Aircraft which brought Elizabeth ll back to London after her father's death.
This Argonaut has East African connections: leased to EAAC in February 1958, registered as VP-KOT, then returned to BOAC. Went to Fire Section in 1970.
N4790P
The book "BOAC an Illustrated History" has a cleverly selected cover photo of a Comet, 707 and 747 together, all in BOAC livery. Theoretically impossible as the Comet was retired long before the 747 came along, it is staged with the Comet trainer, back in full BOAC livery, parked among these other types. The Argonaut was still around Heathrow then I believe, shame it couldn't have been cosmetically tarted up to join the others :
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The limousine shown is still around. I happened to drive alongside it one morning a few years ago all the way out from Buckingham Palace to the M4. It was Ascot races day and it was being driven out from its base at Buck House Mews. kept up with the rest of the traffic all the way along. No visible escort, just the driver.
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If I recall the Argonaught was replaced by a Comet and eventually by a Trident - I definitely remember a clearance from ATC to *Turn Left at Trident Corner^ Then the Trident went and the Jolly Green Giant was commissioned.
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The green fire training thingy was built in the late 1990s, my civil engineering colleagues were involved in the project and a similar objet d'art at Stansted. If I recall correctly it was subsequently moved to make room for the Virgin hangar. The Trident was "owned" by a schoolfriend's BA management dad and was originally used for tug training I think. As was the Comet - or am I thinking of the ex-Dan-Air example at Gatwick?
The BOAC senior ops planner for Royal Flights was Doug Newham who did the rapid planning for HMQ's return from Nanyuki, Kenya. He was subsequently awarded the Monarch's personal award of Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order (LVO). A splendid man who achieved his 100 years in November 2021 and then flew to Canada having been given VIP treatment by BA at LHR. Sadly he developed a rapid brain tumour after he returned home in the new year and died on 14 March 2022.
A dedeicated aviator WW2 Observer/Navigator who continued supporting the RAF as president of his local RAFA and other RAF organisations all his life. RIP Doug.
A dedeicated aviator WW2 Observer/Navigator who continued supporting the RAF as president of his local RAFA and other RAF organisations all his life. RIP Doug.
The Trident 3B at LHR was G-AWZK and it was used for towing, its now at Manchester, its history is here Hawker Siddeley Trident G-AWZK
The most recent of those was G-APMB, Comet 4b which was only scrapped relatively recently, but I think prior to that there was another Comet 4, possibly G-APDM.
Argonaut of Aden airways.
I flew from Khormaksar to Mombasa for a holiday in june 1963 just 60 years ago!The Argonaut was in BOAC colours but think had Aden Airways not BOAC on the fuselage?
Came back ,same aircraft and encountered a lively thunderstorm,many passengers refused their meals so I got three!Having run out of money in Mombasa and lived on breakfasts!!
Came back ,same aircraft and encountered a lively thunderstorm,many passengers refused their meals so I got three!Having run out of money in Mombasa and lived on breakfasts!!
I flew from Khormaksar to Mombasa for a holiday in june 1963 just 60 years ago!The Argonaut was in BOAC colours but think had Aden Airways not BOAC on the fuselage?
Came back ,same aircraft and encountered a lively thunderstorm,many passengers refused their meals so I got three!Having run out of money in Mombasa and lived on breakfasts!!
Came back ,same aircraft and encountered a lively thunderstorm,many passengers refused their meals so I got three!Having run out of money in Mombasa and lived on breakfasts!!
The licensing agreement from Douglas, who did the original design of the DC-4, to Canadair, who based the Argonaut on this, but with significant changes, stipulated the aircraft could only be sold new in Britain and Canada, so there was never any market for it beyond the 40-odd aircraft built for the main airlines of the two countries.
Last edited by WHBM; 23rd Jun 2022 at 09:20.
There is an Aden Airways Argonaut in this photo: https://www.vc10.net/Airframes/Images/G-ARVA_Aden2.jpg (Photo J. Davey, from https://www.vc10.net/Airframes/cn_804__garva.html). You can see that they didn't change much in the livery, apart from the titles. Have a look at the other photos on that page as another one shows an East African Airways Comet 4 in a similar scheme.
Possibly there was an Argonaut as well, but an armoured floor was fitted by the RAF to one of the Queen's Flight Vikings VL232 for a royal tour in South Africa. According to p.19 of "The Eagle Years" by David Hedges, Eagle Airways subsequently bought it as G-APAT and considered it "down on performance" until they found the reason!
IIRC two were used to transport the Royal passengers, one was a 'flying workshop' and the fourth one was spare/crew transport.... but I would have to look that up to be sure. Keith Wilson's 'Royal Flying: A Pictorial History' includes some details about these Vikings but I don't have it nearby unfortunately.
There used to be , and may still be a restored painted cannon barrel mounted muzzle up in a grass patch outside the cabbie canteen in the cab waiting area , and across the road from the LHR cop shop .
Reliably , reputed to be where Princess Elizebeth ascended her throne , with her 1st step back onto UK soil , alighting there from the Argonaut .
Equally learned today that the fire dump Argo. was not her a/c.
My LHR years encompassed taxi clearance from the Outer to the Inner via [ in turn ] ' Argonaut Arc , Comet Corner , and Trident Turn ' . Never taxied by the JGG , or otherwise the Boelas / Douging 710/107 ... But could see the steel rusting far quicker than real a/c aged .
rgds condor .
Reliably , reputed to be where Princess Elizebeth ascended her throne , with her 1st step back onto UK soil , alighting there from the Argonaut .
Equally learned today that the fire dump Argo. was not her a/c.
My LHR years encompassed taxi clearance from the Outer to the Inner via [ in turn ] ' Argonaut Arc , Comet Corner , and Trident Turn ' . Never taxied by the JGG , or otherwise the Boelas / Douging 710/107 ... But could see the steel rusting far quicker than real a/c aged .
rgds condor .