BEA's First Vanguard Freighter

[Garry Russell]

G-APEL

Not seen a pic of it as such before

http://www.airlinehobby.com/listings/de ... =678057909

You can just make out the netting through the windows...converted in late 1966...I think.......not exactly sure about the date.

This was taken in 1968

[petermcleland]

I flew Echo Lima quite a lot in that early freighter mode...It didn't have the big proper freight door and a proper pallet handling floor. It also only had a loo down at the back and there was a very narrow gauge railway line running down a freight free "corridor" down the port side of the fuselage from front to the rear...There was a little flat bed railcar on it (I suppose for moving freight on wooden pallets)...Anyway, if one wanted a pee, it was handy to kneel on and "scoot" down the rails to the loo at the rear. I remember once with Nob West and Dick Stewart returning from a Milan flight...I was halfway down to the back on the trolley when the aircraft pitched down sending me back towards the front and before I got there it pitched up again and off I went back towards the rear. Anyway, Nob and Dick were laughing their heads off in the flight deck as Nob pulled and pushed on the yoke

[Garry Russell]

Hi Peter

I have a pic somewhere of the rail and trolley

A bit more info for anyone interested....if he logs in that is

It was an experiment to check the viability of the aircraft on schedule freight routes before committing to a full conversion programme

BEA was in a bit of a dilemma at the time as it had a fleet of Vanguard that were going to run out of work as the travellers wanted jets and they were desperate to get rid of the Argosy's as soon as possible

The forward air stairs were removed and the idea was more aircraft could be used with little mod (just a temp floor covering and the rail and trolley) and G-APEL could also be converted back to pax if needed....a sort of elastic fleet

From what I can tell though, G-APEL only flew freight at this time and no others did.

It paved the way for the full conversion to Merchantman which G-APEM was the fist and flew in 10th October 1969

About the same time Air Canada dedicated CF-TKK to pure freight

That however was stripped out and the windows blanked it was called the Cargoliner but did not have a freight door fitted.

[airboatr]

Peter, your tail with Nob and Dick have all the makings of a Monty Python script.... hilarious!

[Dev One]

I was banned from going to Weybridge when working on the design of the freighter conversion......
Having worked at Weybridge as an apprentice & then on VC10 in the Loft & then TSR2 D.O. I was then working for the 'Brain Drain' company CDI, who after finishing work on the C5A & Fairchild F228 wings, obtained a contract with Aviation Traders for strengthening the floor. A few of us visited Weybridge to gather drawing & other info & it was subsequently noted that I was 'Persona non grata' because of my previous employment....sour grapes?
Keith

[Garry Russell]

Hi Keith

Interesting inside story there....thanks

The Fairchild F228 you mention

Was that the 50 seat RR Trent Fairchild-Hiller FH-228 smaller Fellowship derivative that never went into production????

[Dev One]

Not sure about the engines on the F228, we were just responsible for the wing design which had a lot more lift devices that the F28 & if I remember correctly (its a long time ago) there was a tie up with Shorts for production.
The aircraft production was cancelled before the design was really completed.
Keith

[Garry Russell]

Hi Keith

They were definitely Trent's....just wondered if it was that project you were talking about.

At one time there were a lot of models being shown about and the artist impressions....even made it to the Observers Book of Aircraft....then it just vanished

Shorts were heavily involved with the Fellowship...wings rear fuse and pods etc.

It was often stated the fellowship was 65 percent British manufactured.

The FH-228 I suppose was a natural follow on to that.

Not sure how far the Trent got before it was abandoned