Operation Sandstorm
 

More pics via Kevin Pickering.

Kev notes:

Operation Sandstorm, Dubai 79.

"The Guppy flew in for cargo including a chain on board. They left the chain until last to unload and as it was dragged aft so the aircraft sat on it's tail."

Dave note:

The "Sandstorm over the Gulf" document is page 1 of a 100 page postscript that was languishing, long forgotten, in a top floor filing cabinet at Redhill and now languishing with me. An interesting read!!
A senior management secretary gave it to me thinking I could use it on the skyweaver website but I could never work out the copyright issues or the possible embarrasment it could create for the company should they ever have the opportunity of future Iranian contracts.
I think it was written by a pilot's wife who was a journalist??????????
Any suggestions????? Have to scan it all first:bored:


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http://i967.photobucket.com/albums/a...Sandstorm1.jpg

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Can't escape 212s! Just regained my 212 B2 approval so I can oversee and sign for an avionic mod programme on an Ex Gulf Heli machine FBH are sending out to Belize. Spend half my life at RAF Shawbury now! The first helicopter I worked on, at Redhill, after joining Bristows from a fixed wing BA apprenticeship, was a 212!! I was 20 I think around 1979.
Quite a few old Bristow machines now with FBH and now I have regained a 212 approval I fear I will be seeing a lot more of them!

Dave Ed
I am sure that the document was written by the late Mike Griffin's wife Jackie. I understand that James Clavell used it for his novel Whirlwind.

Dave Ed,

Which part of the operation is shown in the photos? The 212's arrived in Luxembourg in a Cargolux 747 when I helped to unload them.

Old LAE, you are correct, it was Jackie Griffin, you can see the initials on the top right, I remember her writing it. Dave Ed, I would suggest OCR scan into a .doc file. Lots of work but it would keep the file size much lower.

Oldlae

Pics at Dubai.

Bill Petrie was in charge of planning the helicopter's passage back to Redhill and for obvious reasons most major airlines would not get involved in something that could threaten future buisness. Bill narrowed it down to two airlines that would take it on :
Air cargo of Stanstead using a CL-44 conversion to a Guppy.
Cargolux 747 from Luxembourg.

TOD

Thanks for scanning advice but there are lots of scribbles and marks on the pages that confuse those OCR scanners and this morning I spent two hours scanning the complete manuscript as JPEGs in between gardening and playing with the dogs!

So I now have available the complete original skyweaver website plus the "Sandstorm over the Gulf" available on disc (only 200mb).
So, if anyone wants a copy of these just send me a blank CD/Memory stick in a SAE and I will send you back a copy.
I am not really sure if there are any copyright issues?
Not sure where to post my postal address on this site as yet - any advice?

And I wonder how the story would have been told with today's 24/7 news coverage..........

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I spotted Bill Barnett through a chain link fence in Dubai one morning; I was visiting from Singapore and wandering past the airport. He told me the tale there and then - but I remember a Lufthansa 747F being loaded. Am I wrong - were there two 747s involved?

Bristow Empire 1969
 

I was 11 but my dad was taking me to Gatwick to watch planes and the seeds were sown..........
No idea why they used that background - my image editor struggled with it!

http://i967.photobucket.com/albums/a...Empire1969.jpg

Hi Dave

Great Stuff. Keep it coming.

Ref your address: I suggest anyone interested sends you a Private Message via this site. You can then send them your details rather than broadcasting your address to the world.

Cheers

TTO

Lavan 69/70
 

Found some real old photos. Here's the first if it uploads succesfully


Lavan Island, Iran 1969/1970

From L to R

Jerry Beecher - ?? - Me - Stu Colclough (I think) - ?? - Dave Lloyd (thanks oldlae)

Someone fill in the missing links - so to speak

Dymuniadau gorau o Hwlffordd

John

Cracking, thanks everyone for reliving history for us young ones.

Not exactly sure when this was but it was the after the first deck landing at sea on HMS Ark Royal (the new one). It was undergoing sea trials out of Tyneside and we were chartered to fly the manufacturers reps on to it.

Crew: Dave Warren and John Whale

John

John,
Lavan - Chap sitting in the armchair on the right is the late Dave Lloyd.

You are so right. Main picture amended

John

Does anyone know the whereabouts of Dave Lloyd?If he monitors this thread he will probably remember a boozy session we had in a bar in a hotel in Shiraz with David Attenborough and his crew in 74-75. They were doing a programme about the Qashqai nomads.

Dave LLoyd
 

Regret to say he passed away with the dreaded cancer a few years ago now:(

Very Sad to hear that,he was a great character and good company

Tarfaya, Morocco 1969 for Esso
 

I have managed to find a few photographs (although B&W) of our Operation in Morocco 1968/1969. Although the main base was in TanTan, we did do a detachment to Tarfaya which wasn't far from the Spanish Saharan border.


http://i692.photobucket.com/albums/v...Tarfaya69a.jpg

Hiller12E G-AWME and Ws55s3 VR-BDH at tarfaya, 1969


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Ws55s3 coming in to land on the Tarfaya helipad on crew change day


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Crew Change Day taken from the Martinair DC3 which used to run to and from Agadir then change on to a Sterling Airways F27 to Stavanger. Our work routine was 3 weeks on and 1 week off. Travelling time was in your week off.


http://i692.photobucket.com/albums/v...mtheair69a.jpg

Aerial shot of Tarfaya, Morocco, 1969



John

TTO

Good to be involved again.
Have a few bits and pieces to post BUT I have just arrived back in Shrewsbury to continue my Bell 212 project for the next three weeks. The Weatherspoons “Hotel” broadband is pretty useless so I am stuck with expensive and slow mobile broadband L
But at least the Beer’s cheap!!


Edited notes from Tim Carbis (Father flew for Bristows 69-80)

After my father joined Bristow Helicopters, he inevitably spent a lot of time away from home, in exotic places such as Nigeria and Dubai. Later, I was to experience some of the dubious pleasures of this life for myself, working in Nigeria and Saudi Arabia. I too have witnessed the ‘delights’ of Port Harcourt and bumped along in an Aerocontractors’ Twin Otter (Lagos-Warri-PHC), the latter being less hassle than flying with Nigeria Airways and a lot safer.

Dave Ed..... The worst I flew with was Okada Air (BAC 1-11) – The seats were falling apart, the “stewardesses” were asleep down the back even before take-off and it was the longest take-off run I have ever experienced!!

My father’s last flight for Bristow’s was on 21/11/80 when he carried out a Flight Test on Wessex Mk.60 G-BGWT, based at Skye. He also records an incident the previous day thus:

“Sparks from exhaust. Returned single engine for inspection stbd engine”

Perhaps, the moral of the story is to take nothing for granted, especially on the penultimate day of your flying career. TC.

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I remember Tim well. He must have been around with Lee Smith too.

John

I almost too embarrassed to post these photos :uhoh: But then I was only 21 years old.

http://i692.photobucket.com/albums/v...eatTFAs55a.jpg

Me with the Ws55s3 at Tarfaya, Morocco early 1969


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Me with the Hiller 12E Tarfaya, Morocco 1969



John