Ronnie White worked on the build line for the EH101

It was just busy, everything was frantic, there was something going on all the time. It was full scale – 40 naval and 20 RAF helicopters to build. It was extremely busy and a very nice place to work as well. They had to take on a lot of ex-naval staff to try and cope with the build programme. I started off drilling and riveting down on stage one and then they moved me on up to stage 2 and 5 as it goes up through the aircraft. They start off with just the cabin and then they add the nose and the tail as you go up through the various sections. All the electrics go in before it goes out into the flight shed and all the blades get put on. You see the helicopter growing all the way up through the build line from stage one to stage five.

Every one of those 101’s then you’d have had a hand in it would you?

No, I didn’t start until number 22, I believe, and there were 44 to build. I would have done various things on them, a few rivets here and some other bits there and putting on mods and various other parts of the aircraft. I was just part of the team basically, probably about six fitters on an aircraft.

Did everybody get on well together; was it a good atmosphere?

Very good, yes. I’ve never known any animosity anywhere within the department. You might get some characters fall out because they just don’t get on together but that’s part of life isn’t it.