Speedbird, Hippocampe Ailé, Crane
 

The Lufthansa crane is probably the most recognisable symbol of an airline. Some people, like Mr Mac, regret that it is now an albino version, having for over 50 years been blue on a golden circle.

The Hippocampe Ailé, the symbol of Air France, doesn't feature on the outside of their aircraft, but it's everywhere on the menus, the light fittings, and the walls and bulkheads of the aircraft.

Aeroflot retains the winged hammer-and-sickle of Soviet days, they decided that it was so well associated with the airline that a minor detail like the fall of Communism wasn't enough reason to abandon it.

British Airways adopted the Speedbird in 1932, and abandoned it it 1984. It was as recognisable as the symbols of the other airlines abovementioned, but now only features in the callsign of BA aircraft. Why did they ever abandon it? It was as much a symbol of the airline as the red London bus is of London.

Other airline symbools have fallen by the wayside. Air Rhodesia's 'twiggy bird' went with the end of Rhodesia. South African Airways' springbok was too associated with apartheid and had to go (although it's still the symbol of their Rugby teams, both men's and women's). Pan Am's globe only now appears on the sides of freight cars on US railroads, they make a few bob out of royalties from film companies who want to use the logo in films about Pan Am's heyday.

Any other symbols you'd like to comment about? Qantas's flying kangaroo? Air New Zealand's koru (since 1973)? Aer Lingus's trefoil?

Justapax 1
Still trying to find any staff who like the new LH symbol, and believe me I am with them just a bit !

But also one of my senior staff is married to LH senior manager with LH, and they don’t like it either and think it was a big mistake.

I wonder if this rebrand may go the way of the infamous BA World Airline tails ?

Pan Am was as you say another equally iconic tail plane logo.

Cheers
Mr Mac

We still have a bit of the World Tails left, as the image on the fin now is Chatham Dockyard from the World Tails series. It was a fairly silly idea - make it so there's no consistency between your different aircraft.

It did do one good thing for me though. I was on the shuttle just after they'd introduced it, and after take-off the Captain came on and said "Anyone who can tell us which image we have on the fin, gets to sit on the jump seat for the flight". I guessed, and got it right, spent the flight in the front.

I still think Landor was the best though. But I miss the Speedbird.

BA's best current livery:

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....2bd821414e.jpg

East African Airways flying lion......."" Simba "".. Not "" techie "" enough to make one appear here...!! An iconic symbol for an airline that achieved so much...

The flying kangaroo has morphed into an increasingly stylised version of its' former self. Qantas has been pretty clever not to overly mess with the brand, red with a flash of gold, flying rat and the font staying fairly similar over the years. I like the 1984 - 2007 livery, at least the 'roo had paws!
https://www.qantas.com/gb/en/about-u...any/logos.html

I do like the current typeface.

Sort of related. If United ever drops Rhapsody in Blue as their theme they are dead to me.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....de078518e1.jpg

Rhapsody in Blue is my all-time favorite composition, IBMJunkman! I used to play it on our family's Chickering concert grand piano. I sometimes felt the presence of George Gershwin's ghost seated by my side on the piano bench.

- Ed

I think the current BA is good and stylish. They should have kept the Speedbird somewhere . Landor was very dull and old boy britishness. . i also liked the BEA arrow type Union Jack ..

In Europe LH is horrible as is its ugly sister at Finnair , AFs tricolore is nice so long as the planes are clean and they seem to have got better at that than in the past and the hew KLM quite nice

Wait for Trump to insist AA bring back the Eagle and United to have a big US flag somewhere. No doubt many of his supporters would also like Delta to have a flag that represents their Southern Heritage

I've got several books on airline colour schemes from the mid 70s... wonderful.

Always liked Tradewind's sail, ONA's ship's wheel, the CP Air design...

Agree Lufthansa's scheme was great back in the day... and it's stylised negative Condor variant.

Asante sana, Bwana Justapax1......!!! 👍👍😉😉........

Photos cropped at the top but left the bottom of the pics for the Copyright lines.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....dd3bc4eb82.jpg
Photo Copyright hector A Rivera Valentine on Planespotters.net
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....c70d1d820c.jpg
Photo copyright Aldo Bidini

I hadn't realised that there were (at least) 2 Speedbirds. I prefer the earlier one, slightly more elegant.


https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....cb20a4ad0f.png
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....a20e21bf61.png

Ah, thanks PAXboy but different Tradewinds - I'm talking about the Gatwick-based mob with CL-44s and 707s in the 1970s and 80s... dark blue cheatline and fin with a simple sail in white. Must admit that I've never heard of the other Tradewinds...

Pax britanica
I also liked the later BEA Tail with the Union Flag and Blue. Indeed I think I have seen something similar on some Land rover Discovery models and indeed Mini on tail lights and body. It may have been a special addition or option I don't know. As you say LH is terrible, and Finnair not dissimilar. As for Trump and US carriers and the Star Spangled banner I am sure it will come into his head on the 12th hole or over some coming weekend in Florida.

Cheers
Mr Mac

Finnair ain't so bad. Here's an A319 in a livery that looks quite neat (actually I'm being facetious, it is, like the BA A319 in BEA livery, a 'retro look' aeroplane)


https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....b57c019f56.jpg
This is cut and pasted from Wikipedia, and for some reason I can't get any higher resolution. In the original article you can click on it and get a high-res image.

You jest surely!

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....59737fd478.jpg