jlemon

Continental is correct! And so are all of the intermediate stops you have listed - except for one. Here's the sched.....

CO 212: Los Angeles (LAX) 7:00a - 8:30a Phoenix (PHX) 8:45a - 9:18a Tucson (TUS) 9:33a - 10:39a El Paso (ELP) 11:00a - 1:00p Midland/Odessa (MAF) 1:25p - 2:00p San Angelo (SJT) 2:15p - 3:05p Austin (AUS) 3:20p - 4:02p Houston Hobby (HOU)
Op: Daily
Equip: VISCOUNT II JET-PROP
Classes of service: F/T
Meals: Breakfast LAX-PHX in F/T, Snack TUS-ELP in F, Lunch ELP-MAF in F/T

Continental would subsequently cease serving both Austin and San Angelo. It also appears CO never operated jet equipment into San Angelo. However, the airline would reinstate service to Austin with B727-200 and B720B aircraft.

And on what appears to be a stormy Sunday morning (dark clouds gathering out there following a beautiful sunrise), here's a bonus quiz item:

6. In 1964, how many classes of service were there on board Continental's Boeing 707 and 720B aircraft? In addition, what were the names of these classes of service and what was the seating configuration in each class of service? Also explain the special feature in first class. ANSWERED

Seat 2A

6. In 1964, how many classes of service were there on board Continental's Boeing 707 and 720B aircraft? In addition, what were the names of these classes of service and what was the seating configuration in each class of service? Also explain the special feature in first class.

I'm not sure that Continental had introduced Economy (K) class service by 1964, nor its 2-3 seating in coach. I seem to recall that coming later, with the new Saul Bass "Meatball" livery in 1968.

Of course, I could be wrong. Wouldn't be the first time...

In 1964, I'm gonna go with two classes of service - Luxury First Class and Club Coach. 707s were fitted with a First Class lounge called The Rendezvous Room. I wasn't aware the 720s also had this lounge but for the sake of this answer, let's say they did. One feature of the Rendezvous Room was a TV. I can't imagine what kind of reception there was...

I think American also had inflight television - Astrovision or some such...

WHBM

Having found these questions just minutes after jl had posted them, it seemed a bit ungallant to go for them straight away. Let me have a go now.

This would be KLM, the only European purchaser of the Electra. Always a question as to what possessed KLM to buy these instead of the Caravelle, or even the Comet. They had a good fleet of Convair 340s for shorter European routes, and the Electras were operated, at least initially, on medium-haul stopping services to the Middle East, where they were just uncompetitive against early 707s and DC8s of everyone else. Trading in their Lockheed Constellations must have been part of it.

Basra was a very early centre of the oil industry in The Gulf, but also of aviation. Both Imperial Airways, with their flying boats, and KLM, with landplanes, did overnight stops there back in the 1930s on their way east. It was even a pre-WW2 RAF flying boat base. The early oil industry eventually moved on; Shell Oil has long been owned in equal shares in Britain and The Netherlands, and their staff moving to/from Basra were probably the principal users of the KLM service. BOAC post-WW2 actually used Abadan, in Iran, which faces Basra across the river where the flying boats used to land.


Relative in Vancouver was a mining engineer, and this was the flight he was taking to Yellowknire, NWT. I still have (somewhere up in the attic here in London) the timetable of that year which (of course) I took from the Pacific Western check-in counter that day, so this is a bit of a grey-cells memory test. Believe it routed through Kamloops, Calgary, Edmonton (the old Industrial Airport), Hay River, Yellowknife, Norman Wells and thus to Inuvik. I've no idea what these places are like, probably just mining camps and a small settlement.

jlemon

From the Continental July 29, 1964 system timetable....

ONLY CONTINENTAL OFFERS THREE CLASSES OF SERVICE ON EVERY GOLDEN JET

First Class seating configuration was 2-2. There was also a semicircular first class lounge located ahead of the first class cabin on the 707 (I'm also not sure if the 720B had this lounge). Meals were "sumptuous". One way fare between Chicago and L.A. was $116.55.

Club Coach seating configuration was 2-3 with seats "as wide as first class". Meals were complimentary and cocktails were "moderately priced". One way fare between Chicago and L.A. was $105.45.

Economy seating configuration was 3-3. There was no meal service in economy but one could fly one way between Chicago and L.A. for $85.

jlemon

2. & 5. Correct on both!

And although you did not i.d. the equipment on 5., we shall let you slide, sir, in view of your usual excellent commentary.

Here's the eastbound KLM sched.....

KL 563: Amsterdam (AMS) 13:15 - 15:20 Vienna (VIE) 15:50 - 17:15 Belgrade (BEG) 17:55 - 21:05 Istanbul (IST) 21:45 - 00:50 Damascus (DAM) 01:30 - 03:45 Basra (BSR)
Op: Wednesdays only
Equip: Lockheed Electra II Jet-Powered
Meal services: Lunch, Dinner and Snack
Classes of service: S/T (S - "SleepAir": First class with full bed length reclinable chairs, only available on propeller driven aircraft. T - Tourist class)
Note: no local traffic VIE-BEG, IST-BSR, DAM-BSR

And the east and northbound Pacific Western sched.....

PW 700: Vancouver (YVR) 07:25 - 08:10 Kamloops (YKA) 08:25 - 09:15 Calgary (YYC) 10:30 - 11:08 Edmonton Industrial (YXD) 13:00 - 14:22 Hay River (YHY) 14:45 - 15:15 Yellowknife (YZF) 15:45 - 16:55 Norman Wells (YVQ) 17:20 - 18:15 Inuvik (YEV).
Op: Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays only
Equip: Boeing 737-200
Meal services: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Class of service: Y

jlemon

And the sun has once again appeared here as the latest round of thunderstorms have now moved offshore over the Gulf of Mexico.....

Here's four more quiz items from the 1960's to round out my brief set.

7. It's 1965 and you are in New York City where you've just completed a project as a consultant. The phone rings and you have a hunch who it might be before you even pick up the phone. "Hey buddy!" you hear, "It's time to go sailing!" Yep, it's your old friend from Santa Barbara. "So where are you on this fine evening?" you ask and the reply is "The Honolulu Yacht Club! And you won't believe the great deal I just made on a practically new 50 foot monohull!" And so, you begin to research flights. There's a departure from JFK at the civilized time of 11:35 am the next morning which will get you into HNL at 9:12 pm. So you book a pair of first class seats, one for you and one for your lady friend. The flight you'll be traveling on makes three intermediate stops en route. Identify the airline, the equipment and all three stops in the order in which they will be made. And for bonus points, what was the name this airline used to market its flights to Hawaii?

8. In 1966, this airline became the first Spanish air carrier to operate the Fokker F27. Name the air carrier. ANSWERED

9. It's 1967 and you are back in New York City working on yet another project. Your location is very close to LaGuardia Airport. You need to attend a meeting in Los Angeles so you book a flight departing from LGA at 2:00 pm which arrives at LAX at 7:45 pm. This flight makes three intermediate stops en route. Identify the airline, the aircraft and the three stops in order.

10. In 1968, only one air carrier was operating Boeing 727-100 service nonstop between Los Angeles (LAX) and Salt Lake City (SLC). Name the airline.

kochleffel

Spantax, based at Gran Canaria (later at Palma de Mallorca).

WHBM

I am obliged for the forbearance My excuse is that it clouded outside about 5.30pm and rain was anticipated so a quick Sunday evening up-and-down of the lawn with the mower was necessary before the heavens opened.

And yes, PWA were an early 737 operator, only had a couple at the time but this was one of the flights. After seeing off said relative we went up onto the observation deck of the then still relatively new terminal to look out, and although I don't recall the PWA 737 being visible, there was a Canadian Pacific DC8 still in the old livery and name, although the spectacular orange/red CP Air one had been around for several years, and alongside the first 737 I had ever seen, a United one ready for the hop down to Seattle. according to the UA schedule, which I had also taken from the check-in counter (as you might guess I had spent 5 minutes going along the row and getting all I could) it should have been a 727 flight, so an equipment sub (or the timetable not keeping up with things, as happened in the days of long lead times with printers).

The following year we went to Vancouver again, and that mining project up in Yellowknife was still in progress. I recall PWA had changed schedules a bit, the 737 now no longer went north of Yellowknife, but turned round there and came back, with a connecting Convair 640 onwards. In 1970 PWA still only ran to a few 737s, and the aircraft then did an extraordinary routing, it returned to Edmonton, and then Calgary, giving a late afternoon flight on PWA's shuttle between the two Alberta main cities. Then it turned round, did a northbound back to Edmonton, then turned again to do a second, early evening shuttle flight back to Calgary, and finally thence onwards to Kamloops and Vancouver. Good aircraft utilisation. But if you were booked through from Yellowknife to Vancouver, although I would expect to be put out for a few hours while it did the shuttle return, my uncle told me that you were actually allowed to stay on board for this up-and-down sightseeing tour of Alberta. It seemed most strange.

jlemon

Correct! I believe Spantax initially operated the F27 on scheduled services in the Canary Islands. And as we have discussed, Spantax was also a prolific Convair 990 operator with the largest fleet of the type at one point.

jlemon

Yes, indeed, lawn mower operations do take precedence over OTAQ&D activities, or so I am gently reminded from time to time by a certain Lady K.

I also remember seeing a CP Air DC-8 for the first time resplendent in the orange/red paint scheme. The location was LAX. Additional sightings of CP Air B727-200 and B737-200 aircraft in this beautiful livery then followed over the years at both LAX and SFO. And I wonder if that DC-8 was the same CP aircraft that went supersonic in a controlled dive during at test flight at Edwards Air Force Base north of L.A. with none other than Chuck Yeager flying chase in an F-104.....

Meantime, a kitty-cat update: Miss Bella attempted to ambush the kitten over the weekend and the little guy then returned the favor by going after little pup's tail with her front claws. I broke it up both times and have been trying to get both parties into mediated peace talks. Update to follow, although I' m glad to report the kitten is now very much on the mend following my rescue mission in southeast Texas last Thursday.

jlemon

11. And with Pacific Western in mind, here is a multi-part bonus quiz item concerning the carrier's shuttle service between Calgary (YYC) and Edmonton (YXD) in the summer of 1968: All now ANSWERED

1) How many round trip flights was Pacific Western operating between YYC and YXD on a Monday through Friday basis at this time?

2) What was the one way walk up fare?

3) What type of aircraft was being operated on the service?

4) What was the name of this YYC-YXD shuttle service?

5) What did some passengers say in jest the letters PWA stood for?

WHBM

It was indeed. Roy and Merlyn ran a great little organisation, although they never made much, if any, real money out of it. They did well to build up London City, only to be overtaken by larger carriers with more substantial aircraft than the little Dornier, and, in truth, better commercial contacts with the major business organisations who provide much of the traffic on the route. Roy died a while back, and while Merlyn carried on for a while, the business was eventually sold off. Believe it or not, though, a couple of those Dorniers are still around the UK. At the end they concentrated mainly on high-end charters, major sports teams, political groups, that sort of thing, for which the notably fast 30-seat Do328 was quite suited. Merlyn, an ex-lawyer, always went on board these to ensure that everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, ran perfectly. Woe betide the duty manager at the handling agent at the destination if it didn't.

Some comments on Roy's memorial service at Duxford aircraft museum.

http://www.pprune.org/where-they-now...g-airways.html

Meanwhile, conscious that some here may be passing through Edinburgh in the near future, here's a decidedly juvenile bit of writing from long ago and far away describing flights from there to London, including Scot/Suckling. Only one of the three carriers mentioned now survives.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...ml#post1662578

and here's a picture of those times when Roy and Merlyn took delivery of their first ever Dornier 228. I think that may be Aneeta on the far left.

kochleffel

The first, and I think, only time I flew in a Dornier 228 was because of an irop. I knew there would be a likely missed connection with my original booking to MSN via ORD and asked to be rerouted through DTW, but the original airline sent me through MDW.

In the photo, the rectangular fuselage is noticeable, and it was even more striking in the cabin. It felt somewhat like a flying sardine can.

Which reminds me of the Short 360, which felt like a piano crate with wings. Oh well.

miniliq

I actually flew from YXD to Inuvik in early 1970 on the routing described by WHBM (our company had a pipeline research project going on in Inuvik and Aklavik), but luckily my portion of the flight originated in Edmonton so I didn't have to endure the extra YXD-YYC-YXD legs for pax originating in Vancouver.

My answers to the questions:
1)2)3)4) I believe there were 7 or 8 flights a day on the Chieftain Airbus, for about $15, on a mix of 737s, Convair 640s and DC6Bs. It was a true shuttle service, first come first served. If I recall correctly we went out on the tarmac and put our bags on a conveyor belt for loading, then walked on and paid for the tickets in-flight. No TSA delays those days.

5) Pray While Aloft

I'm actually in a motel a few miles north of YEG today, and will be going by YXD later -- fond memories of my maiden flight there in 1954 when a school buddy took me up just after receiving his license.

We wish we were back in MSY weather (although I hope the storms passing from LFT didn't do any damage to our roof) because here it's only 44degF and raining -- pure misery for us -- but it is helpful for the wildfire situation in Fort McMurray to the north.

jlemon

11. Excellent responses from our man who can usually be found in the New Orleans area. And according to the June 1968 Pacific Western timetable, here's how you did...

1) At this time, there were only six round trip flights on weekdays between Calgary and Edmonton operated by PWA.

2) The walk up fare was $13 CDN.

3) No jet or turboprop service on a YYC-YXD shuttle route at this time. In fact, PWA had not yet begun operating the Boeing 737-200 and the Convair 640 equipment was deployed on other routes. So according to the timetable, all service between Calgary and Edmonton was being flown with DC-6 aircraft (although I would not be surprised to see a DC-6B in the mix as well).

4) Chieftain Airbus is correct!

5) Ah, "Pray While Aloft".....and, of course, PWA also stood for "Probably Won't Arrive".

As for our weather here in the great state of Louisiana on a Monday afternoon, not a drop of rain indicated by radar anywhere in the region. It looks to be a quiet week here, WX wise.....