British "Freight Dogs"
 

I am a producer for Darlow Smithson Productions; an award winning UK based Television Company.

I am developing an idea about air freight and I would be really keen to talk to some British “Freight Dogs” about their experiences. I realise that there are not a lot of freight only air cargo companies in the UK and I would be keen to speak to British pilots who are perhaps flying freight further afield.

If anyone is interested in having a chat, please do get in touch, I would really appreciate it. Please post below, E-mail me through the forum, or use my work E-mail address

josh.key(at)darlowsmithson.com

Thanks for your help.

Please feel free to check out our website. http://www.darlowsmithson.com/home.htm

Josh,

In my 17 years experience "dogging" you also need to speak to the Flight Engineers and Loadmasters...they tend to have some of the greatest war stories?

Most f/deck..the drivers... tended to be on their 3rd marriage and would hole themselves up in the hotel to save money..whilst the boys went out and played away and got into scrapes !

tis only a personal opinion:ok:

Producer,
What do you want to know?

would love to contribute, as have many varied and unbelievable experiences, however, mists of time and alcohol seem to have diminshed them.
true cargo " professionals " would probably say the same ( when sober ! )

You need to find Sport Martin and his 707 tales,or find Hemeroids Martin Emery,who appears elsewhere in Prune threads with the 2 engined 707 arrival.I seem to remember sitting at Kano waiting for Sport and 9GJAC to arrive to get the best Naira to Pound to Dollar rate from the black market.Another Martin-Brian,exCyprus Airways then Dantata 111-funny shipments from Abijan to Alicante to Geneva in wooden boxes that took 2 to carry,let alone lift.Something with Eagles on used to spill out occasionally!!!!He went to Manx but has since evaporated into the murk.

Don't bother with old world F/E's most are already dead from the drink.Keep away from loadies,never bought their round & in fact on one occaision dipped the whip! (where are you squeeky?).
FDD does know a few stories.Actually managed to live his own life vicariously as he was to trousered to remember anything (apart from taxi to town) & had to be 'reminded' about the 'good times' he'd had last night.
What up freight pup?,still scabbing for the fag end of The Green Tail?

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...AAAAAAAAA_.jpg

Went back to his roots WOPTB, always thought that olive skin was a give away..leather lederhossen and dodgy trainers......believe he's working with Gooordan up at EMA ?

Ha... love the word Vicariously...almost as much as "whose round is it ? ", Yes Im still scabbing the fag end of a green tail thats now been painted Red !
Looking after la bella Italia for the summer...Oh and the Cabin Crew girlies don't stand a chance...

Stories...soon to be published if this Journo can stand a round or two or three or four...of course cetain characters names shall be changed to avoid litigation !

As for Old F/Es..thought most of ours died of red wine and smelly cheese..Ps the Scuddsmeister is still a weapon of mass seduction..working alongside me in tango !

Nice to hear the tap,tap of your keyboard mate! Last time I heard of Squeeky he'd just been for surgery to have his pockets lengthened!
Hope your still enjoying life & if said journo is buying the drinks I knew someone,who know's someone,who was at one time associated with someone ,whose cousin knew someone ,who apparently said at one time 'a' freight dog knew some stuff or I could just be talking 80ll0ck5 !
Laters,
wop.

FDD & WOP. I didn't die of red wine and smelly cheese, I'm with the big red and yellow operator now in LEJ (Leipzig).
Not sure about talking to the media though. I still remember that awful photo of me with Ken Halls (RIP) and Bruce Read in some aviation magazine.
I'm in sky City ARN at the mo. First time i've been here since the Electra days.

More details
 

Dear MikeHammer and other Crew


We want to try and do an observational documentary that follows a handful of British Freight Dogs. We're currently in the development stage and are hoping to find out more about what flying cargo only is like, who the players are in the industry and who we might approach about filming. Right now we're just trying to build a picture of what life in airfreight is like, so we can give an impression to the TV channels of the kind of things that our cameras might capture, should the series go ahead.

Early research seems to indicate that the best characters with the best potential stories might be in Africa or South America. If anyone knows anythign about this or has any buddies working in exotic places / shifting unusual loads be good to hear about them.

If you've ever seen 'Ice Road Truckers' that's the kind of thing we're trying to do but in the air; 'Sky Truckers' if you like.

Hope this clarifies what we're after at this stage.

"Early research seems to indicate that the best characters with the best potential stories might be in Africa or South America."

...so, you are making a horror film then :):)


IIRC, a trip to see a guest of Her Majesty might give you an interesting story about some activities at Southend.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk...ne-610014.html

http://www.pprune.org/forums/archive...hp/t-1849.html

I seem to remember Sport Martin and a certain loop the loop with a B707

'Sport' Martin
 

I can ctc 'Sport', but I guess there are to few ex Dan Air, Pelican or Sudanese folks here who actualy knew him? All true ex ALMs & those that were with BUA, Lloyd, ACE, TransGlobe, African Safari, Tradewinds,IAS (to mention a few) are around these days?

If there are ID yourselves - a challenge--------------


PS: a question, what happened to 'Tradder' Freedman of IAS?

Seems most of the interesting people you would want to talk to would probably want to keep their stories quiet anyway. All the interesting stuff was a long time ago when 707's and 8's ruled the skies when people like 'Sport' paying us well to do daft things in daft places. If you want to follow a cargo operation today all you will end up with is little cardboard boxes that say 'Made in China' or flowers and veg into Europe. I'm sure there are people out there who could tell you how exciting it was to haul tin boxes around on the Airbus at night, every night (FDD) but the old days have gone forever when we would tramp around the world on a 4 engined screamer, begging oil and food as we went and waking up with murderous hangovers in some far off place trying to remember where we had parked the bird and how much of it would have been stolen overnight.
Besides, it has been done once already, try tracking down an old video which was shown quite a few times on the Discovery Channel, 'Skytruckers' I think it was called, there has been some mention of it on this site in the past, Cargo Lion was the star (RIP).
Another lead would be thro the Queens guest at HMP, knock an the door and as for CBJ

Oh yes, we're still around!

But if I told you the stories I'd have to kill you, then kill myself for telling you!

British
 

Do you pass as "British" if you drive a "G" reg bird or only if you have the "Maroon Magic" in your flight bag. If yes, then I suggest you track down a man called Clive Ward, who can tell you tales so hairy your toes will curl, shrivel up and die and you will never look an airport hotel receptionist striaght in the eye again ...

Cargo Lion
 

From what I know, Cargo Lion was way up at the edge ... only beaten by Affretair !!!. But then they dont count as British :E

You could try Avient. Their chief pilot is an absolute gent and a larger than life character, he's also done a tv presenters course!
I know some will try to shoot the company down here....but to have been there is to know, and they are a good bunch.

Avient
 

"shoot them down" ??? .. in the good old days Avient did all the "shooting" :E

An innocent, yet poor choice of words.

Sport
 

Totally agree , a legend
Enough said , but hang on what about CBJ , or is he still in HMP

I heard there was a Heli logger show coming out.

Im Flattered!!

C U at BH

G:D

Let's face it CARGO LION was a bit of a joke of an airline, certainly nowhere near the standard and experience of good old AFFRETAIR or MK for that matter....?!

ex dog

"Sport a legend?" In his own tea cup, maybe. He had a reputation alright, don't worry about that. Parts of it were pretty unsavory, with a fare dollop of short man of mixed race syndrome thrown in.

Don't always believe what you hear. Have you worked with him by the way? No, didn't so.

CBJ? Hopefully he is still where he belongs as a guest of HMP. A fitting end for a "legend".


bokknai

Cargolion were a very good cargo outfit, were registered with an AOC in Europe. I don't believe they killed anyone directly either. Cargolion a joke? I don't think so.

Doubleu
 

Sorry , no never worked with Sport just heard the stories , i stand corrected .

But flew with CBJ a few times ex Harare -Ams -Lgw on Affretair 707 operated by 5B-DAZ i think leased by Avistar

What about our old friends from 'Koda' and the B707 @ SEN holed up at an HMP, am I right in thinking they may soon be able to come out on license. They could do with some monies and I am sure it would make for an interesting story.

British Freight Dogs
 

Sorry CBJ & PK are no friends of anybody with a ounce of sense.
Drug smuggling and it's associated misery it brings to families is not
to be glamorised.
They should stay in prison until their last breath.

Koda
 

The Koda 707 was flown out of Sharjah 2 years ago to Istanbul where it mysteriously caught fire after loading. The Nigerian captain and his crew were last seen making a run for the hills when it became known the aircraft had no valid registration/AOC/insurance.

Now, why does that not surprise me in any way shape or form.:}



About the 2 jail birds, they got caught, others did not.

Stuff of legends really....:suspect:

British Dogs Abroad
 

Dear Dogs!

We're still trying to get a documentary going on Freight Dogs. We're looking for Brits in the States. We're looking for the more colourful companies with the fruitiest reputations.

Are there any Brits out there working for American flyers?
Particulalry in Miami.

Do you have any America buddies you'd like to have an excuse to visit?

Do you or have you frequented Bryson's Irish pud Miami Int Airport adjacent?

Any more help you guys can give would be great!
We really think this would make great telly!

Cheers,

Producer

Ahhh, Bryson's.............

You should have enquired 20 years ago! Air Atlantique in the 80s & 90s flying heavy props out of CVT to various destinations. I did my DC6 course in Miami with Trans Air Link & their DC6 simulator! Visited Bryson's many times with its colourful characters. They wouldn't speak to us brits first as our CP made us wear ties, thought we were Jet jocks!:{

Cargo Lion
 

An excellent outfit, while it lasted.
Good old DC 8 60 series aircraft in pretty good
condition. Those were the last of the "good old
days". Nostalgia isn't what it used to be.
PS Sport Martin was also with Ace Freighters,
which makes him pretty old now I guess.:)

DC8
 

Depending on your point of view, I consider myself pretty fortunate to be trucking around in a DC8 much like the old days. Sadly I dont think it will last too many more years, fuel burn, noise regs, yet we get many interested people turning up to visit on the ramp, ( not all CAA, I might add)

Cheers
Yambat

Sport
 

I hear that the Captain is enjoying his retirement in Thailand - I only hope he is writing his memoirs before they disappear into the ozone layer (what is left of it..)
A beer for your best Sport anecdote?

Sport
 

Thailand? Best place for him I think.:ok: