Seat 2A

Apologies here, but I have no idea what you mean by "2+27". Additionally, given that a propeller driven aircraft is involved here, I'm gonna have to defer to some of our more well traveled participants. Outside of Big Sky Airlines (I don't even know what type of a/c they flew) I literally have no idea of other regional airlines, aircraft or routings.

jrl767

"2+27" = 2 hrs 27 minutes
^ Big Sky is CORRECT

as far as the routing: of your three earlier guesses for stops on NW105, the two that are incorrect actually make up the routing of this GQ flight from the connecting point to BOI

Seat 2A

Well then, if there're two stops I listed that make up the routing for Big Sky, the connecting point has to be fairly early on - as in Billings.

So, let's say NW 727-200 from Bismarck to Billings. Connect to Big Sky (I have no idea what they operated. Let's go with a Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner). Now, as to the routing, two cities from my erroneously projected NW routing are correct for Big Sky, the other for NW. Alright then, let's assume for now that NW routed through the largest city - Helena. If true, that would mean the routing for Big Sky's prop would be Billings-Butte-Missoula-Boise. I could easily see substituting Helena for Butte if we do this again.

As for Boise to Reno, if it's a multi-stop turboprop, I have so little idea of what airlines and aircraft might be involved that any guess from me would be folly at best. Perhaps someone else might care to give this one a go.

WHBM

Hello from Dublin airport, where evening flights are a completely disorganised mess following earlier bad weather. On my way back to London City. Will we get away to get back to LCY in time before the rigid curfew sets in ?

Fun here in Ireland included my Avis rental Renault Megane performing fine for the first 100 miles, then it just quit without warning right in the middle of everything. Total electrics failure, which Renault Assistance were unable to sort out. Electric parking brake locked on of course, also steering wheel locked. It just quit on me in a very obstructive position, we couldn't even push it out of the way. Last seen being loaded, wheels locked, onto the back of a recovery truck. All 21st century electronic wonders. Colleague says no wonder Renault perform so badly in Formula 1.

Didn't Big Sky have a few of the original HP.137 handley Page Jetstream, the one with French engines, built before they went bankrupt. British Aerospace later took over the design and put different engines on it, quite widely sold in the US, but this may be one of the originals.

jlemon

Yes, they did. Here's a photo of a former Big Sky HP.137 at the Santa Barbara Airport in very poor condition (a Jetstream carcass, really.... ):

https://www.airliners.net/photo/Big-...wtjEEOgzAMBP/1

So what was this beat up HP Jetstream doing at SBA? I believe it was being used for parts by Santa Barbara-based Pacific Coast Airlines, another HP.137 operator, which formerly operated as Apollo Airways flying the original Handley Page Jetstream as well. My very first job associated with the airline business consisted of being in charge of the advertising campaign for Pacific Coast (print and radio ads).

I think other U.S. commuter air carrier operators of the original HP.137 included Air Illinois, Air US, Cal-State Air Lines, Jetaire Airlines, Sierra Pacific Airlines, South Central Air Transport (SCAT) and Zia Airlines plus a few others. I also believe Dorado Wings operated the original Jetstream out of San Juan in the Caribbean at one point.

KT550

I had a Megane from Avis in DUB last week. Was it white? 😁

jrl767

BIL is CORRECT
SWM is INCORRECT ... although Big Sky was operating the "pencil with wings" in 1980-81 when I spent a total of ~ five weeks in Glasgow MT with Boeing Flight Test
BIL-BTM-MSO-BOI is CORRECT ... which means one of the downline stops on the NW 72S was HLN ... so we are still in search of the other two

HPJ is CORRECT

this was a nonstop flight

Seat 2A

Per jrl767: This was a nonstop flight

Per Seat 2A: Regardless, I still have nary a clue if it's a prop. Same holds true for I assume GEG down to RNO if it's a turboprop. I better leave this one to the pros...

And now if you'll excuse me, it's time to open yet another can of deliciously chilled Trail Beer - a Northwest Pale Ale from Oregon's 10 Barrel Brewing Co.

jlemon

I do not think anyone has responded to this one yet so I'll give it a go.....and I think we are talking about DEN to MKE via a connection, correct?

If so, let's go with a TWA 707 DEN-MCI, BBQ lunch in Kansas City and then a Braniff International 727 MCI-MKE.

jrl767

TW is CORRECT
707 is CORRECT
MCI is CORRECT
BN is INCORRECT
727-100 is CORRECT

jlemon

And speaking of beer, I can now very highly recommend ABK Schwarz Lagerbier "Black Lager Beer". Brewed according to the Bavarian purity law of 1516, of course. ABK states that it has been brewing beer since 1308....over 700 years ago. Enjoyed a couple of these last evening (getting in training for our upcoming visit to Munich and an Oktoberfest celebration with friends from northern California, you understand ) and they were absolutely delicious!

jlemon

Let's substitute UA for BN with a 727 MCI-MKE then....

jrl767

a very easy tap-in there ... UA is CORRECT

and speaking of "tap" (and, of course, beer) ... my wife and I will be going to the Fremont Oktoberfest here in Seattle either this afternoon or tomorrow; the festival website indicates there will be ~100 beers and ~50 breweries, plus numerous craft ciders

WHBM

A onetime fine old Mk 1 Jetstream. The tail number N16RJ refers to the US sales agent, Riley Jetstream Corp. Riley had once been the De Havilland agent as well, and sold plenty of Herons and Doves in their market in the 1950s, as well as doing a whole range of substantial conversions on various light airliners and business aircraft, piston to turboprop and other such works. They didn't do too well out of the original Jetstream, they registered a lot in their own series, as here, but got little other than interim leases rather than major sales out of it.

In Canada the onetime owners of BC Airlines were similar agents, so that carrier nearly, but not quite, got them as well. The original Jetsrteam was unfortunately let down completely by poor reliability and support of the French Turbomeca engines.

Which of course brings us to ...

No, it was blue. Yours, presumably, got back to base. But French cars have been renowned in Britain for decades for unreliability, compensated for only by cheap purchase price. Every generation announces the problem is solved, and every generation shows ... well, what I experienced here.

The return from Dublin, immediately after my last post, was a bit of a spectacle, London City airport is required to close absolutely at 22.30 each night, we finally took off nearly 2 hours late at 21.40, and it's normally at least a 50 minute flight. By some notably clever handling by both crew and ATC we touched down at ... 22.26 !

jlemon

This certainly was the case at Apollo Airways and their successor Pacific Coast Airlines. I remember a number of occasions when an HP.137 operated by these commuter air carriers landed at SBA with one engine out. This led to Apollo being known locally in the Santa Barbara area as "Appalling Airways". Later on, Pacific Coast was operating the original Jetstream into Lake Tahoe (TVL). I hesitate to think what might have happened on a warm day at TVL with a full load on board should an engine have failed on takeoff from this high elevation mountain airfield......