Twin Otter

As of tonight they’re still at Kidlington, I know because I made sure they were OK on my rounds earlier. Talking about rounds I think it’s about time I went and had another check, just to make sure no-one has stolen the airfield.

Just found this pic. Can’t remember the date, tho. Late 80s?

More like late 90’s by the look of the building behind it. 😉

Hello again all,

Just an apology to those who sent me pm’s. I left BAS back in February and what with one thing and another haven’t visited the forum since. So I just wanted to apologise and explain the reason for not getting back to you all.

Regards

Twotter

Another of those ‘Not the prettiest aircraft in the world but I like them’ aircraft. Had a smashing flight in one last year. I was going to do the Vancouver sightseeing flight but the company overbooked it so I got a flight from Vancouver to Victoria and back for the same price. I’m not going to complain as it was 35 minutes way to Victoria as opposed to 20 minutes for the sightseeing flight. It was great flying straight across the middle of Vancouver International at 3500 feet.

The Dash 7 is here but don’t know about the rest

Hi Guys, I’m a new member to this forum.

Twotter, are you able to offer any updates on the arrivals of the aircraft at Oxford. I’m a bit of a DHC fan and would really like to get over there to see them.

Does anyone else know if photography is possible at Oxford.

Many thanks Steve

Twotter, just sent you a PM.

HFD

There are some lovely photos of Maldivan air taxis on airliners.net. If I was gonna fly for a living I think thats where I’d have to go.

Neal

Great news for the U.K. My one page atlas makes Fernando de Noronha to Cape Verde about 2400 km or 1500 miles, this would seem to be the longest leg of the ferry flight.

At a tangent, just watched a great program about the Maldivian Air Taxi who use 18 Twin Otters on floats. Every two years, these planes return to Canada for their majors. 🙂

Hello again gents,

This is just a note to let you all know that the BAS aircraft are returning to Oxford Airport for summer maintenance following a competitive tender that was carried out over the winter.

Currently the aircraft are still in Antarctica but they are due to depart and head north in a two part ferry flight. The plan at the moment is for Twin Otters VP-FAZ & VP-FBL to depart up to Stanley in the Falkland Islands later this month. They will route through Montevideo, Rio, Salvador, Fernando de Noronha, Cape Verde Islands, Tenerife and Seville and are due to arrive at Oxford on Wednesday 8th March.

The remaining two Twin Otters, VP-FBB & VP-FBC will head north along with our Dash 7, VP-FBQ, and are due to arrive on Friday 17th March.

At present I don’t know when they’ll be heading back south but it won’t be until late September / early October.

Cheers

Twotter

Hope the weather improves before I get out to Calgary some time next month 🙂

Alan Manns, at Fairoaks, did used to have the contract for our summer maintenance for a number of years through the 70’s, 80’s and into the 90’s, so you would have seen red Twin Otters around there. We’re not really ‘based’ at these maintenance organisations as such. BAS’s main headquarters is here at Cambridge, though our aircraft do spend the northern summers under maintenance.

The pic of the Dash 7 could be any date up to 2002 when the aircraft was repainted. We have a new corporate logo on the tail and new side stripes and cowling accents, though the colour scheme is still red with black upper surfaces. On the wing leading edge you can just see a white pod. This is a magnetometer pod (there’s another fitted to the starboard wing) as the aircraft can be fitted out for airborne survey work.

Our Twin Otter overnighted in Rekjavik in Iceland last night and should be on the way to Iqaluit later today.

Just found this pic. Can’t remember the date, tho. Late 80s?

Did they operate out of Fairoaks in the 1980s? I remember seeing one or two flying around the vicinity of Farnborough around that time.

In-flight entertainment ? Personally I like to just look out of the window 🙂

You may have seen our Twin Otter around the south coast the other day. We were doing some pilot training and they like to put a few miles under the wings. We should be busy at Duxford later today. Some of our scientists are doing a little bit of fettling whilst my boss and I load the aircraft ready for the trip. (Glad it’s looking like being a nice day, I really hate loading in the rain).

Oh and having spoken to the pilot yesterday he will be doing a few circuits on Saturday so you may see her up and about then too.

You wouldin’t want to be loading here today then, it’s hissing it down, hence the reason I’m on here instead of gardening.

In-flight entertainment ? Personally I like to just look out of the window

and then two days crossing northern Canada.

Having Melv point out that the first sighting of a road after three – or was it 6? hours of Grumman Albatross flight across ‘northern Canada’ I’d say you know how to make your own entertainment… 😉

In-flight entertainment ? Personally I like to just look out of the window 🙂

You may have seen our Twin Otter around the south coast the other day. We were doing some pilot training and they like to put a few miles under the wings. We should be busy at Duxford later today. Some of our scientists are doing a little bit of fettling whilst my boss and I load the aircraft ready for the trip. (Glad it’s looking like being a nice day, I really hate loading in the rain).

Oh and having spoken to the pilot yesterday he will be doing a few circuits on Saturday so you may see her up and about then too.

Just to let you know how pleasant such a long flight can be in a Twin Otter I could tell you that the aircraft doesn’t have a toilet. Instead it has the pleasantly titled ‘relief tube’ right at the back of the aircraft if you’re desperate. For anything more ‘solid’ shall we say then you just have to cross your legs (or resort to a bin bag in a bucket!). The cabin is quite cramped so standing up for a good stretch is out of the question plus the aircraft has two long range fuel tanks on board taking up most of the interior space plus emergency kit, spares and the pilots personal kit.

Not exactly business class but at least you get a good view 😉

And I’d still welcome the opportunity to try it sucker for punishment eh?)
Saw a Twotter over here, I think it was day before yesterday, heading SEish

What, no in-flight entertainment?

Just to let you know how pleasant such a long flight can be in a Twin Otter I could tell you that the aircraft doesn’t have a toilet. Instead it has the pleasantly titled ‘relief tube’ right at the back of the aircraft if you’re desperate. For anything more ‘solid’ shall we say then you just have to cross your legs (or resort to a bin bag in a bucket!). The cabin is quite cramped so standing up for a good stretch is out of the question plus the aircraft has two long range fuel tanks on board taking up most of the interior space plus emergency kit, spares and the pilots personal kit.

Not exactly business class but at least you get a good view 😉

The route will be via Iceland, Greenland and then two days crossing northern Canada.

For those of tus that girdle the globe courtisy of Boeing & Airbus, these flights are a salutary reminder of the real size of the planet. It’s also worth noting that DHC managed to make some very useful aircraft. Britain and Australia could both have had a bash at those markets, but failed. Good on the Canadians.

Saffe (warm!) flight!