British Air Ferries
 

Any British Air Ferries memories out there?

As a Police Officer at STN (72-74) I recall the aircraft coming in for service at TMAC, which I believe was the parent company. In fact was involved in an arrest related to 'Fat Louis'. Would my memory be correct ?

Was astonished to see (and hear) a BAF Carvair rumbling across Purley at about 1500 - 2000' about forty years ago, probably transiting around Heathrow and home to Southend. Wonderful sight and sound.


Names. "Plain Jane" was one I think.

Mrs Nightstop worked for BAF during the long hot summer of '76 while I was bashing the SEN circuit for the Clacks at SLAC. Fond memories of staff travel to Le Touquet and Ostend for duty free booze and ciggies. John LL-Beard was a Training Captain with BAF, I was most impressed when he came to do an Instuctors Rating on the PA 28 at Ted Clack's. John's son Paul (now retired) later became a senior trainer at AirUK and GO :).

Used to see Bristol Frighteners doing the Speke-IOM hop.

Always wondered who would fly their cars back and forth and at what cost at todays rates.

Joined BAF in 76. Having instructed for SLAC. By the end of 77 I had been through Bagdad twice. What a great grounding BAF was fantastic experience & great people. The places we took the HP7 & VC8 looking back is unbelievable. The nice thing thanks to the likes of John L-Beard nearly all who past through BAF had very successful careers.
Oh & I deny all the mischief we got up too.

Was it a BAF Carvair that was based in Abu Dhabi circa 1969/70 that was contracted to a construction company that was building a large military airfield somewhere out in the desert, I think Oman, or was that a Bristol Freighter? The grey cells aren't keeping up these days!

It was a Carvair (ATL98) think its reg was KN. but thought it was Muscat & circa 1972/3

They had a recruiting team come out to Australia in 1988, and with a brand new commercial pilot's licence I sent them, my CV. A lovely letter came back saying that I needed an IFR rating and a few more hours, and thanked me for my interest in BAF.
I sat next to a guy a few years later on a ground school, that had been accepted into BAF and had flown Viscounts, first as a F/O then a command slot. He had done the oil run out of Aberdeen for Shell and then the Parcel Force work.

Perhaps one of BAF's more unusual contracts - I took this photo in February 1980 at what used to be called Salisbury Airport in Rhodesia. I was out there flying a helicopter on a UK Government contract in connection with and immediately prior to the elections which saw Mugabe take power. I can't remember now but presumably the Herald was there for similar reasons?

I flew on Carvair G-ASDC LTN-NAP in the late 70's carrying a RR Spey to change on a Monarch BAC 1-11. I arrived at work in time to be advised that the rest of the engine change team had gone on the relief 1-11 and I had drawn the short straw to fly on the Carvair. I was more than happy with the arrangement and thoroughly enjoyed the flight.
Temps.

Occasional Herald and Carvair charters through LBA for years prior to 1982. Then they bought most of the BA Viscount fleet and did hundreds of Jersey rotations for the next decade or so. A similar situation for many British airports although LBA, unusually, didn't see much of their associate company, Guernsey Airlines. Some of those V806s must have passed through LBA wearing half a dozen liveries over the years!

As a young lad, I remember a BAF Herald (G-APWA) doing pleasure flights at an Airshow at Blackbushe in 1977.

My last flight in a Viscount was an ATCO Fam Flight with BAF on the Gatwick - Rotterdam run. I remember thinking 'what lovely big windows compared to jet airliners.'

You mean compared to other jet airliners. :O

http://www.bambootrading.com/1600/1615.jpg

Now you've done it; someone will now say 'but it's not purely a jet, it's a turboprop' then someone else will say 'but todays high bypass turbofans are really turboprops' etc etc.

Parabellum/Ice Pack

It was a Carvair, around 1974/76, based at Abu Dhabi and painted in the construction company "Paulings" livery. The company had a contract to build a new military airbase at Thumrait in the southern Omani region of Dhofar.

When I was flying the F27 (fine aeroplane) I always said the Dart was a "Very High-bypass, unducted turbofan"

My one and only flight with BAF was late 80's on an empty oily VC8 going back to Sumburgh, BA had dumped my wife and I on an ID90, I knew the crew and spent the whole flight standing on the flight deck whilst my wife gossiped with the girls down the back.
Also on a weekend morning the first VC8 used to go back empty to Aberdeen so after breakfast they would take a low level sight seeing trip up Island followed by a 'low approach and go-around' at Sumburgh to activate the Scottish Centre FPL!! Great days.....:)

Jenkins

...and the New World Air Charter Dc6s, N19CA, N122A and N91308. Very profitable operation until '122A flew into Jebel Akhdar minutes after a night departure from Seeb full of fuel on way back to Larnaca after a CY fresh fruit/veg charter. Unfortunately killing the chief pilot/owner, senior first officer and flight engineer. I believe '19CA rotted away at Sharjah or Dubai, never heard what happened to '91308.