Originally Posted by
arem
I 747's and DC10's solved all those problems!!
Actually the 747 did not solve the problem for BA until their 747-200s came along some 8 years after the original fleet. It was strange, for TWA operated 747-100s London to LAX without problem, but under BA's procedures it did not have the endurance.
It was because of this range issue that BA got into the the daily lease arrangement with Air New Zealand in the mid-1970s for DC-10s on the route, which operated for several years (which I rode several times). Even the DC-10s used to get squeezed for capacity westbound, and if full pax freight would sometimes have to be left behind.
Regarding the LAX service, sure the 707-420s could have refuelled westbound, but even more surprising is that they scheduled nonstop eastbound, which I would have thought would have been beyond them as well. The eastbound block time is much the same as that which the TW 747s did nonstop at the end of the 1970s. But if they really could do this eastbound, could they have been nearly able to do it westbound ? Could that refuelling stop have been at Prestwick, which I believe was a BOAC base then ?
Did they also take no freight, to extend their endurance ? Pan Am and TWA were starting nonstops with 707-320Bs this year, it could have been a BOAC uneconomic but commercially-driven response.
Winnipeg would have been a difficult choice for an intermediate crew change in the winter, as in those days it was very unreliable due to weather, and diversion to the alternate with no ongoing BOAC crew available would have been a logistical nuisance.
Originally Posted by TheSSK
I was told by ops people in BA - who would have been around at the time of the direct services - that refuelling would be requested for as soon after arrival as possible, when the wings were still cold and you could get more fuel in. Were they kidding me?
It was something along those lines, to do with chilled fuel (ie the fuel was cold rather than the tanks), which was able to be supplied. There was a thread aout this here recently.