[AMcWhirter]

Another historical video which will surely interest many of you.

What I find interesting is:

* The passenger mix on a domestic flight at that time.
* The BEA staffer checking boarding passes at the foot of the stairs.
* Those automatic steps for boarding. (When the B737 entered service in 1968 with Lufthansa it had similar and they were hailed as a major advance !)

What I disagree with is the commentator’s claim that “those compartments are quiet and comfortable.”

Maybe he was booked in first class ?

I say that because BEA located the small first class cabin in the Vanguard’s tail which was the quietest zone.

BEA introduce the Vickers Vanguard on domestic UK routes (1961). Reg Turnhill takes a flight to Glasgow on what he terms “The world’s cheapest air trip” at £8 return (£138.49 in 2022). Interesting to see that even back then airlines had 40% of the market travelling to Scotland. pic.twitter.com/XyhjIqcpIY

— Captain Brent 🇬🇧 (@Birdseed501) October 24, 2022

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Denis, Poshgirl58, dutchyankee, Johnnyg, A300B4, red_robbo, scotscrew, Montysaurus, Ekond222, GivingupBA, SimonRowberry, Stowage222, TominScotland, Bullfrog, cwoodward

[Stowage222]

My Father joined BEA in Dec 1961 as a baggage handler at Renfrew Airport and we’d use his staff travel benefits to fly to London to see my mother’s family regularly.

I have happy memories of this aircraft flying from GLA (and Renfrew) to LHR as a boy in the 60’s. Of course, later on we’d arrive at the airport, and I’d be happy when I saw a Trident on the tarmac as that was a game changer in speed and comfort. I was lucky to be on the first auto land at LHR on the original Trident One if I recall.

Thanks for sharing.

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Poshgirl58, AMcWhirter

[David]

I just love the cut between the cigarette-smoking gent and the baby with the bottle, certainly of it’s time!

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sparkyflier, Poshgirl58

[red_robbo]

If I remember correctly, back in the early 70s when I joined BEA, the seats in the back cabin on domestic Vanguard flights weren’t called First Class, but “Bookable Seats”, for which there was a surcharge of £2 each way.
Quite why they were called that, I never actually found out. It’s not as if the other seats weren’t bookable as well!

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Poshgirl58

[drflight]

The Vanguard was a a lovely aeroplane to fly in as a passenger, especially if you had a window seat as there were large oval windows to look out from. Mr McWhirter is quite correct in stating there was a first class cabin at the rear of the aeroplane. This was a great secret if you were a student for there were OP (off Peak) late night flights about 11pm to Belfast, Glasgow and Edinburgh and the first class cabin could be sat in for free. No seating plans in those days, just first come, first served and those in the know at the head of the boarding queue knew to race up the rear stairs to bag a first class seat. Not that there was a great deal of difference, the main cabin was 3X3 and the rear First Class cabin was 2×3. It felt very grand to be in the cabin, last row doing a night flight in the mis sixties and gazing out of the big windows.

https://www.airliners.net/photo/British-European-Airways/Vickers-953-Vanguard/2165057

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Poshgirl58, Montysaurus

[AMcWhirter]

Thank you for the photo drflight. I had forgotten how cramped (by today’s standards) first class was on the Vanguard.

My early flying days were taking BEA’s Vanguard between London, Edinburgh and return.

At weekends BEA would declassify first class. BEA had ‘free seating.’

On Saturdays and Sundays those in the know would make a bee-line for that rear cabin.

However I did find the Vanguard a noisy aircraft in which to fly (unless seated in that rear cabin) although some of you may disagree.

So when rivals BUA and British Eagle were allowed to introduce 1-11 jets from the late 1960s I, as an impressionable teenager, was in awe of their faster, smoother flights !

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Poshgirl58

[AMcWhirter]

Hello red_robbo,

Thanks for this information.

Certainly in the late 1960s the first class seats were branded as such and the first class cabin was declassified at weekends. I was one of those making a bee-line to that rear cabin.

There was no seat booking fee at that time.

Once BEA began to introduce jets at busy times (to keep the corporates happy) I used Vanguard flights less.

And in 1975 BEA launched its domestic Shuttle and things have never been the same since.

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Poshgirl58

[FDOS]

@Alex, I never flew on a Vanguard, as they had been converted to Merchantman config when I started business travel, however I did take many flights on the Viscount.

Front of the wing (or more accurately the propeller discs), it was extremely noisy and I imagine the Vanguard was similar, although I believe it used a different engine type to the RR Darts on the Viscount. So I can relate to your experience.

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Poshgirl58

[AMcWhirter]

Yes FDOS and probably more so hence the first class zone was located in the tail section.

I did take Vanguard flight when seated over the wing and the noise and vibration were bad.

Hence when the jets arrived I would opt for BUA from LGW or, on one occsion, BEA ex-LHR when the peak hour flight was scheduled as a Comet 4B !

Sadly I never got to sample British Eagle because it only had rights for GLA-LHR.

So one Sunday afternon I made the effort to take the train over to Glasgow for British Eagle’s 1-11 only to find that it’s single flight had been cancelled on that day.

No reason was given but I had been automatically reboooked with BUA to LGW.

No explanation was given to me but now I am older and wiser British Eagle must have cancelled its flight for commercial reasons … few people booked.

[Stowage222]

Alex, this thread is really taking me back to my childhood. As you mention British Eagle, I recall rummaging through their abandoned offices in Renfrew with my best friend. I recall us ‘recycling’ office supplies and other fascinating stuff which we’d never seen before. Of course, I never had the chance to fly on their a/c but I do recall seeing the Viscounts at Renfrew airport.

[AMcWhirter]

Hello Stowage222, thank you and I am pleased that there is much interest in this thread.

As I say I never did fly British Eagle but I remember at that time its London terminal was in Knightsbridge behind Scotch Corner (not far from Harrods). From the terminal there would be buses operating to connect with the flights.

Imagine that scenario today … an airline with a terminal occupying prime London space !

I mean nowadays almost all airlines are not prepared to have Central London ticket offices let along the space for a terminal.

[Poshgirl58]

@FDOS

Vanguard was RR Tyne engines. Aircraft built to BEA’s specification. The prototype’s first flight from Brooklands on 20 Jan 1959, piloted by Jock Bryce and Brian Trubshaw (info courtesy of Brooklands Museum website).

My first ever flight was a BEA Vanguard BHX-LHR. Two days later, took my first jet flight on board Trident 1 G-ARPP, LHR-BHX.

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AMcWhirter

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