Where Are They Now?Please feel free to post contact information here if you are looking for long lost friends or trying to find out what has happened to colleagues. Obituaries and condolences can be posted here too.
We are looking to contact ex trident pilots to ask for full flight imformation from their logbooks on BEA/BA Trident 1c G-ARPO. We are trying to compile its history as well as moving the aircraft from Teeside airport to the museum in Sunderland. regards tony jarrett
Hello Tony, my last flight on PO was from Heathrow to Glasgow on 5th November 1980. I've no clue how long she was in service after that but I do remember a good friend of mine dropping a Trident 1 off at Teeside at about this time. If you PM me, I'll see about getting the details. Bob
I'll dig out my fathers log books and let you have some details. He was on T1's and T2's from about 1966 to 1974 so will definitely have plenty of G-ARPO entries.
Been watching this thread and still no reply from Mike Clews who is a "fount" of info on the Trident and an ardent advocate of its prowess. Try contacting West London Aero Club (01628 823272) They may be able to put you in contact.
Light drift - anyone come across a Trident Training Captain with BEA called Ward. Just been looking back through my logbook, and remembered a flight in August '62. I had completed a flying scholarship at Sywell the previous year, and working in the local Sainsbury's pending going to Sleaford Tech in Jan 63. The idea was what I earned 5 1/2 days a week I would spend on flying on my day off. WLAC charged me £4.10s an hour for a weary old J1 Auster, GTT. One day they asked me to do a job for them - if I flew to Rearsby and colected a tailplane for then they would charge me only £2.5s an hour. I bit, and was about to walk out when the CFI asked if I minded taking someone with a bit more experience along for the ride. Rearsby was long and narrow, with the wind across it, and my atempted short field landing was rubbish, so I went round again. No2 was not much better and my companion offered to "show me how to improve it" Of course speeds and heights were perfect and we landed, and he suggested I did another, which showed I had learned something. Collected taliplane, flew back, but callow youth that I was found conversation with "older" passenger a bit of a challenge. On landing back at WW he quickly excused himself as he "did not want to be late for work". "What do you do", I asked - "BEA Trident Traing Captain" was the response - could not find a big enough hole to swallow me up. Always wanted to say "thank you" for one of the best flying lessons in my life!
Wonderoo, great post. I see you were a "Commercial" pilot long before getting a PPL even ! Letting your Passenger do the landing without fully checking out his creds is worthy of film stuff too. Love it. I flew Trident 1e's out of LHR in the late 70's. I daresay your mate was on the two's or three's. Real hero being able to land an Auster as well as the big stuff. I tried it in a cherokee but kept rounding out at 50ft !
R-mac - me 18, him "lot" older, and recommended to me by CFI as a pilot of some experience, and clearly a "good pair of hands". Guess might have handled it differently later in life - but certainly ILAFFT!
If the passenger was a very tall gentleman he might well have been 'Tiny' Ward (sadly no longer with us I believe). He had a lovely dry sense of humour. Reponse when his co-pilot gave a completely wrong answer to one of his technical questions, "You were so nearly right!"
DH Trident 1C prototype/1st production aircraft, G-ARPA, took off for the first time at 12:14 on the 9th January 1962, fifty years later, the Heathrow Trident Collection will be holding a gathering to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the first flight. The Museum holds what is believed to be, the last fragments of the aircraft, the pilots control column head, and a section of fuselage, bearing the registration. The first Trident to fly was scrapped in 1976, and it was thought that all was lost. Back in the '70s, Tridents were still all over the skies of Europe, and the airliner preservation movement wasn't even heard of. But, someone had the presence of mind to save these historic items. Only recently, they came to light, and are now displayed at the Heathrow Trident Collection. On Saturday (a convenient day for everyone) 7th January 2012, the HTC will be marking the occasion of 'G-ARPA + 50', and would like to invite interested people to attend. One person that will be there (engagements permitting) is DH Test Pilot, Desmond Penrose, who flew the chase aircraft on the Tridents first flight, and also was on of the Trident programmes Test Pilots. Also, hopefully, there will be some chaps who actually built Tridents, visiting, as well. If anyone who would like to visit the Museum, or join in the Commemoration, please contact the Museums Owner, Kevin Bowen via any of the following means....
By Telephone, on 0208 867 2701 By E-Mail, g-awzk@msn.com
Viewings are by prior appointment only, as it is a private collection.
Hi Have now 84 ex trident pilots who have forwarded their flights on G-ARPO. Our goal is to get to 100 so if you flew this aircraft we very much would like your flights. Those who have forwarded could you contact all your past colleagues that you are still in contact with or their families as we want to get their imfo to add before time makes it impossible , thankyou to all regards tony
just to update G-ARPO which is at the North East aircraft museum is at present being painted out in the front section inside which includes the forward galley and toilet as well as the flight deck.
This week work is commencing on the tail and horizontal stabilizer
Perhaps a silly question to ask but were pilots on the Tridents not qualified to operate all types? Apart from performance issues, there really can't have been that much difference. Booster on the 3, but other than that?
Just seems somewhat less efficient and flexible from a crewing perspective but I guess BEA were not too bothered about things like that in the 70's!
Love the trident by the way. As a kid, thought they were very impressive when compared to the 1-11 and Viscount.
