John (The Civilian Years) |
| In 1979, after leaving the Army, my first job in "Civvy Street" was with British Airways Helicopters. After training on the Sikorsky S61N helicopter I worked from Sumburgh, in the Shetland Islands, flying to the oil fields in the North Sea, about 100-130 miles to the north east. Shetland must be one of the few places on earth were you can get horizontal rain and 70 mph fog! |
| |
| In 1983 the oil industry took a downturn in the United Kingdom and I took voluntary severance from British Airways. By this time, due to exposure to the elements in Shetland, my normally curly hair was now straight and the brownish colour of my skin was not sun tan but rust! I moved on to Abu Dhabi Helicopters in the United Arab Emirates. This again was oil support to the main oilfields in the Persian Gulf....sorry Arabian Gulf. Here I flew the Bell 206 and the Bell 212, but mainly the 212. I worked an eight weeks on and four weeks off pattern allowing me to get home and see what my wife was doing with all my hard earned money! |
 |
 |
| In 1988 I decided that it was time for another move, by now the rust had disappeared and was replaced with a suntan. I returned to the North Sea flying for Bond Helicopters. This was an offshore based aircraft, the Dauphin SA 365n, based on the ESV Iolair in the Forties Oilfield.Here our job was in-field shuttling and search and rescue. I was now working week on week off which actually worked out at 8 days on and six days off. I thought that I would see my days in commercial flying out in this job.......not to be! The goal posts changed in the middle of the game and I moved on!! |
 |
 |
| The end of 1992 found me on my way to Nigeria. This time flying for a subsidary of a Dutch company, Schreiner Airways. The subsidary was Areo Contractors of Nigeria, who had both fixed wing operating from Lagos, and the helicopter division operating from Port Harcourt, again mainly for the oil industry. The helicopters operated were the SA365c, SA365n (and N2) and the SA355f. Again I was working an eight week on and four weeks off cycle as the Operations Manager. I remained there until 1995 when, after three years, I hung up my headset and retired, kicked off my shoes and went back to my home town of Edinburgh, in "Bonnie Scotland". I now spend some of my time walking around this beautiful country! |
 |
