Classic British Flight Sim

DaveB wrote: Dear me.. much more 'looking' necessary (as if that's a chore)

As I said in my first post, what's going on around the aircraft and in the background is just as fascinating as the aircraft themselves.

I'm delighted everyone's enjoying them - I thought they'd probably get an appreciative audience here. I'll leave it for a few days so everyone gets a chance to examine them thoroughly and then I'll upload the Gatwick ones from the 60s.

Pete

The success of the Viscount is clearly shown by the sheer variety of the schemes shown here. It's a great collection.

The Comet, Britannia and Viscount all came at a time when there was nothing else in that class

The Comet was unfortunate, The Britannia was forced to use an unsuitable engine that was designed to have wing le intakes in the Barb and princess and the Viscount they got right.

It's a pity that momentum could not have been maintained.

The Vanguard was unfortunate as it seemed to be close in the mid fifties but was being timed to when BEA needed to replace the Viscounts. A version out in the mid fifties and perhaps a combi with the Merchantman type freight door and seats might well have been a different story especially if the Bristol Orion had been developed earlier and put into production as that would have sorted the Britannia out as well as given the Vanguard a better powerplant, allegedly as it only flew in one position on G-ALBO...but it was better than the Proteus. TCA wanted their Vanguards to be Orion powered and the wing was built to take the extra power as TCA decided to accept the Tynes and re engine at the earliest opportunity.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing but it does look like heels were being dragged in the fifties as the Corporations changing needs were met, and blinded to the greater market.

Nice to have such a wonderful record of the time when the British were in their glory.

Dave

That's the PAA = Pan American Airways hangar. Often had a 707 in there with just a tail sticking out. But oh joy when it was a DC-7.

I'm beginning to wonder just how much time I spent standing on the A30 or on "Northside" watching the activities. It seems like those images are imprinted on my memory.

Thanks for the info on the Vikings - I have now found photos of Viscounts and DC-6 with that scheme but no Vikings so rare shots.

Ian

The pic showing BEA Viscount G-AORD is interesting as although it doesn't show clearly here it was in an experimental BEA livery with the lower fuse in duck egg blue.

Never seen a colour pic of that before

Hi Ian..

I just went back and looked at what I'd typed and see PIA not PAA then your post made sense Them old fingers still do what they like when I least expect it. Serves me right for not reading it before committing

Shot#12.. the Air France Viscount with the BEA Heron and Viscounts is a rare one too. I gather from the chaps at Brooklands that they rarely saw the Heron if ever that far south. Thank goodness for spotters

ATB
DaveB

Garry Russell wrote:The pic showing BEA Viscount G-AORD is interesting as although it doesn't show clearly here it was in an experimental BEA livery with the lower fuse in duck egg blue. Never seen a colour pic of that before

Hi Garry,
I think this photo of RD shows the colour you were talking about a little better.



Pete

Cheers Pete

From the side on mono pics I've see it was never clear if it was just the fuse all all the metal that was painted

I though the wings would have been left and these pics show that.

The colour was similar to the prototype Vanguard, but quite why they chose that colour is a mystery.

Explains the colour scheme for this one:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/emdjt42/51 ... /lightbox/

And you might want to scroll through the others in that collection.

Hi Ian

That's just silver grey with the a bit of a cast on the pic

G-AORD was blue and a lot bluer than it looks on the pic