Aviation Nostalgia Thread

[LBAYORKIE]

Was AVIY an ex-Channel aircraft ? I know AVIW was, which went to Alidair.

G AVIY was operated by a couple of South American Airlines before being purchased by BKS.
G AVIW was originally supplied to Continental Airlines in the USA, then purchased by Channel Airways, then operated by Dan Air before being transferred back to Alidair. The final operator was Far Eastern Air Transport in Taiwan.

 

[dakota eng]

G-AVIY was ex T,A,C.A , It was a 786D built for the American market. WFU 23-03-70 .
The two BEA viscounts were flown to Leeds specifically for scrapping. BKS used 806x EY - YO - YL - YH which then became Northeast Airlines at Leeds.
Hope this helps.

 

[oldendays]

Thanks all.

 

[LBAYORKIE]

Does anyone have any memories or photos of the two BEA Viscounts (G-AOHH and G-AOHK) that were scrapped at LBA around 1976?

I have a vivid memory as a 10-11 year old kid, having cycled up the then quite windy Whitehouse Lane from Scotland Lane past the fencing which always hid the apron in front of the hanger to the left of the terminal. It was a very quiet day - as it could be back then - so, curious as to what lay outside the hanger I rested my bike up against the fence and clambered up to stand on the saddle. At full stretch I could just peep over the top - and I was amazed to see a Viscount sitting not far from the fence in the early stages of being dismantled.
It was positioned facing away from the hanger, and I remember I could see clearly the red top surface of the of the nearer left wing (it was still painted in the BEA red wing livery), and it seemed to be 'tiltled' towards me as if it was only standing on one main undercarriage.

Long shot, but I wondered if it would be possible to indentify which of the two scrapped BEA Viscounts I saw, if anyone had any memories?

This is the info I have collated:
G AVIY Scrapped June 1970
G ATTA Scrapped November 1971
G AOHH Scrapped sometime in 1976 (withdrawn from use in Nov 75)
G AOHK Scrapped end of 1976

Without scrapping dates for the last 2 its hard to say which you might have seen. Both of them were scrapped in 1976. The previous scrappings were in June and November, I wonder if AOHH was scrapped in June 1976 and AOHK in November of that year? In any case we know (for sure?) That AOHK was scrapped at the end of 1976 so I would suggest you saw AOHH as its more likely you got the bike out in June than the end of the year.

Having said all this I don't know at what point scrapping is deemed to have taken place I.e when it starts or when it's completely finished nor if the dates recorded are when scrapping has taken place or simply when it was recorded.

So, unless you can remember the weather I would go for G AOHH.

I'm sure there are engineers and technicians still around who scrapped HH and HK, its just tracking them down that will be hard.

 

[LBAYORKIE]

G-AVIY was ex T,A,C.A , It was a 786D built for the American market. WFU 23-03-70 .
The two BEA viscounts were flown to Leeds specifically for scrapping. BKS used 806x EY - YO - YL - YH which then became Northeast Airlines at Leeds.
Hope this helps.

Did EX come later?

 

[LBAYORKIE]

I remember one of the engineers telling me not long before BA pulled out of LBA (for the first time) that either EX or EY (I forget which one) was extremely reliable and rarely went tech. I would need to do more research buy I think both went to an African Operator when BA disposed of the fleet.

 

[DH106]

Thanks for the info LBAYORKIE

 

[DH106]

I remember one of the engineers telling me not long before BA pulled out of LBA (for the first time) that either EX or EY (I forget which one) was extremely reliable and rarely went tech. I would need to do more research buy I think both went to an African Operator when BA disposed of the fleet.

'EY lasted a lot longer with their last owner, BWA, than did 'EX - so I would guess that it was 'EY that was super reliable.
'EY performed the last Viscount passenger service in the UK in 1996. 'EX was long gone by then.

Video of that flight here:

 

[White Heather]

There were 6 Viscount 800s used regularly by BKS/Northeast/BA on LBA routes and most turned up on a daily basis and had maintenance done in the big black hangar/flight shed.
They were G-AOYH, G-AOYL, G-AOYO,
G- AOYR, G- APEX and G- APEY. As stated, EY was the last operational Viscount in the UK when with British Air Ferries before going to South Africa for yet more service.
YR was always the odd one out visually in that it didn't have a black nose for some reason. The others did. My 2nd cousin's husband worked at LBA as aground maintenance engineer and I was lucky enough to be taken into the flight shed one night and to go onboard YR, sitting in the Captain's seat and doing a wing walk! It was still in BKS livery at the time so probably around 1971/2.

 

[DH106]

YR was always the odd one out visually in that it didn't have a black nose for some reason.

Which livery are you talking about here Heather - BKS, Northeast, BEA or BA?
Photos on VVN seem to show it with the usual small black 'cap' type radome that the BEA/BA 802 & 806's had when upgraded with weather radar.

 

[LBAYORKIE]

G ATTA at Yeadon in 1970. Looks to be at back of the flight shed- awaiting her fate?

https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/abpic-media-eu-production/pictures/full_size_0164/1246718-large.jpg

 

[DH106]

G ATTA at Yeadon in 1970. Looks to be at back of the flight shed.

https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/abpic-media-eu-production/pictures/full_size_0164/1246718-large.jpg

Interesting - I don't recognise the angle if that is indeed the hanger/flight shed apron.
Is the fence in the distance the Whitehouse Lane fence? By the mid 70's this had been made quite high and solid in that it couldn't be seen through.

 

[LBAYORKIE]

G AOYL at LBA. https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/abpic-media-eu-production/pictures/full_size_06/1010240-large.jpg

 

[DH106]

G AOYL at LBA. https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/abpic-media-eu-production/pictures/full_size_06/1010240-large.jpg

I remember when they made that outdoor fencing there much higher there, sometime in the 70's !

 

[LBAYORKIE]

Interesting - I don't recognise the angle if that is indeed the hanger/flight shed apron.
Is the fence in the distance the Whitehouse Lane fence? By the mid 70's this had been made quite high and solid in that it couldn't be see through.

Im pretty sure it is the Whitehouse Lane fence. I seem to remember the level of the apron was higher than road so a saddle may only have reached the bottom of the fence.

 

[LBAYORKIE]

I remember when they made that outdoor fencing there much higher there, sometime in the 70's !

Yes, doubled the height. That viewing area was good but normally aircraft parked directly in front of the terminal normally with their tails to the viewing area.

 

[White Heather]

Which livery are you talking about here Heather - BKS, Northeast, BEA or BA?
Photos on VVN seem to show it with the usual small black 'cap' type radome that the BEA/BA 802 & 806's had when upgraded with weather radar.

BKS livery. It just had a white nose when all the others had black. YR was always obvious when landing for that reason. Not sure when it acquired a black nose ,but possibly when it was repainted in Northeast livery?

 

[White Heather]

I remember when they made that outdoor fencing there much higher there, sometime in the 70's !

The engineer stood at the bottom of the steps looks very like my relative, Eric Walton.

 

[blotbuc1]

This all brings back memories! Flew in the early/mid 70’s on YH,YL,YR and EY. NCL-LHR return and LBA-LHR, supposed to be return but ended up on a very foggy night at Teesside with a coach to LBA. After a long delay at Heathrow when we boarded the captain welcomed us on board our flight to Teesside. He told us the weather was so bad at LBA and not forecast to improve it was highly unlikely that he would be able to make an approach so we would be going direct to Teesside. Happy days.

 

[White Heather]

Im pretty sure it is the Whitehouse Lane fence. I seem to remember the level of the apron was higher than road so a saddle may only have reached the bottom of the fence.

Looks like Whitehouse Lane to me with Bramhope in the distance.