Tarman: Its been far too long since we saw you on Nostalgia! Many thanks for identifying NIAL's correct location (now amended accordingly).

PAN: Well done for your efforts. You could always call up the local scout master and find out whether the local pack would like to undertake a history project, come over and scan your archives! Perhaps the missus could bake some cakes and brew-up some tea for them while you regale the assemblage on the finer points of the UK's general aviation history! ;)

Either way, many thanks for making the effort to clarify the dates. Bravo! As you've probably read, one of TRC's former colleagues is trying to find this very article but, I am wondering, is there a way you could scan it (or at least the photo .. which should, in theory, contain a mugshot of sorts of the venerable TRC!)?

Full Circle

On the previous page I tender an apology to PPRuNer EGBJDH for ripping the photo of G-AXXD at Gloucester from his Flickr collection. The photographer's name is credited in my post but .. I do like to get the permission from the various album hosters as well if at all possible. Sometimes its not.

EGBJDH turns out to be a chap called David Haines who has a website which hosts a number of archive images from Gloucester's Staverton Airport and which contains some interesting shots which, with David's approval, we shall be showcasing on the thread over the coming weeks.

David also has a collection of images (not published on his website) and which he is willing to share with us and so we shall look forward to these also.

In the first of these images from 'Dave's collection' we look at a sister-ship to Planko's G-BBIP .. as this is probably the closest association we will achieve with this craft:

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-O...ster.co.uk.jpg
Hughes 300 (269C) G-BBIS as seen at Sywell Aerodrome on 30th June 1978 (Photo: Keith C. Wilson courtesy of David Haines)

BBIS was bought by a Mr William Peter Brierley-Jones of Nantwich, Cheshire in 1973, then in a coincidental joining-of-the-dots we see that BBIS is sold (as with AZEJ further up the page) to South Africa .. also in 1980.

I don't know to whom in South Africa AZEJ and BBIS were sold or even if they went to the same customber but .. I can tell you that in a place called Harrismith, in what was known as the Orange Free State in South Africa, was once an outfit called Kovisco (perhaps they are still around) who in the early 80's had a small fleet of Hughes 300's which were used for live deer (or Springbok) capture for use in creating their game flavoured 'biltong' products and, just maybe, these craft ended-up there!

The image from the Evening Standard.

Your starter for ten...... the crouching figure is Sergeant Potter....

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/10932568/1973AugG-AXXDcrash.jpg

And some more 'Battersea' to add to the pot.... a few taken in the skies nearby in 1980 to mark the launch of the first Bell 222 G-META.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/10932568/1980GMETALondon2.jpg

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/10932568/1980GMETALondon4.jpg

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/10932568/1980GMETALondon.jpg

and finally one taken in November at Lippitts Hill when the then Home Secretary Willie Whitelaw joined Commissioner David 'The Hammer' McNee in the launch.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/10932568/1980November3.jpg

'The Hammer'? Do not think he was a DIY man...... paper talk from Glasgow it seems.

PA News:

For acts of nostalgia, above and beyond the call of PPRuNing .. please accept this small token of appreciation from Nostalgia readers for your efforts in uncovering the details surroudning G-AXXD's swim!





.

In the late seventies our 206 pilots flying into Battersea were concerned that if they ditched in the Thames would the pop-out floats operate from the automatic switches which were supposedly salt water switches we didn't know how far the salt water went inland. One of them obtained a jar of water from the Thames (I never asked how) and we checked the switches and they operated as they should.

"Salt Water Switches" .. what on earth are they and where would they have been fitted on a 206?

I must say, I think I would rather execute a manual float inflation prior to splash down lest one be subjected to that sinking feeling!

Oldlae, by the time you joined Twyford's was AXXD still about and did they make her airworthy again because one sees that she remained on the register until 1981?

I had AXXD as lingering on the register until 1981.

Now some more...

Here is META well before its November 1980 delivery...... there is something wrong with what you are looking at.... anyone know what?

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/10932568/1979N5733H.jpg

Two others from 'up North'... trhe Heliconair Brantly B2 operation... G-ASEI i think in these....

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/10932568/Bra...Helicopter.jpg


http://dl.dropbox.com/u/10932568/BrantlyBlair.jpg

TRC
 

Sav
Yes that's TRC allright. Shock of unruly hair which he still has (unlike my good self :() And 'up to his knees' again :D - somethings never change - VFR

269 in the mud
 

Hi All,

New to the forum. I am the guy standing next to Sgt Potter in the picture of the 269 in the mud. I am also the crewman who TRC spoke to about the date.

I remember the day well because as TRC said it did become a comedy of errors including Ted Heath exiting a "green parrot" and then tripping over the flood gate lip on the pad to which a loud Whoops and laughing followed, as we though he was going to land nose down on position 7.

Oh those were the days.

1976 TV film
 

I know that there is a seperate Crewdson thread but these stills from a 1976 TV offering [aired on the BBC as far as I am aware but it was made by a now defunct production company] that has lots of period features closer to this thread.

Oddly there is no obvious reference to this on the Crewdsen thread.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/10932568/1976BBCfilm01.JPG

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/10932568/1976BBCfilm05.JPG

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/10932568/197...08Crewdson.JPG

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/10932568/197...09Crewdson.JPG

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/10932568/1976BBCfilm14.JPG

and an image not from the film [it is on 16mm and a v poor video that this was snatched from] but of the aircraft at Battersea, photographer u/k.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/10932568/1976G-BDKD.jpg

PA News.
G-META had the Helitelly mounted on the starboard side when delivered in Nov 80 and for the next 6 years that I flew it. After a couple of years the Met wanted the new smaller version but as in any government department the funds were not available of an upgrade?

PA News: Some great nostalgia, bravo! Wonderful to see John. There have been a number of mentionings about John both on this and the Alan Mann thread as well as the 'Helicopter Flying Through Tower Bridge thread' but, I don't think there is a specific 'Crewdson thread'.

You've raised another British helicopter outfit with which I was unfamiliar 'Heliconair', evidently based in Darlinton, Durham. There was a time when I believed I was aware of the vast majority of UK operators from the 70's but .. this thread has fully erased that perception! Outfits such as Oldway, Masselaz, Alec Wortley, Kestrel and Freemans of Bewdley have all 'surprised' me. I suppose there must have been numerous smaller scale companies scattered about the regions and which by virtue of their 'vernacular' operations were not so well advertised. What it does demonstrate (as was evidenced by the UK's helicopter population in the 80's) is that the UK (relatively speaking) has keenly embraced civilian rotocraft operations over many-a-decade!

KT19: A warm welcome to the Nostalgia Thread. Please feel free to narrate any additionally interesting stories you may have from your days at Battersea (and elsewhere for that matter) including, especially, any antics that TRC may have embarked upon and that he may otherwise be reluctant to admit to, lol!

Pofman: I was curious as to the 'anomaly' which PA News could be referring to but concluded that it must be 'something' to do with the Hele-Tele although I couldn't think what! Please do convey any interesting moments you may have experienced during your time with Metpol driving the 222!

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-X.../s640/METB.jpg
G-METB demonstrating her starboard accommodation of the substantial hele-tele system

More Twyfords ..

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-C...ster.co.uk.JPG
Twyford Moors Hughes 300 (269C) G-BBIW as seen at Greenham Common in June 1974 (Photo: Keith C. Wilson courtesy of David Haines)

Another Twyford's 300 (also sold abroad in the 80's) this time to the Netherlands in 1984.

On the nose Pofman.

It was decided to fit the Marconi Heli-Tele on the port [left!] side mainly because the BO105 G-BFYA was already flying with it on that side and the Alouette had also been so equipped..... but it ran into technical problems.

The massive ball was interfering with the tail rotor - likewise fitted on the same side.

Incidentally I ran into a Marconi Heli-Tele ball at ILA Berlin this year.... fitted to a DLR BO105 D-HDDP in the static and still marked up as being a Marconi although I suspect the internals bore little resemblance to the 1980 originals.

Heliconair was owned and run by the brother of actress Wendy Craig. His plans of c1963 actually invisaged an NPAS set up with a number of B2s spread across the UK. Right idea but way ahead of its time with the wrong type.

G-BDKD
 

As ever ... loved the shots of an early Enstrom. The first 28A model to have the floor mounted vertical console. 'Twas sold new circa 1974, serial circa 264 or so I recall. That really wonderful gentleman John Crewdson decided to use a few Enstroms 28As on Police work over the big city and I got the Job doing the early demonstrations for his Helicopter Hire company at Southend. It didn't last of course when someone decided the Police needed two engines and enter the B 222!

Heli Hire ended up with no less than the following Enstroms
G-BBRS ... Police duties
G-BCOT ... Ditto.
G-BDKD ... Ditto.

And later the first turbo C version. The infamous G-BENO. I seem to remember Nick Cole the Mini race down at Lydd, took a later delivery of the BDKD. He had been one of the early single seat FJs at Brands Hatch. Best wishes to all.

Dennis Kenyon.

.

Met 222 in America
 

and down
 

222 Crash: Wasn't this the one where tail rotor control was lost and they performed a run-on at Hatfield?

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-J...+Wilson%29.jpg
Bristow Hiller UH-12E G-AWME as seen at Redhill in May 1974 (Photo: Keith C. Wilson courtesy of David Haines)

This Bristow Hiller may have operated in Bremuda (or even Bermuda for that matter) and Nigeria but was eventually sold to South Africa where it became ZS-HED.

Quite what the pair of S-58's (or so they seem to be) are doing at Redhill I am not sure.


.

The Hiller was probably on the Bermudan register as did many of Bristow machines when it operated overseas. The S58's would have been destined for conversion to S58T with PT6 TwinPacs.

http://1276.beta.photobucket.com/use...dia/G-BCTX.jpg

Sav

Oldlae is correct. The S-58s (x6 or 7 of them) were purchased from the Luftwaffe and were converted to S-58ETs with a PT6 Twin Pac, Weather Radar and Decca etc. They were early Single Pilot IFR aircraft and went to Aberdeen.

I would date that picture around 1974 taken outside Hangar 5 at Redhill
http://1276.beta.photobucket.com/use...er225/library/

http://http://s1276.beta.photobucket...er225/library/

http://1276.beta.photobucket.com/use...er225/library/

http://s1276.beta.photobucket.com/us...dia/G-BCTX.jpg

http://s1276.beta.photobucket.com/us...er225/library/

Bermudan reg at Bristow
 

The Bermudan CAA had a local office in the top right hand drawer of Alistair Gordon's desk. That's where my Bermudan validation came from I'm sure.

G. :E

GINFO suggests G-METB is owned by:-

THE RECEIVER FOR THE METROPOLITAN POLICE

Did it go bust???!

Did any work actually take place in Bermuda?

I.I. .. I can't see your images for some reason!

Now that's just the sort of thing your 'Prezza' would have shielded you from .. a police force going bust, lol!

Photographer (and Nostalgia Thread reader) Steve Aubury has just emailed this additional shot of the 'Bad Kid' G-BDKD for the thread:

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-c...+Aubury%29.jpg
Helicopter Hire's Enstrom F-28A G-BDKD as seen at Elstree on 29th June 1976 (Photo: Stephen Aubury)

I'm sure we had someone on here a while back saying they were working on BDKD with a view to making her airworthy once again.

N82807 became G-BCRU with Bristows, it was destroyed in an accident on the rig Forties Charlie in 1976. AAIB.

From Malaya to Australia.
 

Here's some of my Father's photo's while in the Army with REME attached to the Army Air Corps.
They were taken in the late 1960's while his Squadron was on exercise in Australia. The ship, RFA Sir Galahad sailed down from Malaya to Rockhampton with Scout's and Sioux.
Hope you like them.
Steve

http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q...ontake-off.jpg

http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q...hslungload.jpg

http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q...edontodeck.jpg

http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q...ngunloaded.jpg

http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q...ginechange.jpg

http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q...foranengin.jpg

More Rotary Nostalgia in this Flickr set - including the Redhill shot above

Keith C Wilson General Archives - a set on Flickr

BDKD was airworthy a year or so ago in someones back yard in the North West ..... I last captured it in the grounds of the Whitefields Hotel at the end of the M45..... in 1993.... but corresponded with the last known owner in 2008. It is registered in Preston.

The Met 222 crash took place when the aircraft was practicing ILS approaches into Hatfield and the T/R failed.... just what the ILS approaches were all about! It was agreed to be Bell's fault.... a new mod they had just fitted to the 222 failed so they picked up the repair tab.

SWBKCB: Yes this is David Haines' Flickr stream and we shall be featuring several of these aircraft on the thread over the coming weeks. Much of what you see has in fact been loaded today.

PA News: I remember the incident but couldn't recall what had caused the t/r failure. One imagines it was a 'healthy' bill that Bell had to pick-up!

I do miss hearing the wonderfully distinctive Bell 'whop' over London .. and elsewhere. Seem to recall one of the 222's visiting Epsom Downs one year.

StrangeSteve: A warm welcome to Rotorheads! Many thanks for posting these wonderful images of your father's days with REME on the previous page. We have a number of ex-REME 'drivers' on PPRuNe some of whom may recall this exercise.

Great to see the Scout in action .. and indeed the 47! :ok:

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-w...5201%2520s.png

Keith Wilson's now well advertised collection of rotary-wing photos gives us an opportunity to look, in a little more detail, at those remaining 206's which constitute the very first JetRangers which operated in Britain in the late 60's and during the 70's.

Keith's images have been collated (as previously mentioned) by David Haines and come to us with goodwill from both Keith and David.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Y...ster.co.uk.JPG
Bell 206A JetRanger G-AWRI at Gloucester's Staverton Airport in October 1974 (Photo: Keith C. Wilson courtesy of David Haines)

AWRI was the 27th 206 registered in the UK and the 5th Bell example. She was bought by Air Hanson in October 1968 and sold to the Trident Television Group (which livery she wears in the above photo) in April 1972. In 1976 she was sold to a customer in France.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/--...ilson%2529.jpg
Agusta-Bell 206A JetRanger G-AWRV at Oxford's Kidlington Airport in March 1974 (Photo: Keith C. Wilson courtesy of David Haines)

AWRV was the UK's 28th 206 and was bought (presumably from Mann's) by Alexander Gilmore of Balmore, Torrance in Glasgow, also in October 1968.

The following year Gilmore sold 'RV' to Sagil Helicopters of Lynedoch Crescent, Glasgow and so, for a time, she remained a 'Celtic Ranger.'

Now I was going to have a go at 'Wiggy' for not raising this previously unheard of Sagil Helicopters .. until I realised that he did in fact mention them on page 39. Sorry Wiggy!

As mentioned back on page 39, these (below) were some of Scotland's earliest operators:

Burnthills
Fras-Air
Gleneagles
Kendall?
Kestrel
McAlpine
Peregrine
PLM
Sagil

If anyone has knowledge of any additional operators, please do chip-in.

Now that that truth is out about Hillsboro' and newspaper payments to police officers in London isn't it time someone demanded an Inquiry into the Met 222 purchase !
A more unsuitable buy at the time I couldn't imagine ,what with the noise levels and all !

I'm not sure that noise would feature, it wasn't seen as something operationally significant and certainly not socially significant - we've only got seriously prissy about noise relatively recently.

I'd have thought the vastly greater running running costs than the alternatives should have been questioned, as well as the over-long start-up times for what must have been visualised as a quick response unit - a major failing, wasn't it?

H 1 - remember the time scale. Mid 70s to date is 35 years. A lot of people here were not born then. What mid/light twins were available? Bo 105, S76, Bell 212,A 109, Dauphin or Bell 222. With an original idea to have SWAT capability the B105 was too small and the S76 and B212 too large. No room in the back of 109 and no headroom in Dauphin.
After a couple of low hovers we operated normally at 1,000ft where you could see all you needed, use the loudhailer, and generally not create too much noise-what gets people is not the DB level but the beat, and avoid the F/W passing overhead.
AB -The prime task was the major consideration above running costs. We could easily get airborne in 2 minutes as in the B105. As a work environment it was fast (150kts initially) with a beautiful ride, low vibration, manoeuvrable and quiet. I once spent 9.5 hours flying one day with no discomfort.:)
Unfortunately the LTS101 let the aircraft down.

Sav,

The name Alexander is nicknamed 'Sandy' in Scotland.

Sagil hellicopters Is probably short for Sandy Gilmore.( a local garage owner )

Lynedoch Cresc in Glasgow is an area full of accountant's offices so it's maybe just a registered office.

You couldn't land a helicopter there, that's for sure.

Hope this helps.

Tarman

Lord Hanson and Lord White
 

Good to see CB at the 222 controls - what is he doing nowadays? Probably retired.

In that last photo it looks as if the fixed wing are G-RNDY and G-PUSI and that in the middle is OO-GSM?

I may have to adjust my glasses!

Heli1: I think the rationale behind why Metpol went for such a noisy aircraft was explained on page 14 in the transcript of the conversation between the Bell Helicopter representative and the Police Commissioner (and from which post I PPRuNed the 222 shots above!).

Pofman: We mentioned the t/r failure and subsequent crash at Hatfield. Do you recall which t/r component had failed?

Tarman: That is an excellent piece of deduction! Makes sense when you look at it with that understanding. "The name Alexander is nicknamed 'Sandy' in Scotland." Yes well, the British and their nicknames! ;)

Shane: That is a great clipping - and what a 'force' Gordon White and James Hanson would become in the years following this photo!

The caption states that the picture was taken in 1968 and my assumption is that it was taken at the end of the year (possibly December). Reason being .. the craft we can see with a company logo emblazoned on the fuselage is one of the David Brown JetRangers:

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-N...D%2520logo.png

David Brown purchased their first 206 in August 1968 (the ubiquitous G-AWOL). The other 206 in the frame appears to wear a similar colour scheme and so I imagine this to be DB's second 206 which they purchased in November of the same year .. G-AWUC. Both AWOL and AWUC have featured on this thread but never wearing 'shorts' in red livery with the David Brown emblem so, this is a welcome image indeed, bravo! :D

Supplebottom: I think the aircraft in the middle is actually OO-TSM but .. close enough!

Met 222 went to the Algarve
 

After retirement if my memory serves me correctly, they eventually ended up with Omni in Portugal.

My old company Rotortech Ltd when it was under Bond in the 80s did some mod / design work on the Heli-Tele for the Met 222.

Cheers

The fault that had caused the original failure of the tail rotor drive was traced to the fatigue failure of an aluminium alloy spigot incorporated in the yaw control linkage of the tail rotor system, immediately to the rear of the engine bay. Following the fracture of the part the tail rotor became disconnected from the rudder pedals, thereby depriving the pilot of control and depriving the t/r of thrust. The drive to the rotating blade was unaffected, it was just turning ineffectually. In the crash the blades had suffered no obvious damage.

The part involved in the failure had recently been replaced under a Bell modification scheme. In the light of the AAIB findings the manufacturer accepted that the cause lay with their modification and agreed to fund and undertake the complete repair and refurbishment of the 222. Accordingly it was shipped across the Atlantic and rebuilt during 1985 and 1986.

Not quite what it says in the AAIB report but close.

PA News: Many thanks for this background info, much appreciated. It has filled a 'historical hole' for me!


https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-o...5201%2520s.png

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-g...+Haines%29.jpg
Hughes 500C (369HS) G-AXPL (location as yet unidentified) as seen in April of 1974 (Photo: Keith C. Wilson courtesy of David Haines)

G-AXPL began life with Air Gregory at Denham in 1969. Then in 1970 she was sold to a Michael Pearson (The Hon.) aka the 4th Viscount Cowdray (he of Cowdray Park Polo Club). From the Cowdray estate she was registered to Bardsey Management of London in 1973 and then two years later was shipped-off to Australia where she became VH-PMY.

I should like to appreciate the significance of the 'HS' designation which follows the numerical designation '369' on this craft's registration document for those au fait with all things Hughes!

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-M...+Haines%29.jpg
Hughes 500D (369D) G-BFAY at seen at Cranfield on 6th September 1979 (Photo: Keith C. Wilson courtesy of David Haines)

This craft was bought by Sloane Aviation in October 1977 and remained with them until moving to Yewlands Engineering of Ilford in Essex in 1981. She was only with Yewlands for three months before being returned to the US where she evidently became N29707.

Mmmmm ....

I can actually remember when G-AXPL arrived in Melbourne ... I was then part of the engineering crew at Vowell Air Services (later to become 'Helicopter Resources') involved in the strip and rebuild for its CoA ...

IIRC one of our senior engineers got an all expenses trip to UK to do the prior purchase 'due diligence' (I think it was Kevin Gibson) on the machine ...

Anyway turned out to be a pretty good machine ... flew nicely and I seen to think it did a few trips to the Antarctic ?? ...

:D