Manston SAR
 

That takes me back, I used to do leave relief for Dusty Miller at Manston, still got the Blazer badge.

I think Dusty makes an appearance in one of these smaller pics.........maybe front row left????

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


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


http://i967.photobucket.com/albums/a...n/manston1.jpg

Colin Miller
 

Yup thats him at the front LH side looking like a shop keeper:E

Wreck Shield Photo
 

Looks like a very young Garry Williams (Front row, second from left)!

Shorthand translation
 

The very Mrs Biles has dug into her distant memories of shorthand and reckons it's something like "Naval pilots were taught not only how to fly a Whirlwind whilst attempting a rescue, but also had to play guinea pig as part of their training".

No indication of where, when or who.

Pete Redshaw
 

Anybody have news of Pete? Last I heard he was a Heliadmin type on the Magnus hookup ca 1983

Malaysia 2007/8
 

Reminiscing on some good times had while working for Bristow in conjunction with the Malaysian Helicopter Services team.

Hope you are all well, and enjoying the chicken curry served up by the rigs at 7am!!! I could get used to that again.

Miri, Malaysian Borneo at the end of 2007.
Kerteh, Terengganu, East Malaysia at the beginning of 2008.

Link to some footage below.

A bit of AC/DC screaming in the background makes it all seem rather exciting.

Mike (Red team) 'You said you wanted a mention' - check out the golf swing!! No shanking!.... but there's a hint of a cricketers 'off-drive' in there!

Viddler.com - Malaysia 2007/8 - Uploaded by Rosh_Jaypalan



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...lan/kerteh.jpg

Excellent video Rosh. Brought back a few memories of earlier times at Kerteh. I spent a total of six years there, the first being when the operation moved to the new airport from Kuala Trengannu and then a longer spell, married accompanied, when MHS was finding its feet and trying to break the bond with Bristows.
My son was born in Kuantan, while we were there, seventeen years ago so the following pictures are probably around twenty years ago from an earlier tour???

Couldn't agree more about the curry breakfast! Remember well, going to the terminal for Roti Chanai??? after the early morning flights were on their way.

S76A, S76C, S61 and Bell 412.


http://i967.photobucket.com/albums/a...eh/Kerteh1.jpg



http://i967.photobucket.com/albums/a...eh/Kerteh2.jpg

http://i967.photobucket.com/albums/a...eh/Kerteh3.jpg


http://i967.photobucket.com/albums/a...eh/Kerteh4.jpg

Dave, Good to see pics of Kerteh from earlier times.

Kuantan was still the weekend getaway, the Hyatt Regency bar... good fun. I believe I still have a 3/4 full bottle of Jack Daniels behind the bar. Maybe someday, I'll get back to finish it off.

Roti Canai!!!..... beat the Standard 'North Sea bacon and egg roll' breakfast.... and also kept the movements regular!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...n/DSC02676.jpg


and a couple more from Kerteh 2008. The tower and hangar look unchanged from the earlier pics.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...n/DSC03399.jpg



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...n/DSC03533.jpg



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...n/DSC03592.jpg

Hey Rosh, you need a refresher course! That Roti Canai is in fact a Thosai :8

:O:ugh::rolleyes::ugh::O

You're right.... However, if you squint your eyes and let them go out of focus, it looks a little like Roti Canai!

The Dosai was just as good and had the same effect!

Picture corrected!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...6ae50e68cd.jpg

When is the next 'roti' refresher course being run?

I may need to do the full initial 'roti' awareness course, as it has been a while.

Before the thread totally degenerates into our favourite rig/airport meals...........:)

A few more vintage pics....From Das Island / Persian Gulf.

Persian Gulf - 1961.

http://i967.photobucket.com/albums/a...rlwind/PG1.jpg


http://i967.photobucket.com/albums/a...rlwind/PG2.jpg


Das Island - No date.
http://i967.photobucket.com/albums/a...rlwind/PG3.jpg

A couple of people pics...........

http://i967.photobucket.com/albums/a...ople/scan1.jpg


http://i967.photobucket.com/albums/a...ople/scan2.jpg

Mmmm ...

Happy to report Das Is. has changed significantly .....

Colin Miller
 

If anyone would like to get in touch with Dusty for a "quick chat" PM me!

Actually the Das Island at the time of the above photo wasn't so bad! Excellent food, good medical support, a tavern/pub styled on an English pub selling v.cheap booze, bungalow accommodation and a small golf course! Four months on and one month off. AUH and BAH were, by comparison, quite primitive.

Parabellum,

My dad was there in 1968 and won a golf tournament!!!( 6 hole brown's played thrice) I saw his name on the roll of honour wall in the golf club :ok:

The bar is still there, but sadly no hooch anymore :{

Mmm ....

AND .... no more bacon sarnies in the mess either .... :(

Continuing with Das Island....here is the info I have from the original website. Some pics courtesy of John Odlin.

Das Island is the main centre of the UAEs offshore oil industry, lying in the centre of the Arabian Gulf. In 1957 Bristows won a contract from BP to operate on a tiny uninhabited island in the Persian Gulf ( Das Island) 70 miles off the coast of Qatar.

http://i967.photobucket.com/albums/a...d/jod_das1.jpg

Bristows had to provide the helicopters and Alan Bristow bought the first two helicopters owned by the company, two Westland Widgeons. At Das Island the Bristow crews soon proved that the helicopters, initially contracted merely to fly essential spares and key executives to the rigs, were far more reliable and effective than boats in ferrying whole rig crews. The company was to operate in the area for the next twenty years.

http://i967.photobucket.com/albums/a...sland/das1.jpg
Back of photo Das Island 1958. Helicopters in hangar at Das Island Base.

Helicopters were used for communication between the island and Umm Shaif No.1 well, being drilled by Abu Dhabi Marine Areas Ltd, in which the British Petroleum Company has a two-thirds shareholding and Compagnie Francaise des Petroles one-third. So presumably the two aircraft in the photo were the first helicopters bought by Bristows.


http://i967.photobucket.com/albums/a...sland/das2.jpg
Back of photo: WS-55 Srs 3 landing on a well-head tower at Das Island. Registration G-AOZK.



http://i967.photobucket.com/albums/a...sland/das3.jpg
WS-55 Whirlwind G-ANUK at Das. Back of photo: Spencer Allen - one of Bristow's captains.


http://i967.photobucket.com/albums/a...sland/das4.jpg
A couple of Whirlwinds at Das G-AOZK and ?.


http://i967.photobucket.com/albums/a...sland/jv20.jpg
Das 1957. Widgeon about to land on "Adma Enterprise" whilst in harbour at Das Island during final fitting out prior to being towed to the site of Adma Well F-1.



http://i967.photobucket.com/albums/a...sland/das5.jpg
Aerial view of Das taken in 1976.

And a couple of people pics...........

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


http://i967.photobucket.com/albums/a...s1960group.jpg

Third from the left, standing, an ex Royal Navy engineer, name escapes me but 'Jim' rings a bell, met him in Abu Dhabi, 1969/70 and Warri, Nigeria, 1970/71(ish). Last on the right standing, John Waddington?

EDITED; Just remebered, third from the left is Jim Wild.

Whirlwind conversions I guess.
No real info - anyone have any background info?

Nice poses - almost look like real engineers .......

http://i967.photobucket.com/albums/a...ons/scan13.jpg



http://i967.photobucket.com/albums/a...ons/scan14.jpg



http://i967.photobucket.com/albums/a...ons/scan15.jpg


http://i967.photobucket.com/albums/a...ons/scan16.jpg

Great photos thanks:ok:

Do someone got any from Frederick Legrys,Sorry if i have missed .

The remaining Hiller pics from my archive pile.....the British United Airways livery (last two pics) dates to around 1961.

http://i967.photobucket.com/albums/a...lers/scan5.jpg


http://i967.photobucket.com/albums/a...lers/scan6.jpg


http://i967.photobucket.com/albums/a...ers/scan19.jpg


http://i967.photobucket.com/albums/a...ers/scan28.jpg

Gosh I remember Fred Legrys very well. The first time I met him, if my memory serves me well, was in the late 60's when I was doing a Jet ranger conversion for Iran and he showed me how you could do an engine off in the hover with a 360 degree turn thrown in. High inertia heads those 206's

John Whale

Why is the only dirty places on the white ovvies is the seat?:uhoh:

Any Information
 

I have been contacted by the daughter of Peter John Faid, a pilot I knew during his service with 78 Squadron in Sharjah, 1968. She is trying to find out more about his flying career.
I believe he left the RAF in 1969 and joined BHL. Sadly he was killed when a 206 crashed in Ghana, July 1970. However I think he may also have flown a Wessex offshore Aberdeen area 69/70, as the engineer, George Siddle spoke of him while I was working at Redhill early 1970.
If anyone has any info on Peter Faid's flying career with BHL can you send me a PM and I will send contact details for his daughter.
Many Thanks.
Ken Knight.

Any Information
 

Ken, this is a duplicate thread, Emma started a similar thread entitled 'Do You Remember Peter Faid?' here in 'Rotorheads' on the 31st May 2010, so far, mine is the only reponse.

Yes, while with Bristow he did fly the Wessex offshore in the UK, I met him - very briefly - when he was transitting through Sunderland to Great Yarmouth back in 1966/67ish.

I'm surprised none of my fellow Bristow 'old-timers' have replied despite me naming the handful I remember from that occasion - including George Siddle. I remember George as one of my mentors in Bristow, a very affable and helpful individual.

.....Nigeria 1957/58. Anyone any info?

http://i967.photobucket.com/albums/a...ria/scan11.jpg


http://i967.photobucket.com/albums/a...ria/scan12.jpg


......and a related one from the original website....

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

Is that a very young Clive Wright in the Nigeria pictures with the Fison's Airwork Whirlwind?

RJAF S76s
 

http://i866.photobucket.com/albums/a...g?t=1276798342Photo

showing 760090 being inspected at the Royal Jordanian base in Amman, prior to purchase by Bristow. There were Five machines left over after various companies bought the others, this is one of them.

RJAF S76s
 

Here is the finnished result, at Redhill, after being flown to UK by RJAF C130http://i866.photobucket.com/albums/a...g?t=1276799007

Auster
 

When BHL took over Fisons Airwork they aquired an Auster G-APOA that Fisons had bought new in 1958. BHL hung on to G-APOA until it was blown over & one wing badly damaged in the hurricane of 1987. Amongst other things it was used by the Flight Training School & for ferrying spares about.

Seen below in 1959, at Biggin Hill, with Fison Airwork Limited clearly on the engine cowl:
http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z...POAairwork.jpg

And in 1981 at Cranfield:
http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z.../G-APOABHL.jpg

Sadly it crashed in 1993 killing both occupants.

I used to fly OA in my spare time to keep my FW licence current, funny old thing that it was. I had it going backwards once in a strong wind! I remember taking it to Biggin Hill, it was quite a difference landing on their runway compared to the grass at Redhill.

The last of the S58 pics..........


http://i967.photobucket.com/albums/a...S58/scan21.jpg


http://i967.photobucket.com/albums/a...S58/scan22.jpg


http://i967.photobucket.com/albums/a...S58/scan20.jpg

RJAF S76s
 

http://i866.photobucket.com/albums/a...g?t=1277035472

Two of the Aircraft purchased by Bristow were dedicated air ambulances, they were mostly used to pick up casualties from the notorious Amman to Petra highway. They were stripped out at Redhill and returned to normal configuration.

Did they keep the sliding doors both sides?

G-APOA

On joining Bristow at Redhill as electrical fitter in 1974 on 47p per hour I was waiting to join HP7 (Cadet Pilot Course) and I needed to build hours for my PPL IMC rating (60hrs P1) a pre-requisite of joining an HP course in those days.

I was allowed to use G-APOA for £7 per flying hour for my own use. I was fortunate to pick up many spares runs, mainly to Great Yarmouth which gave me "free flying".

Many of the runs were on a Friday afternoon (panic day) and my first was with a float bottle actuator for Bell 212 G-BBBP. I well remember flying over the East Anglia countryside and thinking " The first flight I have not had to pay for" I was ecstatic.

One afteroon whilst working in the hangar on an S58ET build I smashed my watch on the firewall. Then I got a call to take a Wessex tail rotor gearbox to Yarmouth. How the hell was I going to fly an aeroplane without a watch and give reliable ETA's.

I had a stopwatch so I went to the "clock in/clock out" machine where we punched in/out each day and started my stopwatch and keeping a record, used it to give ETA's etc to GY and and back from Redhill. When I arrived Dave Winter met me and Dixie Newton swung the prop to get me started (no electrics or starter on G-APOA in those days)

On another weekend (at my expense) I flew to the Auster Rally at Shoreham and G-APOA built in 1958 had been in what we call today a "controlled environment" timewarp and in 1975 she only had 850 hrs on the clock. I entered the Concours class for a laugh and she won without any preparation at all. Mainly thanks to a very good engineer Brian Rhodes who now resides in Aberdeen.

She was a beauty - but difficult to land well. When one got it right the pleasure was complete. I doubt I could do it today.

When I opened the Daily Telegraph years later to see a picture of her wrecked I was heartbroken - she gave me my break into flying and will have a special place in my career.

As I sit behind my desk at Redhill with the issues of the international scene to consider, a part of me wants to return to those parsimonious but fun filled days with G-APOA.

UG

Ahhhh... Upland Goose.

Was looking at those piccies of the Auster and recalled your telling me about flying her.

Hope that the office is not cramping your style - suppose one major disadvantage is that you don't have the opportunity to " just look out to sea" when the need arises.

Keep yer head above water
Yours aye'
OH

RJAF S76s
 

Far east Driver

No the company did not keep both the sliding doors, hinged doors for the left hand side were obtained from some Tornado damaged aircraft in the states. I never understood why, as in some circumstances they would have been handy. It was all to do with flight briefing cards and passenger loading etc.
There is an interesting story concerning one of the Air Ambulances. When they were delivered a Sikorsky rep. was demonstrating the equipment to the top surgeon in Amman, when he had a heart attack. The surgeon recognized the symptoms, got him into the aircraft, had him flown to the hospital, opened him up, and saved his life.
If it had happened anywhere else, the guy would most likely have died.