Court Line
 

33 years ago today, August 15th 1974.

RIP Court Line Aviation.

Who's still out there?

remember flying LGW - Turin &ret with them on a school ski holiday. Incredible Liveries

Incredible leather boots on incredible legs...................:)

I was at Luton soon after..........strange to see those letters taped over the aircraft doors sealing them

Remember it well can someone put a link or furnish info on the Court Line Tristar that was taken from the States / Canada without permission.

I`m still here!!
The Tristar that left Canada was flown back overnight after the collapse of the company and there was some discussion as to whether or not they would be covered by insurance. Pete Hogg-the Captain-decided that the right thing to do was to get the passengers home. (Still dont really know if they actually were insured?
It was a very emotional moment when it arrived back in Luton the following morning.

Is it really 33 years?

I was operating on the L1011 that got stuck in Gander for 5 days in January 1974 with 400 Jamaicans on board, Peter Hogg was on that one as well, Pete Varley being the other Captain.

Happy Days!:)

Was someone with the name of Collins involved in the company? His wife and son stayed at our house once, but it is so far in the distant the memory is hazy.

As a sideline, Peter Hogg murdered his wife in 1976 and hid her body in the depths of Wastwater in the Lake District where it was found eight years later.

Just to set the record straight, in fairness to Peter Hogg -

He was found Not Guilty of murder.
The defence was provocation, and the jury took only about an hour to acquit him. He had been provoked for years by his wife being unfaithful, and eventually snapped during a row after she'd got home from a week away with her then lover (some banker) and flaunting her affair.
He was convicted of Manslaughter and jailed for three years, with an extra year for obstructing a coroner.

I wasn't in the case, just happened to be doing another murder trial at the Old Bailey at the time.

His wife was an air hostess.


FL

I doubt that being unfaithful would be out of the norm today. Does anyone also have info on the 4 engined prop job that was bought for shipping the RB engines around?

The four engine prop job was a Beverley. XB259-I think?. It was never properly thought through and the aircraft would unlikely ever have been able to be flown on the civil reg. Plus the range of the Beverley was very limited and it would have taken forever to fly a spare engine to -say -the Caribean.
It stayed at Luton for a long time and was I think eventually flown to Brough.

Wierd coincidence I was actually working in Wasdale (the valley not the Ppruner) the day the body was recovered, it having originally being found by a local diver I know

Blackburn Beverley. Saw that arrive at LTN, yes i was in shorts at the time :ok:Now the last one in existence, up somewhere near Hull. Paull Airfield i think.

EGGW

I recall a wry comment by James Gilbert in Pilot at the time of the trial that amongst the books used to weigh Mrs Hogg's body down on the lake bottom was "The Fliers World" which he had written. "It wasn't that bad was it?" he asked.

Think the Beverley was the one that ended up at Southend wasn't it? The cockpit still exists at Duxford.

Anyone remember TO accident with the BAC 1-11 that went through the cockpit of the Aztec at Luton killing the Aztec pilot.. I knew one of the girls in the back at the time MARY ROBB who later went to Birmingham with BA on the 1-11s

A bitter memory for me. My father was an engineer at Luton, I remember the papers being full of concern about the holiday makers, but hardly a mention for the unpaid employees, many of whom were never paid all that was owed to them:(

Dont remember anyone named Collins? Was he a Pilot/Engineer any further clues? (Bernard Collins was Luton airport director at about that time?)
Mary Robb was on the 1-11 that hit the Aztec. The surviving Aztec pilot was George Adams from Luton flying club and I think the 1-11 Captain was Pete
(?) name now escapes me -but he had a little goatie ginger beard and was nicknamed Rufus!! Went on to fly with Britannia.

Pete Barber?

Thats him!!

I remember taxiing past that pink 1011 in Gander. The F/O looked at the aircraft, then at me and made a vile joke about my family name. :p:ooh:

Petr Hogg's wife, the one in the lake, was an ex Court Line FA and long dead before Air Europe started up in 1979 and I don't know about the banker but she did have an affair with the chef of the restaurant they were running.

I was the flight service supervisor on the very last flight out of Gander. On page 195 of Graham Simmons book 'Colours in the Sky' is my accoount of that very very sad flight home. The passengers were so lovely coming back but not a dry eye in the place with Pete Hoggs PA explaining what had happened it was oscar worthy!! Any other info anyone would like about it all ??

Jaqui Maschera & Ding Sadler Have Organised Another Courtline Reunion In Harpenden Next Year (2008) Anyone Interested In Joining Who Is Not Already On The List (had 3 so far) Let Us Know

Flying Lawyer
Peter was working for Danair when he was provoked. His wife was ex Court Line and then BA methinks. Air Europe did not start operating until March 1979, three years after she died. (I was called out to replace him on the day he was arrested).

Thanks for the correction.
I've amended by post.

FL

My pleasure FL. I just happened to be there at the time.

Where? :confused:

Snorkelling?

:)




.

Jaqui, could you PM me with re-union details

Courtline Reunion
 

We are planning a mail out in November 2007. The reunion is October 2008 so we did not want to put it out until after October 2007. Some of us do get a bit confused!!! We have had the last 2 at the Harpenden House Hotel and they are quite happy to have us back! Ding & I went up to see them earlier in the year to get things confirmed & contracts signed. I am in the event organising biz so I wanted to get things in place just in case there is any hotel ownership change by '08. The last one we had quite a low turn out 69. To get our own private room & bar we need 75 so we had to do a wip round for the balance on the night which was not such a good thing. I organised the very first one with Geoff Tong in 1994 when I was working at the Royal Albion Hotel in Brighton and they have gone on since then. When I get a reply from you with your real name & e-mail address I will add you to the list and you will get the info.
I got the idea of joining pprune from Alan Walker as a way of perhaps tracking a few of the 'old crowd' so far it seems to have worked we have
had 3 replies and we still have a year!!
PS I have a bit of a ' technophobia' I thought I was answering to your personal e-mail address - at least I didnt say anyhting naughty!

Pete Hogg
 

I believe the body of Pete Hoggs wife was indentified by her wedding ring before they went into DNA tests.

His and her initials were engraved on the under side, which certainly began the ID process.


FL

This may be of interest re. Peter Hogg, from the local paper

http://www.whitehaven-news.co.uk/unk...1143&id=354691

Court Line
 

I have tried for a few years to obtain a copy of Graham Simmons book Colours in the Sky, without success through the second hand market.

Was the book a very limited run? His other subjects of Dan Air and Air Europe were excellent!

Can anyone tell me how and why Court Line operated HS-125 G-AVRG? I assume it was chartered out, but it seems a strange type to operate. I also remember a GY-80 and Bell Jet Ranger being operated by them?

I used to ride frequently on the pastel coloured coaches operated on local services around the Luton area.

The 125 was used by the MD for business trips and even made a few trips to the Caribbean but wasnt flown on charter to my knowledge. It was flown mainly with Dougie White in command.
On other occasions I can recall the late Great Capt John Cunningham
(of De Havilland fame/Comet etc) flying it with Dougie White too?
The Jet Ranger was G-AXMM and the Horizon was I think G-ASJY.
Dave Charity and later others also flew the Navajo G-AYEI on regular crew position flights to Bristol/Cardiff etc.
There was a regular coach service from the North London air terminal in Finchley road that would shuttle passengers from and to London.

Colours in the Sky
 

I rang Graham Simmons last week about the book. He does not have any left but knows of someone who deals in airline history books so will check it out with him and let me know.