G-BALZ
 

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.

Still with Bristow according to GINFO

Kosovo http://www.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!/open.file/0458388/L/ then perhaps Iraq http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthr...ghlight=737500

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 :}

Soggy

This one? It's at Rasheed, from about 4 years ago.

http://www.helicopterservice.com.au/photos/Rasheed1.jpg

http://www.helicopterservice.com.au/photos/Rasheed2.jpg

G-BALZ
 

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
 

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.jpghttp://gi97.photobucket.com/groups/l...balzbangla.jpg

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


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


Kosovo:
http://209.196.171.35/images/kosovogroup.jpghttp://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

Just run in !!

Redhill 1989:
http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z...edhill1989.jpg

Bournemouth:
http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z.../1036456F1.jpg

She's Seen a Bit!
 

Tirana Albania
http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z...2satTirana.jpg
Men With Guns! Kosovo
http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z...ltTraining.jpg
Chittagong, Bangladesh
http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z...w/psn00001.jpg

What's the blister on the nose, weather radar?

Yes. Weather radar.

She is still the main machine,got some photo`s during tail boom change today,will pos
 

:) Try glass cockpits out here!!!

"out here" - out where? where in the world is she currently?

Elle est au Mauritanie, non?

Its got glass bits!!
 

http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/f...r/P6200109.jpg
R De Castro in Mauritania Jun 06

Someone's nicked the Decca DANAC: but the radar looks familiar ;)

Any starters for how many hands here have held those twist grips? :ok:

These photos were sent to me last July by UWAT, but didn't get hosted at the time :ugh:

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

UWOT's description:

Was it G-BALZ in 1976/77 who used to wake us Anderson High School Students up at about 0715, about half an hour before the wake up alarm sounded, in the Janet Courtney hostel in Lerwick?
Could never get back to sleep after that!!
Cursed her many times!!

Chris

I think you're right. She was working off the Viking Piper at the time.

After listening to her at the JCH, I worked on her for many years. :) Maybe I'll get my scanner working, I know I have a ton of pictures of her over the years.

G-BALZ and its old mate G-BFER Mauritania 2006 and they're still there !!!
 

G-BFER is in bits at Shawbury and will reappear as a military machine at a future date. It will replace the the Shawbury aircraft (ZJ969 ex VR-BEJ, EP-HCZ, G-BGLJ, 5N-AJX, 9Y-TIJ) which went to Belize to replace ZJ965 (s/n 31170 ex 9V-BMG,G-BJGU,5N-ALS,G-BJGU) which crashed last year.

The end of an era
 

The desert wind brings tales that LZ has been sold, off register. Not confirmed.

Just out of curiosity, would there be any original bits left from when it left the factory?

Mac

Name plate?

Wouldnt even bet on that. G-BDKD had a new name plate in 2002. Old aircraft are definitely like Trigger's brush.

G-BALZ sold - what's the betting it's gone to these chaps? ;)

http://www.eaglecopters.com/mainframe.htm

I found this on a recent visit to the Unst museum (the old school in Baltasound) looks like it was taken in the '80s

http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o...tabout1980.jpg

some of you might find this interesting:
GINFO Registration History | Aircraft Register | Safety Regulation

http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/HistoricalMaterial/G-BALZ.pdf

Still appears to be registered to BHL unless anyone knows different!?