Skyways of London Hermes

[RAF kid]

Hi,

I'm looking for any information regarding routes, destinations (inc. stop overs), flight sector times, etc for "Trooping Flights" in the late fifties to the Far East in particular Skyways of London Hermes flights.
Are there any ex-Skyways/Airworks crew members or staff around who could possibly assist?
Or can anyone point me in the right direction for any further information including websites, books, DVD's, etc please?

Thanks.

[happybiker]

RAF Kid, you may want to take a look at "Britain's Airlines Volume two 1951-1964" by Guy Halford MacLeod. ISBN 978-0-7524-4276-1.

I recall there are a number of snippets relating to Skyways and the trooping contracts as well as a wealth of information regarding the development of civil aviation in this fascinating period after the war.

[PaperTiger]

Or "British Independent Airlines 1946-1976" from TAHS (no ISBN number):
BRITISH INDEPENDENT AIRLINES . Several pages on Skyways.

[norwich]

RAF kid. Nice subject, my favourite airline Skyways of London ! Sorry i can't help with the routes and timings you are looking for .... but can post a couple of photos collected from 'somewhere' over the years ?
And would also reccomend 'British Independant Airlines since 1946' by A.C. (tony) Merton Jones. volume 4. ISBN 0 902420 10 0, which has four pages of info about Skyways and several photos.

Keith.

[Sir George Cayley]

I was right, wasn't I?

SGC

[RAF kid]

You were indeed. Thanks for the tip.

[Double Zero]

Skyways

RAF Kid,

I might have some photo's of interest to you, if 'Skyways of London' also used Dunsfold, Surrey - possibly maintenance base, and during the Berlin Airlift ? ( to become Hawkers' final assembly & test site ).

A serious pain to post here, as my PC and the systems don't agree but if you e-mail me I'll happily send them on.

[RAF kid]

Many thanks Double Zero. Yes I would love to see them. I have sent you my email address.

[SKYBYWAYS]

Skyways Hermes

Hi! Just completed a book covering Lancashire Aircraft Corporation and Skyways of London including quite a bit of Rapide, Halifax, York Hermes and Connie info. What do you wish to know? Chers SKYBYWAYS

[RAF kid]

SKYBYWAYS,

Thanks for your reply.

As a nipper in early April 1959 I flew to Singapore on a Skyways Hermes trooping flight. We were routed via Brindisi, Ankara, Bahrain, Karachi (overnight), Delhi & Calcutta. We were also due in Bangkok but allegedly the stewardesses were a little tipsy so the stop was aborted and we flew onto Singapore!

Basically what I'm looking for is any information regarding sector timings, reasons for particular routings and stops, length of stops, overnight halts, food & refreshments, crewing, etc. Also any information regarding areas of avoidance - physical (Alps?) and political (Syria?) would be very useful.

Obviously I doubt very much if anyone remembers our particular flight so any general information regarding Skyways or other trooping flights during this period would be gratefully received. What is your book called? Where can we get a copy?

Thanks.

[SKYBYWAYS]

Skyways Hermes

Hi again! If you are able to quote few dates I could possiby find more information from my collection of Operations Logs retained from those days. In the light of your interest I'll also have a quick look through my book and see if there's anything that may inerest you. Certainly got references to to routes, times, crews and slips etc. Cheers for now SKYBYWAYS

[RAF kid]

Hi SKYBYWAYS,

The only definite dates I have are:

Departure Stansted: 3 April 1959 (1844 hrs) - Capt Gingles

Arrival Singapore: 6 April 1959 (AM)

I estimate we would have been at Karachi 4-5 April 1959.

Many thanks.

[merlinxx]

The last one we had was the BUA Cabin Trainer along side the A23 outside the BUA HQ.

[norwich]

RAF kid and merlinxx. The former Gatwick (A23) cabin trainer is still with us it is at Duxford, painted in BOAC colours, and a little dusty when this photo was taken in Dec 07 .....
You can still see and touch a Hermes.

SKYBYWAYS. Wow your book sounds like a 'gotta have ' for me !

Keith Newsome.

[SKYBYWAYS]

SKYWAYS and RAF Kid

Good morning RAF Kid - I may be making a mess of this message lark - haven't done much of it! Thing is I think I have sent you the following. Just incase I haven't I'll send it again.
Some answers to your questions:
03APR59 03/1844 (all times G) GALDL dep Stansted Capt Paddy Gingles SKY 105/905
04/0049 arr Brindisi dep 04/0200: 04/0603 arr Ankara dep 04/0722 Capt Tony Leaning:04/1401 arrr Baghdad dep 04/1547: 04/2030 arr Karachi dep
05/1256: 05/1607 arr Delhi: 05/2132 arr Calcutta dep 05/2240 Capt Freddie Marvell: 06/0724 arr Singapore. There were certain terrain problems on the Ankara sector largely due to use of 100 oct fuel
at AM request and consequent de-rating of engines.
With regard to book I don't yet have a publisher I have had a couple of copies bound and could well have others produced in the same way but for the fact that I couldn't afford to sell tem at less than £45 per copy.
If you would like to know more, send me your email and I could transmit copies of the content pages. Hope the above is of interest. Paddy Gingles had quite a war and wound up with 617 - thoroughly good and amusing bloke apart from being a highly accomplished driver. Regards SKYBYWAYS

[RAF kid]

Hi SKYBYWAYS,

WOW! I'm absolutely amazed you have this information! Thank you so much for all the details. I'll spend some time digesting it all.

Kind Regards,

P.S. I've sent you a message with my email address.

[captain.speaking]

Skyways schedules

Skybyways

Please check you messages.

Thanks.

[Proplinerman]

Hermes

Norwich: love the photos, thanks very much for posting. I'm not old enough to recall Hermes flying and the only one I've seen is G-ALDG at Duxford. Link below to photo of its interior that I took last October.

JetPhotos.Net Photo » G-ALDG (CN: 08) British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) Handley Page Hermes by Michael Blank

And here's the flight deck:

JetPhotos.Net Photo » G-ALDG (CN: 08) British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) Handley Page Hermes by Michael Blank

[carvid]

I was shipped to Cyprus as a RAF National Service man in July 1955 but in Skyways Hermes lV G-ALDV . We left Stansted at 4.30pm, arrived Ciampino (Rome) 8.30pm. Stayed for 2 hours before continuing to Nicosia where we arrived 6.30am local time. Refreshments on board were restricted to cold chicken salads and hot(ish) coffee plus sandwiches at about midnight!
G-ALDV crashed in April 1958 on a test flight caused it is thought, by foreign materials jamming the controls. Three occupants were killed.
Hope this helps

[David Rayment]

'LDV

Carvid - That would have been my Father's last flight, (Capt G D Rayment) and the object was probably a split pin. I will have a look through his logbooks for the time regarding trooping flights

David Rayment