Originally Posted by
22/04
Would Chrissair have been what we would now call a handling agent then, I doubt Luton had much other commercial traffic at that time. Before even my time - I would have been somewhere between three and five.
From British Independent Airlines 1946-1976: "Chrisair was formed in early 1961 by Mr & Mrs Chris Roberts, as a light charter and pleasure flight operator. The first two years were spent at Luton airport, joy riding with a Leopard Moth (AIYS) for the 1961 season, and during 1962 the company used a Proctor (AHGJ). These aircraft traveled to many air displays throughout the country to give pleasure flights, and at the end of the 1962 season, Chrisair moved its base to Ramsgate aerodrome. Prior to this Chrisair had been flying pleasure flights from Ramsgate since the summer of 1961 for 10s per person. In November 1962 the company bought a former Blackpool joy riding aircraft - Dragon ADDI - and during the winter this aircraft was serviced and resprayed in Chrisair's red and white paint scheme, and for the first part of 1963, this aircraft and a Prentice (AONB) and Proctor gave joy rides from the airport at Ramsgate. However, in June Chrisair once again moved its base, this time to Sywell, near Northampton. From here, in addition to joy riding, the aircraft were used for passenger and freight ad hoc charters, and during the 1966 dock strike the Dragon was used to carry cigarettes from Sywell to Belfast. Only a few flights were made, though, due to the rather slow cruising speed of the aircraft making the journey seem rather long. The Dragon became a very familiar sight at air displays up and down the country, and this aircraft was very often flown by Mrs Claire Roberts. On July 31 1964 the Dragon made the long trek to Brawdy to give pleasure flights at an air display there the following day - the Dragon returned to Luton on August 2 after making a night stop at Cardiff on the night of August 1. A Cessna 175 (ARML leased from a private owner) was used for a number of charter flights during 1964 - it made a Sywell - Cardiff - Sywell flight on March 11 1964, but few other charter flights flights were undertaken. One epic journey undertaken bu the Dragon was a cargo charter to Kirkwall on June 17 1966 (presumably form Luton). The aircraft made stops en route at Newcastle and Aberdeen, and the return flight was accomplished on June 18 using the same airports as staging posts. During 1967, only an Auster (AJEB no record when it joined) and the Dragon were in use, and in 1968 the Auster spent much of its time pleasure flying from North Denes on behalf of Anglian Air Charter, while one of their own aircraft was away on overhaul. The Dragon's C of A expired at the end of May 1968, and was sadly retired from service, and once the Auster had returned from Anglian Air Charter in the autumn of 1968, Chrisair stopped flying."
I remember reading somewhere that was the last Dragon in commercial service, and I believe it was indeed based at Luton to the end.