YVR Cockroach

That's one of them. And you've got all the words in your first sentence for the other answer (hint: rearrange 3 of the last 4 words).

WHBM

Yes, that was an actually short-lived stage, when Singapore broke away from the Malay Federation the airline was renamed as Malaysia Singapore Airlines, extensively trading as MSA. Like some other "multi country" airlines, and in fact quicker than most, the agreement fell apart, and both Malaysia and Singapore set up their own airlines. Some of the fleet was divided equally (for example the recent Boeing 737s went to each alternately), while the domestic Fokker F27s, the DC3s replacements, went to malaysia; Singapore doesn't have much of a domestic operation ...

Because MSA had become well known, both airlines wanted to retain it, and initially devised names to suit, so Singapore wanted at first to be Mercury Singapore Airlines, while Malaysia wanted Malaysia Service Airlines. Eventually they agreed not to do so, although Malaysia reversed theirs to Malaysia Airline Service, still their name today.

As you might expect, the original Malayan Airlines had an element of BOAC ownership, and were the recipients of various cast-offs, firstly Bristol Britannias, and then Comet 4s. The DC3 have a bit of an interesting personal history, they were built up in the 1950s from RAF stocks that were in the Far East, there being a significant UK military presence there while it was still a colony, and these RAF aircraft were a hangover from wartime days there (they were substantially self-sufficient so it was never necessary to send the DC3s back to the UK for overhauls). Now, Mr WHBM Senior was an RAF navigator on DC3s in Burma in the latter stages of WW2 and when I looked up in the big DC3 history book here I traced some of those Malayan Airlines aircraft back to his squadron. So those painted tiger faces behind the cockpit windows may well, in the aircraft's younger days, have had a face long familiar to me on the other side of the fuselage skin from its wings !

jrl767

I'll stick to airliners ... herewith a pair of Lockheed names

• Starliner (L-1649) -- Ford
• Electra (Model 10, Model 14, and L-188) -- Buick

a separate category for the many non-transport-category military aircraft might also be interesting ... so speaking of that, and as long as I'm talking about Lockheed ...
BONUS QUESTION: a military derivative of the Model 14 Electra actually bore the same name as which auto manufacturer?

jlemon

And here's a hopefully interesting bit of news......

The longest nonstop domestic flight to date in the world has now taken place.

The flight was recently operated by Air Tahiti Nui with a Boeing 787-9 and the aircraft flew nonstop from Papeete (PPT) to Paris (CDG). Usually this flight would stop at LAX but the coronavirus travel ban means that Air Tahiti Nui cannot stop in the U.S. for the time being. So with 150 passengers reportedly on board and favorable winds aloft, TN 064 flew nonstop from PPT to CDG in 15 hours and 45 minutes. Air Tahiti Nui has also stated they will replace the LAX stop with a stop at either Pointe-a-Pitre (PTP) in the Caribbean or Vancouver (YVR) unless the Canadian government decides not to let them make the stop at YVR.

Meantime, we now have our first cases of coronavirus here in Lafayette and we continue to take precautions. And I will submit a new set of quiz questions tomorrow.

YVR Cockroach

Without looking anything up and cross-refering a/c names in my brain with auto manufacturers. Hudson?

YVR Cockroach

Got it. MSA may have been short-lived (middle of the '70s) but significant. I believe the 707s were introduced into the fleet in this brief period and services started getting expanded outside the two countries. I don't remember if ML started service to LHR or it was after the split and SQ did.

FWIW, your father may have known my sister's F-i-L who flew the hump. BAe Systems produced a (it was also the year of his 100th birthday).

jrl767

yep, that's the one
interestingly, a few Hudsons apparently saw airline service

KT550

Thanks jrl; you certainly know your old cars. I'd not heard of the Ford Starliner.

jrl767

not nearly as well as many, I'm sure ... I had initially thought "Starliner" was a Pontiac model, but research revealed that was actually the "Star Chief"

although speaking of old cars, I just discovered that there was also a Studebaker Starliner

WHBM

They didn't really coincide. Having gone out by ship to Bombay, then train across India, they picked up aircraft at Gauhati, Assam, eastern India, then slowly progressed right across Burma, through Akyab, Mandalay, Rangoon, and ultimately ending in Bangkok. The Hump was to the north of that. They were principally handling supplies to the ground troops. The "British" army progressing forward was British officers but otherwise wholly Indian NCOs and men.1 ton of rice in a 5-ton rice bag. Overhead the army DZ, tight orbit at 1,000 feet, open the freight door, several Indian RAF men in the back, completely unsecured (!) started booting the bag slowly over the door lip, bit more, bit more, WHAM, gone. Pilot had to suddenly catch the changed CofG. Back round again for the next bag. They didn't land - 30 sorties in Halifax bombers from the UK beforehand had given some experience of that.

Otherwise worked all his career in the bank ("ah, bank, good with figures, navigator then"). They didn't have enough navigators so the DC3s would fly in loose formation with them at the front. I think it was a highlight of his, otherwise not much travelled, life, and I heard enough about the operation that I think I could fly my PA28 G-WHBM today VFR from Mandalay down to Rangoon without charts - basically just follow the big Irrrawady River. After liberation they did some of the UK POW repatriation flights from the camps as far as Calcutta, where long haul 4-engine types took over to return to the UK. That was pretty much kept to himself. Apparently came home (by sea again), got his old office suits out of the cupboard, walked that afternoon into the bank, some greetings (the old senior management didn't quite know what to say), tidied his old desk, and got the day's paperwork out. Burned all his RAF uniforms at the bottom of the garden at the weekend.

And people are whinging today in the UK and elsewhere about a shortage of toilet paper ...

Toshbaf

An update from me while waiting for a new set of questions. On Wednesday, March 18, it was announced that the land border between the US and Canada would be closed for an indefinite period of time except for truckers and some essential travel. At the time, the announcements didn't say when it would begin. I called the US side of the border on Wednesday asking if the border would be shut before the next day but they said they hadn't received any instructions and couldn't predict.

Today, I crossed the border (Thursday, March 19th). Nearly empty. One lane was empty. A second lane had one car in front of me. This was despite more lengthy questioning and an illness information sheet given to everyone. On the way to the border, a news radio station played a quote from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that the border would be sealed at night between Friday evening (3/20/2020) and Saturday.

I then returned across the border after about 3 hours (and washing hands a lot as well as not talking with anyone). It was one of my most anti-social trips ever....no human contact.

dfw88

Another day, another round of guesses

There are only so many countries that start with "I". The first flag carrier that came to mind is Garuda Indonesia whose logo is... a garuda, which turns out to be a mythical eagle (thanks, Wikipedia).

Going through the list of countries in my mind:
Italy: Alitalia has a big "A"
Israel: El Al has a Star of David
Iran: Iran Air has a griffin, which is a mythological bird-like creature, but doesn't end in "a"
Ireland: Aer Lingus has a shamrock
India: Air India - apparently that tail is supposed to be a swan? Who knew?
Iceland: Icelandair has... something, but it doesn't really look like a bird
Iraq: Iraqi AIrways has a swallow, which is a bird, but not very mythological.

Upon further research, it turns out that the Iran Air griffin is actually a mythological Huma (or Homa) bird (Huma Bird), so I figure that must be what you're going for.
Well, I learned something today!

YVR Cockroach

I too used to think garuda was just a hindu word for eagle but apparently not.

The earlier ('70s) versions of the huma logo reminded me of the AF flying sea horse logo of the same ear for whatever reason. Not that they really loo alike.

jrl767

Renault and Sud (Sud Est) Aviation SE.210 -- Caravelle
American Motors Corp (AMC, formerly Rambler) and Airspeed -- Ambassador

YVR Cockroach

There is/was another manufacturer of a vehicle branded Ambassador.

The Renault Caravelle I only became aware of as there's one rotting away in the town where I live. Only one I've ever seen.