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Aviation History
1959
1959 - 0987.PDF
492 FLIGHT, 10 April 6OAC TO TRANSOCEAN ... York on her last flight in B.O.A.C.'s livery. She was ferried toOakland, and in the same month G-ANUM was also ferried by her B.O.A.C. crew to the same destination. It is interesting to recallthat G-ANUM had been sold to B.O.A.C. in the winter of 1954 by Pan-American. They had been operating her on the Atlanticschedules since 1949, her former identity being N1027 V and name Clipper Friendship. As stated in my article "The StratocruisersCarry On" Flight, June 14, 1957), she was one of the seven additional B-377s acquired by B.O.A.C. in 1934, the other sixbeing ex-United Airlines. Most of her four years' service with B.O.A.C. was spent in operating the all-tourist "Coronet" NorthAtlantic schedules, in which her seating configuration was norm- ally 81 passengers.The other two B-377s were both ferried by B.O.A.C. crews to Transocean's Atlantic Coast Engineering Base at Bradley Field,Windsor Locks, Connecticut, both aircraft leaving London Airport in September 1958. Total current airframe hours on each Stratocruiser are:G-AKGH, 19,382; G-AKGL, 18,534; G-ALSD, 19,226; G-ANUM, 20,119. Not surprisingly, perhaps, the sole ex-P.A.A.Boeing has a slight edge on the other three in the number of hours flown. Average per annum is therefore 2,100 hours per aircraft innine years of continuous service. Following their conversion at Transocean's workshops at Oak-land and Bradley airports respectively, all four are currently equipped with 60 high-density seats in the forward main cabin,plus 26 standard-type seats (fully reclining) in the rear cabin; and, of course, there are the additional 12 seats in the lounge (lowerdeck). All four can quickly be converted to the maximum coach- class configuration, seating 112 passengers; this latter layout incor-porates three toilets, plus a "quick-service buffet" which is situated in the forward crew compartment. Transocean's colourfuland distinctive livery is clearly shown in the photograph of N1027V. With the characteristic white top, all lettering is inblack with the cheatline around the fuselage in "antique gold" and finally, the TAL emblems are in black and "aqua" on both therudder and the nose. The four Stratocruisers are now flying on Transocean's twice-weekly Oakland - Honolulu - Wake Island - Guam - Okinawa schedules, and in addition, they also operate on the airline'sscheduled domestic transcontinental flights (at the moment twice - weekly?and presumably restricted to such) between Los Angelesand/or San Francisco to Chicago and New York (usually termin- ating at Hartford, Conn.). On both the domestic and trans-Pacificschedules, the B-377s alternate with at least three Constellation 749As (which, interestingly enough, were also acquired fromB.O.A.C. less than 18 months ago). In the words of Transocean's vice-president (operations), "Weare happy to tell you that our flight crews, maintenance personnel, and our passengers too, are delighted with these grand old air-planes, and it is my opinion that they will see many years more of airline service before reaching retirement age." Footnote: Since the above was written (in East Africa), Transoceanhave told me that they are currently converting two more ex-B.O.A.C. Stratocruisers, G-AKGI Caribou and G-ALSC Ceniaurus. B.O.A.C.,also, have kindly provided delivery-flight data on all ten aircraft: details are given below. I particularly wish to thank Mr. T. E. Scott-Chard ofB.O.A.C. and Mr. W. L. Keating, Transocean's vice-president (opera- tions) for generous assistance in compiling this article. Aircraft G-ANUM G-AKGH G-ALSD G-AKGL G-ALSC G-AKGI G-AKGJ G-ALSB G-AKGK G-AKGM Dep. L.A.P. 5.7.58 2.8.58 7.9.58 13.9.58 18.12.58 19.12.58 17.1.59 3.2.59 3.3.59 10.3.59 Captain L. B. Reynolds A. J. Smith N. V. Todd J. H. Wickson C. Middleton-Stewart M. A. Wood S. G. Brook C. R. W. Taylor M A Kyle B. G. Carr New cabinlayout 40 de luxe ditto 60 first-class 81 tourist40 de luxe ditto ditto ditto 81 tourist ditto Airframehours on delivery 19,247 18,672 18,669 18,535 19,242 19,091 18,985 19,303 19,740 20,305 COMMEMORATING HARRY BUTLER AT Minlaton in South Australia a memorial building was- recently opened housing the Bristol Monoplane Red Devil in which the late Capt. Harry Butler made the first air-mail delivery(in 1919) from Adelaide to Minlaton. The memorial commemorates not only this pioneer flight but Harry Butler himself, who spenthis boyhood a few miles from Minlaton and whose story epitomizes the determination of a born pilot to fly no matter whatthe obstacles. These seemed insuperable on the small farm where Butler spenthis boyhood; but he got his first contact with aircraft in his early twenties by riding 120 miles nearly every Saturday on his motorcycle to Smithfield, where a Mr. C. W. Wittber was building an aeroplane of which he had constructed every part himself. Helpingto build and making short flights in this machine whetted Butler's appetite for flying, and when war came he went to Point Cookearly in 1915 to enlist in the Australian Air Force. Delays fretted him, however; so he went off to England at his own expense to jointhe R.F.C., enlisting in 1916 as an air mechanic but being gazetted 2/Lt. after three weeks and by July that year flying in France. Hisgreatest talent proved to be as an instructor, and in this capacity he adopted a typically individual routine. He would fly over toFrance, attach himself to a fighter squadron for some weeks to study new German tactics at first hand, then go back to his schoolto teach countermeasures he had worked out. In early 1918 he was wounded in the head over Douai, and in December that yearawarded the A.F.C He also made much use of the then usual technique of dropping weighted messages from aircraft; and thispractice had a sentimental repetition when, after returning to Australia and making his first mail-carrying flight, he dropped amessage of greetings on his old school near Minlaton. Harry Butler went on flying in the small company he helped toform (with "aerial passenger carrying and advertising services" How to care for an historic aircraft: Harry Butler's Bristol Monoplane on permanent display at Minlaton, South Australia among its objects), giving displays and participating in Australia'sfirst Aerial Derby (1920); but the company was voluntarily liquidated in 1921 and the following year he was involved in adisastrous accident in an Avro biplane. He survived only by a miracle, so serious were the injuries to his face and head; but suchwas his courage that he even flew again on one occasion, and in October 1922 he donned his R.F.C. uniform to lay the foundation-stone of a war memorial. But in 1923 he died at Minlaton as a result of his injuries; and now his restored Red Devil—in beautifulcondition but with a D.H. Gipsy engine, though its original 110 h.p. Le Rhone and propeller are also on show—is permanentlydisplayed at the town as a memorial to this great-hearted and gallant Australian airman. RETROSPECT From "Flight" of April 10, 1909 A Lecture at Lincoln: That there is a good deal of interest taken inflight in provincial centres was shown at a lecture given in the Central Hall, Lincoln, on March 30th, by Mr. C. E. Wright, M.A. The chairwas taken by the Mayor, and although the audience was not very large, it made up for this in enthusiasm. In a not-too-technicalmanner, the lecturer reviewed the early history of man's attempt to master the air, and the performances of the Wrights and other foremostflyers of the present day were dealt with. Perhaps the most interest- ing part of the programme was a series of elementary experiments toillustrate various points. Mounting a high pair of steps, the lecturer launched his first model airship—a light plane that sailed gaily halfthe length of the hall amid warm appreciation. Similarly he floated from his summit a series of strips of paper, variously weighted,demonstrating very easily the balancing and counterbalancing effects of each. Miniature ships of mica and celluloid were sent flying acrossthe hall to show the difference in effect between vessels of straight and curved fins. One of them that soared a full fifty feet had a particularly gracefulmotion, and though it narrowly missed the head of an importatrt corporation official it was given a generous meed of applause. Othergliders helped the lecturer to show a path of an undulating kind as pre-ordained for some of these vessels, and a further one, an aeroplanethat actually had the talent of looping the loop. The features of the Wright aeroplane were explained by diagrams, and a model of theaeroplane flown by Fannan and Delagrange was sent off from the step ladder with great success. Some of the audience were so interested that they stayed behindafter the lecture, and asked Mr. Wright to conduct more experiments and explain them.
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