Aintree Helicopters GND Saturday 10.4.10

[viscount]

GRAND NATIONAL DAY, AINTREE RACECOURSE HELI-PAD, SATURDAY 10th APRIL 2010, 0900-1300

Thanks to information on this forum, I made my way to a field outside the Aintree chain link fence (adjacent to Becher's Brook Jump) accessed from Trans Pennine Trail LDP.

Met up with ian531, negativeG, parfluer, PlanetAircraft, trijet, a guest user from Manchester and a guy from Derby who doesn't have internet access so had spent an hour walking around trying to find a viewing point.

Watched by Security and Police at times, but once they realised that our business posed no threat, left us alone. So too, for most of the time, did the local kids and dogs!

I was there 0900 until 1300 hours. Every movement descending immediately in front of where we were standing, although the actual landing area was just out of sight to the left, largely hidden behind a hedge. Sun from behind made photography with a 250-300mm lens on a digital SLR a doodle bar the occasional reflective flare.

A number of helicopters involved in a shuttles from various points, so called more than once. All helicopters used call-signs, nearly all of which were noted. Listed in sequence of their first appearance.

Regn. Type. Call-sign. land-depart. comment

M-YHOP A.109, Agusta 06, 0934-0936, 0950-0953, 1014-1015, 1046-1048, 1111-1113, 1144 & parked
G-GTJM EC-120, Euro 14, 0945-0947, 1000-1003, 1038-1040, 1051-1101, 1116-1119.
G-SPVK Squirrel, Squirrel 24, 0956-0957, 1058 & parked
G-MGAN Robinson R.44, Robbie 49, 1023-1025, 1100-1102, 1154-1156, 1246 & parked (may have called Redhead 49 on initial visit)
G-PIXX Robinson R.44, Robbie 40 o/h 1026-1033, landed 1121-1223, o/h 1223-1235, landed 1235 - to be tv photo ship during races.
G-XMII EC-135T, Police 24, o/h 1033-1039, landed 1039-1042, o/h 1042-1046.
G-MDPI A.109, Agusta 01, 1043-1045 to Wrexham, 1117 & parked
M-ONTY S-76, Sky 51, 1118 parked
G-SAMP A.109, Agusta 03, 1125 parked (Titan Airways scheme)
G-XOIL Squirrel, Squirrel 30, 1128 & parked
G-GOWF EC-135, Redhead 98, 1129 & parked (Bond Helicopters titles)
G-TOYZ Jet Ranger, ........... 27, 1134 & parked
G-PLAL EC-135T, Euro 15, 1139 & parked
G-DFOX Squirrel, Squirrel 26, 1142-1146. (to return around 1800 hours)
G-PIDG Robinson R.44, Robbie 44, 1152 & parked
G-CGRI A.109S, Agusta 02, 1155 & parked
G-PFOX Robinson R.44, Robbie 45, 1213 & parked
G-DCSG Robinson R.44, Robbie 48, 1218 & parked
G-IOOZ A.109, Agusta 18, 1222 & parked
G-FUFU A.109, Agusta 17, 1232 & parked
G-CEYF EC-135T, Euro 08, 1233 & parked
EI-LAD Robinson R.44, Robbie 42, 1234-1236, 1254-1256, 1305 & parked (informed by ground he was last one in)
G-CFCM Robinson R.44, Robbie 47, 1241 & parked

That should make a total of 23 different helicopters, and 40 landings in total. Liked the use of type in the call-sign, much improved on every helicopter calling 'Jockey .. '. Really don't know why I've never gone before. Although a little disappointed at the numbers (I thought there maybe more given the perfect weather) I'll be back at the fence in a years time!

Also noted Easyet A.319 G-EZNM at 0950, Eastern Jetstream 41 at 0912 and a Fokker 70 at 1105 inbound LJLA plus a Virgin B.747 i/b M/cr.

Beautiful warm, calm sunny weather .... has summer arrived?....is today the summer? Was it last year or the year before, that I froze to the bone in blowing sleet on the 27 mound on GND?

[ian531]

A few pictures of the helicopter's to illustrate Viscounts excellent account
It was great to meet a few people from the forum, very good to finally meet Viscount and had a great chat with negativeG back at Liverpool.

M-YHOP


G-GTJM


G-SPVK


G-MGAN


G-XMII


G-MDPI


M-ONTY


One in (G-PIXX) and one out (G-GTJM)


G-PIXX


G-SAMP


G-XOIL


G-GOWF


G-TOYZ


G-PLAL


G-DFOX


M-YHOP


G-PIDG


G-CGRI


G-PFOX


G-DCSG


G-IOOZ


G-FUFU


G-CEYF


EI-LAD


G-CFCM

[Deleted]

Great report and great pictures- due to you hard work, I was able to make a few tie-ups for helicopter call signs and colour schemes etc I saw today. Thanks a lot.

Happy Days

Bob

[CloudWarrior]

Great report and pictures ;D
Inbetween all the spotting and 'graphing did anyone actually have a bet??

[jetjockey]

Another view of M=YHOP seen over Wigan this morning probably on a shuttle.

jj

Attachments:

[Biggles]

Talking of having a bet, on TV one guy put £5000 on to win, he returned £85,000 not bad, if you have that sort of cash to waste and are brave or stupid enough.

[Barfluer]

It was nice to meet up with other members
of the forum today,andto put faces to names.
Here are a few more of todays helicopters,
from a different angle.

[viscount]

Interesting set of pictures. I note that Agusta A.109 Grand G-NEBO features, this was not one that visited Aintree during the morning.

[Alan C]

Not much to add to the excellent logs and images posted from today. Good to put faces to names today. This shot is a bit different with Virgin 747 G-VROY descending into MAN



The rest of my images from today can be seen at

www.planetaircraft.fotopic.net/c1835929.html

[Deleted]

Thanks to all who have contributed to the Aintree helicopters thread. This info has been pretty scant in previous years , but you have excelled yourselves this year with in-depth data and excellent photographs.


Cheers,

Dave

[urgentemente]

Some excellent photos there, I live not far (as the crow flies) from Aintree and was watching out of the bedroom window from around 09:00 till lunchtime/13:00 ish when it quietened down prior to the races starting. Nice to see some really clear shots of them as it was slightly hazy from my viewpoint.
Did anyone see/hear the controller tell one of the pilots about a puff of dark smoke as he came into hover, I think it was one of the squirrels but can't remember now. I'd spotted it as he was approaching, but he told the controller it was normal for those engines.
I really wish I'd walked around to the bottom of Bechers now,almost did at one point ..

[viscount]

The puff of smoke on transition to a hover was reported to an EC.135.

Did you hear one of the multiple visiting Robinson's being asked by the Controller if a passenger had the tickets, as the ladies dropped earlier could not enter the Race Course unless they had valid tickets.

Listening to the airband, and watching the proceedings, it was clear that the Controller and ground crew were running an extremely smooth and efficient operation.

Urgentemente, you should have come out and joined us. Unless the weather is foul for GND '11, I would imagine that after all the reports and photos this year, that there will be even more of us watching adjacent to Becher's next year.

[cdhaslam]

Hi .. Only different on departures were a pair of A 109's... G-ONEL and G-NEBO.


chris

[urgentemente]

Thanks for the correction Viscount, I'd seen so many go past I forgot which one it was, not that they look anything alike!
I must have missed the question about the tickets, tho I caught the tail end of a conversation between control and an pilot with an irish accent saying "well, they'll just have to wait, not my problem".. hehe

Quite agree regards the operation, it was really easy to listen to and certainly sounded like it was going smoothly, all the way from approach to parking up and/or outbound trips again, especially earlier in the morning with the multiple runs some were making . Plenty of " see you in 30 minutes" type exchanges.

Really kicking myself that I didn't come round now, could have been there in 20 mins on foot. I marshall for liverpool motor club's sprints and trackday so I'm used to being on the course/track itself, and know where you mean at Bechers. (watching the race on TV I spend as much time picking out the places I've stood at as I do watching the horses)