British Caledonian Boeing 707s

[Asturias56]

Yes I flew them as a pax on London- Kaduna- Lagos and a lot of our guys used them out of Benghastly and Tripoli.

IIRC they had extra booze on board for the London bound flights from Sunny Libya

[paulross]

Originally Posted by Asturias56

Yes I flew them as a pax on London- Kaduna- Lagos and a lot of our guys used them out of Benghastly and Tripoli.

IIRC they had extra booze on board for the London bound flights from Sunny Libya

I was on those Tripoli/LGW flights in the 1980s and I am not surprised. I worked in the oil industry there for many years. The LGW/Tripoli sector usually left pretty early, around 07:00. It was usually about 1/3 full but the fare was pretty eye watering, around £300 if I remember. Oil industry prices.

Whilst most people working in Libya had four weeks on/four weeks off where I worked it was something like eight or 12 weeks on two or three weeks off. So we were pretty disoriented what we got on the plane home.

On my first flight back I was just grateful to be on the aircraft home and, as we were taxying out the lovely BCAL CC passed by with a trolly and said "would you like a beer". I admit I was confused as I hadn't seen a beer, or a woman, for three months. 'Er, yes I suppose' I blurted out and she put a six-pack on the empty seat beside me, extras appeared before the top of the climb.

I'll just make a call out to the wonderful BCAL crew, up front and in the cabin. After a long time in the desert, and working very long hours, to collapse in to a BCAL 707 seat at Tripoli was sublime.

[25F]

Originally Posted by Asturias56

Yes I flew them as a pax on London- Kaduna- Lagos and a lot of our guys used them out of Benghastly and Tripoli.

Kaduna? I lived there mid-seventies and my memory is that we flew on BCal 707s from Kano.

[Tony Mabelis]

One 707 that was operated by BCAL (G-CDHW) is still flying in the guise of '272' of the Israeli airforce.

[Asturias56]

sorry you're right - it was Nigerian A/W F-27's into Kaduna............................

not quite the same

[India Four Two]

After a long time in the desert, and working very long hours, to collapse in to a BCAL 707 seat at Tripoli was sublime.

I know the feeling. Admittedly not BCAL and I had only been in Libya for two weeks at Marsa el Brega, but after an overnight in Tripoli at a terrible hotel (Bab El Mandeb?) and a couple of hours in airside limbo, it was a delight to board an immaculate Swissair MD-80, with charming CC. One of them told me that they stayed on board during the turnaround, to avoid being hassled!

[browndhc2]

Great thread. A couple of Br 707 Flight deck pictures.

[Frelon]

...and then the DC10s arrived!

This picture was at a BCAL promotion for the arrival of the first DC10 into the fleet.


First DC10 in the BCAL Fleet.

Oh look, there's my sister in her BCAL uniform (true)

[BigBoreFour]

Originally Posted by Frelon

This picture was at a BCAL promotion for the arrival of the first DC10 into the fleet.

First DC10 in the BCAL Fleet.

Oh look, there's my sister in her BCAL uniform (true)

Nice plane.

That's your sister?
Well...ah...
isn't this awkward...

[chevvron]

Originally Posted by BigBoreFour

Nice plane.

That's your sister?
Well...ah...
isn't this awkward...

What the one with knobbly knees?

[treadigraph]

ONA DC-8 in the background as well...

[TCU]

First DC10 in the BCAL Fleet

I assume, based on the colour scheme, thats actually the DC-10 prototype?

[treadigraph]

Yep, looks like N10DC, apparently the second airframe; prototype (also N10DC) ended up with American, this one (demonstrator?) with Laker as G-BELO. Freddie got it cheap didn't he?

[SWBKCB]

This picture was at a BCAL promotion for the arrival of the first DC10 into the fleet.

They'd need all the pretty girls to distract from the aircraft behind. Ugliest western jet airliner?

[Sotonsean]

Originally Posted by TCU

First DC10 in the BCAL Fleet

I assume, based on the colour scheme, thats actually the DC-10 prototype?

It was N10DC, the DC-10 prototype that was on it's world "Friendship Tour". The aircraft visited London Gatwick Airport in July 1972 and was shown off to prospective customers such as British Caledonian Airways and Laker Airways.

I'm sure that everyone is aware of the excellent BCAL site,

BCal British Caledonian

[WHBM]

Originally Posted by Sotonsean

It was N10DC, the DC-10 prototype that was on it's world "Friendship Tour". The aircraft visited London Gatwick Airport in July 1972 and was shown off to prospective customers such as British Caledonian Airways and Laker Airways.

Skirt lengths certainly look more 1972 than 1977, when the first B Cal DC-10 (G-BEBM) came.

It was a huge marketing hype trip. McDD coming from Southern California, there was all the Hollywood "pzazz" with it, to get them exposure in the various national media, including various personalities. Wasn't Sammy Davis Junior brought along in the entourage ?

Infamously, this same trip carried on from London to Istanbul, where there was a huge party for THY management, Turkish politicians ... and the ultimate result was the THY order for the DC-10-10s, which given their route structure and loads of the time looked unlikely. When first delivered THY were not at all ready, and McDD house test pilots were sent over to fly the early flights. And then there was Paris ...

Originally Posted by treadigraph

Yep, looks like N10DC, apparently the second airframe; prototype (also N10DC) ended up with American, this one (demonstrator?) with Laker as G-BELO. Freddie got it cheap didn't he?

In a bit of extreme fastidiousness (even more so than looking beyond a bevy of girls and just noticing an ONA DC8 ...), the first two DC-10s were registered the first one as N10DC, and the second one N101AA, intended for American. At the end of 1972, thus after this trip, for some reason these two registrations were exchanged, so this one was then delivered to American, who retired it at the end of the 1990s, and it was the second one, now N10DC for a while, that eventually went to Laker and ended up in recent times with a worldwide health charity.

[Flightrider]

BCal Gatwick 707 operations from the 1979 UK & Ireland Airport Schedules. I've re-checked what's in the book and don't think it can be 100% correct unless there are some routings which took aircraft out and back via some weird and wonderful means that I can't work out - which is quite possible!

Mon BR 358 Arrive 05:35 Freetown

BR 667 Depart 09:45 Rio de Janeiro

BR 333 Depart 10:00 Tripoli

BR 334 Arrive 18:30 Tripoli

BR 332 Arrive 18:35 Monrovia

BR 212 Arrive 19:15 Lusaka via Tunis

BR 355 Depart 23:15 Abidjan



Tue BR 557F Depart 03:00 Lagos

BR 333 Depart 10:00 Tripoli

BR 668 Arrive 13:25 Rio de Janeiro

BR 354 Arrive 18:10 Monrovia

BR 356 Arrive 18:15 Abidjan

BR 334 Arrive 18:30 Tripoli

BR 558F Arrive 18:55 Lagos

BR 665 Depart 21:30 Santiago

BR 353 Depart 23:15 Monrovia



Wed BR 366 Arrive 05:40 Lagos

BR 246 Arrive 09:10 Houston

BR 313 Depart 10:00 Benghazi

BR 245 Depart 11:40 Houston

BR 314 Arrive 19:10 Benghazi

BR 213 Depart 22:45 Lusaka

BR 554F Arrive 22:55 Tripoli



Thu BR 561F Depart 08:45 Houston

BR 333 Depart 10:00 Tripoli

BR 675 Depart 11:00 Lima

BR 666 Arrive 15:35 Santiago

BR 334 Arrive 18:30 Tripoli

BR 375 Depart 23:15 Lagos



Fri BR 216 Arrive 06:40 Lusaka

BR 333 Depart 10:00 Tripoli

BR 323 Depart 10:45 Accra via Monrovia

BR 562F Arrive 16:45 Houston

BR 376 Arrive 16:45 Lagos

BR 334 Arrive 18:30 Tripoli

BR 215 Depart 20:45 Lusaka via Tunis

BR 351 Depart 23:15 Freetown



Sat BR 557F Depart 03:00 Lagos

BR 324 Arrive 07:00 Accra via Monrovia

BR 676 Arrive 09:00 Lima

BR 333 Depart 10:00 Tripoli

BR 681 Depart 13:30 Las Palmas

BR 352 Arrive 18:10 Freetown

BR 334 Arrive 18:30 Tripoli

BR 682 Arrive 22:30 Las Palmas

BR 371 Depart 23:15 Kano



Sun BR 216 Arrive 06:10 Lusaka

BR 317 Depart 08:50 Benghazi

BR 333 Depart 10:00 Tripoli

BR 357 Depart 11:00 Freetown

BR 556F Arrive 17:30 Lagos

BR 318 Arrive 18:00 Benghazi

BR 372 Arrive 18:10 Kano

BR 334 Arrive 18:30 Tripoli

BR 211 Depart 19:45 Lusaka

BR 552F Arrive 22:55 Tripoli

BR 321 Depart 23:15 Monrovia
DC10s were operating to Accra, Lagos, Lima, Houston (707 did one day per week, DC10 did the other six days), Santiago, Buenos Aires in that year.

[Flightrider]

Same for 1981 - again one or two oddities.Mon BR 358 Arrive 06:25 Monrovia

BR 551F Depart 07:00 Tripoli

BR 667 Depart 09:00 Sao Paulo

BR 552F Arrive 15:20 Tripoli

BR 352 Arrive 17:10 Freetown



Tue BR 212 Arrive 06:10 Lusaka

BR 333 Depart 10:00 Tripoli

BR 668 Arrive 15:25 Sao Paulo

BR 334 Arrive 18:00 Tripoli



Wed BR 357 Depart 09:15 Monrovia

BR 213 Depart 20:10 Lusaka



Thu BR 358 Arrive 06:40 Monrovia

BR 333 Depart 10:00 Tripoli

BR 554F Arrive 17:10 Tripoli

BR 334 Arrive 18:00 Tripoli

BR 355 Depart 22:35 Accra



Fri BR 214 Arrive 06:10 Lusaka

BR 333 Depart 10:00 Tripoli

BR 334 Arrive 18:00 Tripoli

BR 356 Arrive 18:25 Accra

BR 215 Depart 20:10 Lusaka

BR 351 Depart 22:55 Freetown



Sat BR 567F Depart 08:00 Houston

BR 352 Arrive 17:10 Freetown



Sun BR 214 Arrive 06:10 Lusaka

BR 681 Depart 09:00 Las Palmas

BR 333 Depart 10:00 Tripoli

BR 568F Arrive 10:45 Houston

BR 353 Depart 11:15 Monrovia

BR 334 Arrive 18:00 Tripoli

BR 682 Arrive 19:10 Las Palmas

BR 211 Depart 22:00 Lusaka

BR 351 Depart 22:55 Freetown



1981 DC10 operations were on Lagos, Atlanta, Accra, Hong Kong, St Louis, Houston, Dallas, Lima, Santiago, Buenos Aires.

[treadigraph]

Originally Posted by WHBM

looking beyond a bevy of girls and just noticing an ONA DC8 ...),

Took me a while ti spot it...!

[Mr Mac]

Flightrider
That brings back memories, as I used to fly BCAL from and to Santiago, when at boarding school in the UK. It was an evening departure normally for me, and was like a Wells Fargo stagecoach as numerous stops. Long time ago but I remember the tartan short skirts as a teenager. My parents moved back to UK in mid 70;s and my return to school became notably less exotic. My last flight on one was on a charter to JFK, as an exchange student in 1977 from Gatwick. We were delayed a day due to tech problem, and spent a night in Brighton. That flight went via Belfast as well but with only about 20 people coming from Gatwick. Really interesting given the issues there at the time.

Cheers
Mr Mac