BUAF Bristol 170 Question

[simoncorbett]

Does anyone know when G-APAU city of Edinburgh operated for British United Air Ferries ? As I’ve recently found a picture of it in full BUAF livery ? All I could find online was between 1963 to 1967

[kcockayne]

Brings back memories; I had a jump seat ride to Guernsey & back from Coventry (1972, I think) , when it was with Midland Air Cargo.

[Sotonsean]

Does anyone know when G-APAU city of Edinburgh operated for British United Air Ferries ? As I’ve recently found a picture of it in full BUAF livery ? All I could find online was between 1963 to 1967

Do you have a date or approximate period in which the photo of G-APAU in full BUAF livery was taken?

According to planelogger.com the aircraft in question left the BAF fleet on the 04 April 1965. It also lists the aircraft's history dating from 1957.

Registration ​​​​ Airline Delivered Status

G-APAU Bristol Aircraft Ltd 09.04.57 Left fleet
G-APAU Air Charter Ltd 26.07.61 Left fleet
G-APAU British Air Ferries 13.04.65 Left fleet
G-APAU Midland Air Cargo Ltd 04.04.71 Left fleet
G-APAU Ray John Thomas Height 24.11.71 Scrapped

Having maintained the same registration during this period G-APAU was finally scrapped on the 24 November 1971.

The final British Air Ferries Bristol Freighter flight was from Lydd to Le Touquet in October 1970.

An attached photo of G-APAU "City of Edinburgh' in the full livery of British Air Ferries.

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1113x422/img_78_1_0928199d7277b99f1806aa21f8215212695b6188.jpg

[India Four Two]

The final British Air Ferries Bristol Freighter flight was from Lydd to Le Touquet in October 1970.

So what happened to it, when it landed at Le Touquet?

[bean]

Do you have a date or approximate period in which the photo of G-APAU in full BUAF livery was taken?

According to planelogger.com the aircraft in question left the BAF fleet on the 04 April 1965. It also lists the aircraft's history dating from 1957.

Registration ​​​​ Airline Delivered Status

G-APAU Bristol Aircraft Ltd 09.04.57 Left fleet
G-APAU Air Charter Ltd 26.07.61 Left fleet
G-APAU British Air Ferries 13.04.65 Left fleet
G-APAU Midland Air Cargo Ltd 04.04.71 Left fleet
G-APAU Ray John Thomas Height 24.11.71 Scrapped

Having maintained the same registration during this period G-APAU was finally scrapped on the 24 November 1971.

The final British Air Ferries Bristol Freighter flight was from Lydd to Le Touquet in October 1970.

An attached photo of G-APAU "City of Edinburgh' in the full livery of British Air Ferries.

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1113x422/img_78_1_0928199d7277b99f1806aa21f8215212695b6188.jpg
Spotter istory sites are invaribky incorrect.
The aircraft was delivered new to operate for Channel Air Bridge. When BUA merged CAB and Silver City to create BUAF it obviously operated in those colours. The Cayzers bought BUA and associated companys out of Air Holdings on 30th September 1967 and Air Holdingd renamed the airline BAF. So, the aircraft continued to fly VF services intil the end

[washoutt]

I always thought the Bristol Freighter a sturdy aircraft, with a very hungry long nose. I still wonder, why the windows were slightly tilted, anybody an idea? Was it constructural, something to do with formers and longerons?

[OUAQUKGF Ops]

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1161x927/screenshot_2023_03_31_at_09_53_20_uk_register_of_civil_aircr aft_register_entry_g_apau_1_pdf_b3fbe8ede24b366da8e058a176a9 6a8c6f620459.png
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1161x927/screenshot_2023_03_31_at_09_53_41_uk_register_of_civil_aircr aft_register_entry_g_apau_2_pdf_19eec1e0405d984a7dea92d86a66 d3cd259fcda3.png

[chevvron]

I attended a one week school camp at St Marys Bay, on Romney Marsh, in July 1958 (I was 10 years old - my first time away from my family) and 'experienced' the Freighters/Superfreighters for myself; it seemed every 20 min day and night one would take off from Lydd and drone its way southwards; maybe 'AU was one of them?
I only found out a couple of years ago that there had been a pre-war airfield (ie not an ALG) just half a mile north of where I stayed which had been used as a div for Lympne but it wouldn't have been big enough for the Freighters.

[simoncorbett]

I’ve just been looking on the internet and there is a black/white pic of the aircraft in full Sabena colours it’s dated 1960

[OUAQUKGF Ops]

I think that you will find that Air Charter operated a joint service with Sabena from Southend or Lydd (not clear) to Ostend and had some of their Freighters painted in Sabena colours.
Can't take the credit for this gen- got it out of my very bashed Jackson British Civil Aircraft which I've had since a teenager...........

[browndhc2]

Pleased to have saved my Ian Allen Civil register books too. When Airfix reissued their Bristol Super Freighter kit some years ago it included Sabena decals for G-APAV if memory serves me correctly.

I have Derek king's book on the Bristol 170 published by Air Britain to hand and see that MK32 C/N 13256 Alpha Uniform was transferred to BUAF on the First of January 1963. BUAF having been formed on the 16 July 1962. here the story gets a little cloudy as on the1St July 63 G-APAU was registered to BUA operating for Channel Air bridge albeit in Silver City livery!
On 13 April 1965 AU was registered to BUAF then on the 12Th October 1967 re registered to BAF.
Though her C of A expired on the First of October 72 she was ferried to Lasham on the 15Th September 73 where the engineless airframe languished until being broken up in May 1975. A sad end to the last MK32 Super Freighter in the World.

Happier days in service;



https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/718x1386/g_apou_d6525d84f5e3c76921690c95251e3dd4916e7c1b.jpg

[Tagron]

The short answer to the question raised in #8 is that in 1958 the Lydd operation was conducted by Silver City aircraft and it is most unlikely an Air Charter B170 would have been seen operating into Lydd at this time. G-APAU was a Southend-based Air Charter aircraft. The interchange of aircraft between Silver City/LYX and Air Charter/SEN did not begin until the formation of BUAF in 1962. The two companies had been rivals up to then.

[bean]

The short answer to the question raised in #8 is that in 1958 the Lydd operation was conducted by Silver City aircraft and it is most unlikely an Air Charter B170 would have been seen operating into Lydd at this time. G-APAU was a Southend-based Air Charter aircraft. The interchange of aircraft between Silver City/LYX and Air Charter/SEN did not begin until the formation of BUAF in 1962. The two companies had been rivals up to then.
Not really rivals as CAB operated from Southend to Rotterdam and Ostend and Silver City mainly Lydd to Calais plus the Bournemouth/Southampton services to the Channe islands and Cherbourg

[sandringham1]

Pleased to have saved my Ian Allen Civil register books too. When Airfix reissued their Bristol Super Freighter kit some years ago it included Sabena decals for G-APAV if memory serves me correctly.

Though her C of A expired on the First of October 72 she was ferried to Lasham on the 15Th September 73 where the engineless airframe languished until being broken up in May 1975. A sad end to the last MK32 Super Freighter in the World.

Happier days in service;


Not quit the last Mk 32, CF-QWJ ex G-AMLP crashed 31st May 1974, It was recorded as a Mk 31e but had been converted in 1958 to a 32.
https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19740531-0

[browndhc2]

Thanks for the correction Sandringham. I think LP was also Ex Midland Air Cargo.

[chevvron]

Aer Turas used to operate a Mk 31 Freighter into Cambridge (with racehorses) in late '71; I was at Cambridge for 6 weeks in Oct/Nov and I remember it.

[dixi188]

I flew with an ex B170 pilot. He said it did everything at 90knots. (take-off, cruise, land).
I remember them at Hurn in the early 1960s and they would sometimes cross the coast on one engine and then start the other one for landing, I think this was when empty to save fuel and engine hours.

[ATNotts]

Aer Turas used to operate a Mk 31 Freighter into Cambridge (with racehorses) in late '71; I was at Cambridge for 6 weeks in Oct/Nov and I remember it.
EI-APC, used to operate a lot through BHX too, not sure if that was connected to bloodstock and the Cheltenham Festival or general cargo; possibly both.

[l.garey]

I see from my records that I flew back with the car from Le Touquet to Lydd in G-APAU on 5.1.1968 having gone out in G-ANWM on 20.12.1967. Sadly I didn't record its markings.
Laurence

[chevvron]

EI-APC, used to operate a lot through BHX too, not sure if that was connected to bloodstock and the Cheltenham Festival or general cargo; possibly both.
That's the one.
You would know it was bloodstock from the noise they used to make; squealing and neighing; from the 'kicking' noises I could hear they must have caused a bit of damage to the aircraft.
That didn't sound like general cargo anyway!

[Expatrick]

I remember (aged about 10 at the time) flying on one of these to/from Hurn/Cherbourg in the early '60s. Our car was a Triumph Herald estate!

[BSD]

G-APAU was operating for Channel Air bridge at the very least between May 1960 and June 1961, from Southend.

My old Dad flew for Channel Air Bridge having previously been a BOAC navigator.

'AU first appears in his logbook 31/5/60 with Eddie Roocroft as Captain and for the last time on 7/6/61 with Mike Bussey as Captain.

First recorded flight(s) Southend - Ostend - Southend..... times 4! Eight sectors totaling 6 hours 15 minutes. No wonder he was nearly deaf by the end of his life.

Amusingly, many years later I flew with both those Captains. Eddie Roocroft at BAF and Mike Bussey at Transmeridian.

[browndhc2]

Mike Bussey's son has uploaded some of his fathers cinie film onto You Tube. Search "A pilots life "Parts 1 & 2. Great period footage of Bristols and Carvairs.

I rember Captain Roocroft from VF. A very down to earth Yorkshire man who had flown heavy bombers during the war and later after Air Ferry closed did a stint on the Biafrian Airlift with Transavia I think.

[BSD]

BrownDHC2,

Thank you for the "Bussey Productions" YouTube pointer. Fascinating stuff but boy, was the Bristol one ugly duck in the sky!

Loved the low level tour of the channel forts too.

Mike Bussey ended up as a DC-8 skipper in Transmeridian. I think earlier in his flying career he had flown the B-50 Washington in the RAF. He was a great skipper and one of the most quietly competent and thoroughly pleasant chaps to fly with.

Eddie Roocroft had been a bomber pilot in WW2 and did indeed fly in Biafra. DC-6s. There is a documentary film about Biafra in which another pilot recounts an early flight into Biafra and his worries about the anti-aircraft fire. Eddie reassured him with a cheery "Nothing to worry about, I've been shot at by professionals lad!"