It was fairley common up until a few years ago for Pilots to head of to the f/w world chasing better salaries and conditions but as the money in R/W flying, especially on the North sea increased fewer pilots have been tempted away....9/11 had a big effect and recently we have seen f/w guys coming back to r/w as the f/w industry goes through a difficult patch.

One of the reasons that many in this picture went on to fly fixed-wing for BA, is that they were British Airways Helicopters students sent to Bristow for their training! When BAH was sold, they were given the option of remaining with BA on the fixed wing side. Of course, it always helped the Bristow guys that they knew people on the other side if they were ever looking for a job - and a lot of them went there and elsewhere! :)

I remember life in the Ivy House with this bunch! ;) Nice to hear were they all are, still see some every now and then and hear where people are, but I have lost touch with most of them. Hi Guys.:ok:

Ah yes the Ivy House...and Mrs. B.....the cellar bar with exactly one ABBA album. Good times there for sure!

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A cartoon drawn by Ken Ovendon HP8 of the G-AVKS engine failure after take off practice by Dick Tudor which resulted in a puzzled look by Mike Lightfoot (HP7) when the helicopter hit the ground and decided to slice the tail off.
Some feat for wooden blades !!

Happy landings in your BA B747-400 Mike.

UG:cool:

Upland Goose, Yes, that is yourself in the LHS in the Night Deck Landing shots in Ghana. I'm sure I managed to scare you at least once that night!

Thanks for the kind words.

In return, Great to see pics of you as the 'Upland Gosling' on HP7 in 1976.
I didn't exsist then! ;) :E

Malta 2009
 

Some pics taken while having a refam on the 332L, in Malta. :)

G-BMCX was then prepped for the ferry flight across the Med to Tripoli for the night, and onwards to Benghazi, Libya.

Feb 2009.


Training in Malta

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Al Findlay and Daryl (aka Denzel) Kelly taxiing.
(Smoke is in the background, not from the No 1)

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Valletta, Malta

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Silema, Malta in the background.

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Malta Luqa International

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Sundown

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Engine out (Nothing to do with me.). Al Findlay, Les Milton, Ian Shields, Mike Stearn.

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All set for Libya.

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G-AVKS
 

Upland Goose

Oviously repaired as it was sold by BHL in 1983 & is still flying in France as F-GDPD.

http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/GImages/G-AVKS001.jpg

Tail Take-Off

Yes G-AVKS was repaired quickly and was put back on the line. Uniquely, she had two "horizon lines" painted on the bubble, as I think one of them was original and did not match our other Bell 47's.

All in the interests of standardisation - not that I would have noticed!

UG.:rolleyes:

In fact it had to go through an even greater repair scheme in 1981. In the very early days of my time as a commercial instructer, I let my student impose substantial damamge to that helicopter at the end of a practise EOL!
Windsheer at about 150ft caused a dramatic increase in the rate of descent - yours truly reached for controls at same time as student applied very harsh flare, putting tail rotor through the ground! The rest of the ride was quite exciting!
I still have the largest remaining piece of the tail rotor as a momento.
And to save any of you out there the effort, it was entirely my fault - a case of leaving things just that little bit too late! However, we both survived. I did another 3 years basic instructing and my student completed his CPL/H.

A few more pics from 1968 - 1970
 

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AM wound up in the surf off Lavan or Kharg did it not. Someone tried to lift it with a 212 but could not as I recall as it was full of water after one of the floats had broken off.

Dead right SASless. The pilot concerned recounted to me the story of "AM". Iranian Helicopters got a few hours out of it after Zagross before making like a boat. Never flew it with floats, just ski's. The ex Elivie B204, EP-HAN had floats and was based on Lavan. Never flew the Lycoming engine 204 before but because I had 204 on my Iranian licence, albeit the R-R Gnome engined one, it was OK for the Iranian CAA so I just got into it with the checklist and off I went!! Haven't things changed these days

Anyone able to recount the full story of the 'evacuation' of Bristow Helicopters from Iran when the Mad Mullah took over? I heard it was an incredible feat of organisation and John Willis played a considerable part in it. Would appreciate hearing more.

Pick up a copy of 'Whirlwind' by James Clavell. If you ignore, in the first half dozen pages, the sound of a Jet Ranger engine going 'putt putt putt' it's a great read. Very factual and well researched, the Tehran office Mr Fixit is called 'Hotshot' - and it's Fred Saraffian to a T. :eek: Anyone who spent that time in Iran will recognise others.

The first I knew of the 'escape' - I'd left Bristows some two years earlier and was wandering around the outside of Dubai airport. Through the wire I spotted Bill Barnet loading 212s into a Lufthansa 747F. I got the full fascinating story - through the wire - from Bill.

Here's the book.

Alibris UK: 9773728955

Thanks Forget, I'll follow that up.

Leading from the Front: Bristow Helicopters, the first 50 years, by Andrew Healey

This has a chapter on the Iran affair.

Whilst working in the Channel Islands, I bumped into Alan Bristow on the apron, having just arrived in his King Air.

His mission - to do a few holds and ILS's with his pilot wife just to blow the cobwebs away!

More importantly, he said he came down to Guernsey regularly to take James Clavell's widow out for a nice lunch at the La Fregate restaurant,

My, how he had mellowed from his swashbuckling days at BHL.

UG:)

P.S I noticed the other day that King Air was up for sale. Sadly, it looks like the legendary Pelican has finally become grounded - I guess it happens to us all one day. Not too soon for some of you, I hope.

http://www.faasquadron.org.uk/2003yeoh1.jpg

Do you refer to this young fellow?

That's the bloke what still owes me a pint!! Where did you spot him?

The piccy came from a Fleet Air Arm gathering.....I snitched the piccy from their site.

A Bristow news letter has another photo from his birthday with a teenaged blonde thing smiling at him.

He is a real helicopter pilot in all regards!:ok: