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Aviation History
1955
1955 - 1121.PDF
FLIGHT, 12 August 1955 233 INDEPENDENTLY ON SCHEDULE B.K.S. Air Transport's Services out of Yeadon DURING the summer B.K.S. Air Transport, Ltd., hassteadily developed its scheduled services out of Yeadon,Leeds, and now provides a series of both holiday and busi- ness travel facilities for the three million people estimated to livewithin a 30-mile radius of the city. In view of the not-over- abundant railway services this particularly benefits the businesslife of the area, and also makes it more readily accessible to foreigners who reach Paris or London by air and wish to continuetheir journeys by this means. Already operating are scheduled services between Newcastle,Leeds and Jersey; Newcastle, Leeds and the Isle of Wight; New- castle, Leeds and Ostend; and Southend, Leeds and Belfast.The last-named service, allowing as it does the completion of a one-day return business trip, has proved so popular that load-factors are at a maximum and increases in frequency likely. In addition B.K.S. run a service between Newcastle and the Isle ofMan and one from England via Corsica to Majorca. All this is accomplished with five Dakotas and three Vikings, which areavailable for charter flights as well. The latest venture is a scheduled, twice-weekly service onTuesdays and Thursdays between Yeadon and Paris, which was inaugurated on July 28th. The Dakota leaves Yeadon at 1000 hr,clears Customs at Southend, and reaches Le Bourget at 1330. The return service leaves Le Bourget at 1630 and, again stoppingat Southend, returns to Yeadon at 2000 hr. The fare is £11 single and £19 16s return. Approval has been sought for furtherservices, between Yeadon and London Airport, and Yeadon and Diisseldorf.The inaugural service to Paris was flown by Dakota G-ANAF, Jean Batten, arranged to accommodate 24 tourist passengerswith an additional row of four rearward-facing seats forming a small lounge at the front of the cabin. Standard tourist seats,have been made much more comfortable by the addition of detachable Dunlopillo head-rests and there is plenty of leg-room. Special light tables can be set up when the meals are served. The cabin is pleasantly decorated with a series of printsabove the windows and on the front bulkhead. This, combined with the well-known smoothness of Dakota travel and the factthat hot meals are served, makes for a comfortable flight. All Refuelling takes place during the Customs stop at Southend (above right) one hour after departure from B.K.S.'s new terminal at Yeadon (lower right). The forward end of the cabin (below) has been arranged to form a small lounge, allowing passengers to change places during the flight. The Dunlopillo head-rests with yellow covers, and the prints on the bulkhead, give added comfort and pleasant decoration. B.K.S. Dakota "Jean Batten," which flew the inaugural Leeds-Paris ...... service, in front of Le Bourget control tower. additional fittings, including the complete galley and light-luggage racks, have been made in the B.K.S. workshops. The Paris flight at present has to clear Customs at Southend,which is one of B.K.S.'s bases, but Yeadon is being developed to a point where it is probable that facilities will be providedthere, so that the flight can go direct. In any case, passengers may not be taken up or set down at Southend. Winter operationsare also being prepared for by the installation of runway lights and an Ekco simplified precision-approach radar. A newterminal building has already been completed there. B.K.S. is not the first company to operate out of Yeadon, butit has made the most successful attempt to date to develop traffic in the remunerative Bradford and Leeds area. Already its ser-vices are heavily booked and the local authorities have recog- nized their importance. When the new services to London andDiisseldorf come into operation the company will be providing the community with a valuable range of business-travel facilities. ILL V S 1 R A 1 £ D hi • I- L I u H i H H u i u o K A P H S
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