Irish Helicopters Ltd
Patrick McCarthy now there's a name I've not heard in a long time. My name would have been mud with him in the early 80's when I was called as the lead witness in a case over a mis-installed Sperry AH in EI-BHI. The owner refused to pay the repair bill for the AH after it caught fire en-route to his home after being 'serviced'. In their wisdom IH decided to take their client to court. The client just happened to be one of the country's leading attorneys and, needless to say, IH were .. well how can one put it - not successful.
One day at Ballydoyle stables in Tipperary (probably 1980) an Orange 206 came batting in (the driver's flying reminded me of the late Chalky White) but it was a chap named John Barnicle (an American I believe). As it happened I was to ride with him back to Westpoint (Dublin) where I was to meet my godfather who was bringing back EI-BFK (Vincent O'Brien's 206) from maintenance.
Barnicle had this routine worked-out of lighting a cigarette by leaning forward to the cyclic where his right hand held a match or lighter. Personally I always found that wedging the cyclic between one's knees enabled one to do something or other for a few seconds but there we are, we each have our quirks!
One day at Ballydoyle stables in Tipperary (probably 1980) an Orange 206 came batting in (the driver's flying reminded me of the late Chalky White) but it was a chap named John Barnicle (an American I believe). As it happened I was to ride with him back to Westpoint (Dublin) where I was to meet my godfather who was bringing back EI-BFK (Vincent O'Brien's 206) from maintenance.
Barnicle had this routine worked-out of lighting a cigarette by leaning forward to the cyclic where his right hand held a match or lighter. Personally I always found that wedging the cyclic between one's knees enabled one to do something or other for a few seconds but there we are, we each have our quirks!
I presume Mick Conneely is or was entitled to the title of "Captain" given the vast number of hours he has flown during the course of his career. I'd imagine, though, that he is far too modest to ever expect anyone to address him as "captain". He is the only pilot I have ever seen flying with a flat-cap!
I believe -BLD is still active occasionally with Irish Helicopters as the relief ship for their EC135 when it's down for maintenance. I saw it during the (so-called) summer this year, floating around over Ballymun, presumably waiting for permission to cross the active for Knocksedan.
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I believe -BLD is still active occasionally with Irish Helicopters as the relief ship for their EC135 when it's down for maintenance. I saw it during the (so-called) summer this year, floating around over Ballymun, presumably waiting for permission to cross the active for Knocksedan.
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I worked for Irish Helicopters for a year on detachment from June 91 to April 92 from Lee-on-Solent on the Shannon SAR.
Checking my logbook I flew EI-BLY and EI-BHO. It was on the 19th August 1991 that I flew the most hours in a day in my life -11 hours 20 minutes of which 7 hours 5 mins was at night
Great memories of a great place with great people
John Whale
Checking my logbook I flew EI-BLY and EI-BHO. It was on the 19th August 1991 that I flew the most hours in a day in my life -11 hours 20 minutes of which 7 hours 5 mins was at night
Great memories of a great place with great people
John Whale
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Connelly ..... Modest ..... NO !!!
But yes , he started in Vietnam war as a crew chief on the 204 , later was in the US Army with 204 and 205 as a pilot ..... lots of hours and I still wont call him captain !!!
But yes , he started in Vietnam war as a crew chief on the 204 , later was in the US Army with 204 and 205 as a pilot ..... lots of hours and I still wont call him captain !!!
Last edited by Eket; 18th Oct 2011 at 23:53.
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What was the head winchmans name !!! Was it Noel ?
Your chief eng was John Cooper . Remember big Dermot on his scooter !!!
Your chief eng was John Cooper . Remember big Dermot on his scooter !!!
Last edited by Eket; 19th Oct 2011 at 01:54.
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BLY was the standby machine . We modded her up ourselves in Cork , but she didnt have the electrickery that BHO had . Autohover and what not . I think it was called the Huey Newmark mod ?
Was the chief winchman called Noel or Sean ..... age thing now !!! His nickname was "sauce" .
He had about 700 boxs of matchs in his house in Shannon . He used to place a chair on top of the kitchen table and sit on it , so he could see over the wall around his house . The objective of this exercise was he could see the Aeroflot hosties walking to the corner shop . Then he would promptly jump down and scurry across the street and buy matchs , as an excuse to chat them up . He was very successful in that department !!!
Remember a small british eng called Bruce Humphries ..... I lost his addy too .
Did you by any chance know Des Tweedy ?
Was the chief winchman called Noel or Sean ..... age thing now !!! His nickname was "sauce" .
He had about 700 boxs of matchs in his house in Shannon . He used to place a chair on top of the kitchen table and sit on it , so he could see over the wall around his house . The objective of this exercise was he could see the Aeroflot hosties walking to the corner shop . Then he would promptly jump down and scurry across the street and buy matchs , as an excuse to chat them up . He was very successful in that department !!!
Remember a small british eng called Bruce Humphries ..... I lost his addy too .
Did you by any chance know Des Tweedy ?
Last edited by Eket; 19th Oct 2011 at 00:15.
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Yeah , the FOD/ice shield ..... IHL didnt use them at first . It wasnt until we modded up BLY at Cork for the standby SAR machine that we fitted the cone type . I remember looking at the structure , there was a lot of very rough field mods done . She had been loggin (Okanagan) before that and all kinda weird stuff was done to her . Even her cargo door had been paneled up with aluminiun sheet to save weight . All had to come off as it wasnt legal to the SRM . I think it was a requirement for the SAR machine though , the FOD/Ice cone mod .
Same with the HF antenna poles . That was gotten from a wrecked British Airways 61N ..... canabilised is the word . Farnborough I think the wreck was . I remember fitting the effing thing ..... I had to crawl down the inside of the tail boom , right down to the end . I couldnt do that now ..... too round !!!
Same with the HF antenna poles . That was gotten from a wrecked British Airways 61N ..... canabilised is the word . Farnborough I think the wreck was . I remember fitting the effing thing ..... I had to crawl down the inside of the tail boom , right down to the end . I couldnt do that now ..... too round !!!
Last edited by Eket; 19th Oct 2011 at 00:18.
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Bruce Humphries
E
Bruce is (or was 6 months ago) down at Lasham, with Nick Cook's operation, ATC. I don't have an addy for him but Google gives [email protected] as a contact. Bruce is/was taking care of all things rotary, AS350/355 and doubtless others (I haven't been down to see him for ages) - VFR
Bruce is (or was 6 months ago) down at Lasham, with Nick Cook's operation, ATC. I don't have an addy for him but Google gives [email protected] as a contact. Bruce is/was taking care of all things rotary, AS350/355 and doubtless others (I haven't been down to see him for ages) - VFR
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Mick Connealy retired 3 months before the new EC135 came into service, he was going to retire to Arizona but I believe may have remained in castletownbere.
Sean Oakes retired some years back, ex training capt on bo105d
Michael Hennessy was selling and acquireing choppers during the years of the celtic tiger but dont know what he is doing or where currently.
Sean Oakes retired some years back, ex training capt on bo105d
Michael Hennessy was selling and acquireing choppers during the years of the celtic tiger but dont know what he is doing or where currently.
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Eket, I know bolkow EI-BLD had accumulated 15500 hours some 4 years or so ago, so multiply at the rate of around 46 hours per month? I reckon she is nudging the 18000 airframe hour mark currently. Dont know where LIT has gone, was'nt she going to become an air ambulance?
Sean Oakews son Cathal Oakes is a captain on the CHC S61N out at shannon.
Sean Oakews son Cathal Oakes is a captain on the CHC S61N out at shannon.
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Other names that spring to mind , as were talkin about people .
John Todd , Toddy , I hear be was flyin for IHL in 206's .
Pat Joyce ..... he wore a cravat and was building an autogyro in the hangar . Toddy and Joyce used to tow the thing up and down the ramp at Cork Airport ..... wonder did it ever fly !!!
Ive tried lookin up Brendan White on facebook , but there are way too many brendan White's , many without pics . So its pretty impossible .
John Todd , Toddy , I hear be was flyin for IHL in 206's .
Pat Joyce ..... he wore a cravat and was building an autogyro in the hangar . Toddy and Joyce used to tow the thing up and down the ramp at Cork Airport ..... wonder did it ever fly !!!
Ive tried lookin up Brendan White on facebook , but there are way too many brendan White's , many without pics . So its pretty impossible .
He was Irish , got his licence in OZ ranching cows in the outback .
Vincent O'Brien's craft was maintained by IH who would sometimes drop in to the estate (near Cashel in Tipperary) for fuel. I remember on one occasion one of the IH drivers was instructing the chap flying the 206 acquired by Anglo-Irish Meats and they came to Ballydoyle where I assisted fuelling them.
IH reciprocated in that we would sometimes use fuel from some of their stashes. If memory serves then one such occasion was when we were driven out to sea in the most foul weather and had to creep along the coast until we reached a small pad at a place called Castletown Berehaven where I think we uplifted some of IH's stock.
Irish Helicopters Bell 212 EI-BAM at Cork on 12th July 1977 (Photo: Chris Haag)
PPRuNer Speechless Two had an image of Bristow's G-BALZ in a predominantly green livery before she was sent to Eire (I think on contract to IH?).
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John Barnicle is American (Chicago) of Irish descent who served in Vietnam. After IHL he went on to be one of the co-owners of Celtic Helicopters.
Last edited by B222; 19th Oct 2011 at 21:39.
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I have another pic of a 212 G-BIGB that IHL leased from Bristow . It was overall white with a fin up on the roof ..... but I dont know how to upload the thing !!!
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If memory serves me correctly Paddy Joyce died in a jet ranger accident near Gort in Galway years ago, the aircraft was EI-BMP and hit a hill in fog whilst on a regular trip taking american passengers from Ashford Castle to Shannon Airport. I remember Kevin Marron writing an article about him in the Sunday World, having used his services and helicopter earlier that week. Then some months alter Kevin Marron and a number of other journalists died in a plane crash in the UK somewhere?