It looks like new.

And there is a new fangled Wessex hovering in the background! You just have to love the good old days! :)

More here.

Bristow bought 6 ex-RN Whirlwinds in 1969 and converted them to WS55 Series 3 with the Gnome engine, initially the airframes were sent to Westland to have the new nose fitted to accomodate the Gnome engine. Bristow eventually bought the jigs from Westland and finished the project. I started the initial stripping of the 6 airframes and then took delivery of the converted airframes in Abu Dhabi a couple of years later.

Whirlwinds to AUH
 

And I ferried the last of those Series 3 Whirlwinds to Abu Dhabi with Jack Moss in Sept 73. But the writing was on the wall for the 55 by then as the hot new Bell 212's were arriving on the scene.

Taff

Was Jack wearing that same old tweed jacket?

with polos in one pocket and the petty cash in the other.

Rosh,
Come now, it's not even in the same building as the C+ sim. You must have been on the same ghastly slot times as I was to be so disoriented! Did you manage to get a look at the 92 and Blackhawk sims (inside that is ;)) while you were there?

Taff,
Them there new fangled 212s didn't arrive in Nigeria for many years after 1973. We were still flying them, with the fixed floats, just like in John Eacott's photograph in 1978/79. The big advantage was that if the weather got very bad in rainy season you could land on one of the canals, put the spike in on the bank and shut down if need be until the rain cleared. They made the Wessex look very modern there too. I seem to remember we had a problem which resulted in them being flown in manual throttle the whole time.

SAS,
Jack never wore a tweed jacket! He wore a multi-purpose No. 4 tweed garment - for work, for winter (buttons done up!), for summer (unbuttoned) and quite frequently for sleeping after a few too many pints of ale :).

mtoroshanga,
One of the pockets was for his polos and the other for the petty cash and his fags (because of course, the petty cash accounts were always kept on the backing paper from the foil inside his fag packets and the cash inside a used fag packet so it didn't 'go astray lad'). I remember doing his line check in a 58T one time and when I switched off the Decca he never did manage to get it sorted out again (Oh heck, I can't see them Decometers without me specs and I seem to have left them behind today!), but we still got back to Aberdeen, on ETA with no problem :}

Sogs ol' Man,

Do you know anyone who has done the Decca approach into Sumbrugh in an S-58T in the dark while single pilot?

If you do.....he deserves a whole lot of credit....but must have been an Octopus armed genius!

What ever happened to "Sword Stick"? Seems he ferried a Whirlwind to Nigeria and then later took it to Egypt or some such place. That was back in the compass and map era of helicopter flying.

Gerry Sedgewick
 

Gerry was the QHI at Middle Wallop who foolishly sent me on my first helicopter solo! That was way back in January 1979, in a Bell 47G-4A, reg G-AXKW. Before my fisrt flight with him, I was told that he only carried two chinagraph pencils: a brown and a red. If a student warranted a 'green' he would borrow one from another instructor! Talk about cr*pping oneself!!:eek:

Last saw Gerry in Unst in March/April 1989, when he was flying the Bristow S61N to the Ninian field.
Anyone know where he is now?

bondu :)

DANAC was supposed to make life easier: unless you had a slippage which went unnoticed until Sumburgh appeared in a gap in the clouds when you were calling 30 miles out :ouch:

John,
I remember that DANAC maps were a bit hard to read if a number of people had inadvertently left that 'write' feature on so they had ink lines all over them. Do you remember the other joy of Decca on the North Sea - that it invariably lost lock just when you needed it, making an approach in a snowstorm :}. Ah, happy days - thank heavens for GPS (but it's still nice to be able to revert to old-fashioned navigation when the GPS fails - as it has numerous times for me in the last few years).

SAS,
Surely you remember that one of the physical checks made in determining a pilot's suitability for the S58T was his ability to use all 8 arms in a synchronised fashion ;) - that and being able to fly in an old tweed jacket and be able to substitute bailer twine for shoelaces :}.

Yes....Yes....the Bristow S-58T Pilot uniform....blue jeans, wooly pully, and rig boots whilst wearing that wonderful rubberized canvas bag.

What was that Ground Hosty's name that was frequently dropping her top whenever she played Squash and got behind on points?

Pofman
 

Bondu
Gerry retired as CGI, HAI at the end of last year supposedly to go caravaning.
Obviously Val has too long a list of jobs for him and I last heard that he is on the CAPT website for their modular programme.

Sounds about right. His retirement present from BHL when he left Unst was a garden shed.

Life in the fast lane!

I have no experience of his Ab initio instruction but he was one of the best operators I ever flew with on the North Sea.

Gerry S
 

Gerry Taught me Air law and HP & L at HAI in 2004/5. He was a very nice chap and I remember taking him for his first heli ride for 6 years in the s300. He took the controls like he had only been flying yesterday...legend. Hope he is enjoying retirement. T

A couple from the frozen North.
Eric Pashley
http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/g...E61/bhl001.jpg
Refuelling the slow way somewhere above 78 deg. N
http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/g...E61/bhl003.jpg

Are these recent HOGE?

No, 1996 if I recall correctly.

HOGE

Looks like the Spitzbergergen contract spring of 96. See also my pictures on page 1 of this thread.:ok:

Tail-Take-Off, you are correct, seems you have already posted photos of the places I've been! Here's a few more.
Yemen, on the deck of the Interocean III in the Red Sea.
http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/g...E61/bhl007.jpg
Yemen again, Mrs Cunningham, George Cunningham, Chippy Stokes, Ken Humphries.
http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/g...E61/bhl005.jpg
Silverstone one year B214 and S61
http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/g...E61/bhl012.jpg
Any of the S61 drivers remember the approach into St Kilda?
http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/g...E61/bhl009.jpg
More Falklands
Simon Wilton
http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/g...E61/bhl010.jpg
Ian Bell
http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/g...E61/bhl011.jpg
The base at MPA
http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/g...E61/bhl013.jpg

What was St. Kilda used for? Am I right in thinking its a million miles off the west coast?

Thanks for pointing out my mistake there. Must stop drinking and posting at the same time!

Apologies to both Ian , and John Bell!

Great pictures though HOGE (all the more interesting having recognised some of the places & some of the people). Do you have any more?

Here's an assortment.

Somewhere in the East Shetland Basin.

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/g...E61/bhl014.jpg

Somewhere in the Falklands.

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/g...E61/bhl015.jpg

WK at Biggin Hill

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/g...E61/bhl016.jpg

Mike Crabb taxying EJ at North Denes

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/g...E61/bhl017.jpg

Mike Langford somewhere in Spitzbergen

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/g...E61/bhl018.jpg

Think we are picking up ice..:eek:

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/g...E61/bhl019.jpg

About to undersling a Squirrel that had hit the wires.

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/g...E61/bhl020.jpg

MY in the Falklands

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/g...E61/bhl021.jpg

EP-HAM!
 

Good memories of that Gnome 204 really, and good to see the photo of her on floats! That aircraft was also based at Zagross ('70/'71) but of course floatless. Most memorable flight was from T1 (7000') and very cold wearing a thick jacket, to go down to Ahwaz were it was +40C and trying to get the jacket off whilst strapped in and before I melted!

phive, A little treat for you. An actual T/R Blade Cuff from EP-HAM. No joke and Really. :) Beat that for triv!

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b270/cumpas/204.jpg

Sadly not Bristow anymore!
 

G-BFRI in BIH colours:

http://www.abpic.co.uk/images/images/1086102M.jpg

Some blasts from the past !!! - taken at North Denes

Wessex G-AZBY http://www.abpic.co.uk/photo/1021562/

Wessex G-ATBZ http://www.abpic.co.uk/photo/1043067/

Bell 212 G-BJJO http://www.abpic.co.uk/photo/1080932/

Operating with Bristows fleet as well at various stages were
Management Avn

G-BFAG S58ET http://www.abpic.co.uk/photo/1036502/

G-BAMF Bo105 http://www.abpic.co.uk/photo/1036503/

Enjoy

P.s. Can some one send me a link to explain how I can load photo's direct onto a reply ?

Ta:rolleyes:

Biggles1049,

There is a very good thread, How to post Photographs which I have made a sticky at the top of this forum for a week or two :ok:

Senior pilot

Many thanks for the info - here are the three photo's - all taken at North Denes in the mid 1970's

http://www.abpic.co.uk/images/images/1080932M.jpg


http://www.abpic.co.uk/images/images/1043067M.jpg


http://www.abpic.co.uk/images/images/1021562M.jpg


http://www.abpic.co.uk/images/images/1036502M.jpg

Biggles

Not taken in the mid 70s, well, not all of them anyway. The picture of Bell 212 BJJO shows it parked on the "new" North Denes ramp area which was not constructed until 1989. G-BJJO (along with G-BJJP and G-BJJR) was purchased new in late 1981 to replace the Wessex aircraft contracted to Amoco after they were grounded due to the fatal accident which befell G-ASWI in 1981 off Bacton.

Thanks for the pix though.

Caught my artistic side today...(shame the fuel truck pulled up just as I took it!)

http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k2...ll/23jan08.jpg

The fatal accident was Ben Breach I believe, if so, Westland attributed the accident to Ben flying into the sea which BHL didn't accept, any thoughts now?

Oldlae

I would absolutely refute that Ben Breach just "flew it in" since he made a "mayday" call and said "ASWI - Engine Failure - ditching". Ben then held the PTT button open until the end to give as many clues as possible.

The Bristow version was that the centre shaft running up to the MGB probably failed causing an overspeed shutdown (double engine shutdown) and that for some reason the auto went wrong at the bottom. Could it have been damaged hydraulics leading to a loss of control at the bottom?

I will never forget that terrible day in 1981. I don't think they ever recovered the wreckage from the shifting sands in that area.

As good as the old Wessex could be at times, it was a good decision to ground the fleet and replace them all for commercial operations.

S76 G-BJFL Ferry. Istanbul - London
 

Some pics (slideshow) taken while ferrying G-BJFL from Istanbul to Redhill, in August 2007. The aircraft had already been ferried from Kazakhstan to Istanbul (which is where I joined in).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7vH92lE8hY


En-Route. Parked at Bastia, Corsica.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...n/DSC01066.jpg

Good to see you are enjoying life outside the North Sea. When are you heading to the Southern Hemisphere ?

From The G-balz Thread
 

http://www.eacott.com.au/gallery/d/3...BALZ+1_001.jpg

http://www.eacott.com.au/gallery/d/3...ia_008_001.jpg

http://www.eacott.com.au/gallery/d/3...BALZ+3_001.jpg

G-CEOR Airtesting and Ferry
 

G-CEOR S76C++ October 2007

Having been shipped from the U.S.A. and modified at Alan Mann, Surrey, G-CEOR required some airtesting and ferrying to Aberdeen for a coat of paint, before finally being shipped to Malaysia.

Surprised to be welcomed by some familiar faces at Alan Mann (ex-Bristow Redhill Main Hangar engineers)


Geoff Steward and Steve Higgins balancing the TR

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...n/DSC01639.jpg


Lee Scott Jones elbow deep.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...n/DSC01644.jpg


Left to Right: Steve Moakes, Steve Menham, Geoff Steward and Andy Hall.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...n/DSC01645.jpg


Ready to fly.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...n/DSC01648.jpg


En route to Aberdeen

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...n/DSC01652.jpg


Pulled over at Teeside.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...n/DSC01654.jpg


Warmer Climate. Reunited with the machine in Malaysia. Now 9M-SPV and looking all shiny!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...n/DSC02230.jpg

Nice pics rosh, she looks sooo dam clean in her new paint, very nice:ok:

Steve Moakes, Steve Higgins, Andy Hall, Leigh Scott-Jones!:)

Might be time to stop for a beer around Fairoaks..:rolleyes: