Old Timer's Airline Quiz and Discussion.
Mar 12, 2015, 1:22 pm
#7112
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45. What was the first airline to offer scheduled flights with a turbo-prop? What kind of airplane was it?
Northolt airport is still in use as a military RAF base. It is about 5 miles north of Heathrow.
Further bonus question : Which US airline, with what aircraft type, operated a scheduled passenger service into Northolt, but never operated one out of there.
Mar 12, 2015, 2:52 pm
#7113
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AW609 Tilt Rotor
And here's an interesting little video....
https://vimeo.com/121508551
That's an AgustaWestland AW609 tilt rotor on take off. The video was shot just a few days ago at the Orlando Convention Center in Florida following the conclusion of the annual Helicopter Association International (HAI) "Heli Expo" convention. The AW609 should be able to transport 9 pax in an airline-type configuration and is scheduled for FAA certification in 2017.
You'll note that "Bristow" appears on one side of the AW609 while "Eastern Airways" appears on the other side. Eastern Airways is a U.K. regional operating Embraer ERJ-135 and ERJ-145 regional jets as well as Saab 2000 and British Aerospace BAe Jetstream 41 turboprops. Bristow has a controlling interest in Eastern Airways and also has a controlling interest in another regional, being Airnorth in Australia which operates Embraer ERJ-170 regional jets as well as Embraer EMB-120 Brasilia and Fairchild Metro 23 turboprops. Bristow itself operates about 500 helicopters of different makes and models worldwide primarily in support offshore oil and gas operations and also operates search and rescue (SAR) helicopters under contract as Her Majesty's Coastguard in the U.K. I'm very familiar with Bristow.......
https://vimeo.com/121508551
That's an AgustaWestland AW609 tilt rotor on take off. The video was shot just a few days ago at the Orlando Convention Center in Florida following the conclusion of the annual Helicopter Association International (HAI) "Heli Expo" convention. The AW609 should be able to transport 9 pax in an airline-type configuration and is scheduled for FAA certification in 2017.
You'll note that "Bristow" appears on one side of the AW609 while "Eastern Airways" appears on the other side. Eastern Airways is a U.K. regional operating Embraer ERJ-135 and ERJ-145 regional jets as well as Saab 2000 and British Aerospace BAe Jetstream 41 turboprops. Bristow has a controlling interest in Eastern Airways and also has a controlling interest in another regional, being Airnorth in Australia which operates Embraer ERJ-170 regional jets as well as Embraer EMB-120 Brasilia and Fairchild Metro 23 turboprops. Bristow itself operates about 500 helicopters of different makes and models worldwide primarily in support offshore oil and gas operations and also operates search and rescue (SAR) helicopters under contract as Her Majesty's Coastguard in the U.K. I'm very familiar with Bristow.......
Last edited by jlemon; Mar 12, 2015 at 3:01 pm Reason: spelling
Mar 12, 2015, 4:27 pm
#7114
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8. This foreign airline enjoys 5th freedom rights with a flight between Los Angeles and Mexico City every Monday, Wednesday and Friday evening. Identify the airline and the aircraft.
AeroPerú (PL) DC-8-50
Welcome back, Mr. Roboto! Sí, Señor, estaba un DC-8 de AeroPeru. Aqui esta el horario:
PL 621 LAX-MEX 600p 1115p DC-8 Freq. 135
I'm using a North American pocket flight guide, so no further schedule beyond MEX is possible.
31. Tired of flying small and mid-sized jets between the Los Angeles and Las Vegas, you’ve decided to try out this airline which offers decently sized prop-jet service between Burbank and Las Vegas. Identify the airline and the aircraft type used on this route.
Mid Pacific Air (HO)
NAMC YS-11
Correct! HO operated 4 mostly daily flights each day.
AeroPerú (PL) DC-8-50
Welcome back, Mr. Roboto! Sí, Señor, estaba un DC-8 de AeroPeru. Aqui esta el horario:
PL 621 LAX-MEX 600p 1115p DC-8 Freq. 135
I'm using a North American pocket flight guide, so no further schedule beyond MEX is possible.
31. Tired of flying small and mid-sized jets between the Los Angeles and Las Vegas, you’ve decided to try out this airline which offers decently sized prop-jet service between Burbank and Las Vegas. Identify the airline and the aircraft type used on this route.
Mid Pacific Air (HO)
NAMC YS-11
Correct! HO operated 4 mostly daily flights each day.
Last edited by Seat 2A; Mar 12, 2015 at 4:47 pm
Mar 12, 2015, 4:33 pm
#7115
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16. In terms of capacity, identify the largest aircraft operating between St. Louis and Denver. I’m looking for airline and aircraft.
This was back in the days of regulation and I think only Frontier and TWA were flying nonstop service between DEN and STL. Frontier was probably operating at least one round trip nonstop flight with a Boeing 727-100 "Arrow Jet". As for Trans World, I'll guess the largest equipment TWA was operating on the route was a Boeing 707 "Starstream Jet".
Close, but no cigar... still, you're on the right track...
This was back in the days of regulation and I think only Frontier and TWA were flying nonstop service between DEN and STL. Frontier was probably operating at least one round trip nonstop flight with a Boeing 727-100 "Arrow Jet". As for Trans World, I'll guess the largest equipment TWA was operating on the route was a Boeing 707 "Starstream Jet".
Close, but no cigar... still, you're on the right track...
Mar 12, 2015, 4:37 pm
#7116
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Mar 12, 2015, 4:42 pm
#7117
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45. What was the first airline to offer scheduled flights with a turbo-prop? What kind of airplane was it?
Ah, good old British European Airways (BEA), on a flight from London Northolt to Paris Le Bourget in 1950. The aircraft was a Vickers Viscount 600. It was a prototype that still belonged to Vickers, and was loaned to BEA and did a series of scheduled flights; Vickers test pilots handled the first few flights. The Viscount 600 never went into production, but was stretched to the 700 for the first production aircraft. The aircraft itself would have been a certainty for a museum but was damaged beyond repair in Africa a few years later, still doing trials for Vickers, and was broken up there.
Northolt airport is still in use as a military RAF base. It is about 5 miles north of Heathrow.
WHBM, you Da Man!! No further explanation needed from me as you've provided such a fine and thorough answer. ^
Further bonus question : Which US airline, with what aircraft type, operated a scheduled passenger service into Northolt, but never operated one out of there.
I'm going to toss a wild guess out there on this:
American Overseas Airline with a Boeing 377 Stratocruiser.
Ah, good old British European Airways (BEA), on a flight from London Northolt to Paris Le Bourget in 1950. The aircraft was a Vickers Viscount 600. It was a prototype that still belonged to Vickers, and was loaned to BEA and did a series of scheduled flights; Vickers test pilots handled the first few flights. The Viscount 600 never went into production, but was stretched to the 700 for the first production aircraft. The aircraft itself would have been a certainty for a museum but was damaged beyond repair in Africa a few years later, still doing trials for Vickers, and was broken up there.
Northolt airport is still in use as a military RAF base. It is about 5 miles north of Heathrow.
WHBM, you Da Man!! No further explanation needed from me as you've provided such a fine and thorough answer. ^
Further bonus question : Which US airline, with what aircraft type, operated a scheduled passenger service into Northolt, but never operated one out of there.
I'm going to toss a wild guess out there on this:
American Overseas Airline with a Boeing 377 Stratocruiser.
Mar 12, 2015, 4:53 pm
#7118
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Here's an update on the unanswered questions:
The following 3 questions are based upon schedules published in a 1970 OAG
15. Alphabetically, this was the last city in the OAG receiving jet service. Identify the city, and if you like the airline, aircraft and two cities it was served from.
16. In terms of capacity, identify the largest aircraft operating between St. Louis and Denver. I’m looking for airline and aircraft. A N S W E R E D
20. A perusal of the OAG has turned up four airlines that operated 727-100s into San Juan, Puerto Rico from regional airports. Can you identify them?
33. It's a nice spring day in 1986 and here you are looking forward to a nice weekend in Miami when an old friend calls and says she’s managed to come up with a pair of tickets to see Emmylou Harris on Saturday night at the famous Ryman Theater in Nashville, Tennessee. Can you make it? A quick search of your trusty OAG indicates a single nonstop flight between Miami and Nashville. Moments later you’re booked and ready to go. Identify the airline and aircraft operating this route.
MISCELLANEOUS QUESTIONS
I have made note of my reference sources for each of these questions in case there should be answers different from those I have. Debate and further discussion over any of the topics mentioned in this thread is always welcome!
38. What was the first airline to introduce seat back tv's on every seat?
Bonus Question 39B: When was the first pilot’s strike of a trunk airline in the U.S.? What airline was involved?
43. What was the first airline to operate pure 747 freighters?
44. What became the first airline to post a million “Likes” on Facebook?
46. After World War II, what was the first European airline to resume trans-Atlantic flights to the United States?
47. What was the first European airline to fly the 727? A N S W E R E D
48. What was the first Asian airline to operate jets? A N S W E R E D
49. What was the first Middle Eastern airline to operate passenger jets? A N S W E R E D
52. What was the first regional airline to offer a First Class cabin aboard its aircraft? What type of aircraft was it?
53. This airline is the world’s largest purchaser of caviar
54. This foreign airline offered Economy and Premium Economy class customers meals from a US fast food retailer. Identify the airline and the US fast food retailer.
55. What the first Western European airline to offer non-stop service between Europe and China?
The following 3 questions are based upon schedules published in a 1970 OAG
15. Alphabetically, this was the last city in the OAG receiving jet service. Identify the city, and if you like the airline, aircraft and two cities it was served from.
16. In terms of capacity, identify the largest aircraft operating between St. Louis and Denver. I’m looking for airline and aircraft. A N S W E R E D
20. A perusal of the OAG has turned up four airlines that operated 727-100s into San Juan, Puerto Rico from regional airports. Can you identify them?
33. It's a nice spring day in 1986 and here you are looking forward to a nice weekend in Miami when an old friend calls and says she’s managed to come up with a pair of tickets to see Emmylou Harris on Saturday night at the famous Ryman Theater in Nashville, Tennessee. Can you make it? A quick search of your trusty OAG indicates a single nonstop flight between Miami and Nashville. Moments later you’re booked and ready to go. Identify the airline and aircraft operating this route.
MISCELLANEOUS QUESTIONS
I have made note of my reference sources for each of these questions in case there should be answers different from those I have. Debate and further discussion over any of the topics mentioned in this thread is always welcome!
38. What was the first airline to introduce seat back tv's on every seat?
Bonus Question 39B: When was the first pilot’s strike of a trunk airline in the U.S.? What airline was involved?
43. What was the first airline to operate pure 747 freighters?
44. What became the first airline to post a million “Likes” on Facebook?
46. After World War II, what was the first European airline to resume trans-Atlantic flights to the United States?
47. What was the first European airline to fly the 727? A N S W E R E D
48. What was the first Asian airline to operate jets? A N S W E R E D
49. What was the first Middle Eastern airline to operate passenger jets? A N S W E R E D
52. What was the first regional airline to offer a First Class cabin aboard its aircraft? What type of aircraft was it?
53. This airline is the world’s largest purchaser of caviar
54. This foreign airline offered Economy and Premium Economy class customers meals from a US fast food retailer. Identify the airline and the US fast food retailer.
55. What the first Western European airline to offer non-stop service between Europe and China?
Last edited by Seat 2A; Mar 16, 2015 at 12:33 pm
Mar 12, 2015, 5:05 pm
#7119
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Location: London, England.
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Posts: 8,476
Further bonus question : Which US airline, with what aircraft type, operated a scheduled passenger service into Northolt, but never operated one out of there.
I'm going to toss a wild guess out there on this:
American Overseas Airline with a Boeing 377 Stratocruiser.
I'm going to toss a wild guess out there on this:
American Overseas Airline with a Boeing 377 Stratocruiser.
Mar 12, 2015, 5:13 pm
#7120
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Mar 12, 2015, 11:35 pm
#7121
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16- STL-DEN, 1970: how about TWA with a Convair 880
47- I believe Lufthansa took delivery of a handful of 727-30s and -30Cs in 1964-65
47- I believe Lufthansa took delivery of a handful of 727-30s and -30Cs in 1964-65
Mar 13, 2015, 5:30 am
#7122
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Further bonus question : Which US airline, with what aircraft type, operated a scheduled passenger service into Northolt, but never operated one out of there.
Well when it comes to U.S. airlines serving Europe and the UK in particular, I feel like I'm casting a pretty wide net with Pan Am. So let's go with PA, operating a 707 from JFK.
Well when it comes to U.S. airlines serving Europe and the UK in particular, I feel like I'm casting a pretty wide net with Pan Am. So let's go with PA, operating a 707 from JFK.
Where the new Heathrow Terminal 2 (United etc) nowadays is, there used to be runway 23, angled south-west across the main Heathrow runways. About 10 miles out, the approach crossed that to the old Northolt airfield. And if the crew were looking the wrong way and saw the runway there, plus a whole lot of other mischances, they might think that was the direction to head. Not that it had been known to happen. Until ......
Pan Am 707 scheduled inbound from New York to London Heathrow in 1960 did exactly that, and landed at Northolt, on a runway about half the length of what they expected. Fortunately they managed to pull up. passengers were eventually put onto buses over to Heathrow (I presume ones specially sent rather than sticking everyone on the regular No. 140 double decker). And then there was the task of getting the 707 out again. Fortunately for us nowadays, by this time every aviation photographer from all around had assembled to witness a spectacularly steep departure - very empty.
http://www.abpic.co.uk/photo/1001607
The small light-coloured car on the left is a Mini, a UK car icon, which can only have been a few months old, they had just been introduced. They are still in production, somewhat modified, today. For about 40 years every British teenage boy's first car was a secondhand Mini. I don't know whether I would have wanted my new car right under such a marginal takeoff.
Last edited by WHBM; Mar 13, 2015 at 6:06 am
Mar 13, 2015, 11:21 am
#7123
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Well yes it was. But nobody on board knew. And thereby hangs a tale (as Shakespeare wrote).
Where the new Heathrow Terminal 2 (United etc) nowadays is, there used to be runway 23, angled south-west across the main Heathrow runways. About 10 miles out, the approach crossed that to the old Northolt airfield. And if the crew were looking the wrong way and saw the runway there, plus a whole lot of other mischances, they might think that was the direction to head. Not that it had been known to happen. Until ......
Pan Am 707 scheduled inbound from New York to London Heathrow in 1960 did exactly that, and landed at Northolt, on a runway about half the length of what they expected. Fortunately they managed to pull up.....
Where the new Heathrow Terminal 2 (United etc) nowadays is, there used to be runway 23, angled south-west across the main Heathrow runways. About 10 miles out, the approach crossed that to the old Northolt airfield. And if the crew were looking the wrong way and saw the runway there, plus a whole lot of other mischances, they might think that was the direction to head. Not that it had been known to happen. Until ......
Pan Am 707 scheduled inbound from New York to London Heathrow in 1960 did exactly that, and landed at Northolt, on a runway about half the length of what they expected. Fortunately they managed to pull up.....
Back in the day, I remember a Braniff BAC One-Eleven landing at Harlingen (HRL) in south Texas. Only problem was this BN flight was scheduled to land at Brownsville (BRO). There is also the celebrated landing of a Western B737-200 in Buffalo, Wyoming instead of Sheridan. I think this event was actually commemorated thereafter with an annual parade in Buffalo (in addition to a lawsuit). I also remember a landing by a SkyWest Metro III at Oceano Airport in San Luis Obispo County with this airfield featuring a very short 2,325 foot runway. The flight crew thought they were landing at San Luis Obispo (SBP). In 2001, a TWA MD-80 landed at the Craig-Moffat Airport in Colorado during a snowstorm. This flight was supposed to land in nearby Hayden (HDN). Here in Louisiana, several years ago a Continental Express Saab 340 operated by Colgan Air landed at little Southland Field Airport in Sulphur instead of Lake Charles (LCH). It's my understanding the Saab flight crew had to look for alternative employment following that landing....
And then there are times when you just gotta land: back in the early 70's, a Boeing 727-200 operated by National Airlines landed at the old Lake Jackson Airport south of Houston. I believe this former airfield had a 4,000 foot runway at the time. The problem was the aircraft was very low on fuel and the Captain finally got his point across to the hijackers on board. The 727 landed safely, the hijackers were taken into custody and the aircraft was eventually flown out of this little country airport.
Last edited by jlemon; Mar 13, 2015 at 11:32 am Reason: additional info
Mar 13, 2015, 11:51 am
#7124
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But how many airlines have landed TWICE at the same wrong airport? I remember that UA did it again, while I was living in Oregon, so perhaps 1979 or 1980.
My favorite, however, is still the AF flight that landed in Aqaba, Jordan, instead of Eilat, Israel.
Mar 13, 2015, 12:46 pm
#7125
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[B]16. In terms of capacity, identify the largest aircraft operating between St. Louis and Denver (In November of 1970). I’m looking for airline and aircraft.
STL-DEN, 1970: how about TWA with a Convair 880
Hard to believe but TWA's 880s, with 5-across seating in a mixed configuration, sat just 85 passengers. Its 727-100s sat more. As for the largest aircraft in terms of capacity, that honor goes to Frontier's 727-200 which sat about 120.
47. What was the first European airline to fly the 727?
I believe Lufthansa took delivery of a handful of 727-30s and -30Cs in 1964-65
I believe you are correct, Sir!
STL-DEN, 1970: how about TWA with a Convair 880
Hard to believe but TWA's 880s, with 5-across seating in a mixed configuration, sat just 85 passengers. Its 727-100s sat more. As for the largest aircraft in terms of capacity, that honor goes to Frontier's 727-200 which sat about 120.
47. What was the first European airline to fly the 727?
I believe Lufthansa took delivery of a handful of 727-30s and -30Cs in 1964-65
I believe you are correct, Sir!