Seat 2A

I have thoroughly enjoyed reading all of the posts since July 1st. Thanks for the greatly entertaining and informative banter.

Word is we may have Wi-Fi up and running within a couple of weeks.

That said, y'all're doing just fine in my absence. I think I'll just continue to check in as a reader on my occasional forays up to Fairbanks while otherwise working on some additional queries for later this fall...

jrl767

please feel free to take a run at these which are still open … and I have a few more in the works

1983(a)- It’s been twelve very long and less-than-fully-productive days on the project in Guam. At your urging, the client has announced a three-week hiatus during which they will revisit the requirements, develop a new timeline, and reset their expectations. Not one to sit idly on a tropical island, you spend the weekend doing lots of OAG research and making a handful of long-distance phone calls.

You’ll depart on Monday afternoon for two weeks of cycling west to east along the Côte d’Azur. Your itinerary involves a trio of one-stop flights, all on different airlines, on jets with two, three, and four engines; you’ll have 2+10 for your first connection and 3+30 for the second.

Please identify the airline, equipment, and intermediate stop for each flight, both connecting airports, and the major airport at which you’ll arrive.

1983(b)- The first of your three flights back to Guam departs on Thursday afternoon. Since you nearly missed the interline connection to the long-haul flight on the outbound trip, you’ve decided to backtrack a bit to facilitate an online connection to the long flight on your return journey.

This trip also involves three different aircraft types; you have 1+20 for the online connection and 5+15 for the interline connection. One of the flights is a nonstop, one makes one stop, and one makes two stops. One airport and one aircraft type are repeats from your outbound itinerary.

We’re looking for the major airport from which you’ll depart, both connecting airports, and of course the airline, equipment, and intermediate stop/s for each flight.

jrl767

hint —

only one of the itineraries traverses Asia (i.e, the complete trip is RTW)

WHBM

Very sorry to report that the Ukrainian-registered four-turboprop Antonov 12 UR-CIC, which I have referred to (or its handful of colleagues) several times here, crashed yesterday in Greece while on a cargo flight from Serbia to Jordan and eastwards. These aircraft very commonly transit directly overhead London, and always get my attention. This one last passed over the house here a week ago, running from Birmingham into Europe, principally carrying car parts, I distinctly recall it, and going out into the garden to view it, as ever. It had a distinctive engine noise, even cruising at 20,000 ft it was louder and more noticeable than the others.

Greece plane crash: Cargo aircraft was carrying weapons to Bangladesh - minister - BBC News

Farewell old girl, 50 years old this year, built 1971, originally with Aeroflot. And very distressing regarding the crew of eight on board.

jlemon

Read about this earlier today courtesy of one of the aviation newsletters I receive via e-mail on a daily basis.

Due to the nature of the cargo, it appears this crash might have been a whole lot worse for people on the ground had the aircraft come down in a densely populated area.

Track

1983 (a) I admit I had to do OAG research too on this puzzle (my June, 1978, copy rather than the 1983 one you reference), but here's my proposal:
Since the cycling tour moves east along the French Riviera, Marseille is the obvious arrival airport from Guam, but one-stop, 2-engined flights are rare there (from Amsterdam, Athens, Brussels, Frankfurt and 3-engined from Moscow). That leads to the question where is the 3-engined flight? Continental's Guam service is obvious, but all their one-stop 727 flights lead to airports with no 4-engined, 1-stop flight to Europe. But then Japan Airlnes has a weekly (Thursday) flight Guam-Saipan-Narita with a DC8-62. What could the 3-engined, one-stop flight from Tokyo be? Lufthansa, SABENA and KLM are logical, but LH's DC10s fly by the southern route with many stops, and SABENA's leaves from Haneda via Anchorage to Brussels. So it's KLM's DC10 Narita-Anchorage-Amsterdam. And then it's KLM's Fokker Friendship Amsterdam-Lyon-Marseille.

1983 (b) Here I offer Nice-Paris-CDG (non-stop) on a 727 or A300, connecting to Paris-Amsterdam-Anchorage-Narita on a Japan Airlines 747 and then on to the JL Narita-Saipan-Guam DC8-62 flight.

jrl767

1983(a)- I admire your deductive reasoning here, and despite your use of an OAG from five years before the time in question you’ve come very close to the answer here — however, one of the criteria was three different airlines in each direction

• GUM-SPN-NRT is CORRECT
• JL is INCORRECT, D8S is INCORRECT

• NRT-ANC-AMS is CORRECT
• KL is INCORRECT, D10 is INCORRECT

• AMS-XXX-MRS is CORRECT; note we still need the intermediate stop
• KL is CORRECT, F27 is INCORRECT

Quote:

Originally Posted by Track

1983 (b) Here I offer Nice-Paris-CDG (non-stop) on a 727 or A300, connecting to Paris-Amsterdam-Anchorage-Narita on a Japan Airlines 747 and then on to the JL Narita-Saipan-Guam DC8-62 flight.

1983(b)- well, you’re rather farther off track here; see the hint in Post 26148 about the entire itinerary

• CDG is INCORRECT, AF is INCORRECT, AB3 is INCORRECT

• AMS is INCORRECT, NRT is INCORRECT, JL is INCORRECT, 747 is CORRECT

• SPN is CORRECT, JL is INCORRECT, D8S is INCORRECT

Track

1983 (a) I can offer a revised itinerary now:

Guam-Saipan-Narita on a Continental 727-200 (this route wasn't served by CO in 1978, but in 1983 I guess it was)
Narita-Anchorage-Amsterdam on a Japan Airlines 747-200 (not served by JL in 1978)
Amsterdam-Marseille on a KLM DC9-50 via Lyon (did you overlook my earlier mention of Lyon as the stop on this segment, or did you mean Lyon is incorrect? Other than Lyon I'm hard put to think of an alternative. I suppose Brussels is a logical one, but the EEC's Single Air Transport Market wasn't instituted until 1992, and I don't think SN or AF would appreciate KLM's presumptions on this route, nor would KLM be allowed to sell tickets on that segment. In France Lille and Strasbourg come to mind, but Lille's really too peripheral to be served from Amsterdam. Any service via Switzerland or Germany would also be thwarted by SR and LH. If Lyon is indeed incorrect, I can only suggest Strasbourg - or how about Basel (the airport is actually in France)?

I'm still working on 1983 (b), but with only a 1978 OAG it's mostly guesswork.

jrl767

• GUM-SPN-NRT is CORRECT; CO 72S is CORRECT
• NRT-ANC-AMS is CORRECT; JL 747 is CORRECT
• AMS-LYS-MRS is CORRECT — my apologies for overlooking that you indeed mentioned LYS; KL is CORRECT although the reference OAG actually shows it as a double code-share with AF and Air Inter; D95 is INCORRECT

WHBM

Greetings from a beach on the island of Jersey, where we arrived some days ago, courtesy (as ever) of a BA E190 from London City, which despite the huge disorganisation across the industry in Britain this year departed (and arrived) exactly on time. Westerly departures from LCY point pretty much directly there, but with Heathrow etc in the way one turns immediately to the east, and then very slowly unwinds, passing well within sight of Southend Airport. Now Channel Airways from there, in the 1950s-60s, long had Jersey as their No 1 summer destination, so we could now imagine tracing their route, probably somewhat higher and faster, from their succession of DC3s, De Havilland Doves, and several generations of Viscounts. British Air Ferries followed their demise by keeping going for further years with Heralds and Viscounts as well, along with just about every UK independent carrier ever. Jersey was long the No 1 holiday destination for UK domestic flights, and although things have fallen back from the peak of the 1960s, it still gets a very respectable service , from a wide range of other UK airports, though again not as wide as in the 1960s, when virtually every airport and airstrip capable had summer flights there.

To explain, Jersey is British, but isn’t, one of several halfway such places around the world, like Gibraltar, Cayman Islands, Falklands, and so on. Just off the coast of France, but you would never know it, and far easier to get to from the UK mainland.

Arrival at Jersey airport, it still feels a bit of that 1960s-70s timewarp (like the whole island). The single-storey terminal seems built of bits from various dates, the steel-construction parts showing rusting from the marine atmosphere. Now Jersey Airlines, a onetime pioneer Handley Page Herald operator, was folded into British United in 1963, so it was a surprise to find the big hangar next to the terminal still has, albeit faded, their name across the end, nearly 60 years afterwards, in their distinctive capitalised font. Here it is.
Into the taxi and off down the road - what’s this behind the fence ? Why, a 1950s neat little 4-engined De Havilland Heron, like that hangar somewhat faded. G-AORG “Duchess of Brittany”, in full Jersey Airlines livery. The subject of a series of preservation attempts, it seems not to have flown for some years, but from what I see on Facebook here they still taxy it round in front of the aforementioned hangar from time to time Facebook . The last time I saw it airborne for sure was at an airshow about 20 years ago. It’s always been kept in old Jersey Airways livery, matching that hangar (which you can see in the Facebook video clip).

Across the sea from Jersey is Guernsey, a smaller version of the island, and a longstanding high-frequency operation between the two was by local airline Aurigny (pronounced Or-Ee-Nee) with the Britten-Norman Trislander. This was however given up a few years ago, in no small part because the Trislanders got too old and there was nothing else practical. Aurigny are still around at Guernsey, though not at Jersey, and another local carrier, Blue Islands, has slowly taken over the lesser routes with ATRs, including a much reduced but larger aircraft hop between the two islands. Both had a shot at London City in recent years, but the arrival of BA jet service to both islands has finished that off. After our Jersey arrival our Embraer was back to LCY, then straight out again on a Guernsey round trip.

Jersey is not only a holiday island, but being Britain-But-Not it has its own relaxed tax regime, and is thus a significant offshore banking centre, which all seem to operate from obscure offices in the island. Notable at the airport on arrival however was how every advertising space was taken promoting the various investment companies you have never heard of, nothing for tourist hotels at all. The islands also have their own aircraft registration, many business jets around the world now register there, the 2- series, 2-AAAA and above, which now extends to 737s and A320s etc which are between operators. There’s a big business jet centre and FBO at the airport, out of all proportion for the island’s population, which seems to find plenty of trade. No tax on airline flights of course.

What do the islanders do off-holiday season ? Well, they grow potatoes. No, seriously. Given its southernmost location they developed intense agriculture for “early season” produce, ie just before local items become available in England. Potatoes, tomatoes and flowers have long been a specialism, shipped over especially in spring. Various air freight companies worked alongside the shipping lines, one called Channel Express started in the 1980s by a young chap from the islands called Philip Meeson, with old stripped-out Handley Page Heralds running to and fro across the sea, and for such a marginal airline sector made a considerable success of it. The freighters then got used on overnight mail and package services as well, and then looking for something to do with jets in the daytime started to run one of the few QC operations in Europe, with 737s, did holiday flights from Britain to the Mediterranean when the seats were in, and has built up to a huge fleet of over 100 737s and 757s. Still with Philip Meeson in charge, still with the callsign of “Channex”, that … is Jet2 !

Greetings from a beach

jrl767

well, nothing nearly as interesting to report from Camano Island, approx a 60-mile drive from our home in Seattle … a fair amount of general aviation traffic, the occasional contrails of a WestJet or Air Canada or Aeromexico jet plying YVR-LAX/PVR/MEX, the occasional audible presence of an EA-18 or F/A-18 or P-3 based at. Naval Air Station Whidbey Island; just now a Kenmore Air Cessna 208 Grand Caravan en route from Eastsound on Orcas Island to BFI; Friday afternoon when we were out pulling crab pots there was a 777-300 on a production acceptance test flight turning final for PAE about 6000 feet overhead

heading home in a couple hours so I can pack for tonight’s departure (SEA-CVG on a Delta A220-100)

Track

It's interesting that in just 5 years both the airlines and aircraft on all three of these routes have changed. Anyhow, since both KLM's FK7s and DC9s have been eliminated and KLM's Electras were long gone, we're left with the intriguing hint of an AF/IT code-share. That means either a Caravelle or a Mercure on the route, and I'll go with the Caravelle, given the Mercure's rarity and better chance of servicing a Caravelle, probably in AF livery, in Amsterdam.

WHBM

Although having a KL code on it, my hunch too is that this was actually operated from the French end, given the French domestic leg. I'll guess one of the odd Fokker F.28 jets, actually operated for Air France by Air Alsace, in AF colours, and codeshared with KLM on the international part and Air Inter on the French domestic bit - I don't think Air Inter ever codeshared with anyone from outside France. That's a lot of airlines involved in a somewhat peripheral route.

KLM had DC9-10 and -30 at the time, but never operated the DC9-50, although several other European carriers did.

jlemon

Not much to report with regard to aircraft ops from our local airfield (KLFT) with departures to DFW and IAH flown with ERJ-145s as well as a CRJ-700 service to CLT and a CRJ-200 flight to ATL. The usual code sharing suspects, of course.....plus a Dassault Falcon 900 that skirted a tropical thundershower as it departed. A picturesque sight.....

Meantime, yet another Tour de France is now in the history books as the final stage of this iconic men's bicycle race was held earlier today on what appeared to be a very warm day in Paris. Broadcaster Phil Liggett, one of the primary sports commentators with NBC Sports, has been covering the Tour de France for 50 years (!) now and once again did a superb job.

jrl767

Quote:

Originally Posted by Track

It's interesting that in just 5 years both the airlines and aircraft on all three of these routes have changed. Anyhow, since both KLM's FK7s and DC9s have been eliminated and KLM's Electras were long gone, we're left with the intriguing hint of an AF/IT code-share. That means either a Caravelle or a Mercure on the route, and I'll go with the Caravelle, given the Mercure's rarity and better chance of servicing a Caravelle, probably in AF livery, in Amsterdam.

Quote:

Originally Posted by WHBM

Although having a KL code on it, my hunch too is that this was actually operated from the French end, given the French domestic leg. I'll guess one of the odd Fokker F.28 jets, actually operated for Air France by Air Alsace, in AF colours, and codeshared with KLM on the international part and Air Inter on the French domestic bit - I don't think Air Inter ever codeshared with anyone from outside France. That's a lot of airlines involved in a somewhat peripheral route.

KLM had DC9-10 and -30 at the time, but never operated the DC9-50, although several other European carriers did.

and we close out this question with yet another infusion of intriguing information of European airline history

IT/KL/AF Fokker F.28 is CORRECT