Irish Helicopters Ltd

[500 Fan]

EI-BFK.

All sizes | EI-BFK & G-VRES | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Photo: Ken Meegan.

Two more from Ken Meegan's collection. First is the Greenlandair S-61N OY-HAO with an IHL decal and the IHL tug in the background along with one of IHL's own S-61N's.

All sizes | OY-HAO | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Here is a photo of a KA-32 from Omega in, what is I believe, the hangar at Celtic Helicopters. Does anyone know if these helicopters got much use while in Ireland or was it a planned operation in Ireland of a heavy lift helicopter that didn't quite get off the ground (apologies for the pun)?

All sizes | RA-31584 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

500 Fan.

[Shane101]

Kamovs

Yes, One of them lifted an anchor in place at Malahide Marina Apartment complex.

The one pictured gave a spirited display at the 1993 Helicopter Club of Ireland fly in in Weston.

[500 Fan]

Here is a nice photo of what was, I believe, the very first SAR S-61N in Ireland. The "Roinn Na Mara" (Department of the Marine) titles indicate that EI-BLY is in interim SAR configuration at the beginning of the first civilian SAR contract, awaiting the arrival of EI-BHO in full SAR configuration.

All sizes | EI-BLY | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Photo: Ken Meegan.

Here is EI-BPK of the short-lived Dublin City Helicopters.

All sizes | SIKORSKY S61N EI-BPK DUBLIN CITY HELICOPTERS | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Photo: Malcom Nason.

A large gathering at Shannon.

All sizes | SIKORSKY S61N's IRISH COAST GUARD/CHC | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Photo: Malcom Nason.

EI-BHO awaits painting before taking up duty as the primary SAR ship in the early nineties.

Irish Helicopters S-61N EI-BHO | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Photo: Irish 251.

500 Fan.

[Shanair]

Regarding G-XBLD, this is flown in full Irish Helicopters colours and has recently been based in Ireland doing gas-line inspections using callsign "Osprey 66" see BOLKOW 105DB G-XBLD PLM DOLLAR HELICOPTERS | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

[TipCap]

Brings back memories 500.

I was DCP on the first IHL SAR Flight at Shannon being seconded from HMCG SAR Flight at Lee-on-Solent. I spent a very pleasant year with great people in setting up the service



TC

[bolkow]

yes, BDI was slinging something or other at the time but I understood the error was in fuel tank selection with one running dry which brought her down.

[ericferret]

Not aware that there is any tank selection on a 105 unless a long range tank is fitted which would be unlikely if load lfting

[Rower]

Just came across this thread while lurking. I worked as a loadie during the offshore oil exploration in SNN in the summer of 77 and can remember a lot of the characters mentioned above. We regularly were invited for a spin to the rigs when there was space. I clearly recall the Greenlandair helicopter and I am sure I have several old pics at home somewhere, I will find them and post. Also I recall that when Greenlandair finished their contract they invited us to the Shannon Shamrock for "a drink" That turned out to be some night. Thank for a most enjoyable read

[500 Fan]

Here is a photo found on Flickr;

All sizes | Lie of the Land | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Copyright; Ronan M Lee



Left to right; Ronan Lee, John Williams, Colin Sayers and Fred Balcombe. The title of the photo is "Lie of the Land". This was a short documentary series on RTE (Irish Television) shot during the 1980's which captured the beauty and history of Ireland from the air. Below is, I believe, the camera mount used.



All sizes | Eurovision 1988 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Copyright; Ronan M Lee.

500 Fan.

[Rower]

Finally found some oics from SNN circa 1978 of Greenlandair.

Need instructions on how to attach,

Rower

[suitcase]

EI -BLY, AND EI- BHO

i was there too - an amazing experience!
where are you now?

[500 Fan]

A nice photo of EI-BDI.

All sizes | EI-BDI | Flickr - Photo Sharing!



500 Fan.

[Savoia]

Nice photo 500!

MBB Bo105CB EI-BDI is seen landing at the helipad in Castletown Berehaven (Co. Cork) in 1978.

Last landed at that pad in 1980, around Springtime, in Bell 206 EI-BFK while tracking coastal from Dingle to Baltimore in what was the most foul fog .. so foul indeed that we had to temporarily discontinue our journey .. and Berehaven was our refuge.

The ground crew not only fuelled the craft (we had been groping around the edges of the Waterville Peninsula .. well out to sea a couple of times .. floats armed) but also provided us with mugs of tea and stories of the woes of their work (not enough pay and how they should all become fishermen) while we waited for the weather to improve.

The Colonel had a liking for Walkers shortbread biscuits (from his native Scotland) and we had a packet of these on board which I retrieved to supplement the mugs of tea and to share with the ground crew!

[500 Fan]

Hi Sav. Yes, thanks to whoever it was that posted that photo on Flickr.

The current issue of "Flying in Ireland" magazine has a small photo essay on helicopters that have used the helipad at Cork University Hospital over the years. One interesting little photo features IHL's Bell 212 EI-BFH on the pad on the 1st of August 1980, delivering a casualty from the Buttevant Rail Crash which occurred on that date. What is interesting is that the helicopter still bears the full set of additional markings from it use as the Papal helicopter from the year before. The Aer Lingus decal and Papal Crest are still proudly worn.

500 Fan.

[Savoia]

Great!

If you can scan of the photo .. 'twould be even greater!

I do have a hangar shot of the craft in question (still with the Papal emblem) which I took at Westpoint many moons ago.

Will try and fish it out.

[500 Fan]

Check out the entry on this page, fourth from the bottom, right hand side, for a few photos of BO-105 EI-AWB. I think the green and white paint scheme hasn't been posted here before.

"MBB BO 105 from S-1 to S-30"

500 Fan.

[Savoia]

Originally Posted by 500 Fan

The current issue of "Flying in Ireland" magazine has an interesting photo featuring IHL's Bell 212 EI-BFH on the pad on the 1st of August 1980, delivering a casualty from the Buttevant Rail Crash which occurred on that date. What is interesting is that the helicopter still bears the full set of additional markings from it use as the Papal helicopter from the year before.

Irish Helicopters Bell 212 EI-BFH on the pad at Buttevant Hospital on 1st August 1980 (Photo: Gabriel Desmond)

Reproduced with the kind permission of Flying in Ireland magazine and with special thanks to Alan Dwyer (Flying in Ireland's Editor) and Gabriel Desmond who took the photograph.

500 Fan: I have to say that the Papal insignia is not .. how should one put this now .. especially obvious! A great photo nonetheless!

Gabriel has also sent us this:



Here 'BFH' no longer has the Papal insignia but instead an 'M' .. if anyone knows what that is for?

~ ~ ~

Alan & Gabriel have been sent the link to this thread (as indeed is the case with all who graciously grant permission for their work to be posted on PPRuNe).

Gentlemen; in addition to this thread we also have another one dealing with non-Irish Helicopter topics in Ireland, see here: http://www.pprune.org/rotorheads/510...pters-ltd.html

Then there are various other places around Rotorheads where Ireland crops-up. These include segments of the Ferranti Thread where we have discussed the past craft of Denis de Ferranti, see here and various posts on the Nostalgia Thread where all sorts of different stories have been repeated including an incident involving my late godfather and a cat at the Shannon Shamrock Hotel here, some reflections on Vincent O'Brien and Ballydoyle here and reflections on Cashel Palace here.


.

[griffothefog]

Hi Sav,
The "M" is almost certainly Marathon oil and gas for the Kinsale gas contract I flew from 1996-2000 :-)
But we flew a SA365N2...

[500 Fan]

Thanks for searching out those photos of EI-BFH from "Flying in Ireland". I didn't want to scan the photos and breach copyright. As for the Papal Crest on -BFH from the 1980 photo, yes, I am pretty sure it's there. The Aer Lingus badge on the small forward rear door and the additional "Irish Helicopters" titles over the rear sliding door are all left-overs from the Papal flight operations of the previous September. If you look closely at the engine panel just forward of the rear air intake, a dark marking can be seen. This is Pope John Paul II's Papal crest.

Here are a few more photos of the IHL fleet that I think haven't been posted before.





Two shots of EI-BLD at the Castletownbere pad in Cork in 1990.



I think this is the first photo here of EI-CAF. All three photos come from the collection of Bram Risseeuw (Irishavsites website).



EI-BLD in a the later paint scheme.



EI-BHO in 1985.



A nice shot of EI-BLY from the Ken Meegan collection. The "Roinn na Mara" titles and winch indicate that -BLY is serving as the interim SAR S-61N for the Department of the Marine prior to the arrival of EI-BHO.



EI-BHO at Shannon on the 15th of June 1992. (Markus Herzig Collection)

500 Fan.

[Savoia]

An update from Gabriel Desmond who's photos of Irish Helicopters Bell 212 EI-BFH appear above:

"The second photo of EI-BFH was taken at Cork University Hospital, Wilton on 31st May 1989. The aircraft was being used to service the offshore platforms in the Kinsale gas field for Marathon Petroleum whose "M" logo the aircraft carried.

In this photograph the helicopter is delivering a diver who was suffering from the bends. The aircraft had followed a very low level route from sea into Cork Harbour and then upriver across the city centre to the hospital."