Emerald Airways
 

Emerald Airways memories please.

Which Emerald? The old DC-3 operator in the 1960's or the later Emerald (mainly 748s)?

I recently discovered that Emerald operated at least one 748 in the colours of Lynx Express, a large courier firm from my neck of the woods. Made for an interesting looking aircraft

If it's the latter-day Emerald, the company began life as Jane's and operated mainly freight and mail HS748s. They used to operate a weeknight rotation through Leeds Bradford alongside BAC Express and Gill Airways, I think. I too remember the Lynx 748.

I believe Captain PPRuNe, who started this great site and to whom we all therefore owe a great debt, flew for Emerald and would be the ideal person to contribute. I always enjoyed reading his posts going back well over 20 years and would love to read some new ones.

The Company did start life as Janes Aviation, operating Heralds from Coventry, it bought the redundant ex Dan Air 748s, (six if I remember), they were overhauled and returned to service in pax and freight roles, the main fleet was the 748, operating fifteen in total but the Company also operated ten SD360 and a SD330 and in the latter years the ATP, five of these in service.
The Company HQ was at Speke for a while and eventually the maintenance was carried out "in house" at Blackpool in the old BIA hangars.
The AOC was pulled by the CAA following safety concerns in May 2006 following an incident in the Channel Islands.
The Company was plagued by incidents https://www.flightglobal.com/uk-inve.../69003.article and in 1998 the quite famous incident at Stansted when following an engine fire the aircraft carried out an emergency landing with Leeds football team on board.
There was an attempt to restart the airline at Southend in 2008 but unfortunately it didn't come to anything.
G-BVOU operated in the Lynx colour scheme, other aircraft were in red parcel force colours and also in white with "Reed" in green on the side of the fuselage.
One of the airframes (G-BVOV) was sunk in a flooded quarry at Capernwray as an attraction for divers at the end of its life. At the time the airline ceased trading there was eleven airframes parked up outside the hangars at Blackpool, most, if not all, destined for the scapyard.

Had GOSOE as well, Go Securicor Omega Express, IIRC.

Scheduled passenger service Liverpool > IOM from 25th May 1996.
I think that must have been the start date as I made a special trip from Surrey and did a trip with friends from Cheshire.
I got a day return for £50 + £5 tax on a Saturday in August.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....94baa10ac7.jpg
Here's what the tickets looked like

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....26ec9656a2.jpg
timetable from May 1996

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....23997c2b29.jpg
Painted for Capt Bill Robinson.Still alive 'n kicking.

Comprehensive history of Emerald on the North West Air News website:

https://derbosoft.proboards.com/thre...d-airways-1987

That's a great painting, jindabyne. Not trying to blow your anonymity here, but did you paint it? :)
Out of interest, which airfield is depicted in the painting?

I did jensdad - some time ago! Depicting Liverpool Speke

That's very good indeed. I dabble in a bit of painting myself but have never hit those heights. Grand stuff.

Air Atlantique used to maintain Jane's Aviation two Blackpool-based Dakotas in the late '80s; (ex-Harvestair G-AMPZ and GAMYJ). I worked for Janes at Coventry for a while when they operated HS748s and the two Heralds. That really was a busy apron on night shift. Atlantique's HS748 G-BEKG went to them (as Emerald) and I believe was eventually scrapped. Quite sad as I was a flying spanner on it with Atlantique and it did the 1988/89 Paris-Dakar rally with almost no problems.