A True Gentelman's Support

By HFL Founder & Managing Director, Horst Lentge.

Sales do sometimes happen unexpectedly, the following story actually happened and is told without too many embellishments!

A call came to our Wood Green office and a rather distinguished gentleman wanted to know where he could see our brand new 6KW high-speed generator. I told him that while HFL's office was in London, the factory was on the Isle of Wight, without even pausing he advised me that his pilot would telephone and let me know the nearest heliport to HFL.

Half an hour later the helicopter picked me up from Cockfosters. After flying across London to Battersea Heliport we picked up Mr Molins, owner of the famous yacht "Blue Leopard" and went by air to the Isle of Wight. On the way we discussed HFL's experiments with gas turbine generators, Mr Molins being interested in the potential weight savings. All too soon we were approaching Wootton Creek, where I was asked to give instructions where to land.

I had never seen Wootten Creek from the air, relying on my colleague Ron, an Australian ex-fighter pilot, to guide us in to a hard landing surface. My sinking feeling at watching a beautifully dressed and extremely dapper Mr Molins stepping out of his helicopter into 4" of mud could only be matched at the time by my thoughts that it was my turn next.

The demonstration of the gas-turbine was not particularly convincing, one of those projects ahead of it's time! However, when you consider we were sharing the unit with a certain Richard Noble, future holder of the land speed record, you will understand why some of our ideas were far reaching. However 6KW Gemini generator started instantly and Mr Molins placed his order with a request for a cup of tea. Having discovered a lack of milk and despatched Ron off to purchase some, I was greeted by the view of Mr Molins marching up and down the factory, particularly remarking on the array of wonderfully green plants. The early return of the helicopter curtailed the visit, with me declining his invitation to join him back on his flight to London from pure embarrassment.

Spending the rest of the day in the factory, by pure coincidence, I came across a small booklet which was called "How to grow your own wheat". It suddenly dawned on me that the green plants were not flowers and that Nick, a young man who was subsequently found to be a regular resident or Parkhurst Prison, must have misheard the request from London to "keep the factory clean" with the words "keep the factory green" - you can guess the rest.

Mr Molins became an HFL generator owner and one of our most distinguished customers, purchasing several generators and airconditioners over a period of 15 years until he sadly died. After his death, the yacht changed hands but the new owners, much to my delight, kept the generators despite an extensive refit.