Wikipedia

Channel Airways

Channel Airwayswas a private airline formed in theUnited Kingdomin 1946 asEast Anglian Flying Services.

Channel Airways
IATA ICAO Call sign
none CW Channel Air
Founded1946 (as East Anglian
Flying Services)
Ceased operations1972
HubsSouthend Municipal Airport
Ipswich Airport
Stansted Airport
Bournemouth Airport
Bristol Airport
Cardiff Airport
Norwich Airport
East Midlands Airport
Manchester Airport
Teesside Airport
Berlin Tegel Airport
Fleet size25 aircraft (May 1971):
2Hawker Siddeley Trident 1E
2BAC One-Eleven 400
5de Havilland Comet 4B
9Vickers Viscount 800
6de Havilland DH 114 Heron
1de Havilland DH 104 Dove
Destinationsworldwide
HeadquartersSouthend Municipal Airport
(1947–1968, 1972)
Stansted Airport (1968–1972)
Key peopleSqn. Ldr. R.J. Jones[1]
Capt. A.E. Hugo Parsons
T.A. Atkins
Capt. P. Lockwood
L. Mellish

The newly formed airline initially operated aerial joy rides with a single, three-seater aircraft from an airstrip on theKentcoast. Scheduled services began in 1947, following the move toSouthend (Rochford) Airportearlier that year, whileinclusive tour(IT)charter flightsstarted in 1948. Rapid business growth saw seven additional aircraft join the fledgling airline's fleet by the end of that year.[2][3]

The introduction ofexchange controlsin the early 1950s resulted in a major contraction of the travel market, in turn compelling East Anglian to cease all operations other than pleasure flying. Following a recovery in demand, aircraft and employees that had been surplus to requirements during theslumpwere respectively brought back into service and re-hired. By that time, the airline had also opened a second base atIpswich Airportand obtained its first long-term scheduled service licence. That decade also saw East Anglian updating its fleet with post-waraircraft designs.[4]

Fleet modernisation continued in the early 1960s with the addition ofDC-3andDC-4equipment. In October 1962,East Anglian Flying ServicesbecameChannel Airways.[5][6]The following year saw the acquisition of Channel's firstturbine-powered aircraft.[7]

Channel entered thejet agein June 1967 with the arrival of its firstBAC One-Eleven 400atSouthend.[8]In May 1968, Channel Airways became the first independent[nb 1]airline in the United Kingdom to operate theHawker Siddeley Trident.[9][10][11]Channel's newjetswere contracted to majortour operatorsin the UK andWest Germanyfrom bases at Southend,London Stansted,otherBritishairports andBerlin Tegelin what used to beWest Berlinprior toGerman reunification.[12]During that time, Channel moved its main operating and engineering base as well as its head office from Southend toStanstedto enable regular jet operations to more distant destinations with a full commercial payload from the latter's longer runway.[13][14][15]

A bus stop scheduled service linking the airline's Southend base withAberdeenvia six intermediate points briefly operated in the late-1960s with modified Viscounts.[16][17][18][19]

The addition of fiveComet 4Bsin 1970 marked a major expansion of Channel's jet operation, making it a leading contemporary UKcharter airline,with IT operations accounting for more than half of its business.[20][21][22]

Low utilisation of the Trident fleet resulted in the type's disposal in December 1971, followed by closure of the Stansted engineering base and return of the head office to Southend.[10][15][23][24]The company's deteriorating trading position and diminishing prospects led to growing financial difficulties. This forced Channel Airways to cease operations in February 1972.[25][26]

History

edit

Formative era

edit

Channel Airways was one of the earliest, post-World War IIBritish independent airlines. FormerRoyal Air Forcesquadron leaderReginald "Jack" Jones[1]founded Channel Airways in June 1946 as an aerial joy ride business, which wasincorporatedasEast Anglian Flying Serviceson 16 August 1946.[27]The new airline was majority-owned by Jones and his family, who held more than 80% of its shares.[2][3]

ThisPuss Mothwas the first aircraft to be flown by East Anglian Flying Services. Here it is seen visitingManchesterin 1948.

Commercial operations commenced on 16 August 1946 with a single, early-1930s vintage, three-seatPuss Moth,offering joy rides at 10s(50pas of early-2012[28]) a time from a landing strip near the Kent seaside town ofHerne Bay.[2][29]Soon after, this aircraft also operatedair taxiflights to destinations all over the UK.[30]

On 5 January 1947, East Anglian moved its base across theThames estuarytoSouthend Municipal AirportnearSouthend-on-SeainEssex,only four days after its re-opening as a civil airport. The move to Southend Airport led to the conclusion of an "associate" agreement withBritish European Airways(BEA) enabling the introduction of a regularSouthend–Rochesterfeeder service, East Anglian's first scheduled route as well as the first scheduled service from Southend.[28][29]

Nineteen forty-eight was the year East Anglian operated its first IT charter flight from Southend toOstendin conjunction with two British travel agents. By winter 1948, a huge expansion of the fledgling airline's pleasure flying and charter business resulted in acquisition of seven additional aircraft. These included fivede Havilland Dragon Rapides,aMiles Aerovanand anAirspeed Courier.One of East Anglian's engagements at the time included a one-off round-trip toCypruscarrying a party of schoolboys, which was operated by a Miles Aerovan lackingradioequipment and anautopilot.[29]

Following a successful first year on the Southend–Ostend charter run, East Anglian obtained a scheduled service licence for the route, as well as a Southend–Jerseyscheduled licence.[29]

The 1950s

edit

Governmentrestrictions on overseas travel and the introduction of exchange controls in 1951 caused a severe contraction of the travel market, resulting in the collapse of numerous small independent airlines in the UK. The industry's grave situation necessitated drastic cutbacks at East Anglian to ensure its survival. All commercial activities other than pleasure flying ceased and only two full-time employees remained on the company'spayroll– Jones himself and anoffice boy.While Jones drove his passengers to and from Southend Airport, the boy was left in charge of a kiosk on Southend's seafront selling tickets.[29][31]

Channel AirwaysBristol 170 Freighter 21atManchester Airportin July 1958

Following a gradual pickup in demand, East Anglian brought back into service aircraft that had been laid up during the slump, re-hired laid-off employees and, in 1953, obtained aleaseon the grass airfield at Ipswich Airport as a secondary base for its charter operations and a future feeder point on its scheduled network. During that period, East Anglian concluded a new "associate" agreement with BEA, which led to the award of its first long-term scheduled licence[nb 2]on the Southend–Ostend route. Additional scheduled services were launched from Southend andPortsmouthtoParisas well as from Portsmouth to Jersey while some Southend–Jersey services featured additional stops in Rochester,ShorehamandGuernsey.A Southend–Rotterdamlink followed in 1956.[31][32]

During the 1950s, East Anglian also began the process of augmenting and eventually replacing pre-war aircraft designs such as the Dragon Rapide with more modern equipment, starting with the acquisition of threede Havilland DovesfromWest African Airways Corporationin 1954. By the end of 1957, a year that saw nearly 30,000 passengers fly with East Anglian, twoBristol 170shad joined the fleet. These aircraft were the airline's first bulk carriers.[3][31]

Nineteen fifty-seven was also the year formerWorld War IIpilot,Jackie Moggridge,joined East Anglian Flying Services as its first female pilot. She would become acaptainon the DC-3 andDovefleets.[31][33]

In 1958, the first twoVikingsjoined the airline's fleet.[31]

The 1960s

edit

During the early-1960s, East Anglian added severalDouglas DC-3sas well as a singleDouglas DC-4,quickening the pace of its fleet modernisation programme.[7]

Channel Airways 88-seatDouglas DC-4operating an IT flight FromManchestertoOstendin 1963
Channel AirwaysVickers Vikingrefuelling atManchester Airportin July 1964 – the last year of operation of the type

On 29 October 1962, East Anglian Flying Services officially changed its name to Channel Airways. (Although theChannel Airwaysname had first appeared on the company's aircraft as long ago as 1952, the old name was retained as the officially registered name until the somewhat similarly soundingChannel Air Bridgename became defunct to avoid any confusion.[31][34])[5][6][7][35]By that time, Channel Airways operated frequent scheduled passenger and freight services from Southend, Ipswich andRochesterto theChannel Islands,Rotterdam, Ostend and Paris as well as fromPortsmouthto the Channel Islands.

The airline also held licences to operate vehicle ferry services fromBristoltoDublin,Cork,Jersey,andBilbao,as well as from Southend to Jersey and Bilbao. It furthermore applied for traffic rights to operate a vehicle ferry service betweenLiverpooland Dublin. Moreover, the company ran regular, 52-seat luxury expresscoachservices linkingNorwichwith Ipswich as well asEastbourne,Brighton,Worthing,London,Reading,BasingstokeandGuildfordwith Portsmouth. (There were also special coaches linking up with corporate shuttle services the company operated under contract to theFord Motor Companybetween Southend and the airports serving the latter'scontinentalplants.[36]) In addition, IT and general passenger and freight charter services, which accounted for a growing share of the firm's business, were operated while rival Southend-based independent airlineTradairequipped withVickers Vikingsbecame a wholly owned subsidiary of Channel Airways on 31 December 1962.[7][22][31][34][35][37][38]

Channel AirwaysDouglas DC-3atRochester Airporton a scheduled flight to theChannel Islandsin 1965
Channel AirwaysVickers Viscount702 at Manchester Airport in 1965 on an IT from Malaga via Bordeaux

In 1963, Channel Airways acquired its firstturbopropairliner,aVickers Viscount 700 seriesinherited from Tradair.[nb 3]That year also marked the beginning of the airline's large-scale expansion into ITchartersfromManchesterand Southend.[7][31]This saw the operation of 71-seatViscountsand a Douglas DC-4 in a high-density, 88-seat layout from Manchester and other UK airports to theMediterraneanand Ostend respectively.[31][39]

The arrival of Channel's first turbine-powered aircraft coincided with the introduction of a newContinental Airlines-derived "Golden Jet" -themedliverythat was subsequently adopted for all Viscounts,HS 748s,One-Elevensand Tridents, with minor variations for each sub-fleet. This was one of the few marketing gimmicks in which the airline indulged and marked a major departure from its refusal to build abrand identityor to engage in prestige promotion to keep costs down.[40]

By the mid-1960s, Channel Airways had acquired another nineViscount 700s.Seven of these were former BEA aircraft while the remaining two were sourced from Bahamas Airways andStarwaysrespectively.[nb 4]In addition to these aircraft, Channel also purchased 11Viscount 812sfromContinental Airlines[nb 5]and four newHawker Siddeley 748s[nb 6]to support a rapidly growing number of IT flights and regional scheduled services along the UK's South Coast, between the South Coast, the Channel Islands and theContinent,as well as fromManchester Airportto continental destinations. The latter aircraft operated most of the airline's schedules serving the grass airfields.[nb 7]

Although IT operations generated about half its revenues by that time, making Channel one of the UK's foremost contemporarycharter operators,senior management preferred to think of it as primarily a scheduled carrier, keeping in mind their longer-termcorporate ambitionsto operate more domestic links from Southend and to extend the network's reach beyond theChannelcoast and Paris to new destinations inEuropeandNorth Africa.[6][7][38][41][42][43][44][45]

Channel Airways received its first ex-Continental Viscount 812 at Southend in April 1966. The aircraft participated in that year'sBiggin Hill Air Fair.[46]The fact that the ex-Continental Viscounts already wore theliverythat was similar in appearance to the recently adopted Golden-themed livery as used on their other aircraft enabled Channel Airways to save costs by only changing the name on these planes and making a few other, minor adjustments.[47]

BAC One-Elevenof Channel Airways atManchester Airportin 1969

In September 1966, Channel Airways announced its firstjet aircraftorder comprising fourBAC One-Eleven 400 seriesplus two options. That order was worth£5.5 million. These aircraft were the firstjetsto join the fleet, the first of which arrived at the company's Southend base on 15 June 1967.[nb 8]Nineteen sixty-six was also the year Channel arranged a 21-year lease on the grass field atIpswich.[3][8][9][37][46][48][49]

1967

edit

By May 1967, Channel Airways had taken delivery of the remainingViscount 800sfrom Continental. By that time, it had also retired and sold the last700sand placed a follow-on order for another twoOne-Eleven 400s.[7][43][50][51]

Channel AirwaysTrident 1E

Despite being an established One-Eleven customer that was widely expected to order the stretchedOne-Eleven 500,Channel Airways instead ordered two Hawker Siddeley Trident 1E seriesjetlinerson 5 October 1967, for £8 million. This order was the culmination of a successful sales campaign byHawker Siddeley,which went out of its way to find a customer for its remaining five unsold Trident 1Es that were nearing completion on theproduction lineatHatfieldin mid-1967.[52]

By that time, most UK independent airlines that were in the market for short-haul jet aircraft – including Channel Airways – had already committed themselves to the BAC One-Eleven, the Trident's more economical and ultimately more successful, home-grown rival. For want of viable alternatives and despite Channel Airways's reputation as financially weak, Hawker Siddeley began sales negotiations with the airline in August 1967. To clinch the deal, the manufacturer guaranteed the airline a 20% reduction in seat-mile costs over the standard Trident 1E. This modified Trident 1E was dubbed theTrident 140and featured a 1,500 lb (680 kg) higher gross weight and more powerful engines than otherTrident1/2 variants, stronger floors and additional emergency exits to make it suitable for Channel'sEuropeanIT operations in a high-density seating arrangement. With a fullpayloadof 139 passengers seated at a 31 in (79 cm)pitch,[nb 9]it had arangeof 1,930 mi (3,110 km) or 2,570 mi (4,140 km) with 100 passengers in a lower-density seating configuration.[52]The latter brought theCanary Islandswithin the aircraft's non-stop range from the UK and West Berlin. Not only were these the last five 1E series built, but they were also the first Tridents ordered by a UK independent airline.[9][10][11][53][54][55]The arrival of Channel's first Trident at the airline's Southend base in May 1968 coincided with the delivery of its second One-Eleven. Channel's first Trident operated the airline's first revenue service with the type on 13 June of that year, when the aircraft departed Southend forBarcelonaviaTeesside,while the second example was displayed at the following month'sFarnborough Airshow.Channel also took advantage of the Trident's higher cruising speed[nb 10]by promoting the type's 3-hour 15-minute non-stop flying time between Stansted andLas Palmasas the fastest flight from anywhere in the UK to theCanaries.[7][10][51][56]

As Channel's new jets suffered range and payload restrictions at Southend due to its short runway and the introduction of the One-Eleven at the airport led to growing complaints about the aircraft's take-off noise, this resulted in Stansted becoming the main operating base in 1968.[13][14][20][48][57][58]

Nineteen sixty-eight was furthermore the year Channel reduced its outstanding jet aircraft orders due to the difficult economic situation in the UK during that time, especially thesterling devaluationand a tightening of the existing exchange control regime that limited passengers to £50 a trip. This resulted in cancellation of three remaining orders each for Tridents and One-Elevens, and only two[nb 11]and three[nb 12]examples respectively joining the airline's fleet.[51][59][60][53]

The introduction of these jet aircraft enabled Channel Airways to become a major provider of charter airline seats to the leadingpackage touroperators in the UK from bases at Southend, Stansted,Bristol,Cardiff,East Midlands,Manchester and Teesside.[9][12][20][48][51]

Channel's increasing dependence on the IT market made it a highly seasonal airline, with pronounced peaks and troughs in activity and aircraft utilisation. Each year, the end of the winter trough was followed by a six-week period of intense activity starting in April, when the company's aircraft were contracted byClarksonsto ferry British tourists to and from Rotterdam for theDutchbulbfield season from ten UK departure points.

The end of this season in mid-May also marked the beginning of the actual summer season, when the firm's planes commenced flying holidaymakers from the UK toMajorca,theSpanishmainland andMoroccounder contract to the leading contemporary providers ofpackage holidaysin the UK. Flights to other Mediterranean resorts – chiefly inItalyand otherAdriaticregions – started the following month. During the peak period in July and August, aircraft operated round-the-clock, plying scheduled routes during the day and serving IT destinations at night. The resulting increase in utilisation meant that aircraft spent as little as 40 minutes on the ground between flights.[nb 13]By mid-September, the IT programme began winding down, with flights to Italy ending first due to its short holiday season.

Flights toMajorcaand certain Spanish mainland destinations continued right until the end of the summer charter season in late-October. To avoid having aircraft sit idly on the ground during the lean winter months,[nb 14]whenad hoccharters and a small number of year-round scheduled services replaced the intensive summer IT programme and busy summer schedule, spare capacity wasleasedout. In addition, allheavy maintenancewas scheduled to take place during this period.[61]

The rapid growth in Channel's IT business furthermore resulted in establishment of Mediterranean Holidays as its in-housetour operatingsubsidiary. This enabled the airline to take maximum advantage of theboomingpackage holiday market while at the same time reducing its dependence on third party tour operators.[62]

Channel Airways held the record for operating the UK charter airline industry's tightest seating configurations.[6]For example, it managed to fit as many as 88 seats into its Douglas DC-4s, 139 seats[nb 15]into its Trident 1Es, as many as 99 seats[nb 16]into its One-Eleven 400s and as many as 83 and 56 seats[nb 17]into itsViscount 810sand HS 748s respectively. These were the highest-density seating configurations of any of the aforementioned aircraft types' operators.[9][10][11][12][16][48][51]

Channel Airways also became known for pressing into service aircraft it had acquired secondhand with only minimal changes to the previous operators'aircraft liveries,i.e. merely taping over those operators' names with its own.[6][40][63]

By the end of the decade, Channel Airways had established itself as one of the UK's leading independent airlines, operating domestic and international scheduled passenger and freight services from East Midlands, Ipswich, Norwich, Stansted, Southend, Portsmouth andBournemouthto the Channel Islands, Rotterdam, Ostend, Paris,Rimini,Palmaand Barcelona.[20][22]Between 1965 and 1968, it recorded annual profits in excess of £500,000.[nb 18][20]The Scottish Flyerwas the name of a twice-daily multi-stop, bus stop type scheduled service Channel operated with modified, 69-seat Viscount 812s featuring a large baggage compartment inside the aircraft's cabin. This service ran for a brief period from January until November 1969 between Southend and Aberdeen, with six four- to five-minute long, engine-running intermediate stops, includingLuton,East Midlands,Leeds Bradford,Teesside,NewcastleandEdinburgh.(While the aircraft was on the ground with its twostarboardengines kept running, passengers were required to load/unload their own baggage.[36])[16][17][18][19][20][59][64][65][66]The Scottish FlyerNorth-South bus stop service was complemented by a similar, short-lived east–west service linking Norwich with Liverpool via an intermediate stop at East Midlands, where aircraft were scheduled to meet to enable passengers to make omnidirectional connections.[67]That year also saw a short-lived attempt to rename the airline asAir England;the new titles only appeared on a singleHeron 1B.[53]

The 1970s and closure

edit
Channel AirwaysComet 4BG-APMB seen atBerlin Tempelhofin September 1971. This aircraft went on to serve withDan-Airfollowing Channel's demise.

Channel Airways' inability to raise sufficient funds to pay for the outstanding One-Eleven and Trident orders that were placed with the aircraft's manufacturers during the second half of the 1960s left it with no spare capacity to take on additional charter contracts during the peak summer season, such as the 1970 award of a major, two-year contract to operate IT flights on behalf of Lyons Tours. The only way the airline was able to fulfil its contractual obligations towards Lyons under these circumstances was to acquire five ex-BEAde Havilland Comet 4Bseries for £2 million, which resulted in a significant increase in its charter capacity. Unlike the other aircraft in Channel's fleet, the Comets continued to be flown in BEA's basicpaint scheme,with the BEAlogoand theUnion Flagremoved from the tail and forward, lower fuselage respectively, and the BEA name taped over with Channel Airways's name on the upper fuselage. They also continued to be flown in a comparatively spacious, 109-seat, single class configuration.[20][21][68][69]

In September 1970, a consortium of threeWest Germantour operators awarded Channel Airways lucrative contracts to carry holidaymakers from West Berlin to the Mediterranean. These were worth £11 million per annum and resulted in the opening of a base at the city'sTegel Airport,where two aircraft – a Trident and a One-Eleven – were stationed from March 1971 to operate more than 50 weekly round-trips during the peak summer season.[12][51][58][70][69]

Following the induction of the Comet into Channel Airways's fleet, the airline began using Comets and Tridents from West Berlin's city centreTempelhof Airportas the airport's runways had been extended to about 7,000 ft (2,100 m) by that time to improve operational performance and safety. Although the lengthened runways were still too short to permit the operation of commercially viable long-haul flights, it was sufficient to make commercial operations with most contemporary short- and medium-haul jet aircraft types on shorter routes viable. These flights were additional to Channel's flying programme from its West Berlin base atTegel.[71]

By the early-1970s, charter flights accounted for 60% of the airline's revenue.[22][58]

In January 1971, Channel Airways received UK,USandCanadianpermission to operate transatlantic "affinity group"charters. A pair of long-haulBoeing 707swere to be purchased to commenceNorth Atlanticoperations to theUnited StatesandCanadalater that year.[22][72]

Channel Airways's failure to enter the transatlantic affinity charter market was followed by an unsuccessful attempt to establish itself as the UK's third scheduled domestic trunk airline (in addition to BEA andBritish Caledonian), when partial approval of an application made to the UK Air Transport Licensing Board (ATLB) in early-1971 to fly from Stansted to Newcastle,BelfastandGlasgowresulted in the ATLB's decision to provisionally license Channel Airways to fly between Stansted and Glasgow from May 1972 being ultimately reversed under pressure from BEA.[73]

The increasing seasonality of the airline's operations since the late-1960s had resulted in regularly recurring crisis talks with its bankers at the end of each summer season to tide it over the lean winter months. By the early-1970s, there were further problems with spare parts to support the growing jet fleet. Lack of spares for Comets and Tridents had caused major disruptions to the 1971 summer charter programme. This accounted for 71% of the 541,000 passengers that flew with it that year and 91% in terms of totalpassenger miles(passenger kilometres) flown, resulting in a major financial hit for the company.[58]To ensure adequate access to spares to continue flying its Comets, Channel Airways acquired a further second-hand example fromMexicana.[73]The airline's inability to pay for a sufficient spares inventory to keep all its aircraft flying during the peak summer season in 1971 also resulted in one of its two Tridents having its engines removed to keep the other flying; the engine-less aircraft sat idly on the ground at Stansted for much of that year's summer season to enable its Tegel-based sister aircraft to continue flyingGermanholidaymakers until the end of the season.[69]

During the first week of December 1971, Channel Airways sold both of its Trident 1Es to BEA to counter the increase inunit costsresulting from low utilisation of these aircraft.[nb 19][10][23][24](One of the aircraft was leased to BEA's Newcastle-based regional subsidiaryNortheast Airlineswhile the other was operating thecorporation's regional routes fromBirminghamto theContinent.[10][23])

In early 1972, former Channel Airways director Captain Peter Lockwood acquired a pair of ex-American AirlinesBAC One-Eleven 400s for his newcharter company,Orientair, to take over Channel's lucrativeGermancharter contracts.[74][75][76]When Orientair's plan to assume Channel Airways's position inBerlinran into difficulties,Dan-Airtook over these contracts, resulting in an expansion of that airline's Berlin operation.[77]

Lack of fleet standardisation[nb 20]and low, all-year round aircraft utilisation due to seasonal peaks and troughs in itscharterand scheduled markets drove up Channel's unit costs while low charter rates and pooryieldson short-haul scheduled routes served in competition withBritish Air Ferriesfrom Southend depressed revenues.[12][24][61][78]To bring costs in line with revenues, Channel Airways announced the closure of its Stansted engineering base and the return of its headquarters to Southend at the end of January 1972.[15][24]A week later, Channel's main lender,Barclays Bank,appointed areceiverand put the airline up for sale while operations continued.[24]Potential buyers' lack of interest in Channel Airways as agoing concernforced the break-up of the company. As by winter 1971/2 work for the remaining jet fleet[nb 21]had all but dried up, jet services ceased on 15 February 1972.[25][58]Operations ceased completely on 29 February, when de Havilland Heron 1B G-APKW, the first and only aircraft to whichAir Englandtitles were actually applied, had completed the last Channel Airways flight from Ostend to Southend.[26][73]Permanent cessation of operations was followed by withdrawal of Channel Airways'sair operator's certificateat the end of March 1972.[79]

Following Channel Airways's demise, Dan-Air acquired the failed carrier's remaining four airworthy Comet 4Bs and its licence to operate year-round scheduled services fromBournemouthto Guernsey and Jersey whileBritish Airways Regional Divisionacquired a One-Eleven 400 previously in service with Channel.[80][81][82][83][84][85]In addition, the last three remaining former Channel Airways Viscounts were sold together with the aircraft's entire spares inventory to newly formed Alidair.[86]Ipswich Aerodrome,previously owned by Channel Airways, was sold to Lonmet Aviation.[87]

Fleet

edit

Throughout its 26-year existence the following aircraft types formed part of the Channel Airways fleet:

Fleet in 1962

edit

In April 1962, the Channel Airways fleet comprised 16 aircraft.[35]

Channel Airways fleet in April 1962
Aircraft Number
Bristol 170 Freighter Mark 21 2
Douglas DC-4 2
Douglas DC-3 6
Vickers Viking 3
de Havilland DH 104 Dove 2
Taylorcraft Auster 1
Total 16

AnAviation Traders ATL 98 Carvairwas on order.

Channel Airways employed 180 people at this time.[35]

Fleet in 1971

edit

In May 1971, the Channel Airways fleet comprised 26 aircraft.[22]

Channel Airways fleet in May 1971
Aircraft Number
Hawker Siddeley Trident 1E 2
BAC One-Eleven 400 2
de Havilland Comet 4B 5
Vickers Viscount 800 9
de Havilland DH 114 Heron 6
de Havilland DH 104 Dove 1
Taylorcraft Auster 1
Total 26

Channel Airways employed 600 people at this time.[22]

Accidents and incidents

edit

There are seven recorded accidents involving East Anglian Flying Services/Channel Airways aircraft. One of these resulted in the loss of lives of fare-paying passengers. The airline's seven accidents are detailed below:

  • On 15 January 1958, ade Havilland Dove(registration G-AOCE)crashed on approachtoFerryfield Airfield,Lydd,Kent,when both engines stopped due to a mismanagement of the aircraft's fuel system, which had resulted in a lack of fuel in the engines. All seven occupants survived.[88]
  • On 28 July 1959, an East Anglian Flying ServicesVickers 614 Viking 1(registration G-AHPH) was written off atSouthend Airportas a result of being damaged beyond repair in a landing accident at the end of a non-scheduled passenger flight. Onapproachto Southend, the aircraft's right-hand main gear indicator did not show "green", thereby failing to confirm that the gear was down and locked. Thepilot in commandof the aircraft attempted anemergency landingon the grass parallel to the runway after noticing that the emergency gear extension system was inoperable. Following touch-down, the right main gear collapsed and the aircraft swung to the right, damaging it beyond repair. None of the 39 occupants (three crew and 36 passengers) were injured.[89]
  • On 6 May 1962, a Channel AirwaysDouglas C-47A-1-DK(registration G-AGZB) operating a scheduled passenger flight fromJerseytoPortsmouthcollided with a cloud-covered hillatSt Boniface DownnearVentnoron theIsle of WightinSouthern England,resulting in the aircraft's destruction and the deaths of 12 of the 18 occupants (all three crew members and nine out of 15 passengers) on board. The C-47 had descended to 1,000 ft (300 m) – well below the safe minimum height – while approaching Portsmouth in low cloud and drizzly weather conditions. The poor weather conditions made it impossible for the flightdeck crew to spot the hill in its vicinity and to take evasive action, as a result of which the aircraft struck high ground and burst into flames. This was Channel Airways's first and only fatal accident.[6][90]
  • On 3 May 1967, a Channel AirwaysVickers Viscount 812(registration G-AVJZ) was damaged beyond repair during atest flightto renew the aircraft'sCertificate of Airworthinessas a result ofpropellerno. 4 beingfeatheredshortly after takeoff from Southend Airport, causing the aircraft to enter an uncontrolled turn and scrape the ground with its rightwingtip.This, in turn, caused the plane to crash into a wire fence compound, catch fire and kill twoAviation Tradersworkers on the ground. Although the aircraft was a complete write-off, none of the three crew members on board was hurt.[91][92]
  • On 15 August 1967, two Channel AirwaysHawker Siddeley HS 748-222 Srs. 2(registration: G-ATEH and G-ATEK) were substantially damaged in separate landing accidents atPortsmouth Airportthat occurred within two hours of each other.[93][94]The first of these, involving HS 748-222 G-ATEK, occurred at 11.48 local time. The aircraft was operating that day's scheduled service from Southend to Paris via Portsmouth. Following a circling approach to Portsmouth Airport, it touched down normally ca. 330 ft (100 m) left of grass strip 36's centre-line. The pilot flying the aircraft selected ground finepropeller pitchduring landing followed by continuous application of the wheel brakes. Initially, the aircraft decelerated normally. However, at an advanced stage of the landing roll, the flightdeck crew realised that the remaining distance might not be sufficient for the plane to stop. To keep within the airfield's boundary, the flightdeck crew attempted to swing the aircraft to the left. Although this caused the aircraft to turn in the desired direction, it began sliding sideways, finally coming to a halt on an earth embankment. Despite extensive damage to the aircraft, there was no post-crash fire and none of the 23 occupants (four crew, 19 passengers) were injured. The subsequent accident investigation established inadequate braking as a result of inadequate friction provided by the aerodrome's very wet grass covering a hard, dry and almost impermeable sub-soil. Accident investigators also cited the flightdeck crew's failure to take into account the additional landing distance that was required to land an HS 748 safely on the wet grass strip as an important contributory factor.[94]The second mishap, involving HS 748-222 G-ATEH, occurred at 13.34 local time. The aircraft was operating that day's scheduled service from Guernsey to Portsmouth. A visual approach to Portsmouth Airport's grass strip 07 resulted in an unsuccessful attempt to land. A second attempt was made, resulting in the aircraft landing on strip 07. Immediately after touchdown, selection of ground fine propeller pitch was followed by application of brakes. Although this caused the aircraft to decelerate initially, subsequent braking proved ineffective due to the wet grass. As a consequence, the aircraft broke through the perimeter fence alongside the main road in the aerodrome's northeast corner, coming to a halt across the road. Despite extensive damage to the aircraft, there was no post-crash fire and none of the 66 occupants (four crew, 62 passengers) were injured. The subsequent accident investigation established inadequate braking as a result of inadequate friction provided by the aerodrome's very wet grass covering a hard, dry and almost impermeable sub-soil. Accident investigators also cited the flightdeck crew's failure to take into account the additional landing distance that was required to land an HS 748 safely on the wet grass strip as an important contributory factor.[93]Both aircraft were subsequently repaired and returned to service.[93][94]
  • On 4 May 1968, a Channel Airways Vickers Viscount 812 (registration G-APPU)[95]was damaged beyond repair in a landing accident at Southend Airport at the end of a passenger charter flight from Rotterdam. The Viscount touched down on Southend's runway 06 in heavy rain at too high a speed. Braking proved ineffective because the pilot in command wrongly assumed that the aircraft was aquaplaning. Instead, he used the aircraft's parking brake in the ensuing emergency, in a futile attempt to arrest its speed. The plane ran off the runway and collided with an earth bank protecting the adjacent railway line. There were 18 injuries among the 83 occupants (four crew, 79 passengers).[96][97]

See also

edit

Notes and citations

edit
Notes
  1. ^independent fromgovernment-owned corporations
  2. ^valid for seven years
  3. ^the inherited fleet comprised two Viscount 700s and 11 Vikings
  4. ^entering service from 1964 and replacing Vikings
  5. ^for £3 million including spares
  6. ^ordered in 1965 and entering service from February 1966
  7. ^Ipswich, Portsmouth and Rochester
  8. ^operating its first revenue service from Southend toPalma de Mallorcathe following day
  9. ^including the front row, which had only five seats (instead of the seven-abreast configured main cabin) and was marketed as a family seating area by the airline
  10. ^compared with most other contemporarysubsonicjets
  11. ^only two Tridents were delivered, in May and June 1968; the three cancelled orders were taken up byBKS Air Transport(two) andAir Ceylon(one)
  12. ^the firstBAC One-Elevenwas traded in for the second, with the former being sold on toAutair
  13. ^turnaroundsof as little as 25 minutes were achieved with the One-Elevens
  14. ^apart from the brief peak around Christmas and New Year
  15. ^seven abreast in the forward cabin
  16. ^six abreast; this seating arrangement was exclusive to the second and third example and required the aircraft's modification with two additionalover-wingemergency exitseach side of the fuselage, the only short-bodied One-Elevens to have this
  17. ^62 withoutgalley
  18. ^1965, £726,000; 1966, 765,000; 1967, £730,000; 1968, 520,000 (on turnover of £4.5 million)
  19. ^each aircraft was utilised for only 894hr in 1971, the lowest of any type operated
  20. ^at the time the airline went into receivership, its fleet comprised 13 aircraft of five different types
  21. ^comprising four Comets and two One-Elevens
Citations
  1. ^abAeroplane – Men at the top: Sqn. Ldr. R.J. Jones chairman, Channel Airways,Vol. 114, No. 2922, p. 17, Temple Press, London, 18 October 1967
  2. ^abcAirline Profile: Number Thirty-One in the Series–Channel Airways,Flight International,17 August 1967, p. 255
  3. ^abcdAeroplane – Airline of the month: Channel Airways,Vol. 112, No. 2867, pp. 5–6, Temple Press, London, 29 September 1966
  4. ^Aeroplane – Airline of the month: Channel Airways,Vol. 112, No. 2867, pp. 5–7, Temple Press, London, 29 September 1966
  5. ^abAeroplane – World Transport Affairs: Three U.K. independents change their names,Vol. 105, No. 2676, p. 14, Temple Press, London, 31 January 1963
  6. ^abcdef"'No Radar on Sunday' – The Story ofChannel AirwaysDakota G-AGZB ".Archived fromthe originalon 4 April 2007.Retrieved24 November2007.
  7. ^abcdefghAeroplane – Airline of the month: Channel Airways,Vol. 112, No. 2867, p. 6, Temple Press, London, 29 September 1966
  8. ^abAir Transport..., Flight International, 22 June 1967, p. 1010
  9. ^abcdeTridents for Channel,Flight International, 12 October 1967, p. 594
  10. ^abcdefgAirliner Classics (Hawker Siddeley's Trident – New Deliveries),Key Publishing, Stamford, UK, November 2010, p. 18
  11. ^abcFlight International,22 February 1968, p. 251
  12. ^abcdeTridents on the move,Flight International, 18 November 1971, p. 797
  13. ^abAeroplane, Late News – Channel to move,Vol. 115, No. 2942, p. 38, Temple Press, London, 6 March 1968
  14. ^abChannel to Stansted,Air Transport..., Flight International, 28 November 1968, p. 894
  15. ^abcChannel cut-back,Air Transport..., Flight International, 3 February 1972, p. 170
  16. ^abcNext Bus to Aberdeen...,Air Transport..., Flight International, 19 October 1967, p. 641
  17. ^abAeroplane – Commercial continued: Channel's 'bus stop' experiment,Vol. 114, No. 2922, p. 16, Temple Press, London, 18 October 1967
  18. ^abNext Bus to Aberdeen...,Air Transport..., Flight International, 19 October 1967, p. 642
  19. ^abThe bus stops,Air Transport, Flight International, 4 December 1969, p. 863
  20. ^abcdefgBritish Airlines Survey...,Flight International, 16 October 1969, p. 610
  21. ^abComet Customer,Air Transport, Flight International, 4 September 1969, p. 346
  22. ^abcdefgWorld Airlines,Flight International, 6 May 1971, p. 624
  23. ^abcTridents on the move,Air Transport..., Flight International, 9 December 1971, p. 924
  24. ^abcdeReceiver for Channel,Air Transport..., Flight International, 10 February 1972, p. 208
  25. ^abChannel stops jets,Air Transport, Flight International, 24 February 1972, p. 283
  26. ^abChannel routes taken over,Flight International, 9 March 1972, p. 348
  27. ^photo caption "Air Transport"Flight International,12 August 1971, p. 247
  28. ^abClassic Aircraft (Gone but not forgotten... CHANNEL AIRWAYS: Going scheduled),p. 65, Ian Allan Publishing, Hersham, March 2012
  29. ^abcdeAeroplane – Airline of the month: Channel Airways,Vol. 112, No. 2867, p. 5, Temple Press, London, 29 September 1966
  30. ^Scholefield, R.A.,Manchester Airport,Sutton Publishing, 1998, p.56
  31. ^abcdefghiClassic Aircraft (Gone but not forgotten... CHANNEL AIRWAYS: Going scheduled),p. 66, Ian Allan Publishing, Hersham, March 2012
  32. ^Aeroplane – Airline of the month: Channel Airways,Vol. 112, No. 2867, pp. 5, 7, Temple Press, London, 29 September 1966
  33. ^"Royal International Air Tattoo – Part Two: Women in Aviation (Supplying the front-line)".Archived fromthe originalon 8 February 2012.Retrieved19 February2012.
  34. ^abTradair's troubles,Air Commerce..., Flight International, 8 November 1962, p. 733
  35. ^abcdWorld Airline Survey – The UK Carriers...,Flight International, 12 April 1962, p. 547
  36. ^abClassic Aircraft (Gone but not forgotten... CHANNEL AIRWAYS: Golden jet years),p. 68, Ian Allan Publishing, Hersham, March 2012
  37. ^abChannel Airways...,Flight International, 17 August 1967, p. 256
  38. ^ab"Ipswich Transport Museum(official website) ".Archived fromthe originalon 29 February 2008.Retrieved8 March2010.
  39. ^Scholefield, R.A.,Manchester Airport,Sutton Publishing, 1998, p. 91
  40. ^abAeroplane – Airline of the month: Channel Airways,Vol. 112, No. 2867, pp. 4, 7, Temple Press, London, 29 September 1966
  41. ^Channel's Package Viscount Deal,Air Transport..., Flight International, 16 December 1965, p. 1034
  42. ^Aeroplane – Order Book continued: Channel deal confirmed,Vol. 110, No. 2825, p. 31, Temple Press, London, 9 December 1965
  43. ^abAeroplane – Order Book: Channel weighs the jet market,Vol. 111, No. 2835, p. 16, Temple Press, London, 17 February 1966
  44. ^Aeroplane – Order Book: Channel order for 748s,Vol. 109, No. 2796, p. 14, Temple Press, London, 20 May 1965
  45. ^Aeroplane – Commercial continued: Channel Airways took delivery of the first of four Hawker Siddeley 748s on Sept. 23.... (photo caption),Vol. 110, No. 2815, p. 10, Temple Press, London, 30 September 1965
  46. ^abClassic Aircraft (Gone but not forgotten... CHANNEL AIRWAYS: Changing Channel),p. 66, Ian Allan Publishing, Hersham, March 2012
  47. ^Classic Airliner(The Hawker Siddeley Trident: UK Trident 1Es), p. 55, Key Publishing, Stamford, 2014
  48. ^abcdAeroplane – Order Book: One-Eleven wins Channel order,Vol. 112, No. 2864, p. 22, Temple Press, London, 8 September 1966
  49. ^British Airline Survey..., Flight International, 28 September 1967, p. 530
  50. ^More One-Elevens sold,Air Transport..., Flight International, 11 May 1967, p. 733
  51. ^abcdefHome of the BAC 1-11 on the Web > Enter > Country guide to operators > United Kingdom:Channel Airways, Ltd. (CW)
  52. ^abFlying to the sun – A history of Britain's holiday airlines: 6. Into the jet age – Channel Airways,Woodley, C., The History Press, Stroud, 2016, p. 90
  53. ^abcClassic Aircraft (Gone but not forgotten... CHANNEL AIRWAYS: Golden jet years),p. 67, Ian Allan Publishing, Hersham, March 2012
  54. ^Airliner World(CHANNEL AIRWAYS: The Golden Fleet – The Jet Age), p. 63, Key Publishing, Stamford, December 2014
  55. ^Classic Airliner(The Hawker Siddeley Trident: UK Trident 1Es), pp. 55/6, Key Publishing, Stamford, 2014
  56. ^Classic Aircraft (Gone but not forgotten... CHANNEL AIRWAYS: Golden jet years),pp. 67/8, Ian Allan Publishing, Hersham, March 2012
  57. ^Airliner World (Going for Olympic Gold – London's Southend Airport: A Long History/The Booming 1960s),Key Publishing, Stamford, UK, September 2010, pp. 44/5
  58. ^abcdeClassic Aircraft (Gone but not forgotten... CHANNEL AIRWAYS: Well-placed worries),p. 69, Ian Allan Publishing, Hersham, March 2012
  59. ^abChannel's Scottish Flyer,Air Transport, Flight International, 16 January 1969, p. 81
  60. ^Home of the BAC 1-11 on the Web > Enter > Model Number and Customer Code
  61. ^abAeroplane – Airline of the month: Channel Airways,Vol. 112, No. 2867, pp. 6–7, Temple Press, London, 29 September 1966
  62. ^Aeroplane – Airline of the month: Channel Airways,Vol. 112, No. 2867, p. 7, Temple Press, London, 29 September 1966
  63. ^Channel Airways de Havilland DH-106 Comet 4B (photo)
  64. ^All stops to Aberdeen,Flight International, 12 October 1967, p. 595
  65. ^World Airline Survey...,Flight International, 10 April 1969, p. 566
  66. ^Airline Timetable Images – Channel Airways
  67. ^Airliner World(CHANNEL AIRWAYS: The Golden Fleet – The Bus-stop Service), pp. 63/4, Key Publishing, Stamford, December 2014
  68. ^Airliner World(CHANNEL AIRWAYS: The Golden Fleet – The Bus-stop Service), p. 65, Key Publishing, Stamford, December 2014
  69. ^abcFlying to the sun – A history of Britain's holiday airlines: 6. Into the jet age – Channel Airways,Woodley, C., The History Press, Stroud, 2016, p. 91
  70. ^Channel Contract,Air Transport..., Flight International, 1 October 1970, p. 516
  71. ^Classic Airliner(The Hawker Siddeley Trident: German internal services), p. 38, Key Publishing, Stamford, 2014
  72. ^Channel Airways...,Air Transport..., 14 January 1971, pp. 46/7
  73. ^abcAirliner World(CHANNEL AIRWAYS: The Golden Fleet – Air England), p. 66, Key Publishing, Stamford, December 2014
  74. ^First for Orientair,Air Transport..., Flight International, 3 February 1972, p. 164
  75. ^World Airlines,Flight International, 18 May 1972, Supplement 35
  76. ^World Airlines,Flight International, 18 May 1972, Supplement 36
  77. ^The Spirit of Dan-Air,Simons, G.M., GMS Enterprises, Peterborough, 1993, p. 123
  78. ^Depressed charter rates,World News..., Flight International, 19 August 1971, p. 272
  79. ^Channel Airways'...,Air Transport..., Flight International, 30 March 1972, p. 438
  80. ^The Spirit of Dan-Air,Simons, G.M., GMS Enterprises, Peterborough, 1993, pp. 55, 61, 101, 228/9
  81. ^Airliner World (The Last of Dan-Air's Comets – Additional Comets),Key Publishing, Stamford, UK, November 2010, pp. 71/2
  82. ^Channel routes redistributed,World News..., Flight International, 15 June 1972, p. 859
  83. ^Airline Profile: Number Forty-Three in the Series – Dan-Air,Flight International, 31 May 1973, p. 838
  84. ^Airline Profile: Number Forty-Three in the Series – Dan-Air,Flight International, 31 May 1973, p. 839
  85. ^World airlines updated – British Airways Regional Division...,Flight International, 11 October 1973, p. 594
  86. ^Alidair,...,Air Transport, Flight International, 8 June 1972, p. 823
  87. ^Ipswich sale,Private Flying, Flight International, 16 March 1972, p. 381
  88. ^"Aircraft lands on beach in fog".The Times.No. 54050. London. 16 January 1958. col B, p. 10.
  89. ^ASN Aircraft accident description Vickers 614 Viking 1 G-AHPH – Southend Municipal Airport (SEN)
  90. ^ASN Aircraft accident description Douglas C-47A-1-DK G-AGZB – St. Boniface Down
  91. ^ASN Aircraft accident description Vickers 812 Viscount G-AVJZ – Southend Municipal Airport (SEN)
  92. ^Southend Crash,Air Transport..., Flight International, 11 May 1967, p. 733
  93. ^abcASN Aircraft accident description Hawker Siddeley HS 748-222 Srs. 2 G-ATEH – Portsmouth Airport (PME)
  94. ^abcASN Aircraft accident description Hawker Siddeley HS 748-222 Srs. 2 G-ATEK – Portsmouth Airport (PME)
  95. ^Channel Airways Vickers 812 Viscount G-APPU (post-crash photo)
  96. ^ASN Aircraft accident description Vickers 812 Viscount G-APPU – Southend Municipal Airport (SEN)
  97. ^Aquaplaning ruled out,Air Transport, Flight International, 4 February 1971, p. 148

References

edit
  • "Flight International".Flight International.Sutton, UK: Reed Business Information.ISSN0015-3710.(various backdated issues relating to Channel Airways, 1962–1972)
  • "Classic Aircraft (Gone but not forgotten: Channel Airways)".Classic Aircraft.Hersham, UK: Ian Allan Publishing: 65–69. March 2012.ISSN2049-2081.(Classic Aircraftonline)
  • "Airliner World (CHANNEL AIRWAYS: The Golden Fleet)".Airliner World.Stamford, UK: Key Publishing: 60–66. December 2014.ISSN1465-6337.(Airliner Worldonline)
  • Skinner, Stephen (2014).The Hawker Siddeley Trident: UK Trident 1Es.Stamford, UK: Key Publishing. pp. 55–56.ISBN978-1909786-462.(Aeroplane Illustratedonline)
  • Scholefield, R.A. (1998).Manchester Airport.Sutton Publishing.ISBN0-7509-1954-X.
  • Simons, Graham M. (1993).The Spirit of Dan-Air.Peterborough, UK: GMS Enterprises.ISBN1-870384-20-2.
edit
Wikimedia Commons has media related toChannel Airways.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Channel_Airways&oldid=1250148464"