PPRuNe Forums - G-BALZ

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Been with the old bus for years, anyone know her fate?

Ah, a registration to conjure with (well, not really, but you can't have a G-Abracadabra :}). I saw some photos of her on Prune a while back, painted all white and on a UN contract somewhere, but don't remember where that was now.

S2,

Here's a touch of nostalgia ;)

http://www.eacott.com.au/gallery/d/2...on+deck+02.jpg

and the reason for the landing :rolleyes:

http://www.eacott.com.au/gallery/d/2...ne+failure.jpg

What's Ron Jeremy doing there?:}

Doesn't seem that long ago (it is only 14 years) that I was doing my 212 conversion with two other "candidates" in BALZ. Lydd ILS's ad nauseum etc. Ably conducted by Brains with long debriefs in the Heli Club.

The other two went on to greener pastures while I'm still here. I wonder if someone's trying to tell me something ? Must get that skin thinning operation done...............

Queen Of The Skies !!

Cheers,

NEO

Re Pickie from John Eacott
Whatever happened to Ray Farnes, he of the large beard?

Ray retired about 10 years ago I believe. I think he finished his time with BHL in PH.

Taff

Well, a look through one of my older logbooks tells me that it was flying in the Brent field at the end of 1990.

The guy with the Tash is called "village" admittadly he looks like Big Ron.

Ray is happily retired in UK, still has the beard and has nothing to do with helicopters any more - lucky fellow.

zalt - now you reminded me, the photo I saw of it was in Kosovo with the UN.

S2 - thanks for the photo, I'd forgotten about the original paint job.

We must all be getting sad, sick, boring old farts, reminiscing over one of the Queens of the skies :}

Still going strong, last spotted in Mauritania, Bristow.

Yup, that's me. The tool of my trade has been airbrushed out of the photo.

:E

G-BALZ is indeed still going strong and currently looks like this:

http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z...off/G-BALZ.jpg

There are lots more pictures of her at www.skyweaver.co.uk a selection of which are below:

http://209.196.171.35/images/jod8.jpg

Sumburgh:
http://gi97.photobucket.com/groups/l...4CHIZ/jod8.jpg

Bangladesh:
http://209.196.171.35/images/bangladesh2.jpg http://gi97.photobucket.com/groups/l...balzbangla.jpg

Bangladesh:
http://209.196.171.35/images/bangladesh3.jpg http://gi97.photobucket.com/groups/l...angladesh5.jpg

Kosovo:
http://209.196.171.35/images/kosovoflightline.jpg http://gi97.photobucket.com/groups/l...balzsunset.jpg

Kosovo:
http://209.196.171.35/images/kosovogroup.jpg http://gi97.photobucket.com/groups/l...untitled14.jpg

Incidentally does anyone recall her early history? http://www.geocities.com/rotorspot/g-1.htm quotes her first registration as N2961W then VR-BEK followed by G-BALZ. VR-BEK was a Bermudan registration and Skyweaver has her appearing with this reg at http://209.196.171.35/bases_santcarles.htm and quotes:

Bristow Base: Sant Carles de la Rapita, Spain.

Bell 212 VR-BEK awaiting its next task against a
rocky backdrop. It was the first Bristow Bell 212,
being a Bell demonstrator at the time.
Picture;: http://209.196.171.35/images/gcspain2.jpg

Further more the Bermudan registration shows her Registered to Bristows as VR-BEK then re-registered as G-BALZ on 10 January 1973.

However the Speachless Two’s photo above shows her in BEAS colours in 1973 but BEAS was not to be part of Bristows for a few years yet.

I know she went to Ireland registered to Irish Helicopters until 16 July 1974 when she was re-registered as G-BALZ.

Did Bristow originally just lease her or was there already a relationship between the two companies?

I think potted history is something like this.....

N2961W
VR-BEK
G-BALZ 10/01/1973 - 05/03/1973 Oxford Heli-Services Ltd.
EI-AWK 05/03/1973 - 16/07/1974
G-BALZ 16/07/1974 - 10/01/1977 British Executive Air Services Ltd.
N99040 10/01/1977 - 18/03/1977
G-BALZ 18/03/1977 - 19/10/1979 British Executive Air Services Ltd.
N8069A 19/10/1979 - ??/??/????
VR-BIB ??/??/???? - 12/05/1982
G-BALZ 12/05/1982 - ??/??/???? British Executive Air Services Ltd.
G-BALZ ??/??/???? - 03/03/1994 Bristow Helicopters Ltd.
9Y-TIL 03/03/1994 - 17/02/1995
G-BALZ 17/02/1995 - 07/06/1995 Bristow Helicopters Ltd.
EC-931 07/06/1995 - ??/??/????
EC-EGR ??/??/???? - 03/10/1995
G-BALZ 03/10/1995 - 30/05/2003 Bristow Helicopters Ltd.
EC-IPD 30/05/2003 - 30/09/2003
G-BALZ 30/09/2003 - date Bristow Helicopters Ltd.

Mike

Anyone know how many hours its clocked up?

27,180 hours

as at 31-Dec-06

Still almost new then! :8