I have so enjoyed reading this thread as well as the others dedicated to the Queen of the Skies.
I don't work in aviation but my mum was BA ground crew at CPT during the 90s and early 00s and the 058/059 was a part of daily life in our household. My dad and I would wait in our garden in the evenings for the roar of her engines and when we heard them, we'd wave and wave up at the night's sky and I'd know that my mum would be on her way home. 15 years after retiring, my mum still stood in the garden in the evening waiting to hear the 058 go and if we happened to see her standing proudly in the sun at CPT, the tears would gather in my mum's eyes every time.
I don't know how many times I flew with her - but I know I had a life time of travel far beyond the means of most and my understanding of what a privilege it was at the time so I wish to leave some memories here:
- 1x engine failure CPT to LHR and the Cpt warning us that we may have to make an emergency landing. But on she flew and we landed safely at LHR
- too many frozen Mars bars from the lovely ladies and gents in the galley
- having a little scrapbook into which I had glued all the tails of the World Images livery and ticking them off when I spotted a new one I hadn't seen
- when I was 10 years old, flying from LHR to SYD via KUL on Christmas Eve, my parents were bumped up into the bubble leaving me flying UM style in economy with a wrapped present in my backpack under the seat in front of me that I knew was a box of chocolates. I heartily tucked into the chocolates (revenge for being left behind), and when we arrived at KUL, my parents had the embarrassing pleasure of escorting a completely drunk 10 year old off the plane for a walk about while the aircraft was being refuelled. I had consumed the entire box of cognac-filled chocolates and, while at KUL, proceeded to vomit all over myself. Without a fresh change of clothes, I sat the whole way from KUL to SYD in my vomit clothes and I haven't touched a drink since (pity the poor pax around me!)
- in Sept 2003, on my 5th day of trying unsuccessfully to get home standby from LHR to CPT after a year living in France and desperately homesick, the kindly folk at the standby desk advised that I use my coupon to go to NBO and on to JNB from there. The flight was empty, bar a familiar face from the standby desk, and as we touched down we had the most beautiful view of the champagne coloured grasses and a herd of giraffes with babies, their beautiful heads looking this way and that
- in 2007, flying QF from JNB to SYD, we were given orange ice lollies as a midnight snack. I was seated next to two Russian girls and we eagerly unwrapped the lollies and then sat for a good 15 minutes with our tongues and lips frozen solid to the lollies, laughing hysterically
- in 2008, flying QF from JNB to SYD, experiencing the worst turbulence I ever have and holding the hand of the man next to me who was crying in fear while drinks were tossed around the cabin. My mum's words came back to me then, 'they're designed for this' and on she flew landing safely
- and of course, that view of Table Mountain, on approach into CPT on a sunny morning. A view like no other
This quiet, distant farewell unbecoming of her years of service to the public and the very special place she holds in my childhood and the memories of those who spent so many hours with her is sad. If I had known, I would have been on that viewing deck that last time, the child in me, waving and waving! In the last three months, I have lost my business, any form of income and there have been many sad good byes - but this one really ached. Best of luck to all of those affected in aviation and elsewhere.