Post by okami on Jan 27, 2010 18:15:47 GMT -5
... but not that kind of Boeing. ;D
This is again an archive flight - I flew it back in November, before my computer started to act up.
Anyway, it's the summer of 1962, and the French charter company Airnautic holds a contract for charter flights into Gatwick. Today's flight from Gatwick sees one of its Boeing 307s fly English holidaymakers to Paris.
While some late passengers rush to board the plane, we're already letting the engines run to warm them up.
And it looks like we're sharing the ramp with a DC-6 of Nordair of Denmark. They were one of the numerous Scandinavian charter operators of the time, having been founded in 1960 by some ex-SAS pilots. Their aircraft were ex-American Airlines DC-6s, later joined by two leased KLM and one leased Osterman Aircharter DC-6. Nordair didn't last very long, though: they were in a fiercely contested market (vying for contracts with Scanair, Flying Enterprise, Sterling, Braathens SAFE and Transair Sweden), and eventually ceased operations in 1964 due to financial problems.
But back to our flight. In the time it took me to get sidestepped about Nordair, our 307 has already managed to receive clearance and get airborne. We see it here as it leaves Gatwick behind it.
Gatwick isn't too far from the coast, and before too long, the Boeing is already over the Channel. It's not really a home-sick angel, though - even though we've only requested 7000 feet, we're already over the French coast before we finally level off.
And, of course, just a couple of minutes later we get our first instructions to descend. We're just outside Beauvais when we get that radio message. And that isn't too far from Paris itself, so within 10 minutes a familiar sight greets us:
Of course, this is 1962, so la Défense doesn't look like that yet. Granted, development of the site has already started, with the Esso Tower (1958) being one of the first highrise buildings there, and a couple of other ones are being built as well, but the construction of the iconic Grand Arche de la Défense will only commence in 20 years time.
Meanwhile, while we're more interested in Le Bourget's runway in front of us, a couple of passengers in the back are undoubtedly already dreaming at the sight out of the right-hand windows:
Minutes later, we're on the ground at Le Bourget. It's only a short distance's taxy from the runway to our gate, and we get a spot next to a BEA Viscount. Undoubtedly it has just completed the same journey, but from Heathrow and a lot faster than we just did...
This is again an archive flight - I flew it back in November, before my computer started to act up.
Anyway, it's the summer of 1962, and the French charter company Airnautic holds a contract for charter flights into Gatwick. Today's flight from Gatwick sees one of its Boeing 307s fly English holidaymakers to Paris.
While some late passengers rush to board the plane, we're already letting the engines run to warm them up.
And it looks like we're sharing the ramp with a DC-6 of Nordair of Denmark. They were one of the numerous Scandinavian charter operators of the time, having been founded in 1960 by some ex-SAS pilots. Their aircraft were ex-American Airlines DC-6s, later joined by two leased KLM and one leased Osterman Aircharter DC-6. Nordair didn't last very long, though: they were in a fiercely contested market (vying for contracts with Scanair, Flying Enterprise, Sterling, Braathens SAFE and Transair Sweden), and eventually ceased operations in 1964 due to financial problems.
But back to our flight. In the time it took me to get sidestepped about Nordair, our 307 has already managed to receive clearance and get airborne. We see it here as it leaves Gatwick behind it.
Gatwick isn't too far from the coast, and before too long, the Boeing is already over the Channel. It's not really a home-sick angel, though - even though we've only requested 7000 feet, we're already over the French coast before we finally level off.
And, of course, just a couple of minutes later we get our first instructions to descend. We're just outside Beauvais when we get that radio message. And that isn't too far from Paris itself, so within 10 minutes a familiar sight greets us:
Of course, this is 1962, so la Défense doesn't look like that yet. Granted, development of the site has already started, with the Esso Tower (1958) being one of the first highrise buildings there, and a couple of other ones are being built as well, but the construction of the iconic Grand Arche de la Défense will only commence in 20 years time.
Meanwhile, while we're more interested in Le Bourget's runway in front of us, a couple of passengers in the back are undoubtedly already dreaming at the sight out of the right-hand windows:
Minutes later, we're on the ground at Le Bourget. It's only a short distance's taxy from the runway to our gate, and we get a spot next to a BEA Viscount. Undoubtedly it has just completed the same journey, but from Heathrow and a lot faster than we just did...
