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Post by Airbus A346 on Jul 30, 2018 14:09:27 GMT 1
VERNAIR TRANSPORT SERVICES
A Liverpool Airport based operator, 1967-1987
Grounded Airframes and Other Aircraft Owned by Vernair
Dismantled Cessna 310 G-ARBI was acquired for spares 12.01.77, the remains eventually scrapped.
G-ARBI by MARTIN CHELL, on Flickr
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Post by Airbus A346 on Jul 30, 2018 14:24:41 GMT 1
Alexandra Aviation Ltd, 1975-1979 Their initial aircraft was an Aztec 250 G-AXAX, arriving at Liverpool in July 1975 and used by parent company Alexandra Towing Company Ltd, a long established tug operator for the Port of Liverpool, as an executive transport. Soon after arrival the aircraft was named “Flying Kestrel”. The aircraft was hangared, maintained and operated by Keenair Services and was made available to them when not required by the owners. An Islander G-AWVY arrived at Liverpool 9th January 1977 as N48BN from the USA via Reykjavik. A respray and check over with Keenair and the first flight in UK marks was made on 28th January. A third aircraft in the form of Navajo Chieftain 350, G-BXBX, arrived at Liverpool on 24th December 1977, having previously been demonstrated here, while still as OY-ASC on 25th October. These two 9-seaters were capable of transporting a complete tug crew, with a number of flights being flown from Liverpool to near European sea-ports such as Esbjerg, Hamburg and Rotterdam. The Navajo Chieftain spent periods of 1978 away from Liverpool on behalf of Alexandra Towing, while the Islander was used by Keenair during June 1978 for parachute dropping work at weekends and at other times for night newspaper work when required. All three aircraft departed from Liverpool during 1979, first the Islander and in September both the Aztec and Navajo. The Islander initially having been leased to Euroair Ltd for use from 1st April on their Luton to Dublin mail contract. Alexandra Towing Aircraft
Regn. Aircraft type Delivery Departure Comments
G-AWVY BN-2A Islander 09.01.77 27.03.79 to Fairoaks; on 1.4.79 on DUB-LTN Euroair mail service. To Sweden 1.81
G-AWVY by MARTIN CHELL, on Flickr |
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Post by vfr800 on Jul 31, 2018 15:01:10 GMT 1
A very happy memory was sometime during the 80's, I got invited to do the Liverpool, Belfast, Glasgow night pools run with Capt Bill Raistrick and Martin Drake in one of the C90's. What a great experience it was (I was doing the PPL course at Woodvale at the time). Bill allowed me in the right hand seat on the way back from Glasgow and took the auto pilot off! Hand flying at fl 180 was a lot harder than I imagined! A good memory brought back by the above feature. Sadly Bill is no longer with us. Also G-TLOL used to come into Woodvale regularly with Sir John & Lady Moores.
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Post by Airbus A346 on Aug 4, 2018 15:59:26 GMT 1
VERNAIR TRANSPORT SERVICES
A Liverpool Airport based operator, 1967-1987 Miscellaneous EndeavoursIn the early 1970s Vernair assembled a number of U.S. built Cessna singles which arrived in crates, including G-BAYO, G-BAYP, G-BBGX, G-BBJD, G-BBKZ and G-BIDH.  G-BBJD by MARTIN CHELL, on Flickr G-BBGX Cessna 182 can also be seen in the photo, inside Hangar One. 
G-BAUJ by MARTIN CHELL, on Flickr |
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Post by nickjaxe on Nov 14, 2018 12:44:39 GMT 1
Some smashing picture there...the ones of G-AVNG bring back memories...the times I have heard that call-sign on my old VHF Sky-master radio with its pilot and his most distinctive deep voice.
Nick.
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Post by Beemer on Nov 14, 2018 15:16:02 GMT 1
G-AVWY Islander was one of those aircraft that was destroyed in the making of the James Bond film, Spectre.
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Post by viscount on Nov 18, 2018 23:36:33 GMT 1
I've 'spot' looked in a number of issues of MAS 'Flypast' (mainly the annual review residents list each January) and monthly 'EGGP' magazines for the period 1983 to 1987, and I find that every month, consistently at the time over a period of 5 years, I refer to Cessna 421C G-TLOL (The Littlewoods Organisation Ltd) has being operated by Vernair under contract. It was in February 1987, the month when Vernon's closed down their aviation Vernair operation that G-TLOL departed Liverpool to be operated under contract by Westair and based at Blackpool. Clearly while competitors in the field of Football Pools, when it came to convenience of operating from Liverpool Littlewoods opted for the principal Liverpool Airport based company maintaining and operating twin executive aircraft. The aircraft never operated as a Vernair Transport Services aircraft, but was hangered, maintained, readied for flight etc by Vernair on behalf of Littlewoods.
In addition to the delivery of Bulldog aircraft to Sweden, not a great deal was stated regarding Vernair's activities in preparing a batch of Jodel aircraft for the British register and importing crated from the USA, assembling and selling a number of Cessna singles.
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Post by Airbus A346 on Nov 28, 2018 14:55:09 GMT 1
The mention of Bulldog deliveries through Liverpool has prompted me to catalogue them, this has been on my to do list for a while. From memory the Swedish aircraft were ferried by Dave Vernon, the owner of Alon Ercoupe G-AVIL (the guy in the pink shirt in my photos). The MAS 'Flypast' magazine in August 1972 adds to that by recording, under the organisation of Cambrian Capt Dave Vernon (trading as Vernonair) the delivery of the Swedish Bulldogs was made by Cambrian pilots based at Prestwick (where they flew Cambrian Viscount 701 G-AMOG on 'feeder' service in full BOAC colours). BH.120/173 G-AZUB arrived 23/07/1972 from PIK - departed to Lympne 31/07/1972 delivered to the Royal Swedish Army 01/08/1973 became Fv 61055 BH.120/175 G-AZUD arrived 30/07/1972 from PIK - departed same day to NWI delivered to the Royal Swedish Army 01/08/1972 became Fv 61057 BH.120/176 G-AZUE arrived 20/08/1972 from PIK - departed to NWI 22/08/1972 delivered to the Royal Swedish Army 22/08/1972 became Fv 61058 BH.120/179 G-AZWH arrived 27/08/1972 from PIK - departed to NWI 28/08/1972 delivered to the Royal Swedish Army 29/08/1972 became Fv 61061 (note 1)BH.120/181 G-AZWJ arrived 01/09/1972 from PIK - departed to NWI 03/09/1972 delivered to the Royal Swedish Army 12/09/1972 became Fv 61063 (note 2)BH.120/182 G-AZWK arrived 16/09/1972 from PIK - departed to NWI 18/09/1972 delivered to the Royal Swedish Army 19/09/1972 became Fv 61064 BH.120/185 G-AZWN arrived 14/10/1972 from PIK - departed to NWI 16/10/1972 delivered to the Royal Swedish Army 17/10/1972 became Fv 61067 BH.120/186 G-AZWO arrived 14/10/1972 from PIK - departed to NWI 18/10/1972 delivered to the Royal Swedish Army 19/10/1972 became Fv 61068 (note 1) now preserved in the Royal Swedish Army / Air Force Museum at Linkoping (note 2) the aircraft returned NWI to PIK on 04/09/1972 presumably with an issue that required factory rectification. It was eventually delivered on 12/09/1972 but did not route via Liverpool. (note 3) PIK = Prestwick NWI = Norwich Lympne also known as Ashford, Kent  G-AZWH by MARTIN CHELL, on Flickr  G-AZWK by MARTIN CHELL, on Flickr Five years later a further six Bulldogs were delivered through Liverpool but I do not think there was a Vernair connection ..... BH.120/394 G-BFUW arrived 29/06/1978 from PIK - departed to Shoreham 30/06/1978 delivered to the Nigerian Air Force became NAF 241 BH.120/395 G-BFUX arrived 29/06/1978 from PIK - departed to Shoreham 30/06/1978 delivered to the Nigerian Air Force became NAF 242 BH.120/396 G-BFUY arrived 29/06/1978 from PIK - departed to Shoreham 30/06/1978 delivered to the Nigerian Air Force became NAF 243 BH.120/403 G-BFWS arrived 14/09/1978 from PIK - departed to Fairoaks same day; delivered to the Nigerian Air Force became NAF 250 BH.120/404 G-BFWT arrived 14/09/1978 from PIK - departed to Fairoaks same day; delivered to the Nigerian Air Force became NAF 251 BH.120/405 G-BFWU arrived 14/09/1978 from PIK - departed to Fairoaks same day; delivered to the Nigerian Air Force became NAF 252  G-BFUX by MARTIN CHELL, on Flickr Apologies for the quality of the above photo, it was going dark at the time, had to hack it open in Paintshop.
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Post by Airbus A346 on Jan 6, 2019 18:35:55 GMT 1
Scanned from a colour print courtesy of Peter Williamson.  YV-46C by MARTIN CHELL, on Flickr |
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Post by northbynorthwest on Jan 6, 2019 20:16:54 GMT 1
That looks like the Eli Lilly 707 freighter in the background. It passed through Liverpool regularly as well documented. Only saw it a couple of times.
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