Air Atlantique DC6 routes

[XR914]

Evening chaps. Can anyone recall the routes that AA DC6’s were used on? Where they used on the same routes as the electras?

any help much appreciated.

[treadigraph]

I used to occasionally hear the DC-6 in the wee hours heading, I imagine, from Coventry into Europe. I think this went on into the early 2000s! Wonderful... :)

[10 DME ARC]

Every time I spoke to one, not often, it was adhoc cargo.

[kcockayne]

They had a regular run down to Spain (Zaragoza ?) in the 90s, I think, carrying auto parts. Also saw them from time to time in the Channel Islands - but not often enough !

[N707ZS]

We had them visit Teesside on ad-hoc car spares flights. Sad state of affairs to see them at Coventry now.

[22/04]

Didn't they used to Coventry-Brussles most nights

[SPIT]

When I was at Liverpool (Speke(Airport I saw one of their DC 6s quite often doing the Paper Flight to Dublin.

[Akrotiri bad boy]

They used to growl over our house on the Manchester approach about 21:00 on Sunday nights. That would have been the early '90's, I don't know from where or to where but they made Sunday nights bearable in countering the thoughts of work in the morning.

[treadigraph]

Didn't they used to Coventry-Brussles most nights

Probably the occasional flights I head...

[browndhc2]

A lot of revenue was generated from moving parts for the motor industry especially Ford with numerous trips to Saarbrucken and Valencia. The main UK hub for these trips being Southend. The aircraft also undertook work for TNT,Fred Olsen, BWA and Parcel force.

Some interesting ad hock trips during 1996 included Coventry-Aberdeen-Vagar (Faro Isles) and a 10 hour Sector from Belfast to Tel Aviv.

[Krystal n chips]

Used to drop into BFS every so often and park conveniently located near to a certain unit.

[Airbanda]

Since 1990 I've lived just over the M1 from Northampton so pretty much under the normal routes to/from BHX and, when it was in use, Coventry. Would quite often hear the DC-6 going out at full climb power long after 'lights out' at home - I was on an early train to London every day so turned in early.
Given the round trip time to Brussels or Maastricht it would come bumbling back over around 7am as I was leaving the house. Occasionally heard it on 130.925 cleared to leave controlled airspace by descent and contact next frequency.

It also dropped in at the PFA Rally on at least one occasion in the late nineties when held at Cranfield and 'airside' access was easy. Either the year before or year after Vern Raeburn's Connie was at Cranfield.

[WHBM]

Regular for years in the mid-1990s was the Saturday late evening run with the Sunday newspapers printed in Manchester to Dublin. Used to visit family at the time just a few miles from WAL VOR, which they would route over at a few thousand feet, it was always audible in the late evening quiet for about five minutes as it approached, and then slowly disappeared along the North Wales coast. I used to go out into the garden to listen, and sometimes see, it pass, and when I didn't visit my mother, doubtless drawing on WW2 experiences of watching my father head off into the night again in his Handley Page Halifax, would report "that aeroplane of yours came over again last niight". Think it normally returned to Coventry, but occasionally could be heard coming back to Manchester again in the middle of the night. Propliner magazine of the era always used to report details in each issue of what they had been doing.

Later on they also, July 2008 I see, came in to the London City airshow, short runway there no issue to them, and on departure performed some nice flypasts, at a time when G-APSA had been decked out in old British Eagle livery for a film (I forget which one).

I believe they also went across to eastern Canada once, causing some ATC confusion with the local service carrier of the era there, Air Atlantic.

[treadigraph]

Julian Somebody did a lovely display in 'PSA at Biggin Hill several years running. Magic!

[browndhc2]

Julian Firth?

[treadigraph]

Think that be him. See he now works for the AAIB.

[WHBM]

There's a nice article about Air Atlantic DC6 ops here :

Air Atlantique Douglas DC-6 (key.aero) (https://www.key.aero/article/air-atlantique-douglas-dc-6)

[Liffy 1M]

Speaking of newspaper flights to Dublin, here are two images taken in April 1987, so shortly after G-SIXC had been delivered. On this occasion the aircraft overnighted and left the next day mid-morning.

https://live.staticflickr.com/2485/4024180034_1891540de2_b.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/3370/3290657631_ca08de4c75_b.jpg

[MAC 40612]

Evening chaps. Can anyone recall the routes that AA DC6’s were used on? Where they used on the same routes as the electras?

any help much appreciated.

I would think if you contact this guy, who used to work for them, he'll probably be able to tell you the routes they used to fly.

Link to his Flickr pages: https://bit.ly/3wepqNG

[Pypard]

Ahhh those were the days: any sign of the DC-6 (sixes?) at Coventry moving? Or did I miss that?