Civil Airliners - or Now for Something Completely Different

jamiepage

Western Thunderer
The 1-11 also used demin water (not water/ meth) in their Speys.
Generally not needed for charter take offs from Gatwick, but often needed from hotter, smaller, airfields on return sectors in Summer.
It was carried in plastic tanks in the hold, to be manhandled out on turnround if needed, then pumped into the aircraft by hand.
It was presumably too expensive to get a third party engineer to do the job, so it fell to the F/O while the Captain ate his sandwiches in air conditioned comfort.
By definition, the job was only ever done under a blazing sun. The romance of a jetset life...
 

SimonT

Western Thunderer
All the American military jets of this era smoked at any useful power setting in the air. This was very useful for spotting them to stay out of their way; most American fighter pilots seemd to have a problem with arse/elbow. The Spey variant in the Bucc didn't need water or reheat. The Spey was clean up to 93% and then smoked a litle, so we would 'Buster' (run away bravely) at 93% and would only go to 100% when the fighters were really on to us. This left the Phantoms standing until they used a lot fuel with reheat. Lightnings could catch us with ease and then go past us. We had to stop accelerating at 580kts at 100ft and these boys were always below us - awesome operators.
Happy days - unmarried, rat bag old car, pub or similar every night and being paid to play in one of those machines.
Simon
 

Ressaldar

Western Thunderer
Sorry Mike - 09L not 27R! On 27R it’s off the starboard wingtip just after liftoff.
Dave

Hi Dave,

does that then not make it off the port wing when landing on 27R - or am I getting my understanding of runway numbering wrong, do you not refer to the number at the end of the runway that you are approaching?

regards

Mike
 

oldravendale

Western Thunderer
Sorry Brian - just noticed the date of your photo. The -62s didn't come into service with Swissair until 1967. It means the photo shows a -32 or -53 series.
Dave
Thanks Dave.

Quite clearly, from my earlier comments, I'd never have known!

Otherwise fascinating stuff, particularly about the P & W engines. I remember we regarded anything with P & W engines as likely to have a dirtier exhaust than RR engines.

B
 

Ressaldar

Western Thunderer
Yes you do. It says 27R at the Hounslow end not the Colnbrook end.
Dave

Hi Dave,

Sorry, my memory is playing tricks - again, the 'Peggy Bedford' is at the junction of the Colnbrook by Pass and the old A4, I recalled it as being the name of the one at the Henly's roundabout where the A30 leaves the A4, the name of which I cannot recall at present.

regards

Mike
 

Steph Dale

Western Thunderer
Aah well, there you go, I live and learn. I knew the J75 had water injection, but no idea that the Spey did, and I apparently didn't think of the fuller list of airliners with J75 either.

I stand, and indeed sit, corrected. :bowdown:

Steph
 

Boxbrownie

Western Thunderer
Fascinating stuff, I too could spot the DC-8 from that photo.........too many years of plane spotting when young :)

BTW the USAF still smoke like an wet bonfire, we see them flying low (and fast occasionally) over my daughters farm near Mildenhall/Lakenheath, and they still dont know their AFTE as they still "land" on farmland every so often!
 

oldravendale

Western Thunderer
Fascinating stuff, I too could spot the DC-8 from that photo.........too many years of plane spotting when young :)

BTW the USAF still smoke like an wet bonfire, we see them flying low (and fast occasionally) over my daughters farm near Mildenhall/Lakenheath, and they still dont know their AFTE as they still "land" on farmland every so often!
Why am I not surprised??????

B
 

oldravendale

Western Thunderer
There's the possibility of a very few more civilian aircraft in a bit - I've just found some more in my slide collection. However, in the meantime here's a photo of the Goodyear blimp N2A "Europa" at Leavesden Airfield in June 1972. It was quite possibly there for the Leavesden Airshow. Leavesden Airfield closed in 1994.

The "Airfields of Britain" site advises ".......the site for Leavesden airfield was purchased as a factory for aircraft production in 1940. The premises were leased to two organisations: London Aircraft Production Group and The Second Aircraft Group. Handley Page Halifax heavy bombers and de Havilland Mosquito fighter-bombers were built there during the Second World War. Production started with the Halifax, the first example of which flew at Leavesden on 8 December 1941 - 710 were built there. Manufacturing of Mosquitoes soon followed, totalling 1,476. After the Second World War Leavesden moved into the field of aircraft engine development and servicing and, following various company name changes, was run laterally in this capacity under the control of Rolls-Royce.

"In time, Leavesden was also a general aviation airfield for civil flying organisations. Eventually Rolls-Royce departed during 1992/93 before the airfield's final closure in 1994. Today's cinematic activities can be traced to when the James Bond movie 'GoldenEye' was made there in 1995, Leavesden subtly being seen in the film. Warner Bros decided to make it their permanent base in 2010. Traces of the airfield, such as the two control towers, still remain although these are now, of course, private property and are not accessible to the public."

Leavesden now is famous (or notorious?) for being the home of the Harry Potter films and now Harry Potter World /Harry Potter Experience or something similar. I visited on several occasions during the making of the Harry Potter movies before the site became a theme park when the building in the background was being used for admin and the hangers for stages. Warners have an association with airfields and hangers over the years as they also leased one of the hangers at Cardington (where, incidentally, I understand "Europa" was built) until 2014 for the Batman franchise. On my final visit for the shooting of "The Dark Knight" before I retired a complete street, houses, shops etc had been built in the space which is truly vast - even bigger than the Brabazon hanger at Filton.

Brian

img133  Leavesden.  Jun 72.  FINAL JPEG.jpg
 

PaxtonP4

Western Thunderer
Fascinating stuff, I too could spot the DC-8 from that photo.........too many years of plane spotting when young :)

BTW the USAF still smoke like an wet bonfire, we see them flying low (and fast occasionally) over my daughters farm near Mildenhall/Lakenheath, and they still dont know their AFTE as they still "land" on farmland every so often!

What has the Association of Firearm and Tool Mark Examiners got to do with flying?
 

Boxbrownie

Western Thunderer
Maybe the connection is the pilots who don't know their AFTE need to be shot by one of the firearms that have been so marked by that esteemed organisation? :D:D:D
 

Chris P

Member
Absolutely correct, Dave. A slip of the typing finger. Also great stuff about the naming of runways - I had no idea!


Indeed, bus to school as did I, John. Then I had a bike which gave me the excuse to stop at Kenton Rec for a bit of train spotting on the way home.



I remember that louvred deflector, and the excitement of seeing the occasional Czechoslovak or even Russian plane, although I can't remember what they were. Flights from Poland (Airline was LOT which, I understand, it remains) were quite common, though, even though it was a Communist country at the time.

Thanks all for your comments. Some wonderful memories and info new to me. As a result of the enthusiasm I'll now impose some more on you, with apologies to all who have no interest in the subject. It won't go on for long as I don't have sufficient material. In view of the boredom factor for those disinterested parties I may read you some of my Vogon poetry later (with apologies to Douglas Adams).

I've just realised - in that photo of the East African Comet IV above, on the skyline to the left of the picture are two buildings and a chimney. That's Technicolor. When I took the photo it never crossed my mind that in 15 years I'd be working there and watching aircraft every day on my way in and out of work. When Concorde made it's final flights and the remaining aircraft gathered at Heathrow I shut the plant down and everyone went on to the roof to see them land. I did the same for the first A380 landing. Historically there'd always been interest in goings on at the airport (which we always claimed had been put there to make it easy for us to ship movies out to the colonies - say that to the guys in the US and they'd go apoplectic:))) and there were a few there in my time who remembered the Vulcan crash on 1st October 1956. The plant had been on that site since 1936 and before my time actually owned a farm - in searching for some early papers we turned up an invoice for a chicken plucker:)).

Having successfully diverted my thought processes from the subject in hand, here are the remaining photos. There are more distance shots but, unless you have an interest in the layout of the airport in the '60s they are of little value. The first one, though, shows the entrance to the airport through the tunnel, with an RT on the bus stand bottom right. It's a scene which has changed beyond belief in the subsequent 50 years. This was taken in July 1965, almost certainly from Queens Building.

View attachment 93750

This one, in June 1965 shows BEA Tridents, a Vanguard and Viscount on the apron.

View attachment 93748

On 29th September 1963 BOAC Comet IV G-APED taxis past BEA Viscount G-AOHJ.

REGISTRATION DETAILS FOR G-AOHV (BRITISH AIR FERRIES) VICKERS/BAC VISCOUNT-802
Serial 170
Line Number
First Flight 10.07.57
Model Vickers/BAC Viscount-802
Status Left Fleet
Comments
Registration History
Reg Airline Delivered Status
G-AOHV British European Airways 25.07.57 Left Fleet
G-AOHV British Airways 31.07.73 Left Fleet
G-AOHV British Air Ferries 16.01.81 Left Fleet
G-AOHV Oasis Oil Company 08.02.81 Left Fleet
G-AOHV British Air Ferries 28.05.81 Left Fleet
G-AOHV Oasis Oil Company 08.07.81 Left Fleet
G-AOHV Esso Standard Oil Company 00.09.81 Left Fleet
G-AOHV Oasis Oil Company 00.10.81 Left Fleet
G-AOHV British Air Ferries 00.08.82 Left Fleet
G-AOHV Polar Airways 22.03.83 Left Fleet
G-AOHV British Air Ferries 05.07.83 Left Fleet
G-AOHV Euroair Transport 02.08.83 Re-Regd
G-BLNB Euroair Transport 07.06.84 Left Fleet
G-BLNB British Air Ferries 01.08.85 Left Fleet
G-BLNB British World Airlines 01.04.93 Left Fleet
G-OPFI British World Airlines 01.03.93 Left Fleet
3D-PFI Airwing 2000 Ltd 25.08.99 Left Fleet
5V-TTP Transtel 14.10.01 Left Fleet
TU-VAB Ivory Coast Government s28.01.03 Left Fleet
3D-PFI Pegasus Aviation 21.07.03 Left Fleet
3D-PFI Global Airways 15.06.04 Left Fleet
9Q-COD GTRA Airways 00.01.11 Scrapped

REGISTRATION DETAILS FOR G-APDE (DAN-AIR LONDON) COMET-4
Serial 6406
First Flight no info.
Model Comet-4
Status Scrapped,
Registration History
Reg Airline Delivered Status
G-APDE British Overseas Airways Corporation 02/05/1957 Left Fleet
9M-AOE Malaysia-Singapore Airlines 04/10/65 Left Fleet
9V-BAU Malaysia-Singapore Airlines Unknown Left Fleet
G-APDE Dan-Air London 11.70 Scrapped
5Y-ALF East African Airways Corporation Unknown Left Fleet
G-APDE Dan-Air London 03/03/1971 Scrapped

I've not worked out yet how it came to be scrapped twice.

View attachment 93749

In July 1965 I photographed this Boeing 707 romantically flying away in to the sunset, Pratt and Whitney engines smoking like a Deltic.:). I was wishing I was aboard and thinking that I'd never have a job where I'd be doing that. Less than 20 years later I was doing just that (but in wide bodied jets) and already the whole process was becoming a bore. It's only in retrospect that I realise how lucky I was to have such an interesting job.

View attachment 93746

Moving on to the visit to the BEA hangers in November 1968, here's an Air France Viscount. Sorry, no registration details.

View attachment 93736

Then, in the maintenance bays this collection of spares including engines and props.

View attachment 93747

And another of the Argosy 222, G-ASXO. Details in the previous posting.

View attachment 93737

An unidentified Trident in the Maintenance Shed.

View attachment 93741

And BEA Vanguard G-APEI.

REGISTRATION DETAILS FOR G-APEI (BRITISH AIRWAYS) VICKERS/BAC VANGUARD-953C
Serial 712
First Flight no details
Model Vickers/BAC Vanguard-953C
Status Left Fleet
Registration History
Reg Airline Delivered Status
G-APEI British European Airways 20.07.61 Left Fleet
G-APEI British Airways 01.04.74 Left Fleet
PK-MVD Merpati Nusantara Airlines 22.03.75 Scrapped

View attachment 93742

Here's of BEA Viscount G-APOX.

(BRITISH EUROPEAN AIRWAYS) VICKERS/BAC VISCOUNT-806
Serial 418
First Flight 24.03.59
Model Vickers/BAC Viscount-806
Status Left Fleet
Comments built from the remains of G-AOYF (C/N 255)
Registration History
Reg G-APOX British European Airways 11.04.59 Left Fleet
PK-RVL Mandala Airlines 00.06.70 Scrapped

View attachment 93743
And another Viscount, G-AOHW.


REGISTRATION DETAILS FOR G-AOHW (BRITISH AIRWAYS) VICKERS/BAC VISCOUNT-802
Serial Number 253

First Flight 18.07.57
Model Vickers/BAC Viscount-802
Status Scrapped
Comments wfu 11.75 Newcastle dona to Airport Fire service 18.05.76 used for fire practice brup 08.83 (tapl94/not tapl98?!) not Surv97,
Registration History
Reg Airline Delivered Status
G-AOHW British European Airways 00.07.57 01.04.74 Scrapped

View attachment 93744

An unidentified Viscount in Maintenance.

View attachment 93745

Finally, back to Trident G-AVFB, details in the previous post. First a shot of Comet IV G-APMD from the Trident.

REGISTRATION DETAILS FOR G-APMD (BRITISH EUROPEAN AIRWAYS) COMET-4B
Serial 6435
First Flight no details
Model Comet-4B
Status Left Fleet
Comments
Registration History
Reg Airline Delivered Status
G-APMD British European Airways 1960 Left Fleet
G-APMD BEA Airtours 1970 Left Fleet
G-APMD Dan-Air London 09/10/1972 Scrapped

View attachment 93738

And a final couple of photos of G-AVFB itself.

View attachment 93740 View attachment 93739

That's it! No more to come. However.......... I have a fewer number of even earlier photos of shipping on the Solent. I'll consider those when I've had a chance to put them through Photoshop and discovered how good - or bad - they may be.

Brian
Speaking as somebody who now drives a catering wagon on Manchester Ringway, the shot of a BEA TK catering wagon is great!
The concept hasn't changed really, just, in the case of a 380 top deck catering beast, got a lot bigger and more complicated!!!
Chris.
 

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