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Post by xbaggy on Jan 2, 2011 17:55:24 GMT 12
The latest interest in rotary wing aircraft, has motivated me to post some pictures, of probably, the heyday of these machines. Apologies if there are existing threads and I realize that Helicopters do not appeal to all Forum members. My pictures are mainly based round Whirlwide Helicopters, whom I worked for, but I know that there were a lot of other operators in the 1970 to 80's, so I would love to see some posts. To start the ball rolling Whirlwide's basic trainer, ex military TH55A, or 269A instructor Ex US military Dale Berry. My scariest moment was one lunch time, when my workmate and myself stripped it of all unnecessary gear and took it to 12349 ft (height of mount Cook) above Timaru airport with a forward airspeed of about 10 kts. Hughes 300 ZK-HFM belonging to Peter Loyd based at Timaru 1974. Dale Berry was helicopter rating Gary Cruikshank and Norm Kensington, both aviation identities.
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Post by xbaggy on Jan 2, 2011 18:34:58 GMT 12
My last job in the RNZAF at 1RD was rebuilding, I think , Sioux 03 after a heavy landing at Hobby. My first job in civvy street was rebuilding 47-G4 HBD for Whirlwide. HBD after 1200 hrs and repaint.
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Post by ZacYates on Jan 2, 2011 18:46:09 GMT 12
This will be a wonderful thread, I feel! It is a pleasure to have someone so closely involved with this period in history posting his photos and memories. Keep it all coming!
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Post by xbaggy on Jan 2, 2011 18:54:19 GMT 12
Thanks Zac. At one stage we had 5 or 6 Hiller 12E's on ag work, which i would pick as the rotary version of the Fletcher. Then we put turbine conversions in them. Now where have I heard that story before
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Post by woody99 on Jan 2, 2011 19:05:41 GMT 12
I think HBD was working out of Opotiki in HNZ colours in the late '70s? Or was it DB..
Anyone got a shot of Bell 47G ZK-HFO in Wishart colours?
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Post by corsair67 on Jan 2, 2011 19:12:24 GMT 12
Love these 'old' images from the 70s and 80s.
The Hiller UH-12 certainly was a workhorse, and I recall seeing one in action for he first time at Ashley Forest in about 1981 or 82, while it was giving a spraying demo during a NZFS open day.
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Post by xbaggy on Jan 2, 2011 19:16:00 GMT 12
Hi Woody, pretty sure it would be HDB. Neville Cox was based at Geraldine flying for HNZ with it at one stage. HFO with Wisharts must have been in the real early days of the company.
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Post by woody99 on Jan 2, 2011 21:16:48 GMT 12
Yep was probably DB! Larry Bennett flew it and if my memory serves me correctly, he used to keep it on an island in the Ohiwa Harbour and row out to it from Ohope.
Bernard Svenson flew HFO out of Whakatane during the late '70s and another 47 was based at Rotorua. Bernard took me for my first ever chopper ride in HFO at WK. HFO was replaced with a 12E, HJW when Whirl Wide took over Wisharts.
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lurker
Pilot Officer
Posts: 48
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Post by lurker on Jan 3, 2011 12:31:54 GMT 12
Whirlwide Helicopters or Whirlwide Aviation? Frank Mettner ring a bell?
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Post by xbaggy on Jan 3, 2011 16:44:34 GMT 12
Whirlwide Helicopters based in Timaru. Mel Cain, an american was one of the original instigators of the company before being taken over by Tim Wallis in about 1976. Frank Mettner does ring a faint bell but cannot quite place the name.
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Post by xbaggy on Jan 3, 2011 18:36:00 GMT 12
Norm Kensington in HHJ. Norm started as an engineer/ loader/CPL fixed wing for the company. Excellent Tig welder and fabricated a lot of the early spray grear. Obtained his helicopter rating and was Timaru based for a number of years. Hamilton based forum members might know him as a partner in forming Central Air Engineering at Hamilton Airport in recent years The trials and tribulations of setting up spray gear to a new model to the fleet. From left to right, then Chief Engineer Keith Mitchell, CPL with helicopter rating,later with links to Pioneer aviation and CAA. Next Ken Kingsbury, Ashburton based flying Bell 47 HBD and later 206B HKD. Ex RAF flying Wessex, Whirlwinds, Brantleys and a stint with the Royal Navy flying Wasps amongst other machines. Paul Rickards, Australian, engineer, with CPL and helicopter rating. Then the late Des McCambridge then Whirlwide operations manager. Des served in the RNZAF after WW2 and I think did did a stint overseas. He was an instructor with the Territorials for a number of years on Harvards and Mustangs. Top dressed in the infancy of ag aviation in Tiger Moths and Austers and at one stage was CFI of the South Canterbury Aero Club. Chuck trying to figure out why there was no output from the spray boom
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Post by Deane B on Jan 3, 2011 18:37:44 GMT 12
I agree - great pics, from a golden era of Helos in NZ. I loved the Hillers, there was something about the sound and shape that help appeal to me, almost more that the Bell 47's. I remember Wanganui Aero Work had one and at an airshow at Hawera (where I grew up) you could go for rides for something like $15. Well beyond my pocket money back then !!
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lurker
Pilot Officer
Posts: 48
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Post by lurker on Jan 3, 2011 18:40:48 GMT 12
Frank Mettner was an American, probably of Korean war vintage I'm guessing. Operated in the Poverty Bay/ Bay of Plenty region as, I think, Whirlwide Aviation. Machine(s?) were something like BD I'd guess. Far as I know they/it were all referred to as 'Bell'. Talking late 50's early 60's. Machine was often trailered around behind a big Ford ute. He got quite a reputation thru the region for completing difficult jobs, SAR and the likes. Think he eventually, unfortunately, had a prang that ended it all.
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Post by furyfb11 on Jan 9, 2011 8:56:37 GMT 12
Another veteran type but still on the civil register is Sikorsky S-55B ZK-HSB seen here at an ag reunion at Feilding 28/5/94. It had also displayed at Wanaka the previous month.
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Post by kiwithrottlejockey on Jan 9, 2011 13:36:35 GMT 12
My earliest memories of a helicopter are from when I was a wee nipper before I started school (that occured in February 1959) so it would most likely have been sometime in 1958 when I was four years old. There was a helicopter spraying an orchard on the outskirts of Hastings one day. I can distinctly remember it because helicopters were so rare back then. It may possibly have been a Bell 47, perhaps operated by Rudnick Helicopters?
I can also vaguely remember Father Christmas arriving at Hastings by helicopter when I was a wee nipper. It may have been at Civic Square in Hastings, although I'm not 100% sure about that.
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Post by chewy on Jan 9, 2011 13:51:43 GMT 12
I remember seeing the Sikorsky refuelling at fielding and the large oil puddle it left behind from the radial engine.
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Post by Bruce on Jan 9, 2011 19:44:07 GMT 12
I remember the Sikorsky landing at Hamilton to refuel from the old Aero Club Avgas pumps. As the blades slowed down your could hear "ping, ping, ping" - the blades had drooped on to the vent stand pipe. Had to be taken to the Aeromotive hangar to assess the blade damage, but it wasnt serious and flew out the next day.
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Post by frankmettner on Jan 26, 2011 15:17:34 GMT 12
The latest interest in rotary wing aircraft, has motivated me to post some pictures, of probably, the heyday of these machines. Apologies if there are existing threads and I realize that Helicopters do not appeal to all Forum members. My pictures are mainly based round Whirlwide Helicopters, whom I worked for, but I know that there were a lot of other operators in the 1970 to 80's, so I would love to see some posts. To start the ball rolling Whirlwide's basic trainer, ex military TH55A, or 269A instructor Ex US military Dale Berry. My scariest moment was one lunch time, when my workmate and myself stripped it of all unnecessary gear and took it to 12349 ft (height of mount Cook) above Timaru airport with a forward airspeed of about 10 kts. Hughes 300 ZK-HFM belonging to Peter Loyd based at Timaru 1974. Dale Berry was helicopter rating Gary Cruikshank and Norm Kensington, both aviation identities.
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Post by frankmettner on Jan 26, 2011 15:42:34 GMT 12
Hi there, First off it was whirlewide aviation ltd, my dad bought the company out from the states in october of '63 the rest of us followed with mum in december. in 'late '66 early '67 he bought the company. The machines he operated were hiller 12e and not bell's, he flew them in the states. He was a mash pilot for the U.S army, using the very early model with the fuel tank across the top of the engine in the air devision in the Korean war based in Germany for approx 1 1/2 years. he then went and installed the D.E.W.S (distant early warning system) in northern Alaska, then to northern california to work for wirlewide, they had bell's there, then to southern california and set up Mettner helicopters using a hiller 12a, he worked extending pipe lines out into the pacific for the city of L.A. landing on barges, he was then hired to teach airforce pilots how to land on aircraft carriers and other moving platforms. The owners of whirlewide asked if he would come to nz for a 2 year contract to set it up. In this country he never towed the helicopters around on trailer as it was just to wild and the roads weren't very good back then, he did that in the U.S and I have film of his work here,germany and in alaska. I showed the film to the nz airforce when they were in gisborne some years ago and the next day the pilot of one of the bell's flew straight into the power line that she saw on the film that dad put up in the waioeka gorge...... maybe I shouldn't have shown her but thank god she is alright. One of his "tricks" when he use to crop dust in the states was to take the top half of the bubble off, god osh would have a field day with the stuff he use to to. He had a man named Peter Stevens from Canada working for him in NZ but left around the time dad died in '68, if anyone knows this man I would love to say hi to him, he would be about 80 now.
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Post by furyfb11 on Mar 6, 2011 16:05:37 GMT 12
Imported in June 1965 Bell 47G-2A ZK-HAW is seen here at Palmerston North in November 1965. It crashed at Murchison May 1968
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