Post by aerofoto on Aug 2, 2016 21:39:21 GMT -5
Some more "clap trap" .... SORRY .... I meant "CLASSIC CHAT" .... from me .... 
Some may not be aware, but, during the immediate post WW2 period, former RAF operated AVRO LANCASTER, HP HALIFAX, and HP HALTON bombers .... like some former USAAF operated B-17 FLYING FORTRESS and B24 LIBERATOR bombers too .... were converted for civil use.
The very first civil conversions of LANCASTER aircraft were actually undertaken in Canada, by VICTORY AIRCRAFT LTD, during 1943, and for TRANS CANADA AIRLINES. Reconfigured for up to 10 PAX, these aircraft successfully operated trans-Alantic air mail services between Montreal and Prestwick/the UK throughout the remainder of WW2.
In the UK .... and immediately following WW2 .... the abundance of former RAF LANCASTER airframes (as well as those airframes which remained uncompleted by wars-end) became the means with which to urgently re-establish .... and in some regions of British political influence .... to actually establish civil aviation given the absence or scarcety more suitable aicraft type among its far-flung dominion countries.
Upon conversion to AVRO 691 LANCASTRIAN aircraft .... these former LANCASTER bombers became some of the earliest post war British civil air transports.
Each of these aircraft were powered by 4X 1,610 HP ROLLS-ROYCE MERLIN T.24/2 engines and certified for a MTOW of up to 64,993 LBS .... with payloads of up to 6,600 LBS .... and capacity for 9 to 13 PAX. These aircraft had an airspeed of 230 MPH and a range of some 4,100 miles .... and were capable of a maximum service ceiling of up to 30,000 FT.
6 LANCASTRIAN aircrft were briefly operated by ALITLIA from 1948.
Some 30 LANCASTRIAN aircraft were also delivered to BOAC (BRITISH OVERSEAS AIRWAYS CORPORATION) from 1945. On April 23rd 1945, one such aircraft (G.AGLF) oprerated a demonstration flight between London and Auckland/New Zealand .... completed in 3 days days and 14 hours .... at an average speed of some 220 MPH. LANCASTRIAN aircraft also operated BOAC services as far abroad as Australia from May 1945.
LANCASTRIAN aircraft were also briefly operated by SKYWAYS OF LONDON ....
.... and SILVER CITY AIRWAYS.
From 1946 a total of 10 LANCASTRIAN aircraft were operated by BSAA (BRITISH SOUTH AMERICAN AIRWAYS .... formerly BRITISh LATIN AMERICAN AIRLINES) on scheduled commercial air services across the Andes between Santiago and Buenos Aires, and to other destinations throughut the South American continent, and to British Caribbean ports. During 1946 a BSAA LANCASTRIAN also operated the very first scheduled air service from the, then, new Heathrow Airport at London.
Another BSAA aircraft (G-AGWH "Star Dust") made history on August 2nd 1947 .... mysteriously disappearing in the Andes, on a flight between Buenos Aires/Argentina and Santiago/Chile, and within less than 30 minutes of its scheduled arrival time. Searchers, at the time, failed to locate any trace of the aircraft (most South American countries within the Andean region have a saying that goes something like .... "LO QUE LOS ANDES TOMAN ELLOS NO DEVUELVEN/WHAT THE ANDES TAKE THEY DON'T GIVE BACK"), but, during recent years, a certain high altitude glacier, on a major mountain (not too far from the site of the 1972 FUERZA AEREA URUGUAYA FH-227 crash) located on the Argentine side of the Andes, has begun spitting out parts of the aircraft wreck .... and the remains of its unfortunate occupants too .... some 50 years after their disappearance ....
www.youtube.com/watch?v=0O1Cap__2SU
QANTAS EMPIRE AIRWAYS also briefly operated a pair LANCASTRIAN aircraft (along with a converted B24 LIBERATOR and a PBY CATALINA aircraft too) on scheduled commercial services to Manila, Tokyo, and London .... in conjuction with BOAC (QANTAS crews flew these aicraft as far as Karachi where BOAC crews then contuned these flights to London). One of th 2 QANTAS LANCASTRIAN aircraft (VH-EAS) was written-off, on April 7th 1947, as the result of a non-fatal ground-loop incident upon landing at Dubbo/New South Wales/Australia.
Civil configured LANCASTRIAN aircraft were also briefly operated by FAMA (FLOTA AEREA MERCANTE ARGENTINA) .... and also as military transport aircraft in FUERZA AEREA ARGENTINA and RAF servivce.
These aircraft also participated in the Berlin Airlift .... during which period some 15 LANCASTRIAN aircraft operting in excess of 5,000 flights between June 1948 and May 1949.
Whilst the LANCASTRIAN was a fast and very logistically capapable aircraft .... for the "military purposes" it was originally intended .... it was hardly suitable for civil operations. Most civil configured LANCASTRIAN aircraft were used through necessity or otherwise only briefly in order to maintain, reinstate, or initiate new commercial air services, as "interim transports" both during and after WW2.
Mark C
HJG
Some may not be aware, but, during the immediate post WW2 period, former RAF operated AVRO LANCASTER, HP HALIFAX, and HP HALTON bombers .... like some former USAAF operated B-17 FLYING FORTRESS and B24 LIBERATOR bombers too .... were converted for civil use.
The very first civil conversions of LANCASTER aircraft were actually undertaken in Canada, by VICTORY AIRCRAFT LTD, during 1943, and for TRANS CANADA AIRLINES. Reconfigured for up to 10 PAX, these aircraft successfully operated trans-Alantic air mail services between Montreal and Prestwick/the UK throughout the remainder of WW2.
In the UK .... and immediately following WW2 .... the abundance of former RAF LANCASTER airframes (as well as those airframes which remained uncompleted by wars-end) became the means with which to urgently re-establish .... and in some regions of British political influence .... to actually establish civil aviation given the absence or scarcety more suitable aicraft type among its far-flung dominion countries.
Upon conversion to AVRO 691 LANCASTRIAN aircraft .... these former LANCASTER bombers became some of the earliest post war British civil air transports.
Each of these aircraft were powered by 4X 1,610 HP ROLLS-ROYCE MERLIN T.24/2 engines and certified for a MTOW of up to 64,993 LBS .... with payloads of up to 6,600 LBS .... and capacity for 9 to 13 PAX. These aircraft had an airspeed of 230 MPH and a range of some 4,100 miles .... and were capable of a maximum service ceiling of up to 30,000 FT.
6 LANCASTRIAN aircrft were briefly operated by ALITLIA from 1948.
Some 30 LANCASTRIAN aircraft were also delivered to BOAC (BRITISH OVERSEAS AIRWAYS CORPORATION) from 1945. On April 23rd 1945, one such aircraft (G.AGLF) oprerated a demonstration flight between London and Auckland/New Zealand .... completed in 3 days days and 14 hours .... at an average speed of some 220 MPH. LANCASTRIAN aircraft also operated BOAC services as far abroad as Australia from May 1945.
LANCASTRIAN aircraft were also briefly operated by SKYWAYS OF LONDON ....
.... and SILVER CITY AIRWAYS.
From 1946 a total of 10 LANCASTRIAN aircraft were operated by BSAA (BRITISH SOUTH AMERICAN AIRWAYS .... formerly BRITISh LATIN AMERICAN AIRLINES) on scheduled commercial air services across the Andes between Santiago and Buenos Aires, and to other destinations throughut the South American continent, and to British Caribbean ports. During 1946 a BSAA LANCASTRIAN also operated the very first scheduled air service from the, then, new Heathrow Airport at London.
Another BSAA aircraft (G-AGWH "Star Dust") made history on August 2nd 1947 .... mysteriously disappearing in the Andes, on a flight between Buenos Aires/Argentina and Santiago/Chile, and within less than 30 minutes of its scheduled arrival time. Searchers, at the time, failed to locate any trace of the aircraft (most South American countries within the Andean region have a saying that goes something like .... "LO QUE LOS ANDES TOMAN ELLOS NO DEVUELVEN/WHAT THE ANDES TAKE THEY DON'T GIVE BACK"), but, during recent years, a certain high altitude glacier, on a major mountain (not too far from the site of the 1972 FUERZA AEREA URUGUAYA FH-227 crash) located on the Argentine side of the Andes, has begun spitting out parts of the aircraft wreck .... and the remains of its unfortunate occupants too .... some 50 years after their disappearance ....
www.youtube.com/watch?v=0O1Cap__2SU
QANTAS EMPIRE AIRWAYS also briefly operated a pair LANCASTRIAN aircraft (along with a converted B24 LIBERATOR and a PBY CATALINA aircraft too) on scheduled commercial services to Manila, Tokyo, and London .... in conjuction with BOAC (QANTAS crews flew these aicraft as far as Karachi where BOAC crews then contuned these flights to London). One of th 2 QANTAS LANCASTRIAN aircraft (VH-EAS) was written-off, on April 7th 1947, as the result of a non-fatal ground-loop incident upon landing at Dubbo/New South Wales/Australia.
Civil configured LANCASTRIAN aircraft were also briefly operated by FAMA (FLOTA AEREA MERCANTE ARGENTINA) .... and also as military transport aircraft in FUERZA AEREA ARGENTINA and RAF servivce.
These aircraft also participated in the Berlin Airlift .... during which period some 15 LANCASTRIAN aircraft operting in excess of 5,000 flights between June 1948 and May 1949.
Whilst the LANCASTRIAN was a fast and very logistically capapable aircraft .... for the "military purposes" it was originally intended .... it was hardly suitable for civil operations. Most civil configured LANCASTRIAN aircraft were used through necessity or otherwise only briefly in order to maintain, reinstate, or initiate new commercial air services, as "interim transports" both during and after WW2.
Mark C
HJG
