Post by Deleted on May 3, 2021 4:56:26 GMT -5
In September 1954 a Swiss club of liberal people interested in business, politics, science and culture organized a round trip to the United States, Mexico, Cuba and Bermuda. They chartered a Swissair DC-6B. My father was then part of the crew as navigator. Every postcard or letter sent from this flight got a special stamp.
I agree, aeronautically seen this event wasn't by far spectacular. But a couple of towns and airports where approached for the first time by the Swiss airline. Here some screenies of the whole trip as AI flight:
departure at Zurich Kloten
taking off on RWY 28
Zurich in the background
over the Rhine River near Bremgarten AFB
leaving Keflavik
approaching and landing at Gander
arriving at Idlewild
stopover at Chicago Midway
The group also visited the Nash Motors Company at Kenosha, Wisconsin and the Pabst Brewery Company at Milwaukee, once one of the greatest breweries in the United States.
flying over the famous falls while approaching Niagara Falls Intl
landing at San Francisco Intl
leaving West Coast for Mexico
overflying Edwards AFB
and the Salton Sea
Wagner Basin at Baja California
reaching Mexico City
landing at Puerto Aereo Central
leaving Mexico City
while climbing to its flying level, the aircraft passes the well known volcanos Iztaccihuatl and Popocatepl
and the Northern tip of Yucatan
reaches Cuban coast
and Havana
lands at Havana's Rancho Boyeros Airport (old name before its was renamed to 'Jose Marti' by Fidel Castro)
busy traffic in front of the rather oversized terminal (done by MoCat)
leaving Havana and its carless joy of life, even some insignificant rumors are reporting about a hord of revolutioneries in the Sierra Maestra ...
overflying the Little Abaco Island at the Bahamas
and reaching Bermuda
fly past the lighthouse of Ruth's Bay
Bermuda International Airport / Kindley Field
The DC-6B taking off for its North Atlantic flight to the Azores,
where it arrives early in the morning
at Santa Maria Airport and in good company with a L-1049G KLM arrived from Caracas Maiquetia
apporaching Lisbon Airport while flying over the Tejo River. The famous '25e de Abril Bridge' was built beginning the Sixties. Therefore it's missing here. Before the Carnation Revolution in 1974, the bridge was formerly named after the dictator Salazar.
The L-1049G KLM already seen at Santa Maria
Over Spanish Basque County with the city of San Sebastian in the background
fly past Lyon
Geneva
Lucerne at dusk
and finally returns to Zurich Kloten and lands on RWY 28.
It gave me a lot of fun to create this flight. Especially due to fact that I again could use a lot of the exceptional sceneries done by CalClassic members. Great thanks to Tom and Mike, and to all who contributed very actively since many years, and last but not least to those who still enjoy us with further addons. We also shouldn't forget Bruce Atwick, who initially made everything possible!
I'm still convinced that we have here the worldwide unique opportunity keeping an extremely interesting era in best memory. And at last, I don't think we'll ever have another chance like this.
Bernard
