In the previous post in relation to Eisenhower's C54 'Sunflower 11' at Bovingdon John Young's Diary mentions the aircraft as having a larger than usual passenger window. Below is a brief excerpt from long interview given by Sunflower 11's Captain (Retired General Charles Bennett).
Source: Charles Bennett Oral History Eisenhower Presidential Library.
January 1946. John Young's Diary. With many thanks to Keith Fletcher !
In October 1945 the US Embassy in London asked the Ministry of Civil Aviation to allow US Civil Airlines to use Bovingdon as an alternate to Hurn and Prestwick. I don't know if this came to anything. In the event the airfield wasn't released by the USAAF to the RAF until 15th April 1946. It is interesting that John Young spotted the American Overseas Airlines Skymaster. This was a company that was operating scheduled services from Boston and New York to London and The Continent. London Airport was yet to open officially. That took place on May 31st 1946.
An early undated image of NC90901 'Flagship America' at Oslo, Norway. This company was forever changing the smaller details and titling of its livery.
It became King Saud's Private Aircraft c 1952-1954 before being transferred to Saudi Arabian Airlines as HZ-AAW period 1954-64.
Photo Ken Fielding. At Heathrow 1964.
Next it was sold to a couple of small German outfits as D-ADAB 1966-69 and it is said that it ended its days as an eating place at Lampertheim, Germany. As far as I know it was scrapped near there in 1979.
In his diary for December 1946 John Young records A Pan American Lockheed Constellation NC88868 at Bovingdon but the date is not clear. A few images (as usual not at Bovingdon) follow.
An early image of NC88868 at an unknown location. Pan Am was another company that sometimes changed the name of its aircraft.
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With Delta 1956-1960 at an unknown location.
Photo as captioned. Looks like the end of the line. Scholes Field Galveston, Texas. July 1970.
John F Kennedy.
I was looking at a Website called ' Finding Presidents and their Ancestors in The Strangest Places' by Stephen P. Morse and came across this:
Now what brought Jack Kennedy to England is all rather sad and I don't have enough room here to post the pictures. So I'll do a miscellany after this called Tail-Enders....
Meanwhile we have this AOA aircraft at Bovingdon. Constellation NC90922. It departed from Bovingdon for New York on the 8th October 1948. All rather strange. I've checked the weather and it was 600 yards viz that morning at London Airport where GCA had been available since 1947. Next I looked at the timetable below for that day of the week and it looks like a lunchtime arrival at London from New York is scheduled. Perhaps they were just having a bad day? Early morning fog and freezing temperatures were a feature of the UK weather that week.
Airline Timetable Images with thanks !
A few Connie Snaps:
Images Leslie Jones Collection Boston Public Library .
Undercarriage collapse on landing at Boston 3rd May 1947.
On lease from Pan Am - Mexico City 1957.
For Scrap at Galeao Brazil 1970.
Congressman John F Kennedy at the Voting Booth. 11th District Boston September 1948.