de Havilland agent in Uruguay 1957-1962
 

Long shot.

We lived in Montevideo when I was 2-6 years old and during that time I have vague memories of a flight in a smallish plane, being fascinated by having to walk uphill to the seats (presumably a tail dragger), and watching the propeller(s) going round. My mother thinks it might have been a pleasure flight in a de Havilland plane flown by a de H agent possibly called Sandy.

During our time there we also had a flight back to UK in a de H Comet 4 with wing tanks, and I would like to know if this could have been direct from Carrasco (Montevideo) Airport.

Being blessed (or cursed!) with Insatiable Curiosity, I would love to hear from anyone who might be able to identify the agent and possibly the type of plane (presumably de H; there would have been at least five people on board.

D

There were DH 89 (Rapides) and DH90 (Dragonflies) registered in Uruguay, so there's every chance it was one of those. Here is a link to their civil register:

Civil Aircraft Register - Uruguay

I think BOAC did fly to Montevideo for a while, though I don't know the details. Usually you would have to fly to Buenos Aires and take a flight north from there.

I can't help with the agent, I'm afraid. I worked for BAe in the 80s in that part of the world, and the agent had changed by then. I have checked my information from around the time, but no clues there - sorry.

I can't answer fully but we had a Regional Executive in Montevideo whose name has slipped my memory (he was Bill, not Sandy). The de Havilland Dragon Rapide was used for sightseeing and joyriding flights worldwide, so I'd guess you flew in one of those.
Aerolineas Argentinas had Comet 4s and my guess is that you flew to the UK in one of theirs which would have flown from Buenos Aires Ezeiza.
ETA Barry's post has reminded me that BOAC Comets did fly to Montevideo but I can't say when that would have been.

Many thanks! I was not really expecting any answers but this is great! I vaguely remember several rows of seats, so Rapide or Dragonfly would be possible. My mother remembers this as being a pleasure flight, my memory is that we went to BA on a propeller plane, and I only remember one flight in a prop/tail dragger. This could have been to catch the Comet.

I had always assumed that the Comet was a BOAC one, but a quick look on Google shows that AA's had wing tanks and silver/blue /white livery on the plane and the tanks, exactly what I remember, because at 4 y o I really wanted to ride in the tanks! I have a vague memory of BOAC written on the tanks, but that could be a "supplanted" later image. We stopped for fuel in Africa, possibly Dakar. We were in a terminal restaurant and our departure time was suddenly brought forward as a matter of urgency, and we had to run to the plane. As we reached the steps I realised I had left my sausage roll behind and ran off across the apron to collect it. I was greatly amused by absolute chaos as countless people and vehicles went into panic mode to catch me!

I will ask my mother if the name Bill seems right.

Very grateful to both of you!

Have done a little sleuthing. On the assumption the a/c was a deH product registered in Uruguay, the most likely candidate would be CX-API. This was registered in Uruguay in 1954, remaining on the register until as late as 1972 (wonder what happened to it then?). Registered owners mentioned; Delfin Dias Giblis Montevideo then to F Deismann (or Oetzmann) Montevideo. The other deH twins were off the register by 1954.

Other possibilities would be a DC3 or a Beech 18, both tail draggers and not unknown in that part of the world.

A photo of CX-API appears in John Hamlin's book The de Havilland Dragon/Rapide Family.

Many thanks! It is certainly possible that it was not a de H plane, but I do recall that its pilot was a friend or colleague of my Dad's rather than an unknown pilot on a scheduled flight; however, I do think it was perhaps a smaller plane than a DC3. Carrasco Airport was always a great sight to me then, lots of DC3s, Curtiss C46s, Viscounts and Lockheed Constellations.

I suspect it was actually BOAC. Here's their Comet schedule through Montevideo from 1961, in your timeframe

http://www.timetableimages.com/ttima...8/ba618-15.jpg


The route was run by BOAC Comets for several years until British United got their first VC-10s, when it was transferred.

BOAC Comet 4s had wing tanks. It was only the medium-haul Comet 4Bs for BEA, Olympic, etc, that did not. BOAC's livery was blue and white, with a lot of unpainted silver, and BOAC written on the tanks, which also fits your description.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=co...bqCWre7TkjM%3A

Montevideo and Uruguay were a significant trading centre with Britain (as you were doubtless aware), but service there from Europe seems to have faded away.

Thanks WHBM! I think this journey would have been in Summer 1959. We did stop in Brazil, possibly once, possibly more. We did also have a few hours in Lisbon one time, but that might have been on the ship returning to Montevideo after our summer holiday in UK.
I think BOAC is more likely as Dad was based at the British Embassy in Uruguay (partly trying to help UK trade and industry). The Uk Government preferred British ships and planes to be used. In fact I wonder if perhaps even before scheduled Comet flights were underway there might have been occasional special flights for VIPs/Diplomats/Military etc..

Northern or Southern summer 1959 ? The BOAC services down to South America had not started until 25 January 1960, having been previously given up in the early 1950s. Regarding Aerolineas, although operating to London with Comets in 1959 (a pioneer in their own right) they appear never to have stopped at Montevideo on these services in the Comet era, you would need to have gone across to BA to use the service.

http://www.timetableimages.com/ttima...r59/ar59-2.jpg

Aha! I would have been northern summer when we flew back to UK for a break, so it might well have been mid 1960, bang on the money for a BOAC Comet flight, from Montevideo or BA. Many thanks!

I noticed on-line a few weeks ago that Carrasco Airport was rated in the world's top 10 airports, punching well above it weight!

Very grateful to all!

Always a bit surprising that BOAC gave up services to South America in the early 1950s, indeed they were short of capable aircraft at the time but they ran many other long-line services which must have been of very dubious value. After a few years of Comet service they were the ones they offered to transfer to British United to give them a bit of a kick. Meanwhile other European operators, KLM, Air France, etc, seemed fine with carrying on with the route - and at the time there were considerable British commercial interests in South America.

My hunch is that the old disdain for BSAA for having the temerity to challenge BOAC was ingrained, and they were only too happy to dump a significant amount of their former staff, influence, etc.

Yes, I would agree with that synopsis, WHBM. As one who travelled to Latin America regularly in the 70s and 80s, it was to KLM (usually) that we looked for flights to major cities there.

Thanks folks. I was 6 when we left Montevideo; while there we made a number of visits to Carrasco Airport (our 2nd home was actually in Carrasco). I think my Dad was sometimes sent to the airport to greet and send off visiting VIPs. It usually meant a superb ice cream and coke in the cafe while watching all the planes. Pretty sure that I remember Caravelles, Viscounts and Vikings being there among all the US planes. Tail draggers had the greatest appeal to me.

I have been trying to remember seeing the propeller in the smallish tail-dragger we flew in. I think I remember being sat behind and to left of the central .pilot, and biggish windows rather than porthole types; This definitely suggests a Dragonfly or Rapide rather than a DC3.

Very grateful to all, I did not expect a single answer and replies have been great!