Sad news. Sharky was a hangar floor fixture at Redhill in the good times.

Sad to hear Sharky has gone. There aren't many of us real old timers left :eek:

TC

Sadly 40+ years of service and still a good few to go for me:{

Alan Bristow on Kindle
 

Just seen this on Kindle at £0.49p, may interest some folk



PZU - Out of Africa (Retired)

Seems a trifle expensive to me!

G-AODA returns to Redhill from Trinidad
 

In 1975, post packing up SAR Manston, I was sent to the Manchester Shipping Canal with pilot Ken Bradley to off-load G-AODA from a rum ship, the Linguist, recently docked from Trinidad. After re-assembling it dockside, we flew DA to Manchester Airport, refuelled, and then on to Redhill. Ken's cockpit door came off in flight, indicative of the corrosion the aircraft had suffered. Bill Petrie, Jack Woolley & Alan Bristow met us at Redhill, a nostalgic return it seemed. Some time later I was told to C of A it ready for urgent training use. Just do a 'cursory' survey I was told by WBP & JD. This LAE does not do 'cursory' surveys! After replacing a considerable amount of corroded hardware including some 1,500 rivets, it got its new C of A but it was a far better aircraft to withstand the rigours of training and base checks. I went back to Iran to do a C.Eng leave relief (Jim Lay) on Kharg for 3 months and later the same year for a complete second tour.

Engineer Mac McCormack
 

Does any on else on here remember Mac? If so is he still alive and kicking?

Engineer Mac McCormack
 

I remember him well but you'll know Mac was always his own man and tended to pop up as if from no where. Since I took VR in May 2004 as apprentices manager etc, I won't have seen him since at least 5 years or so before that at Redhill. He would pop up and see Chas Newport and self in BHL Technical Services until about 2000. After that I really don't know. Wish I could be more helpful.

Engineer Mac McCormack
 

This discussion may be confusing some of the older former Bristow people on the forum. During my tenure with Bristow there were actually two 'Mac McCormack's', there was (if I remember correctly) Mathew McCormack and unrelated Mike McCormack. The one being discussed here sounds like Mathew.

It is Mathew, an American, he came out to Singapore to help me change a MGB on a Whirlwind and crate up the aircraft which was being shipped to Jeddah. He then lived in Merstham, but not seen for a long time.

Yes it was the American I was referring to. I liked him always seemed a nice guy.

If I remember correctly G-AODA was the last Whirlwind in Bristow service, it was working for British Aerospace helping to develop the Brimstone Missile. It must have been around 98, I went to the works to do a check one, and found it parked between a Hunter, and a Buccaneer, it was looking a bit sad, and was getting some criticism from BA engineers, so I advised JD to get it back to Redhill for a weekend to have some of the rivets knocked back in.
I don't know exactly what it was doing, I don't think we were allowed to know, but it was cleared by the CAA to operate at zero altitude over the missile ranges.
The missile went on to great success in Libya and Iraq, and I believe its foreign sales potential is good.

And.............


http://i967.photobucket.com/albums/a...l/Bfisher3.jpg




http://i967.photobucket.com/albums/a...dhillgaoda.jpg

Mac McCormick did indeed live in Merstham - in fact one of my colleagues here in Canada grew up living next door to him! I'll get an update...

Nice anecdotes on AODA....keep them coming to add to the story of this Aircraft,now of course at The Helicopter Museum.

I had the pleasure of working for a month or so with Mac McCormack overhauling WS/55 G-AODP in the summer of 1968, getting it ready for a ferry flight to Warri.

Super guy, he lived down the road from me in Radstock Way, Merstham.
He was earmarked to be the engineer to fly on the ferry flight to Nigeria, but had a few problems at home, which did not allow him to do so.

Being the type of guy he was, he went to Mack Macaskill and recommended me to do the flight instead.....the rest is history.

I do hope he is still around, I shall be watching this thread with interest.
Tony

Doing a bit of research into G-AODA there are some discrepancies with a couple of the previous comments.
Firstly the vessel "Linguist" appears to have been scrapped in 1969 and I can find no trace of a replacement with that name since,so the 1975 memory appears suspect?
Secondly the photo caption suggesting DA was the first conversion is definitely incorrect.It was actually the 14th ,going through the process between Feb- July 1965.
Finally the markings Heli Taxi are intriguing. Were these carried for its time in Iran between 65 and 68?
Christmas Quiz?!

Can someone list all the registrations she held in her career, I know I worked on her at some point in time, could of been Nigeria, Dubai or UK, Oh! by the way Chaps Merry Chistmas and a Happy New Year from Doha.
Luv to all

S

Stace. DA was in the FTS when you were there.