Black and white photos from long ago...

[Deleted]

G-AMNR Someone will have to provide an operator for the minimal colours in the first photo. The aircraft was operated by Continental 1.60 until the airline ceased operations 10.60. G-AMNR called at Speke 8.6.60 f&t Southend, at which time it was noted to be in the airline's new colour scheme.

Here's the story from G-INFO, www.caa.co.uk/docs/HistoricalMaterial/G-AMNR.pdf which suggests it was owned by somebody called Bembridge Air Hire (love the way 'Car' has been crossed out!). More likely to be have been based at Southend than Panshanger I would have thought, and it would explain the f&t Southend. Fwiw, a closer look at the motif on the nose suggests a 'B'.
Interesting that Continental's name does not appear on the registration document

[viscount]

Should have thought of G-INFO as a source. From the clues offered there, find that G-AMNR flew with Independent Air Transport of Bournemouth from 2.56 until they ceased trading 10.59 (by which time they traded as Blue-Air). Examination of 'British Independent Airlines' finds a PHB photo of G-AHPG at Speke in 8.58 with the same scheme (but with 'Independent' cabin roof titles). The initials in the winged circle on the nose being IAT, although they appear different on the photo here. I wonder if PHB's logs reveal a visit 10-12.59 after Independent ceased trading? Independent were a large Viking operator in the 'Fifties, with 9 different aircraft operated, and 3 Douglas Skymasters.

[Deleted]

Perhaps we should sub-title this Speke – the lighter side.
I’m conscious of the fact that all the b&w pics so far have been of transport aircraft, but there were lots of smaller visitors to Speke in those days, and here is a cross section of them.
Not so small perhaps, but a very regular visitor to Speke (five days a week in fact) was the Woodvale-based Mosquito, from what was known as the Thum flight. The purpose of the flight was to measure the temperature and humidity at various levels in order to help with weather predictions, cloud formations etc., for the aviation community. The pilot would deliver his report to the met office at Speke, and it would form part of the TAF (Terminal Area Forecast) or Actual (met report) for Speke and other surrounding airports. Being a 5x weekly operation, and shared between a maximum (if I remember correctly) of about three aircraft, we tended to largely ignore it, but what I’d give to see that land again!

That’s not a bomb under the Anson. It’s a magnetometer which is a device for measuring minerals in the earth - apparently!

The letters under the window say ‘Marshall's Cambridge’ which is self-explanatory really.

We didn’t have a lot of based aircraft at Speke in those days, but here are some of them:



And some more visitors, including a busy day for the refueller!


[img src="[http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/ll226/tango15_photos/020.jpg"]

My initial reaction when I first looked at this was – hmm, Aero 145, Czech registration – wow, exotic!
Then I started to remember that at the time this was taken, Czechoslovakia was behind the Iron Curtain. It must have taken a lot of paperwork, time and patience, not to say airmanship, to bring that all the way across Western Europe. A fitting finale to this set of photos, I believe – over to Viscount to fill in the missing details!

[Deleted]

Mar 5, 2010 19:11:58 GMT 1 garstonboy said:

My initial reaction when I first looked at this was – hmm, Aero 145, Czech registration – wow, exotic!
Then I started to remember that at the time this was taken, Czechoslovakia was behind the Iron Curtain. It must have taken a lot of paperwork, time and patience, not to say airmanship, to bring that all the way across Western Europe. A fitting finale to this set of photos, I believe – over to Viscount to fill in the missing details!

Re OK-NHF This apparently became G-AROE (if you look it up on the CAA G-INFO website, it has it as ex OK-NHF) and is still in existence in Germany (or, at least, was) as D-GASA, See:

www.planepictures.net/netshow.php?id=688237

and see also:

www.caa.co.uk/docs/HistoricalMaterial/G-AROE.pdf

G-AMDA the Anson with the magnetometer later went to the Skyfame museum at Staverton and then moved to Duxford in 1978 if memory serves me right.

Thanks for posting these great pics.

Cheers,

Dave

[phb]

OK-NHF was a demonstrator flown by the UK agents for Omnipol. G-AMNR was one of the ex-IAT Vikings flown by 'Blue-Air', a successor to IAT; it operated charters t/f Liverpool in April and June 1959. Blue-Air was a sort of 'Shadow IAT' trying to escape the bad publicity arising from IAT's operations and the corner-cutting of its boss Marian Kozubski, by removing the IAT titles. I certainly never saw an aircraft with the Blue-Air name, either. Continental was another dodgy Viking & DC-4 operator. Several of its flights operated ('diverted') to Speke to
avoid landing at its intended destination, whether to avoid bailiffs or crew licensing or airworthiness inspections I know not.... PHB

[Deleted]

Thanks Dave and phb for filling in some gaps there. I seem to remember that there were certainly some dodgy operators around in those days - perhaps I can find some more photos and do a posting on them!
Re Omnipol, in one of those strange twists of fate, I had some (official!) dealings with them in 2004 - perhaps I should have taken a copy of that photo with me!

[Deleted]

Mar 4, 2010 23:38:41 GMT 1 viscount said:

Viscount According to British Independent Airlines, Transair operated 5 Viscounts. Two series 700 G-AODG and G-AODH, both from 2.59, and three series 800 G-AOXU and G-AOXV from 9.57 and G-APKG from 4.58. All were in service on merger into BUA 7.60. I've studied the photo but cannot decide if it is of a series 700 or 800 (slight difference in fuselage length, but more noticably a bulge in the forward engine cowling), although fancy it is a series 800, so it could well be G-AOXU on 18.8.59, called twice, Gatwick to Dyce (Inverness) and return. None of the Transair Viscounts called in 1960.

Brian,

Great research an write-up.

The best way I find of telling the two types apart is by the shape of the passenger doors. The 700 has rounded doors whilst the 800 are more oblong. You will see this more clearly in the links below showing photos of G-AODH and G-AOXU. This confirms Garstonboys photo is indeed an 800 series.

G-AODH
www.airliners.net/photo/British-United-Airways/Vickers-736-Viscount/1336908/L/&sid=60074aa71484a7732734798d07ce8617

G-AOXU
www.airliners.net/photo/British-United-Airways/Vickers-804-Viscount/1213967/L/&tbl=&photo_nr=8&sok=&sort=&prev_id=1213968&next_id=1213966

Steve

[johnoakes]

Am I right in thinking thar OGA is the one and only Miles Aires--isaw that one and the Aero 145 but sadly never saw the Thum flights --a big regret

My bapteme de l'air was in the Fox Moth--chasing the hares across the grass before take off.--best 10bob I ever spent.

v700/800.
Usually v700 had an airscoop under the body--had rounded propellors and more rounded doors--at Speke the v800 usually taxied in on outer and the 700 on inner engines.

Or so the little grey cells inform me.LOL

[viscount]

I go away for a weekend, on my return find more interesting photographs - and much comment already posted.

Mosquito The last Mosquito THUM flight operated by TJ138 on 1st May 1959, so the photo is certainly from before then!

G-AMDA A genuine Anson 1 - the last one in the UK, which is why it was preserved, initially in flying condition, by Skyfame at Staverton. The other Ansons around, even in the Sixties were mostly Avro 19s, not Ansons.

The only 'Sixties visits I've traced were on 16th May, 24th May and 6th June 1960 with Derby Aviation, all f&t Swansea. As the aircraft is clearly marked 'Operated by Derby Aviation Ltd for Canadian Aero Service Ltd' this fits nicely, although there could well have been earler visits.

G-AGZO Another photo which is most likely late 50s, rather than early 60s, although I have record of visits in 1960 on 26.3.60 (very likely Grand National Day) f&t Cambridge and 5th May Glasgow-Cambridge, which certainly all fits with ownership by Marshall's of Cambridge.

G-ANEE This Tiger Moth was based for a period in the early 60s, arriving from Barton on 23.7.60, leaving for Sywell 10.5.62. While based, operated by Merseyside and North Wales Flying Club.

G-AOJH A very fondly remembered DH.83 Fox Moth, that for a number of years flew short pleasure flights at weekends from Speke Airport. The angle looking down from the balcony is quite typical. Sadly my parents would not allow me a flight in this aircraft as it was too old!

G-APVE This Piaggio P.166 was a resident from August 1958 until June 1963, operated by Lord Derby and also flew from his Knowsley airfield. The airstrip and this aircraft have been a topic on this forum recently. For more link to:

www.derbosoft.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=furtherafield&action=display&thread=2077 The gull-wing, pusher-engined layout of the P.166 was unusual then, just as it is now. In some ways the P.166 was a cabin executive aircraft design ahead of its time, but was never able to compete with the likes of the Piper Navajo.

G-AOGA was indeed the sole Miles Aries, which was similar in layout to the earlier Miles Gemini. G-AOGA was a regular during the early 'Sixities, indeed for a while could well have been considered resident. First visit to Liverpool was 30.7.60 f&t Dublin. Most visits were Irish Sea crossings, as between 5.60 and 8.65 and again 2.69 until wfu 5.84 the aircraft was owned by British residents living in the Republic of Ireland.

G-AOJY This DHC.1 Chipmunk 22 certainly visited in 1960 and 1965, but quite likely this shot is earlier.

G-APTZ & G-AOSY As a brand new aircraft Druine D.31 Turbulent visited twice in 1959, on 19th August Elstree-Dublin and return routing 29th August. These were the first visits by this type. The Chipmunk visit then was not recorded in 'Northern Aeronews', but certainly visited again in 1960, while the records show that Turbulent G-APTZ did not visit again in the early Sixties though.

OK-NHE First Aero Super 45 to visit Liverpool was G-APRR on 29th April 1960, f&t Gatwick with a night stop, operated by Maitland Air Charter. OK-NHE an Aero 145 visited at least twice a few months later, arriving on 3.6.60 from Glasgow and onward to Birmingham on 5.6, on which date it also flew f&t Birmingham. G-INFO shows that OK-NHE/G-AROE was a new aircraft, with a 1960 build date. Visited Speke again as G-AROE during 1967 and 1968 at least. The Aero 45 always struck me as being a scale He.111 in appearance!

[vanguard]

Correction to the V.701 & V.802's.The 701's taxied on the OUTBOARD engines and the 802/806's the INBOARD engines,just a small point but lets be correct.

Vanguard.

[johnoakes]

;D
I stand corrected--little grey cells can misfire 40 years after the event LOL
Best to be right so thanks for the correction.