DC-7C G-AOIE in BOAC/BEA colors

[speedbird591]

Sadly.. I don't have a 'BOAC British Airways' timetable from the same year

But funnily enough, I do!

Your flat earth timetable only shows the services reaching the edge of the known world. However, the more intrepid amongst us would take them further - to infinity and beyond ...

The Nicosia VC10 service was an Overseas Division (BOAC) service from LHR to Blantyre via Nicosia and Nairobi. The Tel Aviv service was en-route to Tehran (that would be an interesting route nowadays ). So it's only the BEA timetable that made it look like a short-haul flight as ED believed that dragons lived over the horizon

Moscow was a similar anomaly - the European Division timetable listed it as a Trident or a 707. When in fact the 707 used Moscow as a refuelling stop for the trans-Siberian route to Tokyo. I expect you'll find VC10s listed for Zurich, Frankfurt and Rome but they too were not destinations in their own right and were only 'temporarily' short-haul until they left Europe for the real world!

Ian

[Garry Russell]

Those Euro sectrors are something else

The one's I was meaning were BA European flight numbers operating there and back from LHR.

There weren't many and it wasn't for long.

A similar thing happened with displaced Tridents.

G-AVFM for example eeked out it's remaining time displaced form it's usual and operating LHR-Jersey flights even though that was never a Trident route and the type was never published as operating it. It reamined at the time listed as a Super One-Eleven route.

[DaveB]

I expect you'll find VC10s listed for Zurich, Frankfurt and Rome but they too were not destinations in their own right and were only 'temporarily' short-haul until they left Europe for the real world!

Actually.. no I did a PxP of the '73 BEA BA timetable and the VC10 is only listed on those 2 destinations (Lon-Tel Aviv - Thur - 1200-1735 non-stop - BA318.. Tel Aviv - Lon - Tu - 0520-1050 - via Rome - BA943 and Tu - 1250-1650 - non-stop - BA315)..

And..

Lon-Nic - Fri - 1945-0055 - non-stop - BA059 'and' Thur - 2045-0155 - non-stop - BA047 'and' Mon - 2145-0255 - non-stop - BA041
plus
Nic-Lon - Sat - 0235-0610 - non-stop - BA050 'and' Wed - 0305-0640 - non-stop - BA044 'and' Sun - 1630-2005 - non-stop - BA054



So.. the other destinations you mentioned were either still run by BOAC on the VC10 or by BEA in the Trident.. according to the timetable which might be telling porkies after all these years

ATB

DaveB

[speedbird591]

Hi Dave.

Just checked my BOAC/British Airways timetable for '73 against the flight numbers you mention. The main point is that BA flight numbers were still listed as BOAC and BE was still listed as BEA. So they were definitely BOAC/BAOD. I used to work them

BA318/Thu went on from Tel Aviv to Tehran, BA943/Tu came from Bombay, BA315/Tu came from Tehran. The crew slip was Bombay or Tehran with a transit in TLV.

BA059/Fri went on from Nicosia to Addis Ababa, Seychelles and Mauritius, BA047/Thu went on to Nairobi, Dar es Salaam and Blantyre, BA041/Mon went on to Nairobi and Blantyre. The crew slip was Nicosia or Addis (depending on civil unrest ) and Seychelles on the first service and the second was Nairobi with a transit in Nicosia.

BA050/Sat came from Blantyre and Nairobi, BA044/Wed came from Blantyre, Dar and Nairobi, BA054/Sun came from Seychelles and Addis.

The 707 flight to Moscow is shown alongside the Trident on Tues and Sat as we had traffic rights. And I seem to remember now that we didn't have traffic rights for the other European destinations I mentioned. They were just scheduled refuelling stops as the VC10 struggled a bit heading West against the prevailing winds!

It gradually comes back when you start scratching away at the surface

Ian

[DaveB]

Hi Ian

That's smashing mate I'd wondered where the 10's went to on the other end of those flights and now I know I looked through the BEA '73 timetable again and those are the only VC10 flights listed.. the furthest outposts of the 'flat earth' being served by the mighty Trident and no further

BTW.. I sent a link to that BOAC/BEA DC7 to the Vanguard crew and thus far I've had one reply from Paul saying 'Do you mind.. it's in the "other" airlines colours!!!! John Thatcher will probably throw a few expletives at me tomorrow

ATB

DaveB

[ejoiner]

Good subject Eric

Not wrong there matey

Eric..
The passage under the shot of IndiaEcho is a little misleading mate which is almost certainly the root of your confusion with who got it and for what. With it begining 'BOAC took delivery of DC7-C G-AOIE, seen here wearing BEA's famous red squares, on 14 Dec 1956'.. you'd be excused for thinking BOAC got them off BEA as the shot and wording are ambiguous taken in isolation

Can't wait to get this worked into my AI

ATB

DaveB

Dave, you are right on the confusion! I am about ready to release these skins at avsim. What would be correct to put into the readme.txt file then regarding BEA/BOAC and this airplane? BTW, this isnt AI, this is for user flight, but I guess you could use it as an AI airplane with the right aircraft.cfg and FDE changes.

Eric

[Garry Russell]

Eric

It's simply a BOAC DC 7C loaned to BEA

It remained BOAC property and was only short term.

If it was around 1960 then it was a part of BEA's attempt to fill the capcity shortage due to the Vanguard being delayed by Tyne troubles.

[DaveB]

Hi Eric

Rgr your last on the aircraft/model As for the description, Garry has summed it up very nicely

ATB

DaveB

[ejoiner]

For those who may wish to fly this DC-7C, the file is now available at Avsim.

Kind regards
Eric

[DaveB]

Tks for that Eric. I'll go and nab a copy while the paint is still fresh

ATB

DaveB