jlemon

Ozark also operated the DC9-34 which reportedly had longer range when compared with other series 30 models. I do not think very many DC9-34 aircraft rolled off the production line in Long Beach and some of them may have been convertible freighter (CF) versions. Here's a photo of an Ozark DC9-34 on departure from St. Louis with this shot taken by none other than the late, great Jon Proctor.....

https://www.jetphotos.com/photo/6256131

WHBM

DC9-34 was a further weight increase (as, progressively, were all the DC9 variants, 31, 32, 33, 34), primarily aimed at European charter operators, and the main buyer was Spanish airline Aviaco, for their extensive holiday flights from the Canary Islands to Germany and Scandinavia, which were beyond the range of the others. In the photo is Ozark N936L, which is a onetime Balair aircraft, holiday flight operator from Switzerland, who ran the type from Zurich to Egypt or The Canaries, and even (with a fuel stop) to Mombasa in Kenya. Both these carriers were owned by their respective national airlines, Iberia and Swissair, who ran standard DC9-32s on internal European flights, but wanted a bit more for their offshoots.

WHBM

I suppose that could lead on to a couple of other Bonus Questions about the Canary Islands.

1. Which mainstream airline bought aircraft from a manufacturer they had never bought from before (or since), specifically to cover their extensive holiday flights to the Canary Islands. Airline and aircraft type.

2. Which airline built up a substantial secondhand fleet of a distinctive type, again to cover the range required for their flights from these islands. Airline and aircraft type. Answered : Spantax and the Convair 990.

3. Which airline was suddenly forced to serve the Canary Islands on major longhaul flights.

4. If I wanted to go from the Canary Islands down to Ghana in mid-West Africa in 1966, which airline should I call ? Airline and aircraft type.
Answered : British United One-Eleven

5. If I wanted to go nonstop from the Canary Islands to San Juan, Puerto Rico in 1966, which airline should I call ? Airline and aircraft type. Answered : Iberia DC8

6. Bristol Britannias flew cargo flights for several years around 1970 from the Canary Islands to Britain. What was the cargo ? Answer : Potatoes

KT550

I'll guess....

Spantax & Convair 990

WHBM

Quite so, it was the Canaries to Scandinavia business again, beyond the European twin jets of the era, that led Spantax to get into this type, initially from the mid-1960s when American started to let them go and there were very few medium-haul jets on the secondhand market. They were long supported technically by Swissair, the major European user of the type. One was lost in 1970 at Stockholm, about to depart on another Spanish holiday flight an engine failed on startup, passengers were disembarked, and a 3-engine ferry to Zurich for an engine change commenced, but lost control shortly after liftoff

jlemon

5. I think this may have been Iberia operating a DC8. And if so, the service may have been part of a route between Spain and South America.

jrl767

5- the logical supposition for the operator would be Iberia, whose long-haul fleet consisted of DC-8s

harumph — I spent too much time composing my “canaries” answer before hitting “Post”
6- canaries
while the small yellow birds are indeed found on the islands, canes of course is Latin for “dogs”; early explorers found large packs of wild dogs roaming at least one of the islands (source)

real answer: bananas

YVR Cockroach

And there were still numerous coal mines.....

WHBM

Hello from yet another winter storm blowing across London all day, which again ruined any prospect of afternoon outdoor activity. And its getting worse.


Yes, it was Iberia, once a week from Madrid to Las Palmas, San Juan and on to Caracas, with a second one direct from Las Palmas to Caracas. That seems to have been it for transatlantic flights from the Canaries. It was a bit of a dog-leg to San Juan to go via Las Palmas, but there we are. Notably the Iberia flights to Brazil and Argentina, which must have overflown the islands, didn't serve them.

Tie ! 10 points each.

Quote:

harumph — I spent too much time composing my “canaries” answer before hitting “Post”

I regret to report that the birds, widespread there, are not yellow (or pink, or white) but brownish, and to the untrained eye pretty indistinguishable from sparrows. The colourful ones have been created by long term selective breeding in captivity.

Quote:

real answer: bananas

Believe it or not, much more mundane ...

KT550

I'm struggling with a presumably perishable commodity that was only in need of air transportation in the 1970s (before my time).

Maybe the tomato harvest failed, so I'll try that.

WHBM

Mundane ...

KT550

Tomatoes are dull and uninteresting......

jlemon

Cool, gray and actually quite refreshing fall weather here at the moment. We are planning on enjoying a fire in our outdoor fireplace this evening for the first time this fall season.

However, it appears we just might have yet another hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico by next week. If so, it would be named Zeta and might make landfall somewhere on the Gulf coast from southeast Louisiana to the panhandle of Florida. And Zeta would then be followed by a strong cold front if the forecast proves to be correct. Stay tuned....

Seat 2A

4. If I wanted to go from the Canary Islands down to Ghana in mid-West Africa in 1966, which airline should I call ? Airline and aircraft type.

Well my first thought was B-Cal and its BAC 111 services which have spawned a couple of questions here. But wait! It's 1966. Alright then, let's try British United probably running a propeller driven aircraft. Seems like the Britannia was used on the larger markets, so let's go with the Viscount.

Seat 2A

Originally Posted by WHBM View Post
Hello from yet another winter storm blowing across London all day, which again ruined any prospect of afternoon outdoor activity. And its getting worse.....

I've just arrived in Denver, looking forward to tomorrow's game between the Broncos and the Chiefs. Alas, it's supposed to start snowing tonight with accumulations of 4-6" tomorrow. Temperature at game time is projected to be 19F. Go Broncos!

Shortly after the game, I'll be boarding a United 777 to Chicago for a date with the California Zephyr. It brings back memories of the 70s to be flying a wide body on a 900 mile domestic route. I dare say good memories, at that.