Glasgow to Barra photo report….

Originally posted by Moondance
– you could lift off at about 35 kts!!, almost go backwards in a strong wind!)

I’ve often watched Islanders lift off and wondered if they were just hanging there in the sky as they try to gain some forward movement.

Moondance… Did I send you a copy of the recent BBC Scotland aviation series “Flying Scots” ? I can’t remember if I did or not ? It has some interesting Loganair recollections and footage of beach landings, and interviews in that Hebridean brogue etc.

I’ll run you off one if you haven’t seen it.

wow – what an amazing thread and insight into another side of aviation. This is the part of the world where aviaiton isn’t just a conveniance, its a nessecity to the life of the people who live there!

Indeed, the only replacement for the Islander is…er……the Islander. Many of the strips (Jura, Colonsay, Coll, Glenforsa) are really Islander only (and then you have to use short field take-off technique, which was quite entertaining – you could lift off at about 35 kts!!, almost go backwards in a strong wind!)

Scottish Air Ambulance also want Loganair to operate a faster and more comfortable type than the Islander apparently. Again mainly down to the fact they tend to do patient transport now.

The Islander however, would seem to be the plane for the job and terrain in lot’s of cases. I remember Loganair experimenting with the Shorts 360 at Barra a while ago, needless to say it wasn’t a great success.

Interesting – in the mid 80’s, it was the Scottish Air Ambulance Service, operated by Loganair, covering all types of medical problems, from routine to emergency. One Islander and pilot was available 24hrs at GLA, and the KOI & LWK based Islanders where available overnight should a medical emergency develop in the islands.
Having said that, I would estimate that 75% of the flying would be classed as ‘routine’, many maternity cases going to Glasgow for delivery, patients travelling for chemotherpapy, a surprising number of psychiatric cases – once a patient was ‘sectioned’, there was no secure establishment in the Hebrides, so they had to be removed to the mainland – big strapping male nurse (or two) from the Southern General with a bag of industrial strength knock-out drops was the norm!
The day shifts (morning/afternoon Ambulance Standby) were covered from Loganair, so you could be airborne pretty quickly, night standby was covered from home, so you could be lucky and have a week off, or be unlucky and get called every night!
It was THE most rewarding of flying, actually doing some good, rather than being a well paid bus driver to the Med.

Originally posted by mmitch
I read an article by a pilot once that ambulance flights have operated in/out of Barra at night. I suppose it depends how desperate the situation is and if there is a moon? Can a SAR helicopter reach the island?
mmitch.

According to a Loganair captain I spoke to recently, the air ambulance work done by Loganair these days is more along the lines of a patient transport service than actual emergency work. In other words ferrying people to Glasgow for hospital appointments and treatments unavailable in the islands.

Scottish Air Ambulance has it’s own Islander and an MBB Chopper for emergency work all over Scotland. Also operating in the west coast and islands is a Stornoway based coast-guard Sikorsky and the Royal Navy SAR Sea King squadron based at PIK (HMS Gannet).

Glad everyone likes the pictures and that it’s opened up such a discussion about the merits of Scottish scenery. That part of the world, i.e. the western highlands and islands has arguably the best looking scenery in the UK if not the world.

When the weather is good and the horizontal rain lets up for a while, you could be in the Carribean or Seychelles. Golden white sands and beaches that go for miles, not a soul to be seen generally and lot’s of little nooks and crannies to get lost in. Greekdude has already mentioned the malt whiskies, what more do you need ?

Oddly enough another colleague of mine is flying up next week to do another film report… He’s taking his Nikon D1, so hopefully more pics to show ?:D

Ren,Those pictures are SUPERB.Thanks for sharing them.
I am ashamed to say that even though I was born in Scotland (Have been in Sussex since I was three)I have never been there on holiday.After seeing those shots I think its time for a visit.
Angus my brother is hoping to move to Mull or somewhere remote next year-hes had enough of Sussex!

Nice to see a plane with the cockpit door open!

Originally posted by grahamskipton
This may seem sort of daft, but do the schedules and times of these flights change in relation to the tides or not here??

Indeed they do, and time to remind you of Roy Calderwood’s excellent book ‘Times Subject to Tides – The Story of Barra Airport’, from Kea Publishing, 14 Flures Crescent, Erskine, Renfrewshire, PA8 7DJ

Is that Del, Rodney or Albert Twotter ?? Sorry ’bout that folks ! This may seem sort of daft, but do the schedules and times of these flights change in relation to the tides or not here??

G.

Round to the wash bay at the back of the hangar when there was a suitable gap in the flying programme.
Also, found this site from the GA forum, gives a fantastic impression of flying round Scotland www.alanmoar.flyer.co.uk/

Absolutely fascinating!

Do the Twotters have to undergo any specific anti-corrosion treatment bearing in mind the salt water proximity?

Originally posted by Ren Frew
Moondance would you care to provide us with some insights and recollections purleaseeeeeee!!!!:D

I first went to Barra in my first week as a working pilot, and over a period of three years probably went three times a month on average. Ironic to think that in the twenty years since I’ve done nothing much to match the trip to Barra.
Barra was essentially a VFR operation. In bad weather, the Loganair procedure was to let down to the north of Tiree on a radial from the Tiree VOR (down to 500ft on the 341 radial, to be visual by 25DME TRE – why can I remember stuff like that and not my wedding anniversary?). Barra does have an NDB beacon now, so there may well be a Loganair let-down procedure based on that.
However, it was always far more fun to go out low level VFR all the way if possible…….down the Firth of Clyde to the Holy Loch (look at the American submarines), across Loch Fyne and follow the Crinan Canal to the coast…then across the Sound of Jura, having a look at the Corryvreckan whirlpool between Jura and Scarba (a wild piece of water). Then on to Mull (amazing cliffs along the south coast), have a look at Iona Abbey, or perhaps fly down Loch Scridain and see Staffa and Fingal’s Cave….(inadvertently went past the Royal Yacht Britannia at 500ft in an Islander early one morning….oops, sorry Ma’am), past Coll and on to Barra.
Landing at Barra (if you could see it) was rarely a problem – just like a big grass airfield (if damper), so no crosswind problems. Somewhere like Tingwall/Lerwick was far more demanding than Barra, with a short, narrow concrete runway in a N-S valley, totally out of the prevailing westerly Shetland gales.
It was just like flying into another world…the radio was operated by the Loganair lady (“We’ve got some of that high cauliflower type cloud”, spoken in a glorious Hebridean accent), firemen loaded/unloaded the baggage and knew you by first name….as far removed from flying big jets from a busy airport as you could possibly imagine…pure magic, maybe I’ll go do it again after I retire.
Now if I could only scan in some of my ancient slides….got some taken on the beach with a polarising filter fitted, making the sand whiter, the sky bluer, looks like the Caribbean, not the west of Scotland!

I read an article by a pilot once that ambulance flights have operated in/out of Barra at night. I suppose it depends how desperate the situation is and if there is a moon? Can a SAR helicopter reach the island?
mmitch.

A fascinating story told in a great montage, thanks for sharing it

Great pictures, I really wanna do that flight one day! I was really disappointed on my last flight to GLA, I was there for about 5 hours altogether on 2 separate days and stilll didn’t see a Twotter 🙁

cheers for sharing them! Great stuff!!!!

Hey
Cool pics

Originally posted by greekdude1
It is I, that would be honoured to meet the great Sandy. 😎

*instant betroot blush* awe shucks…

Originally posted by Bmused55
Meet the great GD! LOL!

It is I, that would be honoured to meet the great Sandy. 😎