Flying Boats to East Africa
Years ago, passing through Miami, I drove down to their terminal, it was a bit deserted but I asked about a round trip to the Bahamas on the boat. It was about $200 and I felt at the time it was a bit much. Wish I had gone, now, though. I ended up just with a Chalk's t-shirt from the counter.
Miami to Bahamas with Chalks ?
It turned out that the schedule was Tofino, Tahsis (a logging community with no airfield) and back to Vancouver. Departure was delayed while we watched an engineer working on something in the tail, with his legs sticking out of a hatch into the cabin!
Eventually when ready to go, the captain comes over and says "Since we are late and all the other passengers are going to Tahsis, would you mind if we went there first?" Would I mind?
So I got to experience a water landing, taxi onto and off a slipway and a water takeoff. Tahsis Inlet is a very long, sheltered fiord. It was flat calm that day and the takeoff run was at least a mile!
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cyflyer, I have just watched 'The Flying Boats' documentary, and found it absolutely fascinating. I was particularly pleased to see so many scenes featuring the flying boats produced by Short Bros, because my uncle was employed by the company during WW2 working on Sunderlands. He managed to arrange a visit for me and my mother to the Rochester works in 1944, when I was an aeroplane-mad 5 year old. I remember being led into an assembly hall where a completed Sunderland was positioned ready for launching through the huge doors down a concrete slipway leading to the River Medway. My uncle's boss took me by the hand and led me across closer to the aircraft, and memorably asked me with a smile, "Would you like me to put a string on the front sonny, so you can take it home with you?" Daft, of course, but I have never forgotten it!
The scene in your Youtube video where several former aircrew visited the preserved example at the Hendon RAF Museum was very evocative, since I have also examined that one, both inside and out. I also went inside the 'Plane Sailing' Catalina when it was open to visits for a small fee, at the Biggin Hill air show 6 or 7 years ago. I recall chatting with the watchful fellow keeping an eye on the cockpit area while I took a few pics, and it transpired that the 'Catalina' was strictly a 'Canso', since it was built in Canada. I will next be watching your second Youtube video, 'The Last African Flying Boat', with keen anticipation.
Many thanks for taking the trouble to transpose these historic aviation records to Youtube, so that many can enjoy the priceless experience.
The scene in your Youtube video where several former aircrew visited the preserved example at the Hendon RAF Museum was very evocative, since I have also examined that one, both inside and out. I also went inside the 'Plane Sailing' Catalina when it was open to visits for a small fee, at the Biggin Hill air show 6 or 7 years ago. I recall chatting with the watchful fellow keeping an eye on the cockpit area while I took a few pics, and it transpired that the 'Catalina' was strictly a 'Canso', since it was built in Canada. I will next be watching your second Youtube video, 'The Last African Flying Boat', with keen anticipation.
Many thanks for taking the trouble to transpose these historic aviation records to Youtube, so that many can enjoy the priceless experience.
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Haynes Flying Boat Manual
Check that dreaded SA river for
PZU - Out of Africa (Retired)
PZU - Out of Africa (Retired)
Last edited by pzu; 7th Feb 2013 at 14:21.
603DX I am so glad you enjoyed it, and thank you for your kind words. I am glad I hoarded so many of those older documentaries from way back then, and kept them. They were the best. They don't make them them like that any more, mainly I believe because they feature so many people who were on those aircraft, and still had living memories of those times. Sadly, I think none of them are with us any longer.
All though its a bit of a slog getting them onto youtube for others to enjoy, I may have some more, and will gradually get them up. I know I have something else called "Edward's Flying Boat" somewhere.........
Let us know what you think of "The Last African Flying Boat"
All though its a bit of a slog getting them onto youtube for others to enjoy, I may have some more, and will gradually get them up. I know I have something else called "Edward's Flying Boat" somewhere.........
Let us know what you think of "The Last African Flying Boat"
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Well cyflyer, I have now just finished watching your second documentary, "The Last African Flying Boat", and found it absolutely magical! Linking the bold exploratory Catalina journey to the old 1930's Empire flying boat routes was an inspired decision, and beautifully filmed by the BBC in about 1990 I believe, the date given in the end titles.
I was enthralled by the almost "Cook's Tour" of wondrous places visited on the epic journey by the elderly flying boat, as I have been to many of them myself, either on holidays or in the course of my work as an engineer in Africa. The scenes at Cairo, flying over the pyramids, up the Nile, over Karnak temple, to Aswan and the Old Cataract Hotel (where I took "tiffin" with my wife) were gratifyingly familiar. I worked for a time at Kisumu on Lake Victoria, and lunched on the veranda of the Lake Naivasha Hotel, on fresh fish caught in the lake. Nairobi, too, was another place where I spent quite a lot of time.
Glad to hear that you have more in the pipeline, and I await "Edward's Flying Boat" eagerly! Again, many thanks.
I was enthralled by the almost "Cook's Tour" of wondrous places visited on the epic journey by the elderly flying boat, as I have been to many of them myself, either on holidays or in the course of my work as an engineer in Africa. The scenes at Cairo, flying over the pyramids, up the Nile, over Karnak temple, to Aswan and the Old Cataract Hotel (where I took "tiffin" with my wife) were gratifyingly familiar. I worked for a time at Kisumu on Lake Victoria, and lunched on the veranda of the Lake Naivasha Hotel, on fresh fish caught in the lake. Nairobi, too, was another place where I spent quite a lot of time.
Glad to hear that you have more in the pipeline, and I await "Edward's Flying Boat" eagerly! Again, many thanks.
WHBM
I did manage a Chalks flight Miami/Bimini at a reasonable price.
A tremendous experience taking off from among the cruise ships in the harbour.
I wanted my passport stamped in Bimini but when the immigration man turned up on a scooter he said noone had asked that before and he didn't possess a stamp.
Beside the Chalks terminal there was a Goodyear Blimp offering trips and I have always regretted that I didn't find the extra cash to do both trips.
I did manage a Chalks flight Miami/Bimini at a reasonable price.
A tremendous experience taking off from among the cruise ships in the harbour.
I wanted my passport stamped in Bimini but when the immigration man turned up on a scooter he said noone had asked that before and he didn't possess a stamp.
Beside the Chalks terminal there was a Goodyear Blimp offering trips and I have always regretted that I didn't find the extra cash to do both trips.
As promised, here is "The Last African Flying Boat" in its entirety for all to enjoy.
Thanks for posting. A fascinating documentary, with the characters just as interesting as the flying.
Two comments. Wearing my pilot's hat, there is a dreadful porpoised landing at about 9 minutes, which could have ended the trip prematurely.
Changing hats, there is a very odd commentary by Alexander Frater about crossing the Equator as they fly by the very distinctive Teleki's Volcano at the south end of Lake Turkana. The volcano is 145 nm north of the equator.
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Yes, India Four Two, I also noticed the anomaly regarding the location of the equator mentioned after take off from Lake Turkana bound for Kisumu.
In fact they would not have crossed the line until shortly after starting the next Kisumu-Naivasha leg, since the equator is actually about 15 miles south of Kisumu.
The black and white film sequence showing the facilities being used by the Imperial Airways 'Empire' flying boats at Kisumu set me thinking. There is a hotel there called the Imperial, which was there then, and still exists under that name. It is still recognised as the best in Kisumu, so I would not be surprised if it was occasionally used for overnight stays back then. I stayed there in 1990, and found it very comfortable - a bit of a time warp of a venue.
In fact they would not have crossed the line until shortly after starting the next Kisumu-Naivasha leg, since the equator is actually about 15 miles south of Kisumu.
The black and white film sequence showing the facilities being used by the Imperial Airways 'Empire' flying boats at Kisumu set me thinking. There is a hotel there called the Imperial, which was there then, and still exists under that name. It is still recognised as the best in Kisumu, so I would not be surprised if it was occasionally used for overnight stays back then. I stayed there in 1990, and found it very comfortable - a bit of a time warp of a venue.
603DX,
Thinking about it, I suspect the commentary had already been recorded and the film editors decided that the view out of the window for the real line-crossing was too boring, so they spliced in something more dramatic.
Thinking about it, I suspect the commentary had already been recorded and the film editors decided that the view out of the window for the real line-crossing was too boring, so they spliced in something more dramatic.
bigal,
You confirmed my suspicions.
You confirmed my suspicions.
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I have for some time been studying the remarkable career of Captain Dudley Travers DFC, a Master Air Pilot, and one of BOAC's most famous flying boat Captains. He regularly flew the route to South Africa via Lake Naivasha, and loved it so much, that when he retired, he and his wife Joan lived nearby. When he died his ashes were scattered on the lake.
Some years ago, I remember seeing on the internet a short video clip of Dudley, complete in white flying overalls, walking from his aircraft along the pier from his aircraft. I lost the URL reference in a computer crash (before I learned to do regular backups) and have been unable to locate it since. I know that it is the longest of long shots, but does anyone on the forum have any idea where it may be tucked away?
I have copies of Dudley's logbooks - he flew over 2 million miles in his career, and even appeared by live link from Nairobi in 1959 when Captain O P 'Opie' Jones was the subject of TV's "This is your Life".
Allan
Some years ago, I remember seeing on the internet a short video clip of Dudley, complete in white flying overalls, walking from his aircraft along the pier from his aircraft. I lost the URL reference in a computer crash (before I learned to do regular backups) and have been unable to locate it since. I know that it is the longest of long shots, but does anyone on the forum have any idea where it may be tucked away?
I have copies of Dudley's logbooks - he flew over 2 million miles in his career, and even appeared by live link from Nairobi in 1959 when Captain O P 'Opie' Jones was the subject of TV's "This is your Life".
Allan
Regarding the "Last African Flying Boat", I couldn't help thinking where did the operation end up that the, frenchman was launching. I remembered that there was a follow up article in April 1994 in the magazine "Air Pictorial". After rumaging though piles of old magazines I found it. I scanned the four pages and am posting it here as best as I can for anyone to read that wants to follow up on the story. I hope its readable.
Also I found this currently on the web,
Pierre Jaunet, African Safaris, Private Safari Guides, Safari Camps, Safari Lodges : Bushbuck Safaris
Also I found this currently on the web,
Pierre Jaunet, African Safaris, Private Safari Guides, Safari Camps, Safari Lodges : Bushbuck Safaris
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Dudley Travers
No, I had not seen that particular interview - thank you. What was even better however, was at 43'35" we could see Dudley in the cockpit (that large square chin is a dead give-away), and later on the ground with the passengers! I shall have to check the historical videos released by BA and find the documentary that it came from. Thanks again.
Allan