AIRFAST photo thread
 

Just had a look through the Bristow photo thread - very impressive and nostalgic.

Are there any ex-AIRFAST/HELICOPTER UTILITIES chaps out there who would be interested in a similar thread and making a contribution? - also include AIRFAST INDONESIA.

It was a good company to work for in the early seventies, until management started to syphon off the money.

I had the pleasure of flying for HUPL from 1968 to 1974, had great fun, always paid on time & even given a bonus when I left. My photos are either 35 mm slides, b & w or colour photos.
I've no idea how to forward them but I would love to see this get off the ground.:ok:

The only one in my collection, though have contacts who may be able to provide more. Bell 205, VH-UHN, Longford, Esso Bass Strait operations.

http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m...7/SAVE0000.jpg

Nigel,
why don't you check out your local phone book for Bluetongue Helicopters at Maroochydore.

Lounging around up there is a long streak who will have a qualified opinion on everything and anything, except being a very qualified CFI that he is. He has excellent coffee and a keen sense of history.
He is also another skippy driver.

He is very handy with the computer gadget and things photographic. I am sure he could help you even though he ventured onto the scene a bit after Bryce, Buck and etc. Some say his rhetoric at the instruction level is akin to Buck's.

Another friend of mine Geoff Brown (ex Katherine) who started helicopters after that era, but was around then and is now in Perth quite (very) ill, told me just the other day that he had some old Airfast photos. The DC3 at Willeroo for one. I will try to get copies. I intend to visit with him soon.
cheers tet

Mmmmm ....

Cripes ... we'll have people wanting to start a thread featuring HeliTrans next!


:D

Spinwing,

like this one?

Mmmmm......

Mmmm ....


YEAH! .... :}

HeliTrans was a minute company compared to HUPL!:ok:

it must have been lucky to escape being owned by Airfast. maybe the only oz company that wasn't.

type HUPL or Airfast into Bing, up comes a heap of stories about some of the favourite aircraft, like the Beagle 206 for instance. Been trying to remember the name of the chief pilot F/W. Vic someone maybe?? totally revered. Used to get that thing out of the shortest strips.

other stories about the old Duke, who was a constant visitor to HUPL sites.

type helitrans into bing , and up comes some joy flight mob from the states.

i remember the demise of airfast very well. something to do with a dude named Goff, who when he came to power, inside 24 hours all mineral exploration inside OZ was shut down. 57 machines if I remember rightly, mostly 47's. Kewanee Oil (spelling?) stayed a little longer, then gave up after a week or so, and sent all of their ground machinery to their one land asset, Delamere station NT. The manager, thought it was xmas.

Now we seem to be seeing a De-ja-vu. same mob as Goff, trying to do it all over again. a mining super tax, huh? back to Canada and South Africa, amongst other places, will go the helicopters.

Hey Nigel....dont knock HELITRANS. Great little company. My first job was with them after I got out of the Navy. It was probably at its zenith as Airfast was begining its downward slide. Great days in PNG except for the 206 I creamed near Mt Wilhelm.

Manky
I said helitrans was a small company, not a bad company!! Did lose an ex navy friend in PNG though.:(

Hey , Nigel. Who was that ? Cant remember anyone taking their last flight while I was with them but of course I was only with them about 18 months so could have been before or after ?????

Dave Binnie was killed, the geo severely injured & the other pax minor injuries. A 47 appeared to lose power going over a ridge or else a downdraft & they flew into the hillside. Probably about 1970.

that explains it....well before my time up there which was 1974-75

Good to see some interest in this thread, BUT ONLY ONE PHOTO SO FAR.

Like me, most of you probably have pics of this era that are either on slides or printed photographs. I am currently searching the "archives" and getting them into digital format.

I really would like to see this thread grow with as many photos as can be found and posted.

Cheers to those who have contributed so far.

OK, I don't have a photo to post either,but I do have a fond memory from several years back of proudly wearing a t-shirt that proclaimed "I never worked for Airfast!" The fact is that an ex-airfast guy gave it to me.

PHOTOS
 

Nigel / ROF,
I was with Airfast 1970 to 72, did most of my time tugging wires and fixing busted 47s at Flight Facilities, Mascot, with occasional trips to the penal colony of Longford.

I have some shots (back in storage in Oz) of the new 205s coming out of a C130, and a few of the Longford helipad with Bell 47J2s 204s 205 and ANE.

I'll post them next month.

Jim Faulks

I just found this thread specific to Airfast. Would any of you have any information on the Airfast Bell jetranger that appeared in the 1976 pilot of "Chopper Squad"? I do not think it was the same JetRanger that appeared in the series (1978) that was VH-FHF, but I do not know. It did not have the 'Airfast livery in the series (as it did in the pilot).

http://www.classicaustraliantv.com/ChSquad/18.jpg

(TV Guide ad with Airfast )
Thanks
RSQFD

A question about Airfast regarding their inventory in 1971. They list among other aircraft 3 Bell 205's, 3 Bell 204's and one JetRanger. Now I am a retired firefighter and really do not know anything about models but didn't JetRangers come in the 204's and 205's as well as the 206's?
Just a curious thing - thanks
RSQFD

With the Greatful assistance of a PM I was able to locate a photo of an Airfast 206A
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g2...D/Airfasta.jpg
This is how it appeared in the TV series Chopper Squad with the 'Wales' masked over replaced with 'Surf'. The registry is VH-UCH.

What does the '25M' (or is it 2SM) mean?

RSQFD

Will this do? Part of an Airfast DC-3 alongside its predecessor. Seletar 1984.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b270/cumpas/DC2.jpg

What ho Jim.

2SM Sydney talkback radio station :ok:

Airfast Helicopter Photos & Articles
 

Reallyoldfart, your post seeking a thread with photos of Airfast / HUPL helicopters has pricked my interest. I am not a pilot, only a helicopter enthusiast. Like you, I would be keen to see more photos posted of the early days of commercial helicopter ops in Australia (before my time).

For those interested, the November 1971 issue of the Australian "Aircraft" magazine had a fairly extensive coverage of Airfast / HUPL with numerous photos of helicopters that made up their fleet. Airfast advertisement in that issue indicates at the time they has 104 aircraft in Australia, PNG, Fiji, Indonesia, Korea and Singapore.

Front and back cover of DCA's Aviation Safety Digest No.86 of September 1973 also showed Airfast rig support Bell 205's.

Pictures of Airfast helos also sometimes appeared in general books about Australia.

Mmmm ...

Peter .... Randy Mains is still going strong ... he just hit the magic 65 and now is a 'sim instructor' in the middle east .... he has an interesting web site up at


Randy Mains | Welcome to RandyMains.com


Cheers ;)

HeliTrans and Airfast in PNG info please
 

I am ex Digicon Exploration Limited in Western District of PNG back in the early to mid 70's.
Interested in pics etc from Kiam River, Strickland River, Lake Murray, Kiunga and Moorehead River explorations.
John Wood name rings a bell, as does, Randy Mains, Mike Adsett, Terry "Liklik" Hansen, Rex Budd and many more whose names escape me.
Alain Tierbas ?? (Frenchman).
And the pilot who collected self and one other from Efogi, Kokoda, about same time. Ill fated Kokoda Trail walk. The one other turned out to be asthmatic and suffered breathing attack. We both survived the partial walk and the airlift.
Trying to track Eddie Van Ede amongst others.
Kiam and Strickland was with Bell 47's, Lake Murray Jetrangers and alike.
Anyway, would welcome and info and pics.
Thanks

I last saw Eddie Van Ede in the Middle East about 8 yrs ago-I beleive he is now back living in Queensland somewhere.

My first sight of a Bell 205 was in 1970 when an Airfast machine landed at Masalembo, Indonesia en-route to Bandjarmisan? Borneo. I was maintaining the Bristow Whirlwind based there, around that time a 47 came through and was lost somewhere in Borneo, does someone have the story?

Hello Peter Imlay , I have pm'd you upon E V Ede. ;)

Oldlae

I recall that subject ( NUH ) Bell 47 crashed somewhere between Banjarmasin and Balikpapan, the pilot reportedly survived the crash but was killed by the Dajaks for his Rolex watch.
The moral of this story is that one better buy a 15 SGD Casio rubber strap watch ( jam karet ) and live to read the time.

Masalembo. Those were the days......

Sad to see photos of the late Keith Angel in Randy's web site. I believe Keith had a slow death from a brain tumour in Townsville many years ago now. Had a great time camping in the bush with him in the mid 60s on a gravity survey.

Hi Peter
 

Peter spoor rang me.. and said that some one was looking for me. on this site...
Yeah Still at iot 65 yrs now. and contracting for my self....
I have lot of photos to post of Airfast but not use as to how on this site, still trying to work it out
My email is [email protected]
Eddy Van Ede

Hi there.
While since I visited this site.
Any more news re Eddy Van Edde?
cheers
Peter

Hi Eddy
Sent message to Helix_log@etc
ciao
Peter

Old Timers
 

Peter Imlay, Mike Adsit worked with me in NUH in Indonesia for many years. Left in about 99, he did some odd jobs in the SEA area for a few years, now spends his time in Southern Philippines, and sometimes Thailand.

BedakSrewet
 

The story of the lost Bell 47 was folklore in NUH early days. I heard it was the watch that was the undoing of the bad guys. They were flashing it around and it attracted attention as a reward was offered to locate the aircraft.

A brand new 205A-1 was also lost on a ferry via Masalembo, ran out of gas and landed, was being towed by local fishermen (on fixed floats), one rope broke and the machine went sideways and rolled over.

Girl With MGB, And Darwin 1971.
 

Hi Eddy, You might not remember way back in 1971 you were trying to fix a very nice young ladys MGB (in Brighton Le Sands?) and I came along and said the timing was 180degrees out, and you cursed me, did you do any good?. Have not seen you since, then I went to Darwin to work on the Frelon and the S61. Anyone out there know what happened to Kurt Neilsen, the best S61 Engineer ever! ex Darwin circa 1971. Flying to the Sedco 135 and the Zaparta gas rigs in the timor sea. We also lost the S58T in Darwin harbour! Anyone remember? Contact Email- [email protected]

AIRFAST Guys,
does anyone recall an Alouette 3 which was painted in pseudo RAAF markings as A2-325 / Z-19. It was apparently used in a kids feature film in the 1970s.
I had a feeling it was an ex PNG machine with a P2- rego..
Any help gratefully received.
JJ

Chief pilot for Airfast was Steve Peck managers Bob Wilson and Frank Minji I was there till 1973

thought you wanted Photos of AirFast but when I sent them I was nock back as I had not posted enough

lester 748
Repeat what you have just posted half a dozen times and you can post pictures.