the Colonel minding his business (yeah right) and pottering about the hotel (mainly between bars) when he heard a pussycat's meow! Concerned, he raised this with the duty manager who quickly assured him that there was nothing to worry about and that it was probably the bagpipes from Bunratty Castle (genuine answer according to the Colonel).
The following day the meows persisted and so did the Colonel this time raising the matter with the general manager and insisting that he was well able to distinguish between the sound of the pipes and a potentially stricken cat (although he admitted to me later that he knew some players of the pipes whose skills may have challenged this claim).
To cut a fairly long but interesting story down to PPRuNe length, the Colonel was unrelenting in his concern for this invisible cat and which culminated in the hotel bringing in builders to dig up part of the main reception floor. Once through the floor the builders discovered a pipe along which the previously muted meows were now being transmitted with considerable clarity. Trouble was, as they started digging (and Bob indicates that they used a small pneumatic drill) the cat retreated further along the conduit! The end result was a scar several metres long across the main floor of the Shamrock's reception.
Needless to say the Colonel was not especially in favour with the hotel management who considered this a waste of time and money as well as a massive inconvenience to the smooth operation of the hotel. Several of the guests were also aware of the fact that the Colonel was at the centre of the disruption to the hotel lobby and he evidently received a number of condemning glares!
On or about the third day of this pussy-hunt with the jack hammering halted and receptacles of milk and fish placed at the last point in the pipe to be breached, the pussy emerged with the help of the Colonel's diligent (and no doubt malt-whiskey-fuelled) coaxing. At the time of the cat's emergence a troupe of American tourists (who had been staying in the hotel and who were vaguely aware of the scenario but, like several others, thought the Colonel was slightly off his rocker) returned from searching for leprechauns (or whatever it is that American tourists do in Shannon) and were stirred by the Colonel's persistence and by the end result ie. the salvation of the pussy!
Cutting out more details; the Americans 'adopted' godfather Bob throughout the remainder of their stay at the Shamrock, inviting him to dinner at Bunratty Castle and hosting him at the Shamrock's bar in the evenings (I think he declined to engage in their day-time pursuits). Before leaving they had a pewter tankard engraved with the wording 'For Pussy Smith' and presented this to him over another dinner.
The local Shannon rag got a hold of the story and attributed the efforts to the hotel's general manager and which helped considerably in pacifying the hotel's owner who, until then had been a keen member of the anti-Smith brigade. A new batch of tourists (having read the local papers) started asking the manager for details of the rescue effort and he became something of a hero among the Stateside tour companies who began recommending the Shamrock and its benevolent 'cat loving' manager. Bob was pleased because this spin helped console the previously fuming manager.
Bob had many stories, in fact wherever he went it seemed something extraordinary invariably happened but, even as a fairly trusting youngster, I sometimes had my doubts about his many escapades wondering how much embellishing was involved!
Some months after this episode (during a school break from the UK) I arrived with the Colonel in Shannon as he had promised me an evening at Bunratty. Moments after we arrived at the Shamrock the general manager cried out from a distance 'Pussy Smith!' and gave him the embrace of a long-lost brother. I got to hear the full story from the manager's mouth and was deeply satisfied to discover that the Colonel's ramblings were all in order! An enjoyable evening at Bunratty (a tad touristy but fun nonetheless) and my first encounter with the 'mead' which, to the teenage palate, was an ideal alcoholic beverage.
The Shannon Shamrock Hotel
Sav
John thanks. Bombay; charming place ..
but great food! Please excuse the trivial nature of my questions but roughly how far offshore were the rigs you were servicing. Its just that I have very little knowledge of the Irish offshore 'landscape' as it were. Bravo 500! A great piece of investigatory nostalgia.
You are indeed quite right as the scheme in John's photo is certainly that of Greenlandair. If, as John suggests, it was an IH 61 then perhaps they had bought this from Greenland?
Either way its a great find and well worth posting (below):
Greenlandair's S61N at Shannon on 19th June 1982 (Photo: Fergal Goodman)
Another 61 at Shannon, in more recent times, was BLY:
Irish Helicopters S61N EI-BLY at Shannon on 12th July 1991
Any clues as to the significance of the wording atop BLY's cabin?
Now I do have a story about Shannon and the Colonel.
In the post-Ferranti days Col. Bob flew for a season with the race horse trainer Vincent O'Brien (EI-BFK), this would have been 1980-81. He also assisted another one of his clients, a lawyer by the name of Brendan O'Mahony, who bought an ex-Ferranti-managed craft (EI-BHI). BHI used to be serviced at Shannon (SRS I think) and on one such occasion Bob was staying at the Shannon Shamrock Hotel while he awaited whatever maintenance was being performed on the craft. Brendan, by the way, was another great employer of the term 'craft' when referring to helicopters - delivered of course with his broad 'Hoir-rish haccent'.
Well, there was the Colonel minding his business (yeah right) and pottering about the hotel (mainly between bars) when he heard a pussycat's meow! Concerned, he raised this with the duty manager who quickly assured him that there was nothing to worry about and that it was probably the bagpipes from Bunratty Castle (genuine answer according to the Colonel).
The following day the meows persisted and so did the Colonel this time raising the matter with the general manager and insisting that he was well able to distinguish between the sound of the pipes and a potentially stricken cat (although he admitted to me later that he knew some players of the pipes whose skills may have challenged this claim).
To cut a fairly long but interesting story down to PPRuNe length, the Colonel was unrelenting in his concern for this invisible cat and which culminated in the hotel bringing in builders to dig up part of the main reception floor. Once through the floor the builders discovered a pipe along which the previously muted meows were now being transmitted with considerable clarity. Trouble was, as they started digging (and Bob indicates that they used a small pneumatic drill) the cat retreated further along the conduit! The end result was a scar several metres long across the main floor of the Shamrock's reception.
Needless to say the Colonel was not especially in favour with the hotel management who considered this a waste of time and money as well as a massive inconvenience to the smooth operation of the hotel. Several of the guests were also aware of the fact that the Colonel was at the centre of the disruption to the hotel lobby and he evidently received a number of condemning glares!
On or about the third day of this pussy-hunt with the jack hammering halted and receptacles of milk and fish placed at the last point in the pipe to be breached, the pussy emerged with the help of the Colonel's diligent (and no doubt malt-whiskey-fuelled) coaxing. At the time of the cat's emergence a troupe of American tourists (who had been staying in the hotel and who were vaguely aware of the scenario but, like several others, thought the Colonel was slightly off his rocker) returned from searching for leprechauns (or whatever it is that American tourists do in Shannon) and were stirred by the Colonel's persistence and by the end result ie. the salvation of the pussy!
Cutting out more details; the Americans 'adopted' godfather Bob throughout the remainder of their stay at the Shamrock, inviting him to dinner at Bunratty Castle and hosting him at the Shamrock's bar in the evenings (I think he declined to engage in their day-time pursuits). Before leaving they had a pewter tankard engraved with the wording 'For Pussy Smith' and presented this to him over another dinner.
The local Shannon rag got a hold of the story and attributed the efforts to the hotel's general manager and which helped considerably in pacifying the hotel's owner who, until then had been a keen member of the anti-Smith brigade. A new batch of tourists (having read the local papers) started asking the manager for details of the rescue effort and he became something of a hero among the Stateside tour companies who began recommending the Shamrock and its benevolent 'cat loving' manager. Bob was pleased because this spin helped console the previously fuming manager.
Bob had many stories, in fact wherever he went it seemed something extraordinary invariably happened but, even as a fairly trusting youngster, I sometimes had my doubts about his many escapades wondering how much embellishing was involved!
Some months after this episode (during a school break from the UK) I arrived with the Colonel in Shannon as he had promised me an evening at Bunratty. Moments after we arrived at the Shamrock the general manager cried out from a distance 'Pussy Smith!' and gave him the embrace of a long-lost brother. I got to hear the full story from the manager's mouth and was deeply satisfied to discover that the Colonel's ramblings were all in order! An enjoyable evening at Bunratty (a tad touristy but fun nonetheless) and my first encounter with the 'mead' which, to the teenage palate, was an ideal alcoholic beverage.
The Shannon Shamrock Hotel
Sav
Irish S-61Ns.
I am only guessing, but I would say the Greenlandair machine was only leased by Irish Helicopters and retained it's original markings and registration. IHL have in the past leased S-61Ns from KLM (briefly for the Papal Visit in 1979) and Schreiner and both helicopters carried IHL titles but I have never seen a photo of a Greenlandair-schemed S-61N with Irish Helicopter titles. That's not to say it didn't carry them, though.
As for the titles along the upper rear fuselage on EI-BLY, the lettering reads "Roinn Na Mara". Roinn Na Mara is Irish for "The Department of the Marine". I believe the titles refer to the period when EI-BLY served as the interim SAR bird while EI-BHO was being converted into a full-spec SAR helicopter for the then new commercial SAR contract in Ireland. As far as I know, BLY was just fitted with a winch and sea tray for this role while BHO was being converted. BLY had "MARINE RESCUE" titles under the nose, but no "RESCUE" markings on the fuselage sides! Even when EI-BHO arrived after conversion, it lacked "RESCUE" markings on the fuselage sides, although this situation was soon rectified.
I believe a pilot for BLY at that time is a PPRuNer and might be able to add more. EI-BLY must sport one of the the most attractive paint schemes ever to adorn this great helicopter.
500 Fan.
As for the titles along the upper rear fuselage on EI-BLY, the lettering reads "Roinn Na Mara". Roinn Na Mara is Irish for "The Department of the Marine". I believe the titles refer to the period when EI-BLY served as the interim SAR bird while EI-BHO was being converted into a full-spec SAR helicopter for the then new commercial SAR contract in Ireland. As far as I know, BLY was just fitted with a winch and sea tray for this role while BHO was being converted. BLY had "MARINE RESCUE" titles under the nose, but no "RESCUE" markings on the fuselage sides! Even when EI-BHO arrived after conversion, it lacked "RESCUE" markings on the fuselage sides, although this situation was soon rectified.
I believe a pilot for BLY at that time is a PPRuNer and might be able to add more. EI-BLY must sport one of the the most attractive paint schemes ever to adorn this great helicopter.
500 Fan.
Thread Starter
Seeking SeaKings!
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Anyone with any recollections of either of these two craft?
A Gulf Air S62A sits on the BA/Ferranti pad at Gatwick's Beehive on 15th March 1974 (Photo: Stuart Jessup)
This VIP SeaKing was evidently a gift from Qatar to Sierra Leone. No details sadly although I suspect this may have been taken at Freetown Port.
Sav
Anyone with any recollections of either of these two craft?
A Gulf Air S62A sits on the BA/Ferranti pad at Gatwick's Beehive on 15th March 1974 (Photo: Stuart Jessup)
This VIP SeaKing was evidently a gift from Qatar to Sierra Leone. No details sadly although I suspect this may have been taken at Freetown Port.
Sav
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That S62A was flown out to Doha shortly after that photo was taken, probably by Johnie Johnson if my memory is right. Gulf had 5 of them & they were great machines to fly, very forgiving, very lady like & stacks of power but slow! Due to politics Johnie had to fly at 10,000 feet over one of the mid east countries which gave him about a 5 knot stall margin & of course no AFCS system. 10 people sat in the back & we had a door for the pilot's privacy!
Thread Starter
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Nigel that's great, thanks!
Any clues as to what the craft may have been doing at the Beehive, were BA involved?
Also, what was the tasking of the 62's in Doha?
Finally, was taught that three-bladed aircraft fitted with wheels (ie: Alouette III/S62) were most susceptible to ground resonance. Was this ever an issue?
Rgds
Sav
Nigel that's great, thanks!
Any clues as to what the craft may have been doing at the Beehive, were BA involved?
Also, what was the tasking of the 62's in Doha?
Finally, was taught that three-bladed aircraft fitted with wheels (ie: Alouette III/S62) were most susceptible to ground resonance. Was this ever an issue?
Rgds
Sav
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British Airways had a percentage of Gulf helicopters & thus Jock Cameron did the audits. Some of the big maintenance especially of new machines was done at Gatwick & then ferried back to Doha. All 5 S62 were chartered to Shell Oil & operated to the rigs off Doha & Halul Island plus on Sundays we would crew change a rig way up north to Bahrein.
Ground resonance was a problem if the tyres were flat or the oleos at the wrong pressure. Once a new engineer fixed the oleo pressure, I never got ground resonance again. Being ex Navy, I found firm positive landings helped! They were a most reliable machine but mainly thanks to the Vietnam war, for which they were not suitable, they only built about about 100 plus a few S62B which had a S58 transmission.
Ground resonance was a problem if the tyres were flat or the oleos at the wrong pressure. Once a new engineer fixed the oleo pressure, I never got ground resonance again. Being ex Navy, I found firm positive landings helped! They were a most reliable machine but mainly thanks to the Vietnam war, for which they were not suitable, they only built about about 100 plus a few S62B which had a S58 transmission.
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I remember working on G-BAWI for Mr Rose when he used to bring it to Twyford Moors in Southampton for maintenance in 73-74, always seem to remember him wearing silvery trousers and redish pink shoes!, also used to bring ayoung chap along with him, son maybe.
Thread Starter
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Stace: Well, it takes all types! I'm hoping Dennisimo may dig up some more nostalgic trivia on this matter. In the BAWI post there were a number of names mentioned in the Flight article. Tommy Sopwith was one that I recall my godfather mentioning but I simply can't remember what he did. John Pooley is also there - I knew a Bob Pooley because Col. Bob would frequently attend his rotary bashes.
Nigel: I couldn't put a finger on the total numbers produced for the 62 but, as you say, it was something of a rarity. In the 80's I was visiting Durban and got to speak to a 62 driver (I think he was with Courtline) and recall him saying how docile she was in the hover and that it was as reliable as clockwork!
The 62 was of course mainly deployed as a SARbird serving with the US Coast Guard under the designation of HH-52 and the name 'Seaguard'. She also served with the coast guards of Japan and Iceland. A number of military customers acquired the 62 sometimes in the smallest of numbers and occasionally just a single unit. This includes the air forces of the Philippines and India. The Royal Thai Police also seem to have employed the type.
Among civil operators she was used in a shuttle capacity by both SFO Helicopter Airlines in the US and Fuji Airlines in Japan. A most interesting helicopter.
Flight deck of the HH52A 'Seaguard' as seen on an example kept at the Aviation Hall of Fame at Teterboro (TEB) airport in New Jersey. (Photo: Tom Turner)
The Sikorsky S-62A was most widely deployed as a SARbird serving the US Coast Guard under the designation of HH-52A Sikorsky Seaguard examples of which are seen here at the USGC Cape May base in an image from 8th September 1978. (Photo: Thomas McManus)
It would appear that a flying example of this craft is kept in Nigel's backyard as it were - S62A wearing the original USGC colours on VH-ORP as seen at Caloundra in March 2005. (Photo: Rhys Dudley)
Sav
Stace: Well, it takes all types! I'm hoping Dennisimo may dig up some more nostalgic trivia on this matter. In the BAWI post there were a number of names mentioned in the Flight article. Tommy Sopwith was one that I recall my godfather mentioning but I simply can't remember what he did. John Pooley is also there - I knew a Bob Pooley because Col. Bob would frequently attend his rotary bashes.
Nigel: I couldn't put a finger on the total numbers produced for the 62 but, as you say, it was something of a rarity. In the 80's I was visiting Durban and got to speak to a 62 driver (I think he was with Courtline) and recall him saying how docile she was in the hover and that it was as reliable as clockwork!
The 62 was of course mainly deployed as a SARbird serving with the US Coast Guard under the designation of HH-52 and the name 'Seaguard'. She also served with the coast guards of Japan and Iceland. A number of military customers acquired the 62 sometimes in the smallest of numbers and occasionally just a single unit. This includes the air forces of the Philippines and India. The Royal Thai Police also seem to have employed the type.
Among civil operators she was used in a shuttle capacity by both SFO Helicopter Airlines in the US and Fuji Airlines in Japan. A most interesting helicopter.
Flight deck of the HH52A 'Seaguard' as seen on an example kept at the Aviation Hall of Fame at Teterboro (TEB) airport in New Jersey. (Photo: Tom Turner)
The Sikorsky S-62A was most widely deployed as a SARbird serving the US Coast Guard under the designation of HH-52A Sikorsky Seaguard examples of which are seen here at the USGC Cape May base in an image from 8th September 1978. (Photo: Thomas McManus)
It would appear that a flying example of this craft is kept in Nigel's backyard as it were - S62A wearing the original USGC colours on VH-ORP as seen at Caloundra in March 2005. (Photo: Rhys Dudley)
Sav
Bristow supplied a 212 from Abu Dhabi flown by Steve ? to Doha with Pete Harris and myself on board 1973/4 as the 62's had IIRC a week's backlog. We expected to stay about 3 days, however, Steve ? (whom I met again later at Eket, Stacey may remember his name) did the job in one day. The 62's were replaced soon after by 212's.
Sav
Can't add much about Tommy Sopwith but I do remember he had a Bell 206 registration G-BASE which used to frequent Bristow Redhill in the early 70s.
I think Bristow used to lease it sometimes. I certainly flew in it a few times. It was painted blue and white if I remember.
Can't add much about Tommy Sopwith but I do remember he had a Bell 206 registration G-BASE which used to frequent Bristow Redhill in the early 70s.
I think Bristow used to lease it sometimes. I certainly flew in it a few times. It was painted blue and white if I remember.
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I had to go in that 212 as the Gulf content. This happened soon after a 212 had destroyed itself killing all on board off Abu Dabs or was it Dubai.
The 62 were being repainted & there wasn't a backlog as it took only 2 62 to do the job as we carried 10 pax plus there was far more room for freight than the 212 had, also only about 10 kts different in speed & 400 lbs per hour fuel burn off.
I think Oz had two 62. 1 ditched in the Bass Strait & was destryed by the crane driver lifting it out. 1 was set on fire in Bougainville. I don't recall the one in Caloundra, so I'll have to check.
The 62 were being repainted & there wasn't a backlog as it took only 2 62 to do the job as we carried 10 pax plus there was far more room for freight than the 212 had, also only about 10 kts different in speed & 400 lbs per hour fuel burn off.
I think Oz had two 62. 1 ditched in the Bass Strait & was destryed by the crane driver lifting it out. 1 was set on fire in Bougainville. I don't recall the one in Caloundra, so I'll have to check.
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isn't that big red chopper being driven by that 'orrible bit of gear RS?
It did some maintenace at Caloundra then headed further South for some real big deal??? I remember admiring the paintwork.
If Nigel Osborne comes back on he may also be able to relay about the demise of another 62 (forgotten the rego) from the Airfast stable, not him but two others, doing the old, "you got it, no you got it. trick" in an auto. Early 70's?? That might have been the bass straight turnout??
It did some maintenace at Caloundra then headed further South for some real big deal??? I remember admiring the paintwork.
If Nigel Osborne comes back on he may also be able to relay about the demise of another 62 (forgotten the rego) from the Airfast stable, not him but two others, doing the old, "you got it, no you got it. trick" in an auto. Early 70's?? That might have been the bass straight turnout??
Thread Starter
Isn't that big red chopper being driven by that 'orrible bit of gear RS?
I.I. I am sure you are right. I have a feeling that Ferranti used to charter his aircraft (pre-G-BASE) in the early 70's (or use him freelance) in the same way as John Dicken. Either way my godfather certainly had contact with him during that time. By the 80's though I think they were no longer in touch so I never did find out what happened to him.
Sav
