WHBM

In truth, I've heard multiple explanation for why, in the 1962-72 period, Qantas 707s were termed "V-Jet". I am aware that they now say it is from vannus, but as possibly one of a lesser number here who supposedly benefits (?) from a "classical" education, to me the Latin for Fan is ventilo* (hence ventilator etc), not vannus. Of course, it still begins with V.

Now far be it for me, as an English "Pom", to question the stated origin, but Australia is one of the less likely locations to resort to a classical language for such a description, even 50 years ago. After all, as the old question goes, Q: "What is the most cultured thing in Australia ?". A: "A pot of yogurt".

But back to old aircraft. The explanation I recall was that, in the days when long-haul aircraft into Australia were principally from the UK (registration G-...) and the USA (tail numbers N...), there was a pride to actually have Australian jets (registration VH-..., just taking the first letter).

Qantas didn't have a lot of long-haul flights in 1960, but what they had mostly went halfway round the world to London. It's actually a route through Singapore almost entirely over land, and the restricted range of the first 707-138s didn't matter, although it was beefed up by Qantas asking for a unique short-fuselage version with less empty weight and more fuel capacity. But when the fan engines came along, halfway through the deliveries, they changed to this engine and modified the original ones to this standard. These were the first V-Jets, as originally they just had the old standard Qantas livery of red stripes on a white tail. Once the 707-320C came along, just a few years later, that was a far better choice for such long-haul flying, and the 707-138Bs were just about the first jet fleet ever to hit the secondhand market, in the mid-1960s. The 320Cs were also V-Jets, which lasted until the first 747s came along in 1971, when the logo changed from a V to a kangaroo, alias "Skippy" (named after a dreadful Australian TV kids' show about a kangaroo, which alas even the BBC purchased and was the subject of much ridicule in both countries, and rightly so).

There's a lot about early Qantas 707s, including detail of the "fanning" of the early aircraft, here - do read the "Ron Yates" page if interested in the early developments http://www.707.adastron.com/qantas/qantas.htm

Just in case you think I've given Australia a hard time here, there's a longstanding tradition between the UK and Australia to do so jocularly, both ways, that the US doesn't really seem to have with anywhere. And when myself and our company owner went there for the first time when we were in our 40's, to set up a company office there, on the trip back, in a Qantas 747-400 overhead India in the middle of the night, we both agreed it was such a great place that if we had been 15 years younger we might well never have come back .....

* : Thank you, after all these years, Kennedy's Shortbread Eating Primer

kochleffel

It seems to me that ventilo would be a verb form. For a noun, the best I can come up with is flabellum. However, vannus is apparently a special kind of fan: for winnowing grain. It sounds farfetched to me.

jlemon

Hello WHBM!

Curious to know if Qantas operated their B707-138/138B aircraft on what I think was called the Fiesta route (the long way from London to Australia via the New World).

And perhaps you can also once again list the stops on this service. I believe such destinations as Nassau, Mexico City and Acapulco were served although I'm not sure of this. Also, was this route served jointly by BA or was it purely a QF show?

kochleffel

The page that I cited says that Qantas extended its US route with a continuation to London in September 1959, and that service to London via India began in October of that year.

miniliq

9) The airline was Eastern; the route MSY-MOB-PNS-MGM-BHM-ATL. I'll speculate that the equipment was an L-188 Electra; second guess an L-1049 G Super Constellation (which I found in a 1960 schedule).

jlemon

9) Well, as the Connie is not a turboprop, your first guess is correct! It was Eastern with an L-188 Electra.

jlemon

Well, I am really jogging my old memory here but I believe the Fiesta route was a westbound service operated by Qantas from London to Sydney that did not stop in the U.S. and was flown with a Boeing 707. Here's the routing to the best of my knowledge:

London-Bermuda-Nassau-Mexico City-Acapulco-Tahiti-Fiji-Sydney

I believe the Fiesta route was also flown eastbound in reverse by QF from Australia to the U.K.

WHBM

Qantas 581 routing was London, Bermuda, Nassau, Mexico, Acapulco, Papeete, Fiji, Sydney. It operated once a week.

The answer to whether BOAC ever did the route (which I believe finished before they became British Airways) is Yes and No, because although they didn't do the whole route, BOAC did run from London as far as Mexico City, and a second weekly Qantas flight came eastbound as far as Mexico to make a connection. This was the first element of the flight to go, the through run lasted a few years more. It was a thorough nuisance for crewing, because the crew, who were changed every one or two sectors, were stuck for a week until the next flight came through, and although they got home a lot quicker from London direct through Singapore, were still away from base for over a month.

As we discussed previously, this was the time of much emigration from the UK to Australia, financially assisted by the Australian government (the families paid just GBP 10 each one way), and of course they were put on Qantas where practical. This route had some very low commercial load factors so the westbound run took a lot of these emigrants over time, who doubtless by the time they got to Sydney were left with the impression that Australia was indeed a VERY long way away !

I haven't got a Qantas timetable link, but the whole thing was always shown in the BOAC timetable as well. Here it is.

http://www.timetableimages.com/ttima...66/ba66-09.jpg

cs57

13) Air Shuttle aircraft (Eastern) used on DCA/LGA and LGA/BOS, as well as EWR/DCA and BOS/EWR in 1972 was DC9 "Whisperliners" with "jet-powered aircraft always ready to add another section (Electra)
Airfare
1972 $26
2013 $418

schedule DCA/LGA
1972--59 minutes
2013--1.18 minutes

jrl767

probably EA; second guess would be UA


again guessing: MIA, IAH, TPA with 707 service (possibly DC-8)


this was doubtless the DC-8-61, which entered service with UA in Feb 67

I have very vivid memories of a DTW-ATL-IAH trip on DL -61s in Apr 73 ... the first flight was almost entirely in turbulence; I was in an aisle seat in the next-to-last row, and the Dutch roll was really evident (to where I didn't have line-of-sight to the cockpit door most of the time)

I had a window seat in the front of the coach cabin ATL-IAH, and got a photo of the inboard thrust reverser deployed as a speed brake during descent

jrl767

when did EA promote the Shuttle to 72S?

jrl767

BGM-DCA was Commuter Airlines (CB), operating a Swearingen Metro II with the round porthole windows ... I flew on N5304M southbound in Nov 73 and northbound in Jan 74

LKE-YWH was Lake Union Air, operating a DeHaviland Twin Otter floatplane ... C-FAKM was the one that my sister and I took on a typical low-clouds-and-drizzle Seattle morning, but by the time we got past the San Juan Islands it was clear and a million



hints: IAD-DAY, DAY-PIT-IAD

tonywestsider

Quote:
Originally Posted by cs57
13) Air Shuttle aircraft (Eastern) used on DCA/LGA and LGA/BOS, as well as EWR/DCA and BOS/EWR in 1972 was DC9 "Whisperliners" with "jet-powered aircraft always ready to add another section (Electra)
[/QUOTE]

And EA's DC-9s were "Whisperjets" as well as their 727s. EA's wide-body aircraft were known as "Whisperliners".

Seat 2A

4) In the summer of 1961, this message appeared on the cover of this airline's timetable: "New Boeing 720 Jets New York - Atlanta - New Orleans - 2 Round Trips Daily". Name the airline. ...

I would be leaning towards Capitol Airlines. They had leased a couple of Boeing 720-022s from United and it wouldn't surprise me if the timetable referenced was amongst Capitol's last, if not the last one issued under the Capitol banner before their merger with United.

Seat 2A

Not to gush but honestly, WHBM, this kind of detail is both of great interest to this forum/thread and indeed literally priceless as we enjoy it at no cost. I'll pay good money for your book should you someday write one (if you haven't already!). Thank you.

And now, let's have a purely pedestrian stab at this one:

14) It's a Wednesday evening in the spring of 1973 and you are back in Chicago where you've just finished a business project. The phone rings in your downtown hotel suite and it's an old sailing buddy calling from, of all places, Maracaibo, Venezuela! Your good friend is having a bit of an adventure: he has been sailing his 54 foot catamaran from Santa Barbara, CA to Nassau, Bahamas via the Panama Canal. However, the boat experienced engine problems on the journey from Panama so it's now in port at Maracaibo for repairs. And to compound matters, one of the crew has become ill and can no longer sail. "So, hey buddy, can you fly down here and lend a hand?" Well, of course! You discover one airline offers direct, no change of plane service with a departure the next day from ORD to MAR with only one stop en route. Identify the airline, the equipment flown on the route and for bonus points the intermediate stop.

How about Delta, flying via New Orleans (I think we had a variant of this question a couple of months back) with a Convair 880? If not the 880, then a DC-8