WPD Helicopter Unit Power line Inspection Video

[CharlieOneSix]

Just found this video about the work of the Western Power Distribution Helicopter Unit based in Bristol. How times change! 50 years ago this July I joined the Unit - then known as the South Western Electricity Board Helicopter Unit - and flew for them for 5 years. We had two Bell 47J2's and one JetRanger helicopter, the former being piston engined, the latter turbine powered.

Now they have twin engine, IFR machines. So pleased to see they are still going strong. 3500 hours per annum with 5 helicopters is not bad for that type of operation. It was a great job way back then - 3 pilots, 3 Observers and 3 Engineers and it was basically an ex-Fleet Air Arm flying club working only Mon-Fri .....and no damn passengers to worry about!!



...and what we used to have in my day...

LR-Redruth.jpg (83.97 KiB) Viewed 458 times

GASNV, PBA Flight Severn Estuary.jpg (50.18 KiB) Viewed 457 times

and with a young C16 about to get in...

YX-1968.jpg (53.71 KiB) Viewed 458 times

[Boac]

Grief - I had a trip with a SWEB heli many years back out of Chivenor, probably 70's, when I was on a Hunter course. Cannot recall much but great fun - pilot may have been 'Ray' or similar? Think it was a turbine Ranger.

[CharlieOneSix]

Yes, when we were working the North Devon area we used to base ourselves with 22 Squadron at Chivenor and lived in the Officers' Mess. 'Ray' would have been our Observer, Ray Parker, who sadly died of a heart attack about 12 years ago. That's him behind me in the b/w photo of the JetRanger so that would have been the one you flew in as we only had one. Well, well, I wonder whether you flew with me Boac - we often took people up with us. I was with SWEB from '68 to '73 so it could fit.

Incidentally, the photo of the 47J2 with me in the US Navy orange flying suit - on our way back to Lulsgate one day we landed on a rarely seen bit of land in the Severn Estuary as we'd been told there were cannon balls there so we thought we'd get one. Ray got out to look but none found!

[Boac]

That would be an amazing 'meet again', C16! T'would have been '70, and I recall 'arranging' the trip - where-else, but in the bar at Chiv. Happy memories.

[CharlieOneSix]

Boac - a quick trawl through the logbook for 1970 shows I was at Chivenor for the last two weeks of September and the first two weeks of October....but it was with the piston engined Bell 47J2. I was only there in the turbine powered JetRanger on 22/10 for a refuel during a day trip from Lulsgate so it wouldn't have been that one. Looks like it was someone else who flew you!

On reflection though, the usual steed for detachments was the very slow Bell 47 - very annoying when motorway traffic was sometimes going faster than our groundspeed - and the JetRanger was used for the longer range day trips from our home base at Lulsgate due to its higher enroute cruise speed...so maybe it was the 47 you flew in?

It was great being able to base ourselves at military airfields and stay in the Officers' Mess - as well as Chivenor we did that at St. Mawgan and Ternhill plus the Wardrooms at Culdrose and Brawdy (it was still RN then). As you say, happy memories!

[Boac]

Would have been June-Dec '70. Just goes to show how small the world of Aviation can be!

[om15]

C16, just noticed this thread in passing, does G-BEWY ring a bell? possibly the oldest Jetranger still flying, built in 1969 I think, ex WPD and now with Polo Aviation at Congresbury, they also now operate G-MFMF, photography work, spraying, flying VIPs into Glastonbury and so on, the former Chief Engineer at WPD worked for Polo during the same time that I worked for them.

[CharlieOneSix]

G-BEWY was after my time with SWEB (WPD). SWEB registered G-AVYX, an Agusta Bell JetRanger, serial 8025, on 28 November 1967. I did my conversion to her in July 68 when I joined them and it was still there when I left them in 1973. Yankee Xray appears to still be flying in Australia as VH-EXE according to the CASA database. The operator is Brunswick Valley Coach and Travel PTY Ltd in New South Wales. Amazing to think she is still going strong after 51 years!

I have a time-ex tail rotor from YX adorning the space above my workshop door!

[om15]

She is older than G-BEWY, I have just looked on G-INFO, G-BEWY s/n 348 was built in 1969 and had accrued 20,995 hours when declared on 31/12/2014. The aircraft is on a major overhaul at the moment with structural repairs due to corrosion, when finished will be good for another few years.
I had several trips in BEWY, being a fixed wing spanner I thought it was great and thoroughly enjoyed them.