[lloydah]

LondonCity – The Vanguards. Is it my imagination or did they also have 4 seats facing with a table between near the rear? I seem to remember going to GIB in one of those in the 60s.

[StewartKidd1]

lloydah – yup, so did some of the BOAC Comets – and i think the early 707’s. I’m sure I remember playing Scrabble on a table LHR/BAH in I guess 61 or 62 (wish my mother had not given away all my books – including my Junior Jet Club log.

[LuganoPirate]

Now now Papillion, I think we’re the same vintage? I was born towards the end of the year so may even be a touch younger than thou! 😉

Tired, come the late 60’s and early 70’s I used to regularly fly out of Lydd to Le Touquet then the train to Paris. Change from Gare du Nord to Gare du Sud and onwards to Lausanne. I think there was a coach service (which I would take) from London Victoria to the airport included in the ticket price.

I know the area quite well as my sister lives in Hythe and many years ago I had a girlfriend who lived in Lydd. I believe there are now some quite ambitious plans to expand Lydd airport. Ahhh, memories.

[LuganoPirate]

Was it not the Viscounts that had the club seating, or maybe they had that layout as well? I also recall the enormous bathroom at the back, with window. Six old ladies (for those who know the rugby song) would really have fitted in there!

[Papillion53]

StewartKidd1 – you’ve certainly brought back memories today – I remember Pegasus Flying Club. I was a student when I had my first taste of hotel work at the Skean Dhu (now a Thistle?) when it very first opened – quite the thing then as it has been built by an American businessman – a Mr Mullins? – and a motel style the like of which had never been seen in Aberdeen before!

Anyway the hotel had a very popular coffee shop frequented by flyers from Pegasus and occasionally we young student waitresses would get a flight for fun! Young and stupid as my dear mama would have said! (before I passed my driving test my poor father would get up at 0400, to take me to work for a 0500 start)

The BA crew used to stay there as well along with anyone who was anyone in the early days of the north sea oil industry.

Didn’t Dan Air have those 4 seats with a table in the middle?

Now Mr LP – I am sure as Mrs LP will no doubt confirm, never presume anything with regards to us girls! 😉 🙂 I used to say that you’re only as old as the man that you dance with ( or similar!), but as the old man is waaay older than me, I’ve given that one up! LOL!

[DavidGordon10]

I used to go plane-spotting at Gatwick with my brother, in the days when the terminal building was the Beehive (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beehive_%28Gatwick_Airport%29),and watch the air ferries load up with cars – I seem to remember just two cars each. A much nicer airport then than it is now…

Does anyone remember British Westpoint Airlines? Ground transport was a minibus that met the tube at Hounslow Central, then a rackety old DC-3 from LHR to Exeter. The sensation I remember the best was the nose-up angle of the plane on the apron. You were falling back in your seat until the tail wheel came off the ground during take-off.

[skywards]

I remember Dan Air London offering a weekend fare to Gatwick from Newcastle for £49 return…last flight out on a friday evening returning on the last flight on the sunday evening, BA did the same weekend deal to Heathrow for £54. I also remember when i got a full English breakfast with black pudding on my first flight in the morning with BA to Heathrow from Newcastle.

[AMcWhirter]

lloydah – I am sure you’re correct about those seats of 4 with a table. Must have been something unique to BEA. As you say, the Vanguard used to operate both short and long routes within Europe as well as UK domestic. It must have been an economical plane for BEA which it (BEA) wouldn’t have retired so soon were it not for jet flight competition from rival carriers.

LuganoPirate – There were several cut-price ways of reaching Paris in the days when most people took the traditional train/ferry option as London-Paris flights were costly. Fares were expensive and controlled by IATA because in those days the UK and French govs allowed no other airline, except for AF and BEA, to fly between London and Paris.

There was Skyways which operated a coach from London Victoria to Lydd and then you flew to Beauvais then continued the final 50 miles to Paris by coach.

There was also the Silver Arrow a train-air-train option operated by British Rail, BUA and SNCF. It took just over four hours, city centre to city centre.

Silver Arrow pax took the train from Victoria to Gatwick, followed by a BUA flight from Gatwick to Le Touquet where a special SNCF train continued from the airport’s own rail station (it’s probably closed today) to the Gare du Nord.

[StewartKidd1]

Papillon – are we then graduates of the same ancient seat of learning?

[TiredOldHack]

> Papillon – are we then graduates of the same ancient seat of learning?

There’s a thought: any OCs here?

[LuganoPirate]

I don’t remember Skyways LC but I do remember the Silver Arrow. I never tried it but can still recall the adverts in the Underground stations and of course at Victoria Station.

I’m glad you mentioned the airport had it’s own station as I distinctly remember coming off the plane, through immigration and it was a two minute walk to the train which was waiting. I think they were red in colour.

I thought I was losing my marbles when I could find no link from the airport by train, so it has clearly gone now.

[lloydah]

Have a fond memory of an Airfix Bristol Freighter which was about the right size to get Matchbox cars in the front doors. I know I messed the paint job up and more or less glued the doors so they had to be wrenched – as far as you can plastic – open.

[LuganoPirate]

Just remembered Spouse fares. 50% off full fare Economy and First class fares. At various times UTA, Swiss and KLM even allowed spouses to accompany you for free. From memory you had to be married, and the spouse had to accompany you the whole way for the whole journey.

[AMcWhirter]

LuganoPirate – Skyways used Lympne airport in Kent and not Lydd as I thought. Lympne airport closed in 1984 and is now an industrial estate. Skyways itself stopped its coach-air service in 1974.

The rail link to Le Touquet was funded by SNCF specifically for the Silver Arrow service. The spur line branched off the main Calais-Paris line near Etaples.

The trains which ran between Le Touquet and Paris were diesel powered multi-units.

[LuganoPirate]

About to attempt an Airfix model of the A380 with my boys Lloyd. Wish me luck!

[Author]

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