GATWICK 30/08/1973 QUERIES

[jargon]

A Thursday and the first day I ever visited an international airport and the only ever visit to one with my dad but it was a good introduction and we went on the roof from memory. 

Queries

Islander in Ghana Air Force colours, registration sadly not recorded, I thought I'd be able to sort this out with a book on Islanders but there are quite a few potentials for the date

'VIP AIR' nothing else recorded, I'm guessing it was either an Air Taxi or a business jet, **Edit just spotted on a google it could be VIP-AIR/VIP Oil of Milan so could be a Mystere** 

CF-PWL 707 PACIFIC WESTERN, couldn't find it as L, I'm guessing it may have been a V?

N81396 'TIA' is all that's recorded so I'm presuming it's Trans International Airways but can't spot a similar registration in that fleet, 

OY-DVG 'Lego', I'm presuming the G should be an L for Lego's then Citation

Any help appreciated

Thanks

Regards

John

[bookhamblue]

Hello John

I have been looking at some old logs from this period and recall the Ghana Air Force Islanders on transit. I noted G352 / G-BBAL at Elstree on the 24/7/1973.

There were four Islanders delivered to Ghana during this period, all registered on the 6/6/1973 and cancelled on the 18/9/1973.

The other three were

G353 / G-BBAM
G354 / G-BBAN
G355 / G-BBAO

Hopefully someone can help with the date you visited LGW.

Regards

Kyle

[howardlgw]

Not a lot of help but Vip-Air operated Gulf 2 I-SMEG, noted at Gatwick 24/7/72 and a number of Falcon 20's including I-ATMO & I-IRIF. I saw OY-DVL Citation LEGO at LGW 28/9/72. I have checked the LAAS MAG for movements for this date and that can only offer up OO-LFF Cessna 421 , F-BRQT Navajo, and D-EFFS Mooney.

regards Howard

[billsamuels]

Hi John,

Haven’t got a scientific answer but I’ve just dug-out my 1975 JP airline fleets book and Pacific Western had two B707’s (1975) in the fleet around that time, C-FPWV (-138B, ex VH-EBA) and C-FPWJ (-351C, ex N356US ex ‘Northwest’). Hard to differentiate, 48 years later, but you never know...

I also checked my logs too, sadly I have a complete blank between 22/07/1973 and 13/07/1974... Must have lost a log somewhere along the road....

Sorry I can’t be more helpful...

Bill

[christoff]

Hi John.

Have done some research and think your Islander is G-BBAN/G354 C/n 340, it has a delivery date of 28/08/73, this is the date it left Bembridge to commence its delivery flight and may well have stopped at LGW for customs purposes before continuing its delivery flight..

Hope this of some use

Chris.

[graham]

Hi John

Checked 1972/1973/1974 CAMs and there's nothing remotely like that reg in the US Airlines section for TIA, or any other airline. That reg has only been issued once according to PlaneBase and that's to a Fairchild F24.

The historic fleet details online seem to miss quite a bit out, for example, it lists most of their DC-8s but omits the pair of B727s they operated which were I believe N1727T and N1728T, the former of which I saw at LGW in the early 70s.

The closest I can see in those early CAMs, assuming that it was a TIA you noted, would be N796FT, N4869T, and N8786R but that's purely based on the digits you wrote down

[jargon]

Thanks Kyle, Howard, Bill, Chris and Graham for taking the time to reply

Thanks Kyle and Chris for the Islander information

Thanks Howard for the information on VIP-AIR and the LAAS log for the day

Sorry to hear you've got logs missing Bill, I too could only find the two Pacific Western 707's J & V so I guess thats my dodgy recording

Thanks Graham for looking at the TIA, I was equally puzzled, my dad would only have had old 8x30 binoculars at the time and I guess heat haze would have been an issue too.

The good thing is my dad took the time to take me and kick off my logs and allow me to see the lovely British Court Line and Donaldson schemes before they were gone forever.

Regards

John

[graham]

Gatwick was so unpredictable back then John wasn't it? The various US and Canadian carriers that you wouldn't see anywhere else, the vivid colours of the Court Line and occasional Braniff, the biz and the GA from so many countries. Always loved a visit.