British South American Airways
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British South American Airways
Never heard of BSAA before; anyone know about its history?
Photos: Avro 688 Tudor 4B Aircraft Pictures | Airliners.net
Photos: Avro 688 Tudor 4B Aircraft Pictures | Airliners.net
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I read an article recently about this airline and its Tudor operations to South America. Unfortunately it was ill-starred and there was an above level number of crashes with this particular aircraft type with many lives lost.
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BSAA,would have been a forerunner of B.O.A.C ,their aircraft always had names which started with Star, ie " Star Tiger , Star Leopard ,Star Lion and the FAs were called "Star Girls ". Unfortunately they flew the Avro Tudor II and Lancastrians. The Tudor suffered a few high profile accidents in BSAA service and the crash in the Andes was a Lancastrian , the remains which where only uncovered intact and with the bodies inside ,some years back when a glazier melted.
Thanks, tornadoken,
Am no expert, but BSAA was founded and run by AVM Don Bennett, a pilot, navigator, and war hero; who had been leader of the Pathfinder force in RAF Bomber Command (WW2). He was a controversial figure, regarded by some as too clever to be safe in an aeroplane, particularly in peace time.
Even trying to allow for the norms of the time, BSAA seems to have been run more like an air force than an airline, in terms of risk, crew work patterns, and training.
When a South America-bound York crashed fatally on take-off at Bathurst (now Banjul), Gambia, Bennett swiftly conducted his own accident investigation, allegedly trying to avoid the AIB getting involved. It had been a night departure at or above MTOW, and the captain had never flown a heavy York before. (He had flown out from London in a Lancastrian, I think; a smaller aeroplane with a much higher power-to-weight ratio.) The York was airborne much earlier than the ground crew expected, and probably never achieved a safe IAS, stalling beyond the airfield boundary. Bennett diagnosed an engine problem; the AIB later decided otherwise.
I also read the book about Star Dust (the crashed Lancastrian that recently emerged from an Andean glacier): not bad.
For a compelling flavour of those times, I recommend David Beaty's novel, Heart of the Storm, as mentioned recently on another thread. Beaty was a BOAC pilot, ex RAF, and his novel is written from the perspective of the captain of a trans-Atlantic Avro Tudor, in an airline which could only be BSAA. Some of the pressures, though, live on to this day... My copy is either lost, or merely temporarily missing in the garage!
Am no expert, but BSAA was founded and run by AVM Don Bennett, a pilot, navigator, and war hero; who had been leader of the Pathfinder force in RAF Bomber Command (WW2). He was a controversial figure, regarded by some as too clever to be safe in an aeroplane, particularly in peace time.
Even trying to allow for the norms of the time, BSAA seems to have been run more like an air force than an airline, in terms of risk, crew work patterns, and training.
When a South America-bound York crashed fatally on take-off at Bathurst (now Banjul), Gambia, Bennett swiftly conducted his own accident investigation, allegedly trying to avoid the AIB getting involved. It had been a night departure at or above MTOW, and the captain had never flown a heavy York before. (He had flown out from London in a Lancastrian, I think; a smaller aeroplane with a much higher power-to-weight ratio.) The York was airborne much earlier than the ground crew expected, and probably never achieved a safe IAS, stalling beyond the airfield boundary. Bennett diagnosed an engine problem; the AIB later decided otherwise.
I also read the book about Star Dust (the crashed Lancastrian that recently emerged from an Andean glacier): not bad.
For a compelling flavour of those times, I recommend David Beaty's novel, Heart of the Storm, as mentioned recently on another thread. Beaty was a BOAC pilot, ex RAF, and his novel is written from the perspective of the captain of a trans-Atlantic Avro Tudor, in an airline which could only be BSAA. Some of the pressures, though, live on to this day... My copy is either lost, or merely temporarily missing in the garage!
Last edited by Chris Scott; 23rd Mar 2010 at 13:04. Reason: Minor additions; Star Tiger amended to Star Dust.
Fly with the Stars: British South American Airways - The Rise and Controversial Fall of a Trailblazer, by Susan Ottaway, Ian Ottaway, NPI, 075094448X
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Given Iberia's Latin American route structure, what a splendid coup it would be, when BA take over Iberia, to rename the Spanish structure thus.
Possible by that time that BA would not be able to afford the tail paint job though.
Possible by that time that BA would not be able to afford the tail paint job though.
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Latter days in BOAC
A scan down the list of BSAA pilots shows that, when absorbed into BOAC, they were by no means 'second class citizens.'
R C Alabaster Comet IV Fleet Manager
H S 'Jimmy' Andrew VC10 Fleet Development Manager
Maurice Airies Flight Ops Accounts Manager
H Lincloln Lee Comet IV Captain and author of book Three Dimensioned Darkness - The World of the Airline pilot.
E E Rodley Boeing 707 Captain and featured in BBC documentary The Pilots
Frank Walton Flight Ops Director
P Hart Lovelace VC10 Training Captain
Ron Hartley VC10 Fleet Manager
It's also interesting to see that Monarch Airlines founder-member Chief Pilot and Flight Ops Director Capt A J 'Jack' Burridge was known as Arthur 'Tosh' Burridge in BSAA!
R C Alabaster Comet IV Fleet Manager
H S 'Jimmy' Andrew VC10 Fleet Development Manager
Maurice Airies Flight Ops Accounts Manager
H Lincloln Lee Comet IV Captain and author of book Three Dimensioned Darkness - The World of the Airline pilot.
E E Rodley Boeing 707 Captain and featured in BBC documentary The Pilots
Frank Walton Flight Ops Director
P Hart Lovelace VC10 Training Captain
Ron Hartley VC10 Fleet Manager
It's also interesting to see that Monarch Airlines founder-member Chief Pilot and Flight Ops Director Capt A J 'Jack' Burridge was known as Arthur 'Tosh' Burridge in BSAA!
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Tosh burridge
Can anyone give me more details about Arthur 'Tosh' Burridge - why was he called 'tosh' ? I am his eldest son and unfortunately he passed away 3 years ago I never knew he was called 'Tosh' ??
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another good book
this book star dust falling
by jay rayner tells the story how the Andes wreck was discovered and has
alot of history of AVM Bennett and how BSAA started\up
wasn't Branson's mum Eve a star girl?
by jay rayner tells the story how the Andes wreck was discovered and has
alot of history of AVM Bennett and how BSAA started\up
wasn't Branson's mum Eve a star girl?
At a certain english public school, maybe others, 'tosh' was the name given to a bath. Maybe your dad got the name because he liked bathing. If matt tells us where his father went to school we can probably eliminate that possibility pretty quickly.
Those of you interested in BSAA may be interested to know that there is a 30 minute programme on BBC Radio 4 this coming Friday (April 27th) about the life and career of Air Vice-Marshal Donald Bennett, Chief Executive of BSAA. The programme is presented by Tom Mangold, is entitled 'The Pathfinder' and is on at 11:00.
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Capt Burridge
I arrived here by chance because I was looking for an old suitcase on ebay. I saw one with the name capt AJ Burridge and googled him, I got here. I dont know if this was your Dad - it says RE (royal engineers?) after his name. Anyway - try this:-
Vintage Metal Travel Trunk Ship/Navy (American Trunk Mart) | eBay
Vintage Metal Travel Trunk Ship/Navy (American Trunk Mart) | eBay
