Savoia

In October '79 Manfred Mann took delivery of one of the first AgustaBell 206B III's in the UK, G-LOCK, which went to client Lovaux in Bracknell.

Two years later the craft was sold to the Toleman Group in Brentwood when I think she sported a blue, white and orange motif and was re-registered as G-TPTR. A year after acquiring TPTR Toleman's traded-up to a 206L (G-HBUS) as mentioned on the previous page whereupon Mann's took her back and returned her to their black and yellow livery.

As has been mentioned previously (especially in the conversations surrounding G-FILM) and in the better days, Mann's had a fair slice of the UK filming business including their participation in the making of 'The Whistleblower' [1986] (some sort of spy film which I have never seen).


Alan Mann's AB206B III G-TPTR landing at what I assume is Cheltenham racecouse c. 1985


The actor Gordon Jackson trots away from TPTR after the landing

Are there any ex-Alan-Mann'ers willing to give-up the identity of the driver?

bolkow

I am aware that G-FILM was ex Irish Helicopters EI-AUI. Dont suppose you remember how many airframe hours it had racked up at the point it became G-FILM? Just curious. Flew in it a few times mysaelf way back when it was in Irish Service.

vfr440

S
The driver of 'TR appears to be a small young chap, so it might be our erstwhile Andy Healey; and if he reads this he needs to get his logbook out and check!

And if it wasn't him it might have been Dick something-or-other, who was also well known for arranging suppers-for-all at local eateries. Amd I cannot for the life of me remember his surname (so tell me bout growing older) but, again, TRC is younger than me (well not a lot) but HE will ~ VFR

TRC

Andy,
TPTR came to grief at one of the motor testing tracks in the UK - can't remember which one. Are you thinking of BIZB that ended its days on Corfu?

VFR,
The pilot looks small in that pic because the stupid actor didn't shut the door and he's having to lean across and try to close it. I don't think it's our own AH, and it's not Dick Ball either,he had a dark beard - it might be Larry Marlow perhaps....

Andy Healey

You're right TRC, my mistake. I picked up BIZB in Italy with Gary Savage in Nov'82, my first foray to the continent as a civvie. I've just opened my logbook for the first time in 20 years and several subsequent pages find me taking its owner, Martin Butler, from his Herts home into Trig Lane. Now that was a chin-window approach.

As for the pic, not me. I had that Bobby Davro in the back of my helicopter, once. I've always wanted to say that.

Vizsla

Anyone remember Brian Danger who flew for the old man Ferranti from his gaff in Ireland ?

Savoia

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Am starting to receive some rather good AMH images now.

These received today courtesy of celebrated Airliners photographer 'Wingnut'.


Barratt Developments Agusta A109A at Fairoaks in June 1980


Anglian Windows Agusta A109A at Fairoaks in April 1981


Agusta SpA A109A MkII I-DACD visiting the 'Fair Oaks' in September 1982 en-route to Italia after the Farnborough show

CharlieOneSix

Re post #106 - Brian Danger. That really is gnawing at the grey cells. I met Brian on a couple of occasions in, I think, Inverness in the early/mid 1970's when he was crop spraying. Wasn't he the guy who had an engine failure in a RAF Whirlwind out in the Far East, was picked out of a jungle clearing by another Whirlwind which then crashed as well, caught fire, and Brian was badly burned? Or have I totally lost the plot and that was someone else.....?

Epiphany

After that I think I would have changed my name.

Savoia

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Agusta 109 MkII (or C) VR-CCK at Castle Donington in 1992 (Photo: Geoff Davidson)

Due to its Cayman registration securing details of Tarmac's corporate mount is a little cumbersome. She was evidently imported from the US so I'm not even sure whether Mann's were involved .. though I suspect they probably were.

Does anyone happen to know in which year AMH lost the Agusta distributorship?

Andy Healey

Derek Mann (no relation) flew it and AMH looked after it. Don't recall when they lost Agusta but they won Bell at the same time.

vfr440

1994? (though I am certain someone will correct me if I am wrong) - VFR

Savoia

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G-HBUS (Photo courtesy of the Helipixman Collection)

Any offers as to where and when this image may have been taken?

Savoia

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The UK's first five Agusta 109's. L-R: G-UPVC, G-OAMH, G-WEST, G-HWBK, G-HELY (Photo courtesy of Wingnut)


Old man Mann with John Whitmore at the 2005 Rally Revival meeting

Savoia

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helihub

Savoia - your HBUS photo sort of reminds me of the Derby at Epsom given the proximity of the double-decker bus. The loud-shouter on the scaffold could be right for that too??

Tarmac 109 - they flew this for some time as N109JD before it went to VR-CCK then VP-CCK when Cayman changed prefix. Think I'm right saying the boss at Essington Hall (Tarmac HQ) changed and 109 soon thereafter disposed of to Spain

Here's memory of some other 109s

- a pearlised white brought in new for a pharma(?) company based in Isleworth and I think the reg was N109##. This was a cancelled order from Australia or NZ (or even purchaser died before delivery?) and did not last long in UK

- another NZ link, no relation to above as far as I know, a really early one serial 7122 brought in from NZ as ZK-HBC (white and dark blue?) then painted all black as VR-CCO, flew little then stored in the back of the main fixed wing residents hangar with two blades removed to put it right against the back wall. had a couple of dark red stripes and a logo - like an Red Indian chief's head I think...

- N109AB - the John Laing one which later became G-JLCY "Juicy Lucy"

Savoia

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Helihub thanks! Epsom Downs it is then as photographer 'Wingnut' (who has been supplying many of the recent 'Mann images') said: "I think this was probably taken at the Epsom Derby 1981-2."

Thanks also for the Laing 109 - had been searching for this. I remember seeing their 355 at the same hangar when collecting G-OIML for a charter sometime in the early 80's.


One of Mann's ad's (from Flight '79). The ad makes reference to a 'Philip Greig' which is a new name to me


Bell 206B G-BKEW at Fairoaks. (Photo courtesy of Wingnut)

I know very little about BKEW other than that she seems to have been looked after by Mann's. She was registered to a Norman Foster in '82 and sometime thereafter seems to have been shipped-off to Germany.

One sees that G-ESAL is tucked-away in the hangar - seem to remeber Mark Langford coming up to Tilson Hall (the home of Alton Towers founder John Broome) c. 1982 with this aircraft but, by then John had already acquired an LII.

wiganairways

Sav.

G-BKEW is still on the register , registered 08/07/1982 , ex D-HDAD, still with Norman Foster, think she is now in a light grey colour scheme.

WA

Savoia

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Welcome back Wigan!

You are quite right, BKEW was imported from Germany as opposed to being exported there!

This throws-up an interesting observation in that there are now two or three craft involved with Mann's which seem to have come by way of Deutschland:

Peter Cadbury's D-HMAC which became G-CHOC in 1977
Charles Hughesdon'd D-HJFF which became G-BTWA in 1978
Norman Foster's D-HDAD which became G-BKEW in 1982

I have to admit that I'm not entirely sure as to whether Mann's were involved with HJFF/BTWA (the craft oft chartered by Estepo) for even though Hughesdon kept his craft with Mann's in the 70's it would seem as though he had moved to Hanson's by the early 80's.

Aside perhaps from someone at Mann's having an association with a German dealer one imagines that the number of German imports was simply down to their 206 population which, I am guessing, was one of the largest outside of the UK?

During the 70's Mann's must have sold more single-turbine civilian helicopters in the UK than anyone else and it would be no surprise to discover that they may have needed to supplement their Agusta-stock with craft from elsewhere.

The Alton Towers LongRanger was also an ex-German craft (D-HBBZ) but I think this came in via CSE - Paco would know.

Fareastdriver

Brian had left the RAF a and was flying an piston engined S55 for Worldwide Helicopters in Brunei when he had his accident. He was rescued by another S55 which only just missed the wreckage of his helicopter when it crashed trying to take off. Both were, of course, loaded with Avgas so the fire was quite intense. I last saw him at Labuan when he was being casevaced in the back of an S62.