Boeings in the mid-1980s

Excalibur III arrival Heathrow 1951

Pathe film of the arrival…Blair in Excalibur III knocked more than an hour off the existing NY-London record….the following June he flew from Norway to Alaska over the Pole in the Mustang, then from Alaska to New York. The preserved ExcaliburIII is in the NASM in Washington D.C.
http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=33131
P-51C Mustang “Excalibur III” by Garrett O’Donoghue, on Flickr

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These shed some light on the subject. I found this on the Pprune website.

“”The most recent of many tributes to Captain Blair was the unveiling of a memorial in his honor at Heathrow Airport in London, terminus of his 1951 record-breaking transatlantic flight. Consisting of a large-scale replica of his famous Mustang, Excalibur III, the memorial was dedicated on January 30, 1981. Present at this ceremony were Captain Blair’s widow, who performed the unveiling; representatives of Pan Am and other companies; aviation notables; the press; and many of Captain Blair’s friends. Plaques located near the memorial give the highlights of Captain Blair’s career and constitute a permanent record of his achievements. This memorial was made possible by contributions from Captain Blair’s friends and fellow employees of Pan Am.””

http://www.users.uswest.net/~aknot/blair.htm

Very interesting man. In my book that memorial counts as a historic aviation item, so where is it now?

I remember that Mustang well. It was made by the same company that used to have a store within the Sheraton Skyline Hotel on the Bath Road, on the perimeter of LHR. In those days they were known as Executive Display Models, and latterly Collectors Aircraft Models, until that folded earlier this year. In fact, it was still visible on Google Earth sitting on its plinth amongst a lot of ‘crap’ until the LHR images were updated. It probably now hangs in one of the numerous building workers portacabins on the site:(

Sounds likely. I never understood what it was for, what it was doing there. It was out of context to me.

Vee One. I used to go with my Dad from the 1970’s very regularly. Used to visit my Nan and on the Saturday morning we’d jump on a number 140 bus and with our packed lunch and flask watch the planes all day…
You remember the mustang model on a pole in a garden visible from the QB? I wonder what happened to that?
When we used to go see my other Nan (Maternal) it was a trip to Luton!! Used to get all sorts of gems in there…

I remember that Mustang well. It was made by the same company that used to have a store within the Sheraton Skyline Hotel on the Bath Road, on the perimeter of LHR. In those days they were known as Executive Display Models, and latterly Collectors Aircraft Models, until that folded earlier this year. In fact, it was still visible on Google Earth sitting on its plinth amongst a lot of ‘crap’ until the LHR images were updated. It probably now hangs in one of the numerous building workers portacabins on the site:(

Vee One. I used to go with my Dad from the 1970’s very regularly. Used to visit my Nan and on the Saturday morning we’d jump on a number 140 bus and with our packed lunch and flask watch the planes all day…
You remember the mustang model on a pole in a garden visible from the QB? I wonder what happened to that?
When we used to go see my other Nan (Maternal) it was a trip to Luton!! Used to get all sorts of gems in there…

Now that you mention it I remember that big model mustang. It probably got dumped. It was too big for someone’s living room!

Vee One. I used to go with my Dad from the 1970’s very regularly. Used to visit my Nan and on the Saturday morning we’d jump on a number 140 bus and with our packed lunch and flask watch the planes all day…
You remember the mustang model on a pole in a garden visible from the QB? I wonder what happened to that?
When we used to go see my other Nan (Maternal) it was a trip to Luton!! Used to get all sorts of gems in there…

Early 737s

You’re right to raise your eyebrows :),I was wrong!….the Putnam’s Boeing book records Lufthansa as first to order the -100 and United Airlines first to order the -200, so I guess they were the launch customers…I think Britannia were the first European Charter Company to receive the -200, and as I remember it got them some months before Aer Lingus got theirs

Flight Global archive records the 737 was launched in February 1965 on the back of the Lufthansa order
http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1965/1965%20-%200580.html?search=boeing launches 737

and the United order for 40 737-200s followed on Apr5 1965
http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1965/1965%20-%201007.html?search=united orders 737

Flight 9Jun1966 records the Britannia order for3
http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1966/1966%20-%201666.html?search=britannia orders 737

Britannia was a launch customer for the 737-200

That is surprising!

I would have guessed (wrongly) Lufthansa, but of course they bought the -100 series. They clearly didn’t have a primary US carrier supporting that design then. I guess with the Boeing 727-20 and the DC9 other airlines had already ordered that range/load type.

Early Britannia 737 scheme

Britannia was an early (corrected from launch :)) customer for the 737-200 note the stumpy little original engine pods which Boeing had to redesign

Really nice pictures (:

I flew on a Britannia 737-200 as a child just after they were introduced. At Luton the Britannia 312 fleet was parked up wfu and we could see it from the aircraft. But I doubt any museum like Duxford would have considered it a contender to save, not being a British design. If I had a choice I would go with saving the original 737 livery with the large Britannia One Penny ‘coin’ on the fin. The Bristol Britannias only had this in a small size.

IL62M…
I liked that JAT livery too. 😉

Arm Waver…
I think everyone who expereinced the full Queen’s Building viewing area and its relaxing and welcoming feel to the general public and families visiting the airport looks back with fond memories of such a fantastic place to go on a sunny summer’s day. The first time I went there was in 1968 as a child with my mother and my brothers in the summer holidays. I couldn’t believe aeropanes were so big! I remember the wonderful all around view from the highest point above the queens building, and the enthusiast’s shop below it was like an Alladin’s Cave of stuff airline and airport.

Then we all trouped across a bridge-like walkway onto the top of Terminal 2 and there was a little shop selling ice-creams, which I liked also. And everywhere there were seats, some even in wind-protected alcoves. And there was a cafe in which people could sit inside and watch the movements when it was not so nice outside.

Sweet days.

Oh my! – what happy memories… Thank you, thank you, thank you…
Used to spend a lot of time at LIA and LHR. Remember the G-MONx series aircraft coming on-line and being used and the childhood pleasure at the time of “copping” a new one.
Same watching the then “new” Britannia colours being rolled out across the fleet. Would loved to have seen one of their 737-200’s preserved as they were so much of the scene for people’s holidays all those years ago…
I miss the Queen’s Building too… Especially as over the years they gradually reduced the area you could go in then did away with it.

Another great collection Sarah. I flew a few times on one of those JAT 737s. I liked that livery very much. As far as I can remember, the Braathens 767s only completed one summer season with us at STN, before they were sold on to an operator in South America. All of the Braathens aircraft, 737s as well as the 767s, were named after Nordic folklore heroes, with each of the aircraft having a beautiful carved relief of the applicable hero attached to the forward cabin bulkhead.

Thanks for posting these VeeOne
Love the first four “pigjet’s” [737’s] and of course the big lad [747] whatever model.