I once planned a flight CMH-CLE only because I wanted to fly on a BAC 1-11.
There were two small airlines operating from BKL to points in Michigan across Lake Erie using Doves, which continued until one of the Doves was lost in the lake.
There was later an Allegheny Commuter run out of CLE to smaller Ohio cities opersted by a tiny carrier using Doves and Herons.
Air Canada flew Vanguards to CLE for a bit.
There was a corporate Viscount based at the airport.
I never saw a VC-10 or Comet in service, too bad.
No Tridents ever made it to this side of the pond.
I have of course seen some of the four engined Avros, as they originally were, but I never got to fly on one.
There were a few Shorts sheds in the US and I did observe some in service.
I too think of the technical leadership of the British aircraft industry and think of what might have been.
Sad to think that no British maker is still building airliners.

Yep ... I've seen a few of those also :)


http://cdn-www.airliners.net/aviatio.../7/1155733.jpg

It's a real point of trivia, but at least one did. The Iraqi Airways small fleet of them had one rigged out with a VIP interior, and at least once it took a group of Iraqi diplomats to a UN meeting in New York, landing at JFK.

Originally Posted by fdcg27 http://images.ibsrv.net/ibsrv/res/sr...s/viewpost.gif
No Tridents ever made it to this side of the pond.

We borrowed a Channel Airways Trident to demonstrate in South America. Wasn't directly involved so can't be sure exactly where it went but it did cross the Atlantic somewhere

G-LUXE has a public transport CofA and operates under a full AOC. You could make a strong case that that's overkill for what FAAM does with it as the vast majority of other research aircraft are on aerial work, but it's the case.

G-LUXE is that great rarity also, an airframe which changed it's manufacturer's serial number. It started as 1001, if you look it up on G-INFO, you'll see it's now E3001.

G

Changed from a -100 series MSN to a -300 series one when it was stretched to become the prototype -300 in 1987.

A bit like the 1st prototype AVRO 780 (G-ARRV, CN 1548) being converted from the 1st prototype 748 (G-APZV, CN 1534).

Surely there are still RAF VC-10s flying?

In case you're not being ironic VC10 Final Flight



SHJ

Trident in South America
 

Yes, it's recorded in a 1971 Flight mag. article
Edit...better link from DaveReidUK 1971 | 0531 | Flight Archive

so guessing routed UK- Lisbon-Las Palmas-Dakar-Natal(Brazil)?

Appears to have been in the winter 1970-71.

Channel's purchase of Tridents was bizarre. They ordered five, only took delivery of two in 1968, and found so little work for them that one was operated for a summer season out of Berlin, and the second, almost brand new, sat at Stansted being robbed for parts to keep it going. About the only work they found for them in Britain was odd flights, and sub-charters for others.

They were fitted with minimal pitch 7-across, 3+4, seating in the forward cabin. Wonder what the South Americans thought of this. Here's the seat map

1967 | 1998 | Flight Archive

Or, for anyone who doesn't have a magnifying glass handy:

1971 | 0531 | Flight Archive

Thanks, A30yoyo (and to DaveReid for the readable version), but that seems to be an article about the T3B.
WHBM.
I'm pretty sure we put a conventional set of seats into the Channel Airways aeroplane before using it as a demonstrator. We also had to catch up with its maintenance to a quite unexpected degree, that horrified our Product Support department.

Yes, sorry about the micro-link from FlightGlobal....the 1E transatlantic demo flight is mentioned bottom right of the 3B article.
I.C./Air-BritainABIX forum has this on the route of the demonstrator:
'Trident G-AVYB was taken by HSA via Iceland, Canada, Bermuda/Barbados to Peru and returned via Africa.'....Whether it refuelled in the USA would be of interest as would the return route and any photos of the trip.

Would be interesting if you could recall some of the more extreme issues ! I wonder how good the backing documentation was.

Channel in 1970 bought the former Olympic Airways Comet 4B fleet, having obtained a large contract from respectable tour operator Lyons Tours. I departed from Manchester in summer 1971, and there was a Channel Comet on the next stand headed for Palma. I have to say that, even 42 years later and having been through much of the third world, I have never seen such a tatty airliner in service. The paint was like a peeling patchwork quilt, various shades of blue and off-white part-covering the old Olympic/BEA, they never got repainted in the proper Channel livery, while I doubt it had been washed since acquisition. Lyons cancelled the contract at the end of the 1971 season and Channel went under the following winter.

G-AVYB did not land in USA.

Channel Airways 4B Stansted 1970
http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z.../G-APYD900.jpg

and, interestingly, G-AVYB got into Berlin Templehof....Hawker Siddeley HS-121 Trident 1E, G-AVYB, Channel Airways (CW)

I worked for a while for BU(CI)A on the ground in Jersey albeit before the Trident days – however it did appear afterwards during the summer of I suppose ’71. It was always a notable event as the noise and smoke of full reverse being used to a complete stop was always interesting and the distance left before the cliff was noticeably minute.

In my day there the Channel Airways superintendent was by the name of Giles, usually referred to as Admiral Giles due to the 4 stripe uniform he wore. Channel were noted for being able to cram at around 10 more pax into their aircraft than any other operator, 42 into a 32 seat Dak, 70 vs.61 into a Viscount 700 and 80 vs. 71 in an -800. The 748 also had a large number of seats and of course it was from Jersey they fatefully sent 2 748s on the same day to slide of the runway at Portsmouth! They also had a Wayfarer which may have been unique in having an all passenger interior with around 44 very draughty seats in it.

It was not unknown, due to weight issues, for them to have to send a back-up aircraft with the passengers’ baggage on it, a Dove for a Dak, a Dak for a Viscount/DC-4 etc.

Finally their favourite trick was with the DC-4 which seemed to suffer from perennial starter-motor problems and having loaded the pax only managed to start only 3 engines. Off would come the pax and the aircraft would set off on a quick circuit to windmill start the recalcitrant engine. Upon return to the apron the steps would be put on the front door if no. 1 or 2 engine had to be left running or the rear door if numbers 3 or 4 as Douglas conveniently had put the door on opposite sides of the fuselage.

I also remember seeing a Viscount sitting on it’s tail on the freight apron when loading flowers, the principle of filling it up from the back had been used.

It was never a dull day when Channel were around and the Trident was perhaps the most exciting of all. After their demise the 2 T1Es joined their sisters in Northeast/BA only the first ordered but never delivered, G-AVYA never saw service in the UK having been bought by Air Lanka (or it’s predecessor) where it stayed until it’s end. Although I was in both BKS when the 1E arrived and then in BEA I never flew the aircraft as a pilot but those who did always said the 1E was the GT version, although lacking the sophistication of the 1C or 2E it apparently performed better – just as well for Channel’s sake! :ok:

Although Sqn. Ldr. Jack Jones did run a shambolic organisation, you have to admire that they did at least think to get the pax baggage forwarded by another aircraft. Nowadays supposedly "mainstream" carriers think nothing of leaving the bags off of 101 reasons, then pretending at destination when you have all stood round the carousel for 30 minutes they had been mishandled when in reality it was a management decision not to load them in the first place, and finally delivering 90% of the bags to destination 2 days later - the remaining 10%, who knows .......

Trident in the 'New World'
 

Are there any photos around of the Trident sales trip through Canada, South America and West Africa?