This is still the best :)

It was actually routing Everett-Keflavik-Vienna-Dubai, probably after picking something up at Boeing.

IL76 Ban
 

The IL76MD was banned. The IL76MF was not.

the IL76MF has new generation quieter engines and AFAIK is only operated by VDA and Silkway.

and yes a few IL76MD’s have operated since the ban on special flight exemptions ....

Channel Express operated scheduled cargo/parcels services on behalf of various companies.
These I remember having been there.
Late 1980s - STN-BRU-STN 5 nights a week for Fedex. HPR7.
1990s - STN-EDI-STN 5 nights a week for Royal mail. After a while this changed to EDI-STN-EDI. L188.
Late 1990s/early 2000s - STN-CGN-EMA-STN 5 nights a week for UPS. A300.
Around 2000 - STN-LGG-STN 5 nights a week for TNT. A300. (G-CEXI in TNT colours)
They also started a scheduled weekly cargo service in their own right STN-IST-STN around 2002 with the A300, but I think it only operated twice.
There were also some F27 flights, but I was not involved with these.

STN Ramp Rat....thanks for the qualification....every day is a school day as they say

Down here at 18E/33S we have a regular Il76 service from my new local airport (FACT) to Antarctic.....is a lovey sight to see it descending in a clear Cape sky having magically appeared from the South....from where only penguins and whales normally emerge. Apols for wanderings.

Back to topic, one of the most exciting times I can recall, was when we all thought Laker DC-10's Skytrains would give sleepy Stansted an injection of life. I can recall the Laker signs going up above the check in desks and Skytrain air stairs parked in anticipation for the first service.

The Laker fleet had always been quite regular visitors anyway, partaking in "bump and go" training. Although I was a school boy at the time, I can recall it was a huge event locally and the 11th and a half hour disappointment of seeing services start from Lakers preferred LGW, saw Stansted revert back to the sleepy backwater we have all been discussing above.

As an aside, deep in some loft box, I still have my unused compensation voucher provided to all passengers who had flown the Atlantic in the "Skytrain years" which came out of the successful action against the scurrilous Pan Am, TWA and BA for their part in assisting Lakers demise. That's probably a topic in its own right.

Yes, though it was actually delivered on the last day of September 1980 and cancelled on its sale to Cathay in March 1982, hence my reference to 18 months. It predated the establishment of BAWC as a semi-independent operation by about 15 years, being wholly owned by BA.

Two other cargo operations from back in the day?

AEI (Air Express International - CL44 f/t somewhere in USA?
Wrangler (Bluebell) Aviation - CL44, again I recall once or twice a week from USA

Both, if I recall correctly late 70s, early 80s

Vulcan at STN
 

Does anyone have any photographs or info of the Vulcan that visited Stansted on 31 Oct 1977?

Anyone remember Highland Express? Operated a solitary 747-100 (G-HIHO) which I believe ended up with Virgin

Operated STN-PIK-EWR and back. I travelled on them once, from STN. They offered the (then) cheapest fare London to Scotland which was a set £19. Such good value that the plane was full for the short leg to PIK.

The PIK-EWR leg was generally pretty empty.. They didn’t last long.

Sometime around ‘88-‘89 at a guess.

Founded by a poker-playing ex-Virgin exec who died tragically young: High-flier with a zest for risk

A bit more than a "Virgin Exec", but I know what you mean. It was actually his idea, thought up following the Laker collapse. He called it British Atlantic Airways, but couldn't get finance until he tapped, unlikely at first, Richard Branson for the money. Branson's main contact with aviation at first had been nothing more than his mother had been a BSAA stewardess in the late 1940s. The idea was renamed to Virgin Atlantic Airways, and that explains the name retained to today.

Branson and Fields fell out after a short while, but nothing daunted Fields set up a second operator, that was Highland Express. They got the cheapest 747 on the market. This was originally an American Airlines aircraft which had been rolling round the secondary market since its withdrawal a few years previously, and was renowned around the industry for being the worst Lemon/Hangar Queen there was. There's often one of any type. Highland operated through Stansted as described for some months in 1987, but were plagued by the unreliability and maintenance expense of this 747, and went under at the end of the year. After another couple of years of odd work it came into the Virgin fleet as G-VMIA in 1990, where apparently it always held the operator's record for unscheduled maintenance expense and delays for the next 10 years, until Virgin scrapped it in 1999.

Many thanks for adding that information.

That explains why they are still seen within the EU albeit the IL-76MF. I thought that it might have something to do with new generation quieter engines but couldn't find anything online to confirm that.

AEI (Air Express International) CL-44'S operated a scheduled "charter" cargo flight upto three times weekly between New York JFK and London Stansted Airport during the late 70's early 80's.

​​​​​​Bluebell Aviation was formed in 1969 and renamed Wrangler Aviation in 1973. Wrangler Aviation operated a weekly "ad-hoc" operation into London Stansted during the 1970's, the service wasn't a full "scheduled" cargo flight.

On that basis I wouldn't class Wrangler Aviation as being a former "full scheduled pure cargo operator" at London Stansted Airport.
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....cd4068afb5.jpg
AEI Air Express International CL-44 D4-2 N121AE at London Stansted Airport 1981
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....9f310c226d.jpg
Wrangler Aviation CL-44 at London Stansted Airport in 1978

Gosh, these memories. I was being bumped around the circuit in a Laker 1-11, and it dawned on me that I'd got a couple of days off when I was done. I asked the tower if they'd call my wife in Frinton. Poor girl, but absolutely no road traffic at nights then.

According to airfleets.net the details are the same as my post.

G-KILO first flight 19 September 1980.
G-KILO delivery flight 30 September 1980 (arriving LHR 01 October 1980)
G-KILO sold to Cathay Pacific on 15 March 1982 re-registered VR-HVY.
B-HVY stored March 2008
B-HVY scrapped at Kemble May 2008

I had added previously that G-KILO was sold to Cathay Pacific Airways on the 30 September 1982, I got the information online but according to airfleets.net it was 15 March 1982 which would make it approximately 18 months as you have stated, I'm therefore assuming that 30 September 1982 is incorrect!

I remember at the time of the announcement in 1982 as being rather surprised that British Airways we're disposing of G-KILO so soon.

I remember seeing G-KILO at LHR shortly after her delivery and several times afterwards until she was sold to Cathay Pacific and then I would see her regularly at LGW.

I'm aware that G-KILO was wholly owned by British Airways and that BAWC was set up year's later as a semi-independent operation.


​​​​

The fact that Channel Express operated scheduled services on "behalf" of other companies doesn't really count I don't think. It's just the same as Jet2 or Titan Airways operating flights on behalf of the Royal Mail, at the end of the day they were Royal Mail flights.

I won't add Channel Express to the list of former scheduled cargo airline's operating from London Stansted Airport based on the two flights STN-IST-STN as there have been many other examples that I could easily add if that we're the case.

I'll be re-editing the list accordingly.

Highland Express is a good idea for a discussion during the week as it's an airline that we've not really touched on yet in the Stansted Airport History and Nostalgia thread.

Another topic worth discussing in the Stansted Airport History and Nostalgia thread are the Canadian airlines that previously operated from London Stansted Airport. We've already covered the US airline's operating affinity charters into London Stansted Airport on page 1

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....c4cdffaaf.jpeg
Air Transat L1011 C-FTNH at London Stansted Airport on the 18 September 1996 operating TSC247 to Toronto, the route operated weekly.
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....f3395e3dc.jpeg
Skyservice Airlines Airbus A330-222 C-FBUS just arrived at London Stansted Airport from Toronto as SSV901 on 23 June 1997
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....d81cdf3e35.jpg
Royal Airbus A310 C-GRYD arriving at London Stansted Airport on 14 June 2000 as flight ROY144 from Toronto. This was a weekly flight operated on a Wednesday.
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....737aa798df.jpg
Air Transat Boeing 757-200 C-GTSN at London Stansted Airport in September 1995 operating flight TSC246 from Toronto

747-123 G-HIHO ended up with Virgin Atlantic in 1990 coming from Qantas who had been leasing it out.

She was refurbed with 14J and 474Y seats and became G-VMIA and we used her solely on the Miami or MCO for some years.
She was always full and operating out of LGW at MTOW.
Still had the underfloor galleys - The only one in the VS fleet.
Named Miami Maiden, then became Spirit of Sir Freddie some years later. She ended up on the BOS route more often than not.

Thanks for posting this photo, Sotonsean, as I flew on a Air Transat L1011 from Stansted to Toronto in 1989 which was also my first flight in an airliner - although sadly I didn’t make a note of the aircraft serial number. The flight was made even more exciting from my perspective as because of a strong headwind we had to land at Goose Bay in Labrador for extra fuel which in turn meant I got to see resident Avro Vulcan B.2 XL361 - albeit from the aircraft side door as we weren’t allowed off.


Rob