United Biscuits Fleet
A few posts have mentioned United Biscuits (UB) Beech King Air and the planned purchase of a Starship. I worked for them from the late 60s to the late 80s and had some occasions to use "UB Airways". IN 1984 the then chief pilot Dave Ward recorded the history of the fleet in a privately published book. UB was largely the creation of Hector Laing ( later Sir Hector & Lord Laing) from the McVities family, who had learnt to fly with ex Miles Aircraft test pilot Hugh Kennedy in 1957. From then on, McVities and later UB operated aircraft with Kennedy as Pilot and later Chief Pilot through to 1977. Types operated were as follows Miles Messenger G-AKVZ, Miles Gemini G-AKDJ, Apache G-APVK, Aztec G-ARHL ,later G-ASEV Aero Commander G-ASYA - (the 1st one I got to fly in - seriously noisy) C90 King Air(G-AWPM) E90 King Air(G-BABW) 200 Super King Air GBCUZ , later G-HLUB !, Baron G-BBJF added to the fleet, later G-UBKP, F90 King Air G-BIED added making a fleet of 3, 200 Super King G-UBHL.
A Starship to be G-UBSH was ordered but Lord Laing and many of the team of Scots who had built the company retired and UB entered a period of fast decline with most parts acquired during the expansion (turnover rose from £18.5 million to £1,700 million over 25 years) being sold off. The rump of the company is now Turkish owned. The aviation division was one of the first things to be closed
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Operations were always centred on Denham near the Laing family home in Gerrards Cross. UB paid for the installation of a hard runway. A hangar was also maintained at the old RAF field Mundole on the family estate of Dunphail near Inverness.
The fleet was available to Directors and senior management above my pay grade but the company experimented with opening up empty seats on pre-booked flights to lesser mortals, subject to agreement of the principal passenger. This worked for a while, although subject to the whims and changed plans of said passenger. However it was killed off by some bean counter who ruled that the flight costs should be allocated between all passengers thus rendering the effect on departmental budgets uncompetitive with scheduled airlines but I managed a few flights in various King Airs and Barons while it lasted.
Incidentally Dave Wards book pointed out the similarities between the Starship and the Miles Libellula experimental canard aircraft that Hugh Kennedy had tested in the 1940s.
Last edited by one11; 18th Apr 2023 at 19:57.