Channel Airways

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Channel Airways logo
Channel Airways logo

Channel Airways was formed in 1946 as East Anglian Flying Services. It adopted the Channel Airways name in 1962. Channel Airways ceased operations in 1972.

Contents

[edit] History

Channel Airways was one of the earliest, post-war Independent British airlines. Former RAF squadron leader Jack Jones founded Channel Airways in 1946 as East Anglian Flying Services. It commenced commercial operations with war-surplus Douglas C-47 "Skytrain"/DC-3 "Dakota" piston-engined airliners. Ipswich Airport was the newly formed airline's first base. The base was subsequently moved to London Southend Airport near Southend-on-Sea in Essex, Southeast England. The new airline operated IT charter flights and regional scheduled services along the UK's South Coast, as well as between the South Coast, the Channel Islands and the Continent.[1]

In 1962 East Anglian Flying Services officially changed its name to Channel Airways.[1]

During the 1960s Channel Airways supplemented and eventually replaced the C-47/DC-3s with De Havilland Doves and De Havilland Herons as well as more modern Hawker Siddeley 748 and Vickers Viscount turboprops. During that period Channel Airways also established itself as one of the UK's five leading, contemporary Independent airlines (in addition to British United, British Eagle, Caledonian and Skyways).

A pair of BAC One-Eleven 400 series were the first jet aircraft to join the Channel Airways fleet in June 1967.[2]

The first Hawker Siddeley Trident 1E series jetliner arrived at Channel Airways' Southend base in March 1968.[2]

A couple of ex-BEA De Havilland Comet 4B series further expanded Channel Airways' jet fleet during the late 1960s.

The introduction of these jet aircraft enabled Channel Airways to become a major provider of charter airline seats to the leading package tour operators in the UK from bases at Southend and Stansted as well as overseas. (Channel Airways held a lucrative contract to carry package tour holiday makers from what used to be West Berlin in the days prior to Germany's [re-]unification to holiday resorts in the Mediterranean and the Canary Islands on behalf of a major German tour operator. This had resulted in one of the airline's jets being permanently based at the city's Tegel Airport until its demise.)

Channel Airways held the record for operating the UK charter airline industry's tightest seating configurations.[1] For example, it managed to fit as many as 139 seats into its Trident 1Es, as many as 99 seats into its One-Eleven 400s and as many as 56 seats (62 without galley) into its HS 748s. These were the highest-density seating configurations of any of the aforementioned aircraft types' operators.[2]

Channel Airways also became known for pressing the aircraft it had acquired second-hand into service with only minimal changes to the previous operators' liveries on these planes, i.e. merely taping over those operators' names with its own.[1]

The Scottish Flyer was the name of a multi-stop, bus stop type of scheduled service Channel Airways operated for a brief period during the late '60s/early '70s between its Southend base and Aberdeen, with intermediate stops at Luton, East Midlands, Leeds/Bradford, Teesside, Newcastle and Edinburgh.[3]

As a result of growing financial difficulties, Channel Airways ceased operations at the end of February 1972.[4]

Following Channel Airways' demise, Captain Lockwood, who had been in charge of the failed carrier's Berlin operations, formed a new charter company named Orientair to take over the operation of the lucrative German charter contracts with an ex-Channel Airways BAC One-Eleven. However, the plan to revive Channel Airways' Berlin operation ran into difficulties, resulting in these contracts being taken over by Dan-Air, as well as the subsequent expansion of that airline's Berlin operation.[5] (Dan-Air also acquired Channel Airways' Comet 4Bs[6] and its licence to operate year-round scheduled services from Bournemouth to Guernsey and Jersey[7].)

[edit] Aircraft operated

Throughout its 26-year existence the following aircraft types formed part of the Channel Airways fleet:

[edit] Accidents and incidents

There are four recorded accidents involving East Anglian Flying Services/Channel Airways aircraft.[8] One of these resulted in the loss of lives of fare-paying passengers. The airline's four accidents are detailed below:

  • On 28 July 1959 an East Anglian Flying Services Vickers Viking (registration G-AHPH) was written off at Southend Airport as a result of being damaged beyond repair in a landing accident at the end of a non-scheduled passenger flight. On approach to Southend, the aircraft's right-hand main gear indicator did not show "green", thereby failing to confirm that the gear was down and locked. The pilot in command of the aircraft attempted an emergency landing on the grass parallel to the runway after noticing that the emergency gear extension system was inoperable. Following touch-down, the right main gear collapsed and the aircraft swung to the right, damaging it beyond repair. None of the 39 occupants (three crew and 36 passengers) were injured.[9]
  • On 6 May 1962 a Channel Airways Douglas C-47A-1-DK (registration G-AGZB) operating a scheduled passenger flight from Jersey to Portsmouth collided with a cloud-covered hill at St. Boniface Down in Southern England, resulting in the aircraft's destruction and the deaths of twelve of the 18 occupants (all three crew members and nine out of 15 passengers) on board. The C-47 had descended to 1,000 feet - well below the safe minimum height - while approaching Portsmouth in low cloud and drizzly weather conditions. The poor weather conditions made it impossible for the flight deck crew to spot the hill in its vicinity and to take evasive action, as a result of which the aircraft struck high ground and burst into flames. This was Channel Airways first and only fatal accident.[10][1]
  • On 3 May 1967 a Channel Airways Vickers Viscount 812 (registration G-AVJZ) was damaged beyond repair during a test flight to renew the aircraft's Certificate of Airworthiness as a result of propeller no. 4 being feathered shortly after takeoff from Southend Airport, causing the aircraft to enter an uncontrolled turn and scrape the ground with its right wingtip. This, in turn, caused the plane to crash into a wire fence compound, catch fire and kill two workers on the ground. Although the aircraft was a complete write-off, none of the three crew members on board was hurt.[11]
  • On 4 May 1968 a Channel Airways Vickers Viscount 812 (registration G-APPU)[1] was damaged beyond repair in a landing accident at Southend Airport at the end of a scheduled passenger flight. The Viscount touched down on Southend's runway 06 at too high speed. Braking proved ineffective because the pilot in command wrongly assumed that the aircraft was aquaplaning. Instead, he used the aircraft's parking brake in the ensuing emergency, in a futile attempt to arrest its speed. The plane ran off the runway and collided with an earth wall. There were no injuries among the 83 occupants (four crew, 79 passengers).[12]

[edit] Code data

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e Story of last flight
  2. ^ a b c Tridents for Channel, Flight International, 12 October 1967, p. 594
  3. ^ Channel Airways
  4. ^ Channel routes taken over, Flight International, 9 March 1972, p. 348
  5. ^ The Spirit of Dan-Air, Simons, G.M., GMS Enterprises, Peterborough, 1993, p. 123
  6. ^ The Spirit of Dan-Air, Simons, G.M., GMS Enterprises, Peterborough, 1993, pp. 55, 61, 228/9
  7. ^ The Spirit of Dan-Air, Simons, G.M., GMS Enterprises, Peterborough, 1993, p. 101
  8. ^ Aviation Safety Network > ASN Aviation Safety Database > Operator index > United Kingdom > Channel Airways
  9. ^ ASN Aircraft accident description Vickers 614 Viking 1 G-AHPH - Southend Municipal Airport (SEN)
  10. ^ ASN Aircraft accident description Douglas C-47A-1-DK G-AGZB - St. Boniface Down
  11. ^ ASN Aircraft accident description Vickers 812 Viscount G-AVJZ - Southend Municipal Airport (SEN)
  12. ^ ASN Aircraft accident description Vickers 812 Viscount G-APPU - Southend Municipal Airport (SEN)

[edit] References

  • "Flight International" . Reed Business Information. ISSN 0015-3710.  (various backdated issues relating to Channel Airways, 1962-1972)
  • Simons, Graham M. (1993). The Spirit of Dan-Air. GMS Enterprises. ISBN 1-8703-8420-2. 

[edit] External links

'No Radar on Sunday' - The Story of Channel Airways Dakota G-AGZB

London Southend Airport - Information Leaflet

Aviation Safety Network database – Channel Airways accidents/incidents

1960s Channel Airways flight attendant uniform

contemporary timetable images

Channel Airways Hawker Siddeley Trident 1E G-AVYB coming in to land at Berlin Tegel on July 9, 1971

Channel Airways BAC One-Eleven 408EF G-AWEJ coming in to land at Berlin Tegel on July 9, 1971

Channel Airways De Havilland Comet 4B G-APMB on the ground at Berlin Tegel on August 7, 1971 (this particular example subsequently joined Dan-Air’s fleet)