Flying the Pacific with BCPA
The interior structure surrounding one of the blanked-off bunk windows in the former VH-BPG.
Last edited by Fris B. Fairing; 25th Feb 2023 at 21:09. Reason: New link to image
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Flying the Pacific with BCPA
This is a postcard I picked up in Fiji whilst on my way from Christmas Island, Pacific to Australia in 1958 flying on leave from the atom tests there in a Hastings aircraft to visit my relatives. 
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I used to know one of the hosties in the photos
The late mother of an old friend in Sydney is one of the air hostesses in these photos. She is the one in the galley in the first cabin photo and the one with her back to the camera leaning over the passenger in the second cabin photo.
She was in the first intake taken on by the airline and was later transferred onto the TEAL flying boats. She passed away in 2010 in Auckland.
Her daughter was delighted to see the photos, thanks for posting them.
She was in the first intake taken on by the airline and was later transferred onto the TEAL flying boats. She passed away in 2010 in Auckland.
Her daughter was delighted to see the photos, thanks for posting them.
BCPA crash of the DC6 The "Resolution"...
sadly one of the a/c crashed at SFO inbound from HNL its last leg
report
BCPA Flight 304 accident investigation report - Wikisource, the free online library
photos and articles on the crash
BCPA Flight 304
http://flightoftheresolution.org/index.html
a famous pianist was amongst the pax killed william kapell.
After the crash, BCPA ran into financial difficulties and was liquidated in May of 1954. BCPA's remaining three DC-6 aircrafts were sold to TEAL (now Air New Zealand) and its trans-Pacific route was taken over by Qantas.
(called the southern cross route)
Today, the crash site is part of the "El Corte de Madera Creek Open Space Preserve", which now includes the "Resolution Trail", named for the plane. Debris from the plane can still be seen beside this trail.
some more archive material of the airline and a push to save BRITISH COMMONWEALTH PACIFIC AIRLINES
DOUGLAS DC-6 VH-BPG named Adventure by the Q.A.M
C/N 43127
QUEENSLAND AIR MUSEUM - DOUGLAS DC-6 VH-BPG
report
BCPA Flight 304 accident investigation report - Wikisource, the free online library
photos and articles on the crash
BCPA Flight 304
http://flightoftheresolution.org/index.html
a famous pianist was amongst the pax killed william kapell.
After the crash, BCPA ran into financial difficulties and was liquidated in May of 1954. BCPA's remaining three DC-6 aircrafts were sold to TEAL (now Air New Zealand) and its trans-Pacific route was taken over by Qantas.
(called the southern cross route)
Today, the crash site is part of the "El Corte de Madera Creek Open Space Preserve", which now includes the "Resolution Trail", named for the plane. Debris from the plane can still be seen beside this trail.
some more archive material of the airline and a push to save BRITISH COMMONWEALTH PACIFIC AIRLINES
DOUGLAS DC-6 VH-BPG named Adventure by the Q.A.M
C/N 43127
QUEENSLAND AIR MUSEUM - DOUGLAS DC-6 VH-BPG
Last edited by rog747; 9th Mar 2015 at 14:08.
a super thread!
No-one seems to mention the ticket prices...................
To fly back then was the domain of Hollywood stars and Directors, Diplomats, and the very rich.
Liner voyage sea travel was the 'norm' for most folk, who usually had to book far ahead to secure a passage and get berths on their trip out, or to go back home...
There were many shipping lines plying from Australia and New Zealand via the South Sea Islands, across the Pacific to the USA; and onward via Panama and the Tropics to 'Blighty'.
Liner voyage sea travel was the 'norm' for most folk, who usually had to book far ahead to secure a passage and get berths on their trip out, or to go back home...
There were many shipping lines plying from Australia and New Zealand via the South Sea Islands, across the Pacific to the USA; and onward via Panama and the Tropics to 'Blighty'.
When TEAL replaced the DC6’s with Lockheed L188C Electra’s the DC6’s were transferred to the RNZAF. In the early 1960’s the RNZAF disposed of 2 however I got to work on the R2800’s in the TEAL engine shop and eventually the remaining aircraft itself as TEAL/Air NZ did all the maintenance checks for the RNZAF. I spent several hours in the F/O’s seat with the clipboard writing down the run-up engineer’s numbers as he called them out. Much more fun than jet aircraft. When the RNZAF finally disposed of it, I finally got to start up the engines several times while it was being prepared for delivery. Good fun, all clean starts, no backfires! A couple of years later when working in Asia I saw a vaguely familiar old DC6 in Royal Air Lao colours outside our hangar one night shift (I think I recognized the dents in the engine cowls etc). On closer inspection all the emergency equipment, engine fire bottles etc. still had the old Air New Zealand tags installed. I don’t recall ever seeing it again.
Another point I just noticed, in the photo's in post #1 the props are different to what was fitted when I worked on the last DC6. In my time it had Hamilton Standard paddle bladed props fitted with no spinners. Was there a prop change at some time or did BCPA have different props in their fleet?
After remembering there were photo's of the BCPA fleet in aussieairliners.org I checked and found that all 4 DC6's originally had round tipped props with a slender pointed dome/spinner but later pictures show all aircraft with paddle bladed Ham Std props without a spinner. Must have been a fleet changeover.
After remembering there were photo's of the BCPA fleet in aussieairliners.org I checked and found that all 4 DC6's originally had round tipped props with a slender pointed dome/spinner but later pictures show all aircraft with paddle bladed Ham Std props without a spinner. Must have been a fleet changeover.
Last edited by CV880; 25th Feb 2023 at 19:54. Reason: New information
Haven't found any prices for Trans Pacific but London- Oz was pretty eye watering
Qantas first flew the Kangaroo Route on 1 December 1947. ALockheed Constellation carried 29 passengers and 11 crew from Sydney to London with stops in Darwin, Singapore, Calcutta, Karachi, Cairo, and Tripoli (passengers stayed overnight in Singapore and Cairo). A return fare was £585 (equivalent to $40,100 in 2018), equivalent to 130 weeks average pay.
also this
https://stock.periscopefilm.com/5114...couver-canada/
Qantas first flew the Kangaroo Route on 1 December 1947. ALockheed Constellation carried 29 passengers and 11 crew from Sydney to London with stops in Darwin, Singapore, Calcutta, Karachi, Cairo, and Tripoli (passengers stayed overnight in Singapore and Cairo). A return fare was £585 (equivalent to $40,100 in 2018), equivalent to 130 weeks average pay.
also this
https://stock.periscopefilm.com/5114...couver-canada/
A couple of years later when working in Asia I saw a vaguely familiar old DC6 in Royal Air Lao colours outside our hangar one night shift (I think I recognized the dents in the engine cowls etc). On closer inspection all the emergency equipment, engine fire bottles etc. still had the old Air New Zealand tags installed. I don’t recall ever seeing it again.
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The earlier propellers mentioned above by CV880 (26th Feb 2023, post 31) were Curtiss Electrics (with reversing props), but these must have been replaced by the Ham Standard Hydromatics (also with reversing props) whilst serving with BCPA.in early 1950s. The early DC-6s usually (often?) had twin ADF's (for Automatic Direction Finders so far as I know) which were housed in a distinctive long bulge on lower forward fuselage, port side, as well shown on the very first photograph on this thread.
Thread Starter
If you look at photographs of TAI's DC-6B airliners, you can see two of the small windows for upper berths on each side of the fuselage at the rear of the cabin.
And looking at the October 1, 1957 TAI timetable, on the page showing services all the way to Auckland, NZ, it shows 1st class berths and tourist class (click on the link to view that page).
ti57-3.jpg (1608×1229) (timetableimages.com)
