UK Caravelle?
 

With Flight International featuring the Caravelle at the moment, I was wondering if any UK airline came close to buying it.

Anyone know anything?

There is a mention in the history of a ferry the Kent based charter company in the 60s from manston Kent that they where interested in the caravelle and also the comet before they where folded up by BUA a very interesting book and read

Sorry that should be air ferry?

Air Ferry...........even !!!!

Or Airy Fairy even.
I flew on a couple of these in the 1980s between Damascus and Bahrain (Syrian Airlines). They were never full. And, working with/for government organisations, I was always sat next to a sky marshal. The Syrians thought I would feel somehow safer being sat in close proximity to the man with the gun. I invariably made my excuses after take off and found a more isolated seat!

Not UK, but nearby, Aer Lingus seemingly wanted the Caravelle but their government of the day wouldn't have it...so 4 x BAC1-11's instead

Though not many airlines got 25+ years from their Avon Caravelles. :O

Agreed, Dave
Probably worked out OK for them in the end
(from an unashamedly huge fan of the 1-11)

'ZG

By the end of the 1960's BAC were no longer treating the Caravelle as a competitor

Looks as if the answer is "not really". I wonder if any French airlines thought of acquiring the Trident or 1-11.

There's at least one book on the history of the Caravelle and who bought it and who thought about buying it.

I'd wager back then that politics would have been the 'captain at the wheel' in regards to purchasing aircraft, especially considering the thriving home based industries on both sides of the channel. Maybe there were aircraft purchased from the 'enemy' but I can't think of any ? The airlines most likely would have, if left to their own devices.

Air France did buy and operate Viscounts, although I'm not too sure the French themselves had a directly comparable aircraft available....

Before the Caravelles came along, a route like Paris/London would be operated mainly by DC-4s and the odd Connie.

Plus the occasional Breguet Provence, in the days before most of them were converted to freighters (which were subsequently a fairly common sight at LHR):

http://abpic.co.uk/pictures/full_siz...746-medium.jpg

c52:
"I wonder if any French airlines thought of acquiring the Trident or 1-11"


Air Inter thought about acquiring the One-Eleven, but that's as far as it went. "Fancy some more RR engines Alphonse?"

Alphonse is a German name!

Air france Viscounts were regulars into LHR and AF operated V700s for about 15 years according to another site, It also said they ordered 12 which was quite decent number for the time and indeed the viscount at LHR was very much the A319/320 of its dayas the dominant type at Heathrow.

However AF were great for spotters because they threw in all kinds of things as the earleir poster suggested on freight trips and flights to places like Marseilles , DC4s Connies, the wonderful Deux Pont, which it is often alleged only got to 5000ft by the coast , even DC3s and several of these survived into the Caravelle /707 320 era too.

"Alphonse is a German name"
Are you sure you're not thinking of Adolf ?

Many years ago I had the good fortune to have a trip round Alidair at East Midlands (Castle Donnington). In their hangar was a scale model ( travel agent size ) of a Caravelle 11R ( I think - the cargo convertible one) in full Alidair Cargo colour scheme. The guy on escort told me they were considering ex Iberia aircraft at the time.
Never did find out what went wrong.
I wish someone could photoshop one for me, as photography was not permitted inside the hangar.
Hope it helps
Be lucky
Dave

I have two on my shelf
"Sud Est Caravelle" By A. Avrane, M. Gilliand and J. GUillem ISBN 0 7106 0044 5
and the mighty tome
"Caravelle The Complete Story" by John Wegg ISBN 0 9653993 1 0 Does exactly what it says on the cover.
I think second hand is anyone's best hope nowadays
Hope it helps,
Be lucky
David