Airlines you wish still existed
In my memory, Air Europe. Flew on their new 737-200's to Mahon back in late '79 as a kid, remember being given a tour of the cockpit, colour weather radar looked (to an eight year old) like something out of star wars...
Now that really impressed me... far more so than when I started flying RHS 737 around 26 years later!
And... BCal... how many other kids had a crush on their stewardesses (to use the old terminology) - heck those were the days!
Now that really impressed me... far more so than when I started flying RHS 737 around 26 years later!
And... BCal... how many other kids had a crush on their stewardesses (to use the old terminology) - heck those were the days!
Last edited by flash8; 17th Mar 2006 at 15:49.
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I'd like to add a couple that bring back happy memories:
Maitland Drewery - sheer magic in that name - think of them when you next visit Biggin
Hunting Clan - improbable name too for an airline
Skyways Coach Air - the original low fares carrier - afforded me my first trip abroad to the Paris air show in 1961...coach from Fleet to Victoria bus station courtesy of Have-a-shot and Risk-it (sorry - Aldershot & District!), coach down to Lympne, DC-3 to Beauvais, coach to Pareee. Watched the air show sitting on the hulk of a French Navy AAC1 (or Junkers 52). It wasn't only Dinkys that were made in France!
Airwork and its Hermes at Blackbushe in the '50's
...and of course dear old Eagle Aviation, that grew into the biggie I went to work for in 1964.
And because most of those named hailed from southern climes, I'd like to give Loganair an admiring mention.
cheers
atb
Maitland Drewery - sheer magic in that name - think of them when you next visit Biggin
Hunting Clan - improbable name too for an airline
Skyways Coach Air - the original low fares carrier - afforded me my first trip abroad to the Paris air show in 1961...coach from Fleet to Victoria bus station courtesy of Have-a-shot and Risk-it (sorry - Aldershot & District!), coach down to Lympne, DC-3 to Beauvais, coach to Pareee. Watched the air show sitting on the hulk of a French Navy AAC1 (or Junkers 52). It wasn't only Dinkys that were made in France!
Airwork and its Hermes at Blackbushe in the '50's
...and of course dear old Eagle Aviation, that grew into the biggie I went to work for in 1964.
And because most of those named hailed from southern climes, I'd like to give Loganair an admiring mention.
cheers
atb
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Many happy memories of flying in Channel Express L-188 Electra's and Dart Heralds a couple of times a week - alas all gone now 
And the special one-off trips on one of the Instone Bristol Freighters out of STN and a Transcontinental DC6 out of Detroit followed by a Zantop DC8 (short version)
all aircraft look the same now-days
And the special one-off trips on one of the Instone Bristol Freighters out of STN and a Transcontinental DC6 out of Detroit followed by a Zantop DC8 (short version)
all aircraft look the same now-days
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As mere SLF may I offer you a few, with favourite pilots (the type you know will always find the only flat spot in 100 miles to put you down in an emergency - the myth all pax believe):
Ghana Airways,when still under BOAC supervision, DC3 flown by Peter Dorkenoo.
Aden Airways DC3, especially when landed downwind on dirt into a mountain side at somewhere like Dhala by John Gross.
Mustique Airways Islander, flown by Celia Alexander, speciality: landing at (unlit) base after nightfall, so that you'll not miss your dinner date (or hers).
For the rustic experience: Silver City Bristol Freighter car ferries - stuff your hankie in the window frame to block the draft and stop it rattling, but not even the SRN4 or Eurostar have beaten 20 minutes cross-channel.
And for a true shuttle experience, the Electras between Rio and Sao Paulo in the '80s (who operated them?)
Ghana Airways,when still under BOAC supervision, DC3 flown by Peter Dorkenoo.
Aden Airways DC3, especially when landed downwind on dirt into a mountain side at somewhere like Dhala by John Gross.
Mustique Airways Islander, flown by Celia Alexander, speciality: landing at (unlit) base after nightfall, so that you'll not miss your dinner date (or hers).
For the rustic experience: Silver City Bristol Freighter car ferries - stuff your hankie in the window frame to block the draft and stop it rattling, but not even the SRN4 or Eurostar have beaten 20 minutes cross-channel.
And for a true shuttle experience, the Electras between Rio and Sao Paulo in the '80s (who operated them?)
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Four WIngs, your Electras in Brasil, was it not VARIG with some Air Bridge style name?
Remember once (1968 ?) flying from Luton to Newcastle in a Viscount which called in at East Midlands, Leeds and Teesside en route. I think it started at Southend and also proceeded beyond Newcastle into Scotland ? Great fun !
Would that have been Channel Airways perhaps ?
Someone already mentioned Newcastle to Carlisle in an Ambassador. Might have been BKS. Not sure. Been there; did that. Yes, cost was about 19 shillings single. Took my younger brother and sister too and it all came to about £2 & 10 shillings. Have the ticket stubs somewhere. Had to come back by bus as we had run out of pocket money
.
Would that have been Channel Airways perhaps ?
Someone already mentioned Newcastle to Carlisle in an Ambassador. Might have been BKS. Not sure. Been there; did that. Yes, cost was about 19 shillings single. Took my younger brother and sister too and it all came to about £2 & 10 shillings. Have the ticket stubs somewhere. Had to come back by bus as we had run out of pocket money
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Originally Posted by Scoggy
Channel Airways. Just so I could stand at the end of the runway at Southend & watch the Golden Jet Trident take off one more time...
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Originally Posted by spittingimage
Someone already mentioned Newcastle to Carlisle in an Ambassador. Might have been BKS. Not sure. Been there; did that. Yes, cost was about 19 shillings single. Took my younger brother and sister too and it all came to about £2 & 10 shillings. Have the ticket stubs somewhere. Had to come back by bus as we had run out of pocket money .
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Originally Posted by Fifty North
Don't you mean the Channel BAC 1-11's? The Tridents use to operate out of Stansted. I am not aware that they ever operated out of Southend.
). However they did go out of there from time to time, possibly after maintenance.
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Originally Posted by spittingimage
Remember once (1968 ?) flying from Luton to Newcastle in a Viscount which called in at East Midlands, Leeds and Teesside en route. I think it started at Southend and also proceeded beyond Newcastle into Scotland ? Great fun !
Would that have been Channel Airways perhaps ?.
Would that have been Channel Airways perhaps ?.
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Originally Posted by Captain Airclues
Mercury Airlines 4 engines for long haul. DH Heron, Manchester to Isle of Wight. Happy memories.
Airclues
Airclues
On a par with my sitting in a Vampire / Venom ? at the CAACU at Exeter (closely supervised by an engineer as I sat on the seat ! --I simply wandered over to the hangar and asked--politely) --nothing around like that now of course As for Air Europe,
better not say really.
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Hunting Clan - improbable name too for an airline
Apart from cruise ships are there any long distance passenger ships left tramping the seas?
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Originally Posted by jabberwok
An interesting era because HC were one of many shipping companies to invest in aviation post war and I guess there may be older people than I who could tell some stories about them. I recall Cunard Eagle but there must have been more......
At a tangent, this also reminds me of the pre-WW2 Railway Air Services, which was an attempt by the railways (they were more or less still privately owned at that stage) to spread their risk by moving into airline ownership. Even I am not old enough to remember them directly, however.
A bit of in depth history to support Golf Charlie Charlies post
British & Commonwealth actually owned the Clan Line & therefore co owned British United Airways with Airwork after the merger with Hunting Clan through Air Holdings in 1960. They eventually bought out BUA & BUA (CI) from Air Holdings who were left with BUAF (later to become BAF & British World) & various other companies including an unusual L1011 distributorship deal which lead to them taking Air Canadas' Vanguards in part exchange for Tristars.
BUA(CI) which was the old Jersey Airlines based in Jersey & also had operational control over BUA(Manx) had a dreadful summer of 1968 when the entire airline from pilots to cleaners went on strike & Alan Bristow closed it down.
It reformed as BUIA using the manx element plus the remainder of Morton Air Services & changed its name to BIA when BUA was sold to Caledonian by British & Commonwealth. BIA not being part of the deal.
British & Commonwealth actually owned the Clan Line & therefore co owned British United Airways with Airwork after the merger with Hunting Clan through Air Holdings in 1960. They eventually bought out BUA & BUA (CI) from Air Holdings who were left with BUAF (later to become BAF & British World) & various other companies including an unusual L1011 distributorship deal which lead to them taking Air Canadas' Vanguards in part exchange for Tristars.
BUA(CI) which was the old Jersey Airlines based in Jersey & also had operational control over BUA(Manx) had a dreadful summer of 1968 when the entire airline from pilots to cleaners went on strike & Alan Bristow closed it down.
It reformed as BUIA using the manx element plus the remainder of Morton Air Services & changed its name to BIA when BUA was sold to Caledonian by British & Commonwealth. BIA not being part of the deal.
Last edited by bean; 26th Mar 2006 at 11:56.
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Originally Posted by bean
A bit of in depth history to support Golf Charlie Charlies post
British & Commonwealth actually owned the Clan Line & therefore co owned British United Airways with Airwork after the merger with Hunting Clan through Air Holdings in 1960. They eventually bought out BUA & BUA (CI) from Air Holdings who were left with BUAF (later to become BAF & British World) & various other companies including an unusual L1011 distributorship deal which lead to them taking Air Canadas' Vanguards in part exchange for Tristars.
BUA(CI) which was the old Jersey Airlines based in Jersey & also had operational control over BUA(Manx) had a dreadful summer of 1968 when the entire airline from pilots to cleaners went on strike & Alan Bristow closed it down.
It reformed as BUIA using the manx element plus the remainder of Morton Air Services & changed its name to BIA when BUA was sold to Caledonian by British & Commonwealth. BIA not being part of the deal.
British & Commonwealth actually owned the Clan Line & therefore co owned British United Airways with Airwork after the merger with Hunting Clan through Air Holdings in 1960. They eventually bought out BUA & BUA (CI) from Air Holdings who were left with BUAF (later to become BAF & British World) & various other companies including an unusual L1011 distributorship deal which lead to them taking Air Canadas' Vanguards in part exchange for Tristars.
BUA(CI) which was the old Jersey Airlines based in Jersey & also had operational control over BUA(Manx) had a dreadful summer of 1968 when the entire airline from pilots to cleaners went on strike & Alan Bristow closed it down.
It reformed as BUIA using the manx element plus the remainder of Morton Air Services & changed its name to BIA when BUA was sold to Caledonian by British & Commonwealth. BIA not being part of the deal.
Interestingly, there were two BIA's, British Island Airways. The first one, as you mentioned, was spun off from British United on merger with Caledonian. This was the BIA that merged with Air Anglia and Air Westward to form Air UK, around 1980-ish. It was also, incidentally, pretty much Air UK which made Stansted into what it has become today.
In the 1980s a new non-scheduled airline was created, also called British Island Airways. It was even floated on the stock exchange as a public company. It operated One-Eleven 500s (I think no other type). However, this company never cut it and collapsed after about 5 or 7 years. Par for the course for UK independents, I guess !
Why does anyone want to start or own an airline given the history of the sector in the past 60 years in the UK !
In response to Golf Charlie Charlie
"in the 1980s a new non-scheduled airline was created, also called British Island Airways. It was even floated on the stock exchange as a public company. It operated One-Eleven 500s (I think no other type). However, this company never cut it and collapsed after about 5 or 7 years. Par for the course for UK independents, I guess !"
Peter Villa who had been MD of the old BIA & Air UKs first MD bought the IT charter division of Air UK in 1982 with its 1-11 400s & renamed it BIA with exactly the same colour scheme as its predecessor.
As you rightly say, 1-11 500s followed & then a brief period when they flew MD82s as well.
The airline ceased operations in 1990
"in the 1980s a new non-scheduled airline was created, also called British Island Airways. It was even floated on the stock exchange as a public company. It operated One-Eleven 500s (I think no other type). However, this company never cut it and collapsed after about 5 or 7 years. Par for the course for UK independents, I guess !"
Peter Villa who had been MD of the old BIA & Air UKs first MD bought the IT charter division of Air UK in 1982 with its 1-11 400s & renamed it BIA with exactly the same colour scheme as its predecessor.
As you rightly say, 1-11 500s followed & then a brief period when they flew MD82s as well.
The airline ceased operations in 1990