Heathrow - Your first flight
Paxing All Over The World
GK430
Yes indeed this is from Wikipedia:
Had American Express even been born?
American Express was founded in 1850, in Buffalo, New York, by Henry Wells, William Fargo, and John Butterfield as an express business. In 1882, American Express launched its money order business to compete with the US Post Office's money orders. This product quickly spread to Europe where no such financial product existed.
Sometime between 1888 and 1890, J.C. Fargo took a trip to Europe and returned frustrated and infuriated. Despite the fact that he was president of American Express and that he carried with him traditional letters of credit, he found it difficult to obtain cash anywhere except in major cities. Mr. Fargo went to Marcellus Flemming Berry and asked him to create a better solution than the traditional letter of credit. Mr. Berry created the American Express Travelers Cheque which was launched in 1891 in denominations of $10, $20, $50, and $100.
Sometime between 1888 and 1890, J.C. Fargo took a trip to Europe and returned frustrated and infuriated. Despite the fact that he was president of American Express and that he carried with him traditional letters of credit, he found it difficult to obtain cash anywhere except in major cities. Mr. Fargo went to Marcellus Flemming Berry and asked him to create a better solution than the traditional letter of credit. Mr. Berry created the American Express Travelers Cheque which was launched in 1891 in denominations of $10, $20, $50, and $100.
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BEA Viscount, early 1974, handling test flight, fresh out of a heavy maintenance check (Wings, tail and engines removed, I was working with the guys on the Empennage), to fly over Boscombe Downs. Remember the winds were all over the place and so was the aircraft as we left, did many stalls, (gear down, gear up) and on our return the wind blew us around quite a bit, several of the other guy's were vomiting over the newly refurbished interior, they were politely asked to clean it up. The views from those big windows were quite good, and I didn't quite believe the acceleration of those 4 Dart engines when we were leaving, alright so it was empty.
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Actually I don't really remember the first time out - but it was an early Pan Am 707 and you had a tech stop in Shannon westbound...I also remember a day in 1970 when returning from a holiday in the UK when N747PA taxied by gawd it just looked soooo biiiigggggggg - cue one very excited seven year old!
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1955. Aged 4. DH89A Dragon Rapide (no definite record but possibly G-AGJG, now airworthy at Duxford) owned by Aggie Agarzarian's Island Air Services and piloted by my great uncle Gp.Cpt. Gordon Carey. Flew down the Thames to the estuary and back, which kick-started an early passion for aviation that has never dimmed.
Best arrival at LHR was the morning of the '87 Great Storm. TWA 742 from New York landing in a lively fashion on 23 after an enforced four hour sojourn at a very crowded Dublin airport. Charmingly talkative captain announced that he had never landed on 23 before and that it had no instrument landing system - "but we're going to give it a go 'cos we want to get you folks home - if you still have one"!
Best arrival at LHR was the morning of the '87 Great Storm. TWA 742 from New York landing in a lively fashion on 23 after an enforced four hour sojourn at a very crowded Dublin airport. Charmingly talkative captain announced that he had never landed on 23 before and that it had no instrument landing system - "but we're going to give it a go 'cos we want to get you folks home - if you still have one"!
That makes it an aircraft still performing the same task after 52 years or more. Is this also some sort of record ?
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Seloco
1955. Aged 4. DH89A Dragon Rapide (no definite record but possibly G-AGJG, now airworthy at Duxford) owned by Aggie Agarzarian's Island Air Services and piloted by my great uncle Gp.Cpt. Gordon Carey. Flew down the Thames to the estuary and back....
This is possibly the same aircraft which still does sightseeing trips from time to time at weekends, down to overhead London City at about 3,000 feet, then turning west along the Thames. It passes over our house and the DH engine sound always makes me look out at it.
Originally Posted by Seloco
1955. Aged 4. DH89A Dragon Rapide (no definite record but possibly G-AGJG, now airworthy at Duxford) owned by Aggie Agarzarian's Island Air Services and piloted by my great uncle Gp.Cpt. Gordon Carey. Flew down the Thames to the estuary and back....
This is possibly the same aircraft which still does sightseeing trips from time to time at weekends, down to overhead London City at about 3,000 feet, then turning west along the Thames. It passes over our house and the DH engine sound always makes me look out at it.
Classic Flights also operates G-AIYR from Duxford, so that is another possibility. I'd like to think that I have flown in all three aircraft over the years. Ah, de Havilland!
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- First ever flight was as an 8 year old on a BEA Viscount 806 EDI/LHR in July 1962. 
BEA V806s were split F & Y at that time. Connected later in the day to a BEA (very new) Vanguard for a 'night Y' flight LHR/BCN.
(was at LSI 20 years later to watch the very last BA V806 schedule G-AOYM depart for KOI/INV/GLA - May82
)
BEA V806s were split F & Y at that time. Connected later in the day to a BEA (very new) Vanguard for a 'night Y' flight LHR/BCN.(was at LSI 20 years later to watch the very last BA V806 schedule G-AOYM depart for KOI/INV/GLA - May82
)
Humus Motor
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10th August 1960. BE 8060 LHR-JER V802 Viscount G-AOHR. Capt D J Turner. Steward J Clifford. Absolute greaser in JER.
First ever flight, as well as first from LHR. We were going by BR ferry from Weymouth, but they went on strike - so good old Dad said "sod it - we're not having our holiday ruined .. we'll fly" (frankly, we couldn't afford to.)
This small boy never looked back.
First ever flight, as well as first from LHR. We were going by BR ferry from Weymouth, but they went on strike - so good old Dad said "sod it - we're not having our holiday ruined .. we'll fly" (frankly, we couldn't afford to.)
This small boy never looked back.
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Capt Plunket
Yes,Capt Plunket did fly the Channel Airways DC4 (G-ARYY), I was a traffic officer for Channel based at Jersey,I did the loadsheet and trim etc,We all loved the DC4 cos sometimes No3 would not start we would then take all the paxs off and put them in a holding gate while we started the other three engines,The plane then would take off on three and do an air start for No3 then land keep all engines running, load the scared to death pax on the port side through the front (Very Small Door), I would stand by the steps with No2 prop whizzing round only a foot or so from my back,I always went up in the jump seat for an airstart,sometimes there would be 2 or 3 of us and we would clammer and stand between the Capt & F/O, That was just one of the many things that happened in what I call the good old days of commercial flying, I am not 100 % if Capt Plunkets first name was Jim but when he signed the loadsheet it did read J Plunket,so its a good bet his first name was Jim !, This is just one of the escalades that happened at Channel. Enjoy, Peter.
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re Chiglet post #3: Paya Lebar and LHR
I think Paya Lebar was correct for Singapore in 1964. Changi came a bit later. I flew Zurich-Athens-Bahrain-Colombo-Paya Labar with Singapore Airlines in October 1974 in 707 9Q-BBB then on to Sydney in 9V-BEX, then back a few days later in BBB again and BEW. Captains were Kanga (?) and Freeman.
My first from Heathrow was 18 December 1966 in BEA Trident G-ARPP, then back in January 1967 in RPD (Capt Bell). My son was 2 months old and we wanted to show him to his grandmother in France!
My first from Heathrow was 18 December 1966 in BEA Trident G-ARPP, then back in January 1967 in RPD (Capt Bell). My son was 2 months old and we wanted to show him to his grandmother in France!
Last edited by l.garey; 6th Jan 2008 at 12:18.
Aer Lingus Viscount to Dublin 1954.....very soon after its introduction, I think. Present T2 was the only terminal, very leisurely and friendly atmosphere. My very first flight, apart from a trip or two in a glider. Magic, all the way!
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I do not remember my first flight into Heathrow but I remember landing on 24 with the last surface wind being given as 79 knots! I had a letter from one passenger complimenting me on the landing but I am sure I never landed it, I was just hanging onto the contol column!
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Yes,Capt Plunket did fly the Channel Airways DC4 (G-ARYY), I was a traffic officer for Channel based at Jersey,I did the loadsheet and trim etc,We all loved the DC4 cos sometimes No3 would not start we would then take all the paxs off and put them in a holding gate while we started the other three engines,The plane then would take off on three and do an air start for No3 then land keep all engines running, load the scared to death pax on the port side through the front (Very Small Door), I would stand by the steps with No2 prop whizzing round only a foot or so from my back,I always went up in the jump seat for an airstart,sometimes there would be 2 or 3 of us and we would clammer and stand between the Capt & F/O, That was just one of the many things that happened in what I call the good old days of commercial flying, I am not 100 % if Capt Plunkets first name was Jim but when he signed the loadsheet it did read J Plunket,so its a good bet his first name was Jim !, This is just one of the escalades that happened at Channel. Enjoy, Peter.
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GANTB incident
Yes I remember GANTB incident, I was day off that day but I did find some photos of it and put them on my Friends Reunited web page under the Heading "Channel Airways The Url is >
http://englishpeter.myfriendsreunited.com <
I also have one photo of G-ARYY in that lot, I did hear a wee story about that day TB went down that the Farmer that worked the field that TB went down in complained to one of the firemen about who would pay for his damaged crops, The Fireman Decked Him !,
Peter.
http://englishpeter.myfriendsreunited.com <
I also have one photo of G-ARYY in that lot, I did hear a wee story about that day TB went down that the Farmer that worked the field that TB went down in complained to one of the firemen about who would pay for his damaged crops, The Fireman Decked Him !,
Peter.
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My first flight from LHR was to Kano on a BOAC Stratocruiser in 1958Unfortunately I had been on more than one flight out of LHR before my parents got me a BOAC junior jet club log book
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First flight was in a DH Dragon Rapide reg unknown from LHR Central over the reservoirs and back for 10 shillings, operator not known but could it have been Oll0y in 1953? But first commercial from LHR southside on Silver City Airways to Nicosia via Tunis and Malta for groundfeeding in 1959. Think the aircraft was a DC6 and seats faced backwards towards the tail.