emerald airways at blackpool

[jake3]

;D some nice pictures on this site of our old friends

www.skippyscage.com/aviation/uk/blackpool08/index.php (In 2023 a dead link)

got there in the end..

[Deleted]

Nice find Jake3, sad to see them like that though. Pitty they didn't all find new homes. Does anyone know what happened to the last ATP at Blackpool? The last I heard it was being auctioned off on e-bay.

[vickersfour]

I spent 8 years at Emerald and seeing those pics of the old gals looking all forlorn brought a tear to my eye. Very sad indeed.

Thanks for the heads up on that site.

Cheers

Shaun

[vickersfour]

After my post last night i have dug out a few photos from my days at Emerald.


Although Emerald had other series 1 aircraft, 'JD was the only one i ever flew. I understand that Millom Air Museum are in the process of moving her there from Blackpool. Photographed at Ronaldsway in September 2002.



The companies only Large Frieght Door '748 at Ronaldsway and an instrument panel shot of 'UV on the way home to Speke on the JEM 245 September 6th 2002.


G-ORAL in the Reeds scheme at Guernsey about to position to Hamburg in December 2005.


Bristol Lulsgate apron has some great white lighting for night shots. Seen here is the former Royal Tongan aircraft G-OTBA about to launch on the northbound mail flight to Newcastle in October 2002.


Former Mount Cook aircraft G-SOEI on the apron of the very enigmatic Berlin Templehof in April 2004.

Well, just a few memories from me of a lovely old aeroplane(plenty more in the files!).

Cheers

Shaun

[vickersfour]

Thanks Chris.

Cheers

Shaun

[Beemer]

Three I found among my photos but I think I have more.

G-OPFW


G-AYIM


G-BGMN

[vickersfour]

Another selection of Emerald '748 photos taken over the 2004/05/06 period at various locations down route.

First of the bunch is a tatty looking G-AYIM at Rome Fiumicino in March 2005. The contract was for the Italian Post Office and required us to fly on Alitalia callsigns which caused quite a few problems when ATC talked to us in Italian!

G-AYIM was the aircraft in which i did my last ever '748 flight from Kortrijk to Coventry on the 4th May 2006, this was the day the CAA pulled the AOC. Ironically the load out of Kortrijk was 1748kg!!!



G-BGMN retained its white/grey scheme throughout its days with JEM although the many paint chips revealed service with BA and JEA. Seen here at Nice in November 2004.



The only '748 to receive the 'new' JEM scheme was G-BGMO seen here receiving the mail at Bristol Lulsgate in March 2005.



G-BVOU painted in the Lynx scheme at Coventry in April 2005.



G-BVOV at Nice in July 2005.



The appropriately registered Parcel Force aircraft G-OPFW at Guernsey on a grey day in April 2005. For a few years there were two '748 based at Bournemouth to operate routes to the Channel Islands.



The last '748 to join the fleet was G-ORCP. The first photo was taken en-route from Bournemouth to Kortrijk whilst over Southern England and the ramp shot is taken on Kortrijk's small apron in April 2006. Incidently, that prop came from one of the ex-CAA '748 (G-AVXI/XJ) that were bought for spares.





G-OSOE seen at sunrise on the East Midlands apron awaiting for Ronaldsway to open for the early morning mail flight in June 2005.



Taken at Pisa whilst unloading after the Fedex feeder flight from Milan Malpensa in December 2004.



And finally ...G-SOEI taxying in at Ronaldsway. By the time this photo was taken in April 2006 'the writing was on the wall' as they say. The CAA had withdrawn Emeralds Type Rating Training Organisation (TRTO) authority which effectively meant a slow death for the company as no recurrent (OPC/LPC) pilot checks could be done. In the end this inevitably deteriorating situation reached a point that the CAA withdrew the AOC on 4th May 2006.



Cheers

Shaun

[andyh]

Great pics (and memories) Shaun. I honestly didn't realise you and your colleagues got to fly the Budgies so far away from home!

[Deleted]

Great pictures V4! As you can imagine, it's a subject close to my heart. She was a great aircraft; rugged, reliable and did the job wherever she went. I often flew on it as a passenger on scheduled flights, and I much preferred it to the F-27 or Dash 7. The aerodynamics guys reckoned it was the low wing which kept it more stable. I never remember severe turbulence in a 748, but I have memories of a few flights in F-27s which were unpleasant.

[vickersfour]

I agree 'Garstonboy', they sure built 'em tough at Woodford.

If you look at 'Beemer's' photo of G-BGMN you will see the door from G-SOEI fitted. This was because a loadie at EMA stabbed the original door with a fork lift ....it flew un-pressurised with the hole until it could be spared to go into BLK for maintenace. Just one example of its rugged structure.

I guess compared with modern airframes the '748 was over engineered, in fact when 'son of 748' (aka ATP) was designed the designers found that in many areas of the structure they could drop a gauge or two in skin thickness.

In terms of stability they were OK but i would say that they were almost neutral laterally, a moments in attention would find them rolling away all on there own! And directionally i think if certificated today they have to have a yaw damper fitted. Longitudinal stability was probably the best of the three.

Also worthy of thought is that only one of the aircraft had an autopilot (G-BIUV) and the crews had to hand fly all the time which after 8 years almost became as second nature as breathing! Personally my longest stint of hand flying ever was positioning G-AYIM from Rome FCO to Speke on 9th April 2005, a total time of 5 hours 30 minutes!

Although at times the crews got very tired with the long night duties and some of the aircraft heaters were poor to say the least. I would'nt have missed the experience for the world, the 2750 hours i flew on the '748 were hard earned and gave me far more interesting flying than i have had before or since.

Going back to the original post, it is a real shame that more of the fleet cold not have been preserved ah, well i still have my memories.

Cheers

Shaun

[trumpeter]

What do people think will be the fate of the 748's. Are there any in active service? I would think the ATPs will see use again??

[vickersfour]

Hello Trumpeter

Most of the Emerald '748's have been scrapped with the odd cockpit section finding a home in museums. A few escaped the axe and went to operators in Africa and Asia.

The only hope to keep some flying in the UK was Janes Aviation which acquired two of the fleet (Andy Janes was the owner of Emerald). They are currently based at Southend and very inactive.

The other ray of light is the hopes of the Millom Air Museum in Cumbria to take the series 1 G-BEJD from Blackpool to Millom. Its a tall order and would not be easy to dismantle and transport, particularly with the limited resources of a small museum.

It hasn't gone un-noticed that none of the major museums have showed any interest in preserving one. The '748 was one of the very few commercially successfull BRITISH airliners. Maybe it isn't sexy enough or maybe it was built too far North! I am amazed that Duxford havn't acquired one, if they don't then i think it will leave a very significant gap in there airliner collection. ....whingeing complete.

Cheers

Shaun

Cheers

Shaun

[CloudWarrior]

Heres a flying example: Taken at LPL 10 Oct 2008

[trumpeter]

Shaun,

This is really sad news about the 748's. This my favourite prop aircraft. Are you aware of any campaigns to save last remaining 748 ('s) in UK? They sounded great overhead, starting up and powering down-I'd love to see some video footage (not much on web). Are there any left in Blackpool now?

[ronturner]

One of my favourite aircraft too, ever since I saw the prototype flying at Farnborough too many years ago to remember exactly when. If I am not mistaken, the first order was placed by Skyways, to operate out of Ashford (Grass) to Beauvais on their "low cost" airlink to Paris, replacing Dc-s's which was the intention of the makers. It was an innovative idea at the time involving a bus journey from London Victoria, Skyways to Beauvais, then bus into Paris. I only ever saw them flying once out of Ashford and never had the chance to fly the route.
Feel free to correct, anybody, if my memory turns out to be a bit vague