PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - B.O.A.C. Geoffrey Hargreaves. 1970's
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Old 25th Nov 2020, 10:09
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Gordomac
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Cyprus
Posts: 516
Received 17 Likes on 12 Posts
Lance; Chap called "Mooncrest" got me welling up again on the Leeds stuff (LBA) because I started there on the NE Viscount 806X's in '72. I was there again on the AE 737's. Over to Tehran though, on this thread, you got me positively howling with nostalgia. Rotters. Yes, I was on the NE Trident 1E at LHR looking hard to get out of the awful NE/BARD integration. Reckoned to go quickly with Iranair on the 727 to Concorde. Well, a lot faster than if i stayed with the NE-BARD-BOAC route. It was Ali K who playfully placed the contract in front of me, handed me his gold cross pen & suggested that if I signed, he would break my arm. He fell about laughing at his own sense of humour and sent me across to the 727 Fleet Office where I was told to discuss the issue, first, with Mac Senior !

Laker had the 300 series. Honestly can't remember the FMS, VIscounts had the Smith's system though and required one week in the D4 Link at Heston after successful ARB. Try a back-course NDB let-down on the Smith's system.....now THAT was good going ! Four button pushes on my last a/c, A340, would take you all the way from Bahrain to Manilla !

T1E required about three button and lever pulls just to engage the FD and a further three (I think) to engage the autopilot. Rare to get a handling sector in those days but Tom Haywayte indulged me on a rare , CAVOK, no wind day outa LHR. Climbing away, I engaged the FD. Sat there, hand flying & enjoying every second, he then asked ; "Why don;t you engage the Autopilot ?" Always a smart-mouth, I responded; "If I knew how, I would !". FE bit the end of his pipe off and Haywate flickered a rare smile.

Oh & Lance, won't stop there ! Got back to UK from Tehran and bought myself a brand new Citroen Ami 8 to go with the Laker job. But. that is another r e a l l y long story !

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