Greetings all from Johannesburg,
I am trying to establish precise dates in 1948 for the first flights by Solent Flying Boats from Southampton to the Vaal Dam just outside Johannesburg.
I have found a number of conflicting reports/stories about:
Route proving flight.
Press/publicity flight.
Inaugural service.
I am looking for the dates of departure from England, the dates of arrival on the Vaal Dam and the aircraft that was used for each flight.
So, I would be grateful for any information that will piece it all together with 100% accuracy please.
Or a contact for a Flying Boat aficionado please.
Kind regards from a sweltering Johannesburg,
Jaws
John Austin-Williams
Chairman: South African Airways Museum Society
http://www.saamuseum.co.za
[email]john@austinwilliams.co.za[/email]
By: Lazy8 - 17th October 2015 at 17:24
PM sent.
By: jaws - 17th October 2015 at 16:42
Thank you Adrian, much appreciated.
From what I understand 4 May 1948 was the inaugural service (by this I mean first paying passenger service). My calculations suggest the aircraft landed on the Val Dam on 8 May.
I have assumed the following but would like 100% confirmation:
Day 1, 1948/05/04 Southampton-Augusta
Day 2, 1948/05/05 Augusta-Cairo
Day 3, 1948/05/06 Cairo-Luxor
Day 4, 1948/05/07 Luxor-Khartoum-Port Bell
Day 5, 1948/05/08 Port Bell-Victoria Falls-Vaal Dam
I would like to know what the registration was of the aircraft that flew the above service.
Then I am trying to establish how many flights in 1948 that preceded the 4 May flight.
Photographs or contacts as to where photographs can be found (archives) would be first prize. This is for a book I am working on covering the history of South African Airways.
Kind regards,
Jaws
By: Lazy8 - 16th October 2015 at 11:52
Solent service on the ‘Springbok’ route started on 4 May 1948, three times weekly. I assume that’s the one you are referring to. That’s all I can see immediately, but we do have the operations charts for the time which should give all the information you want. It’ll take me a week or so to get to them, though.
Adrian Constable
British Airways Museum
By: Arabella-Cox - 16th October 2015 at 10:26
Wonder if these guys maybe able to help? http://pooleflyingboats.com/ Another possibility is BA Museum….
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October 16, 2015 at 8:32 am