Bristow Helicopters

Infobox_Airline
airline=Bristow Helicopters
logo=
logo_size=
fleet_size=332
destinations=
IATA=-
ICAO=BHL
callsign=BRISTOW
parent=The Bristow Group
founded=1953
headquarters=Aberdeen
operations base=Aberdeen Airport
hubs=
focus_cities=
key_people=
website=

Bristow Helicopters (NYSE: [http://www.nyse.com/about/listed/lcddata.html?ticker=BRS BRS] ) is a British helicopter airline based at Aberdeen Airport, Scotland.

Bristow Helicopters Ltd holds a United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority Type A Operating Licence, it is permitted to carry passengers, cargo and mail on aircraft with 20 seats or more. [ [http://www.caa.co.uk/default.aspx?catid=183&pagetype=90&pageid=340 UK CAA - Operating Licence Holders] ]

History

The company was formed in June 1953 when Alan Bristow changed the name of his company from Air Whaling Limited.

Bristow Helicopters was one of the early suppliers of offshore helicopter services in the United Kingdom, it is also a supplier of Search and Rescue services and of military helicopter pilot training support in the UK. Bristow is a JAA-approved Type Rating Training Organization and Flight Training Organization, holding CAA approvals numbered UK/TRTO - 34 and UK/FTO - 84. Bristow offers courses in JAA-Approved Type Rating, JAA-Approved Instrument Rating, JAA-Approved TRI/TRE, and the AS332 simulator.

In 1996 Bristow Helicopters was purchased by Air Logistics, an American offshore helicopter operator. The group now operates and maintains a global fleet of over 400 aircraft. In 2006 Offshore Logistics re-branded itself as 'The Bristow Group'.

The Bristow Group expanded their portfolio in April 2007 with the purchase of Helicopter Adventures, a Florida based flight school, Helicopter Adventures was subsequently renamed 'The Bristow Academy' [http://www.bristowgroup.com/pdf/Bristow_Corporate_Newsletter_May_2007.pdf] . The deal also provided the Bristow Group with the world's largest civilian fleet of Schweizer aircraft.Fact|date=September 2007

The Bristow safety vision, Target Zero [http://www.raes-hfg.com/reports/10oct07-RiskInMaintEnv/10oct07-Evans-TZero.pdf] was announced in Feb 2007 [http://www.bristowgroup.com/pdf/Bristow_Corporate_Newsletter_February_2007.pdf] . It aims to achieve Zero Accidents, Zero Harm to People and Zero Harm to the Environment. It goes beyond Safety Management Systems to involve Safety Culture & Safety Leadership [BURMAN, RICHARD & EVANS, ANDY (2008) Target Zero: A Culture of Safety, Defence Aviation Safety Centre Journal 2008, p22-27. http://www.mod.uk/NR/rdonlyres/849892B2-D6D2-4DFD-B5BD-9A4F288A9B18/0/DASCJournal2008.pdf] [EVANS, ANDY & PARKER, JOHN (2008) Beyond Safety Management Systems, AeroSafety World, May p12-17 http://www.flightsafety.org/asw/may08/asw_may08_p12-17.pdf] .

earch and Rescue

Bristow helicopters operated Sikorsky S-61N helicopters on behalf of the United Kingdom Coastguard until July 2007 after which there was a 12 month transitional period whilst CHC Helicopter took over the contract replacing the S-61N with new helicopters.

A Search and Rescue Eurocopter Super Puma is operated from Den Helder Airport in the Netherlands on behalf of oil companies

Fleet

The Bristow Helicopters fleet as at April 2007: [ [http://www.caa.co.uk/application.aspx?catid=60&pagetype=65&appid=1&mode=summary&owner=bristow&pageIndex=1 CAA Aircraft Register] ]
* 25 x Agusta Bell 206B
* 77 x L Series
* 15 x Bell 212
* 5 x Bell 214ST
* 39 x Bell 407
* 33 x Bell 412
* 1 x Bell 427
* 1 x BK-117
* 2 x BO-105
* 32 x Eurocopter AS332L
* 9 x Eurocopter EC120
* 6 x Eurocopter EC155
* 6 x Eurocopter EC225
* 12 x Sikorsky S-61
* 53 x Sikorsky S-76
* 6 x Sikorsky S-92
* 7 x Mil 8
* 10 x other
* 1 x EC-135 which will be operating from mid August 2007

In addition to the above fleet, Bristow were revealed as a launch customer for the Eurocopter EC175. The company signed initially for 12 at Heli-Expo 2008.

See also

* Whirlwind (novel) - novel inspired by the struggle of Bristow's pilots to extract themselves and their equipment from unstable Iran after the 1979 revolution.

References

External links

* [http://www.bristowgroup.com/ Bristow Group]
* [http://www.helis.com/database/go/uk_bristow_helicopters_part_of_offshore_logisitcs_group.php Bristow page] at Helicopter History site