S-76A G-BYDF
Mrs T
Mann's flew Mrs T from Chequers to Glyndbourne and afterwards back to Battersea in July 1980 in the Agusta 109A without any of that hoo-ha about aircraft security as far as I know, although one of her special branch did ask me if we had flown a "test run" before hand!
It was a bit of a squeeze for them all in the back and I am sure she had a much better flight to Harrogate in Lord Hanson's exec 76B fifteen years later.
It was a bit of a squeeze for them all in the back and I am sure she had a much better flight to Harrogate in Lord Hanson's exec 76B fifteen years later.
Poor Maggie having to travel in a 109! Im sure she was fine, she was a very hardy lady, don't know what Dennis might have said though!
Last edited by nomorehelosforme; 30th Oct 2013 at 18:52.
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Arrivederci Barclaycraft!
S76A++ G-BYDF as seen at Guernsey Airport on 8th April 2007 (Photo: TZ Aviation)
I'm sad to say that this will be the last photo of the Barclaycraft (from me) for now.
I have others .. but this is the last 'decent' one.
Dave B: Brilliant story.
76Fan: I suppose that must have been with G-OAMH? If anyone from Mann's is reading (you know what I'm going to ask) I wonder if anyone perchance took a photo of the event?
S76A++ G-BYDF as seen at Guernsey Airport on 8th April 2007 (Photo: TZ Aviation)
I'm sad to say that this will be the last photo of the Barclaycraft (from me) for now.
I have others .. but this is the last 'decent' one.Dave B: Brilliant story.
76Fan: I suppose that must have been with G-OAMH? If anyone from Mann's is reading (you know what I'm going to ask) I wonder if anyone perchance took a photo of the event?
The Brecqhou Inn.
Surprisingly enough in view of the Barclay brothers known aversion to alcohol, Brecqhou is not 'dry' as the picture below shows. The only pub on the island, self-help with an honesty box, proved to be a touch draughty as a Northerly wind whistled through the cracks, likewise the guest bungalow! Sadly there was no Brecqhou 'real ale' to be had, with Sark a touch too far to go for any 'real ale'! Overall an interesting Cook's tour secondment. 
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Just to get back to the election job for Mrs "T", we used to clean the aircraft inside and out every morning, and then the Police would come along and put a bomb sniffer dog in the back. This was a long haired Labrador that used to jump all over the seats, and leave hairs everywhere, so we then had to set to with the vacuum cleaner again.
Ambi: Great to see more Rotorheads with connections to the Barclaycraft!
I see a lot of 'censored' labels though .. is there something you're not telling us? 
In April 1981 we went to LeHavre to pick up GBISZ,(me) GBTIR and GBJFL?.
When we had finished rebuilding on the docks it was quite late but we found a restaurant that unstacked enough chairs and offered us Lasagne and wine.
This trip occurred on the Easter weekend in 1981 and was great fun! Because it was a holiday, there were no Customs people available to clear the aircraft and I recall it took a couple of bottles of Scotch and fast talking to resolve that issue.
A Puma destined forthe Mexican Presidential flight was sitting there when we arrived, and they were shocked when we pulled out 3 S76's and left a day later - no hanging around as two of these ships were destined for Nideria and had to be turned around immediately to meet the contract deadline.
Flying up to the LeHavre airport, when they opened the pilots door of the aircraft, all the aircraft paperwork blew away, leaving one set of charts and information for two aircraft to ferry back to Redhill. Gatwick asked what was going on, and why one aircraft was talking for both and why we weren't both communicating - there was actually another communication going on on 123.45 as one ship followed the other.
On the way over the channel, we were tasked with completeing as much of the Cof A test flight as possible to expedite the turn round and departure from Redhill. Al Tait was flying and when we selected the Hydraulics off and then back on, the caution light remained illuminated. Al turned a noticeable shade of white and said "that isn't good". We debated continuing the test and turning off the other system to see if it would restore the original system. On turning off the number two system and turning it back on - it also remained illuminated.
As the aircraft couldn't be controlled wthout hydraulics, we didn't disturb the flight controls, but frantically got into the Flight Manual to see our next course of action. It turned out that this aircraft incorporated a modification that maintained a hydraulic caution after it was activated, to ensure that you could identify the problem... I did briefly think I was going to die there - and by the tone of Al's voice, I don't think he was overly confident about the outcome either!
Got them into Redhill and off they headed to Nigeria a week or so later. These were the last S76's to be delivered at this time, as Bristow had cancelled the remaining orders after the loss in Aberdeen. I seem to recall more showing up later though (anyone?).
I actually have some pretty good pictures of that trip, if I can just find them...
These were the last S76's to be delivered at this time, as Bristow had cancelled the remaining orders after the loss in Aberdeen.
As a result Bristow had to search for another supplier. They swallowed their pride and cooperated with Aerospatiale so as to produc the AS332L ‘Bristow Tiger’. The rest is history.
Phil's post reminded me of hydraulic failures. Breezing back to Aberdeen late at night there was a banging and crashing above me accompanied by a shuddering of the No2 Hydraulic gauge. Instinctively (and futilely) I lowered the undercarriage. (For 332/225 pilots, on the 76 the services etc are on the No2 RH system as opposed to the No1 LH on the Pumas). This was a waste of time as there are no hydraulic reservoir as such so all it did before the No2 went to Zero was to unlock the doors. I was now down to one hydraulic system, flying controls only (not even a VTA) with an unlocked undercarriage, lousy weather at Aberdeen but Glasgow fuel because of the weather. I passed my predicament to Aberdeen telling them that I was going to have a go at Dyce but if it failed I was going to Kinloss, a Master Diversion airfield, as I did not feel like flying across Scotland with only one hydraulic pump. This was before they had invented approach bans and I had another captain with me so we could use 200ft..
We flew the ILS and at DH my companion could not see anything so around we went and off to Kinloss. The weather was fine, as normal, so we went through the emergency lowering procedure in the hover just before we landed. The gear came down with lots of noise so then I put it down.
OC Eng was there to see this new arrival and he was not happy. When the S76 blows down its undercarriage with an air bottle all the oil in the system is exhausted to atmosphere. My 76 had sprayed a load of graffiti all over Kinloss’s brand new white concrete apron.
It was too late to do anything. Our sole passenger went to Aberdeen in a taxi to clear customs and then got the same taxi back to Inverness where he lived. Next morning our engineers found that the pump’s quill drive has failed. At that time hydraulic pumps were changed ‘On Condition’. The pump we had been flying on had 450 more hours than the one that had failed.
After that Bristow changed their pumps at regular intervals.
Last edited by Fareastdriver; 2nd Nov 2013 at 13:35.
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Cover of "Rotor & Wing" Bridgeport - myself with Andy O'Pry, November 1979.
Arrived Southampton in May 1980. During night landing trials Forties field October 1980, main tx chip warning required landing on Charlie platform. High winds blew a/c over when defective deck tie-down point failed. Shipped back to Aberdeen and rebuilt at Gatwick and returned to service in Sept1981 - tail always seemed to have a list to port!!
First Sperry fit was G-BHYB at Conroe in February 1981 followed by G-BIAW in July and G-BIAV in September that year.
Avoid imitations
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Savoia,
If it's who I think it is, the RHS captain in the photo of G-BYDF at post #83 now fills the post of "Head of Flight Operations International" at Bristows and sometimes finds time to post here.
If it's who I think it is, the RHS captain in the photo of G-BYDF at post #83 now fills the post of "Head of Flight Operations International" at Bristows and sometimes finds time to post here.
Thread Starter
Phil: Interesting story, every good luck with the photo search!
FED: Your accounts of the S76 are fascinating and .. I think I must concede with Snarlie when back in 2011 he wrote:
In response to Snarlie, yes, I admit, when it comes to the 76 .. I am seduced by the rake of her bows and the racy style of her sheers and always try to find excuses to love her but .. the stark reality (and to use one of Heli1's expressions) is that (the A model at least) seems to have been something of a 'puppy' operationally. Still .. she is a beautiful helicopter to observe and to fly in.
Hico-P: What a lovely shot! My godfather also flew BZAC (and which I shall come to in a later post).
ShyTorque: In the 80's there was a gentleman, I think it was Chris Fry, who headed-up Bristow's International Ops. I had occasion to contact him from India and which resulted in handing over a client (Kirloskar Gas) who were looking to serve their offshore platforms.
Would love to hear from the new head of Int Ops though .. maybe he could provide some 'oblique' references to the Barclaycraft given the confidentiality requirements.
FED: Your accounts of the S76 are fascinating and .. I think I must concede with Snarlie when back in 2011 he wrote:
Savoia, don`t get too orgasmic about the S76 in the corporate world in the 1980`s. The AS 365N Dauphin family was superior in all respects bar one. Range, speed, ride quality, reliability, running costs, ease of maintenance, powerplant were all superior to the Allison engined S76. The only plus for the S76 was the cabin, which is what has made it popular with owners over the years. The Dauphin cabin, no matter how plush the interior fittings, was always like sitting on cushions on the floor and the back row of seats was always a challenge for ladies in short skirts.
Hico-P: What a lovely shot! My godfather also flew BZAC (and which I shall come to in a later post).
ShyTorque: In the 80's there was a gentleman, I think it was Chris Fry, who headed-up Bristow's International Ops. I had occasion to contact him from India and which resulted in handing over a client (Kirloskar Gas) who were looking to serve their offshore platforms.
Would love to hear from the new head of Int Ops though .. maybe he could provide some 'oblique' references to the Barclaycraft given the confidentiality requirements.
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Ah the unique G-BYDF. I believe the only true S76 C Minus. Unique, insomuch that the 100% on the TQ Gauge was remarked at 86.66% not 80% as mentioned earlier. 1300shp/1500shp x 100% = 86.66. We bought a third TQ gauge, just in case, but as far as I know it has never been used. When we ballasted her up to 10,800lbs we pulled on the collective and hoped she would fly - she did of course and very well at the reduced figure.I cleaned and flew that machine many times and she had the cleanest wheel wells in christendom. I was very proud to put the pins in the main gear legs and not get covered in oil. The Island Manager and I used to squeeze into the A109C G-BVNH and when we got DF, the space seemed fantastic and we all know that the S76 is not huge in the flight deck area. It's all relative, I guess. She has undergone many subtle, but useful improvements since 1998, when she arrived on the "Island of Dreams". Sadly the guy alongside me at Post #83 lost his life in a very sad way in the Middle East. He was great guy, was Nigel, and his mexican fajitas were the best when we whiled away time on the "rock". Back with Bristow now after a 20 year gap and flying heavily laden desks on both sides of the Atlantic - Shy Torque was therefore right and I used to squeeze into the A109S with him. Great flying days! More to come I hope.
Last edited by Delta Fox Driver; 7th Nov 2013 at 01:31.
Thread Starter
DFD: Thank you kindly for sharing your Brecqhou memories with us, fantastic!
I have read that the island manager, Mark Harrisson, is a former driver!
Thank you too for bringing-up the former Barlclaycraft:
Brecqhou Development Agusta 109C G-BVNH at Guernsey Airport in August 1994 (Photo: Air-Britain)
Every story has a beginning and the one which ends in Glaxo buying their own aircraft began in 1980 when my godfather approached them with such a proposal. Between 1980-82 he worked on an off with their head office in supplying 'numbers' and making pitches supporting helicopter ownership. He also travelled around many of their sites both in the UK and Belgium and I accompanied him on several of these trips. I mention Glaxo because it was their 109C which became G-BVNH above.
For those interested, some Brecqhou Island rotary-wing history here.
I have read that the island manager, Mark Harrisson, is a former driver!
Thank you too for bringing-up the former Barlclaycraft:
Brecqhou Development Agusta 109C G-BVNH at Guernsey Airport in August 1994 (Photo: Air-Britain)
Every story has a beginning and the one which ends in Glaxo buying their own aircraft began in 1980 when my godfather approached them with such a proposal. Between 1980-82 he worked on an off with their head office in supplying 'numbers' and making pitches supporting helicopter ownership. He also travelled around many of their sites both in the UK and Belgium and I accompanied him on several of these trips. I mention Glaxo because it was their 109C which became G-BVNH above.
For those interested, some Brecqhou Island rotary-wing history here.
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G-BVNH/G-LAXO
I did the ferry from Frosinone to Fairoaks in that machine.That was a trip and a half; 2 x VERY experienced drivers up front, and me in the back scratching my head as how to remove some weight from her (the Empty weight was extreme - epitomised by the comment that the A109C was really only useful for carrying a load of Ping-Pong balls around 
) Not well received by Agusta I might add 
We did the acceptance flight test with the late Rafael Longobardi (?) and yes, the A109 is damn nearly aerobatic
. Anyone else up front and I'd have been a little concerned. Rafael will be at the big bar in the sky now, racking up my bar-bill no doubt with (cases of) Vino Nobile. I look forward to joining him sometime - but 'not now Bernard'
VFR
) Not well received by Agusta I might add We did the acceptance flight test with the late Rafael Longobardi (?) and yes, the A109 is damn nearly aerobatic
. Anyone else up front and I'd have been a little concerned. Rafael will be at the big bar in the sky now, racking up my bar-bill no doubt with (cases of) Vino Nobile. I look forward to joining him sometime - but 'not now Bernard' VFR
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Savoia - great picture of G-BVNH with Mark Harrisson (always two S's) well done!
In the 70's there were 3 Bristow Engineers sponsored for pilot training. Terry Burnal (Bell Rep for many years) was the first, I was the second and Mark H was the third. Once on the ramp at Guernsey, we met Mr Alan Bristow who seemed to recognise myself and Mark from our days in the hangars. He glanced across at G-BVNH and complimented us on its appearance.
He then said, "just as well you chaps are engineers, you need to be, with one of those!"
When we bought G-BYDF around Christmas 1997, courtesy of Dave B of Bristow going to Japan to do the survey, we took it to Bristow Redhill for UK Certification and Mod Programme. She only had about 80 hours on the Clock and had been in storage originally owned by Honda we believe. They bought two and of course the boss found out he could only sit in one at a time!
When Mark and I walked into the Redhill Hangar, some of the lads we knew from our days on the spanners shouted "They all come back in the end !"
To which Mark retorted "Yes, but we're the only ones who brought you half a million pounds worth of work !"
It was truly wonderful to work with the boys at Redhill again and some still lovingly look after DF today from Fairoaks. They are first rate blokes and engineers.
Next instalment - how do you operate IFR with precision and regularity underneath the ILS to Guernsey? We cracked that one and it is an interesting tale.
In the 70's there were 3 Bristow Engineers sponsored for pilot training. Terry Burnal (Bell Rep for many years) was the first, I was the second and Mark H was the third. Once on the ramp at Guernsey, we met Mr Alan Bristow who seemed to recognise myself and Mark from our days in the hangars. He glanced across at G-BVNH and complimented us on its appearance.
He then said, "just as well you chaps are engineers, you need to be, with one of those!"
When we bought G-BYDF around Christmas 1997, courtesy of Dave B of Bristow going to Japan to do the survey, we took it to Bristow Redhill for UK Certification and Mod Programme. She only had about 80 hours on the Clock and had been in storage originally owned by Honda we believe. They bought two and of course the boss found out he could only sit in one at a time!
When Mark and I walked into the Redhill Hangar, some of the lads we knew from our days on the spanners shouted "They all come back in the end !"
To which Mark retorted "Yes, but we're the only ones who brought you half a million pounds worth of work !"
It was truly wonderful to work with the boys at Redhill again and some still lovingly look after DF today from Fairoaks. They are first rate blokes and engineers.
Next instalment - how do you operate IFR with precision and regularity underneath the ILS to Guernsey? We cracked that one and it is an interesting tale.
Last edited by Delta Fox Driver; 7th Nov 2013 at 09:44.
I don't know if they all come back in the end - but they sure seem to end up here on PPruNe.
Nice to see you again DFD...
Nice to see you again DFD...
