Jeremy Tredinnick tells the story of Betsy, Cathay Pacific’s iconic original airplane, then takes a look at its brand-new A350 – a super-efficient aircraft for the future

Enter Hong Kong Science Museum and one of the first things you’ll see, hanging from the second-floor ceiling, is an enormous DC-3 airplane. This is Betsy, Cathay Pacific’s first ever aircraft, her blunt nose jutting out proudly, the bulk of her engines and massive propellers hinting at the noise and power she once possessed, and the thick rubber tyres of her undercarriage bulging from under the broad sweep of her wings.

Betsy’s story is a fascinating one, filled with exotic adventures in far-flung destinations, and complete with a fairy-tale ending. She was built in 1941 by the Douglas Aircraft Company as a military C-47 – much in need by the US at the time – and served as a troop carrier across the US and overseas until 1944, when she was flown to Cincinnati for DIR (Dismantling, Inspection and Repair). From there she was eventually moved to Bush Field, Georgia in late 1945 for disposal alongside a mountain of other war-surplus material.

Enter one Roy C Farrell, who had returned to the US after World War II with grand ideas of starting a cargo business across the Pacific to Asia. Having spent the war flying over “the Hump” from Calcutta to Kunming in China, Farrell could see the massive potential of the region, but his initial business plans involved ships, not aircraft. However, by chance he met a friend in New York who had heard of the mass of war-surplus aircraft at Bush Field. Farrell’s sharp mind saw an opportunity, and he travelled down to Georgia already knowing what he wanted: a sturdy, reliable Douglas C-47 such as those he’d flown over Burma into China so many times.

Arriving, Farrell was disappointed that no suitable aircraft was available, but, never a man to give up easily, he asked the sergeant in charge to contact him at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York if a suitable aircraft turned up. To keep his request in mind, he left a crate of Black Label whisky in the sergeant’s jeep, and this simple piece of “encouragement” had far-reaching consequences, for the very next day he received a phone call. Farrell rushed back to Bush Field, and at 6.15am on October 6, 1945 he saw for the first time the DC-3 that was to become Betsy. She’d been refurbished and Farrell immediately knew she was perfect for his needs. He paid US$30,000 for her, and flew her through a snowstorm to New York’s La Guardia Field, where she was converted to commercial DC-3 specifications and certified airworthy.

It took huge patience and determination, but Farrell fought his way through the morass of bureaucracy that threatened to curtail his dream, and eventually gained permission to fly his new plane to the Far East. With co-pilot Bob Russell and navigator Bill Geddes-Brown, Farrell set off on an epic flight to Shanghai via South America, North Africa and the Middle East. On that journey Russell christened the aircraft Betsy – a nickname that would stay with her for the rest of her life. In her hold was a cargo of coats, suits, dressing gowns and toothbrushes, and on arrival in post-war Shanghai the Roy Farrell Export-Import Company was founded, and Farrell’s dream was realised with an inaugural flight between Shanghai and Sydney – Chinese silks one way, Australian woollen goods the other.

Teaming up with former flying colleague Sydney de Kantzow, Farrell knew he was on to a good thing, and quickly bought a second DC-3 for US$25,000. She also received a nickname – Niki – and between them they helped the Shanghai-based import-export business flourish so rapidly that in 1946, under pressure from jealous Shanghainese businessmen, Farrell and de Kantzow moved operations to a more stable base – British-controlled Hong Kong.

On September 24, 1946, in order to comply with British registration requirements and showing a far-sighted vision of the territory’s gold-trimmed future, Farrell and de Kantzow officially formed Cathay Pacific Airways, registering their two prized DC-3s, Betsy and Niki, as VR-HDB and VR-HDA respectively. It’s often remarked upon that Betsy, the senior and most revered original plane, should have been given the second registration number rather than the first. Some say a mere administrative quirk of fate was to blame, but in fact Betsy was in Sydney at the time of registration, and therefore had to take second registration spot. However, her new designation as VR-HDB was painted on her at Sydney Airport, and so history records that Cathay Pacific’s first official flight was actually out of Sydney, not Hong Kong.

Betsy and Niki were the mainstay of Cathay Pacific in its first decade, Niki flying the airline’s inaugural flight to London, and both planes serving the company with distinction. Inevitably, however, with the advent of the jet age the DC-3’s time with the burgeoning airline came to an end, and Betsy was sold in 1953 for HK$320,000 (US$41,250) to WR Carpenter & Sons, based in Port Moresby, New Guinea, who had formed Mandated Airlines – for whom she flew cargo around the rugged Papua New Guinean terrain.

In 1973 Betsy was sold to Bush Pilots Airways in Australia and moved to its
base in Cairns, from where she was used as a freighter, dropping supplies to remote communities in Queensland’s tropical outback. She might well have spent
her remaining years as a hard-working cargo aircraft, ending up rusting on the edge of some dusty airstrip, but a stroke
of luck was about to swing her fortunes once again.

There is some debate about who first “rediscovered” Betsy in 1981. Both CX captain and aircraft historian Martin Willing and CX’s PR Manager Australia David Bell heard reports that the airline’s original DC-3 was still flying in the Australian outback. It seemed to everyone that such an important piece of CX history should somehow be preserved, and Willing approached the Swire Group (Cathay’s parent company) with the idea of buying her back and bringing her home to Hong Kong.

Happily, the powers that be in Hong Kong agreed that Betsy’s preservation and return to Hong Kong was an excellent proposal, and arrangements were made to repurchase her. Betsy was flown to Sydney and restored to her original Cathay Pacific livery, just as she had looked back in 1946 for Cathay’s inaugural flight.

Although Betsy was still on the Australian register as VH-MAL, special permission was granted for her to carry her original Hong Kong registration of VR-HDB. The return flight to Hong Kong from Sydney mirrored Betsy’s old flight route, with stops at Coolangatta and Cairns (since the aircraft was being exported from Australia it required an export permit, and on departing Cairns it was actually listed as an item of cargo on its own manifest); Port Moresby, Wewak, Biak, Davao and Manila, where she was met by a group from Cathay Pacific who would accompany her on the final leg to Hong Kong. On board were Sir Adrian Swire, Deputy Chairman of the Swire Group, Cathay Pacific’s Director of Flight Operations Brian Wightman, and Martin Willing, who had been instrumental in Betsy’s return home. As there were by now no Cathay Pacific pilots endorsed to fly a DC-3, she was flown to Hong Kong by a crew from her old company.

Betsy landed in Hong Kong on September 23, 1983, one day before Cathay Pacific’s 37th anniversary. The following day she made her final flight, a PR tour around and over the territory. She was placed on display outside City Hall in Edinburgh Place, and was a central feature of Cathay’s 40th anniversary celebrations in 1986. In 1989, Betsy was presented as a gift to the people of Hong Kong and placed in the Hong Kong Science Museum, a monument to the aviation pioneers whose vision contributed so much to the territory’s emergence as a thriving business and communications hub.

Vision of the future

Fast forward to late May 2016, when CX took delivery of its first Airbus A350-900 – marking the occasion with a lavish party in a HAECO hangar at Hong Kong International Airport. The arrival of the A350 was a highly significant one for CX, because it is basing its strategy for the future on this new-generation aircraft – the airline has 22 on order for 2016 and 2017, as well as orders of 26 A350-1000s from 2018 onwards (the larger aircraft has an even greater payload and distance capability).

Why place so much focus on one aircraft type? “This is a commercial aircraft that is as environmentally friendly as you can get,” says Rupert Hogg, CX’s chief operational officer. A focus on the environment is vital in the modern world, but so is the need to be as efficient as possible to keep overheads down in such a cutthroat business. The Airbus A350 is therefore built largely from carbon fibre and packed with engineering and technological innovations that increase its operational efficiency by 25 per cent. “The A350 will make a positive difference to our customers, for the growth of our operations, for the environment and for Hong Kong,” adds Hogg.

The A350 is a far cry from the noise and relative discomfort of DC-3s like Betsy, but the aviation industry today bears little resemblance to that of its early years, so you’d expect the aircraft to be equally changed. The A350 is noticeably quieter than its peers both inside and outside the plane; vertical sidewalls, large panoramic windows and mood lighting that can simulate sunset/sunrise, and lower cabin pressure all make a huge difference to onboard comfort; while a high-efficiency filtration system changes the air in the cabin completely every three minutes.

“From an engineering point of view, this is like going from a double-decker bus to a high-performance sports car,” said Robert Taylor, CX’s head of the A350 project when it was presented to the public. Each wing (the largest single piece of carbon fibre produced in the aviation industry) flexes and adapts its shape in flight, and supports the most efficient aero engine on the market today: the Rolls Royce Trent XWB.

The A350 will of course offer wifi connectivity for passengers – a must-have for millennials, and a first for CX’s fleet – and its new business class and premium economy seats have been designed by Studio FA Porsche. “We’ve spent the last three or four years sweating the details on our new suite of in-flight products, constantly thinking about the things, large or small, that make a difference to you when you travel,” says Hogg.

With the sensuous sweep of its wing tips, the distinctive black “mask” around the pilots’ windows and a luxurious interior, CX’s A350 is a fittingly attractive flagship aircraft to take the airline into the future – a classic in the making.