Originally Posted by
Discorde
I might have to divert my 707 into Sondestromfjord. Latterly the approach into BGSF was LOC/DME. Was that the case in the late 1960s? Was there SRA or PAR available? Did crews use weather radar to assist with nav (terrain) orientation?
I'm probably one of the few here who actually went into Sondrestrom (as it was called) in this era, on a Wardair 727 charter routing Prestwick-Sondrestrom-Vancouver in 1968, just as a teenager. Weather was good both ways but it was apparently quite a challenge when not. It was a surprising fuel stop because the cost of getting aviation fuel there must have been considerable. There was a coffee shop and duty free counter in there which took any currency you chose (principally Canadian dollars it seemed). I guess their diversion point was Frobisher (nowadays Iqaluit). The crew worked right through from Prestwick to Vancouver, I don't think there was any crew hotac at Sondrestrom.