This is always an interesting subject. Which aircraft could better another. Sadly, though, I’m afraid there is no clear answear. Different aircraft have different maximum performance altitudes for one thing. Take the Spitfire V versus FW190. The normal Mk. V didn’t have a chance against the FW, but the LF MkV could out run it and out turn it below ca.5000 feet. Same with the Typhoon, it was generally considered superior to the FW below 10000 feet but didn’t stand a chance (ok, a bit of a strong word) above 12000. Another example would be the P51 and the Tempest. Below about 20000 the Tempest was far superior, but less able to hold it’s own above that altitude. So, when comparing aircraft, you can not (I think) reach a deffinate answer, as if you take two aircraft with identical pilots and have them do a battle at say 10000 feet, and another battle at 20000, the resaults could be very different.

The biggest factor influencing the outcome of any aerial battle would be the handling of the tactical situation. By far the greatest number of pilots shot down, probably never saw what hit them (I think I’ve seen the number 90% somewhere). That says, that the realative performance of the aircraft they were flying is not the winning factor, even if it will play some role in a dog fight. If you think for a moment, if performance was the only thing, HOW did the Poles even manage to shoot down SOME Germans flying their ancient PZL fighters?

DIRECT ALL QUESTIONS ON THIS MATTER TO MOD/AHB😉

Flood

Ohhhh God, NOT AGAIN! 😎 😀

I started wondering how long before the thread got pulled when the old DB vacation came up, but then I remembered that I’m Moggy the Moderator according to some sources :diablo: 😀 😀 Long may this thread continue!

These are real gems 😀 Do you mind if I ‘right click- save as’ ?

How did Arnaflug (Eagle Air) fit into this?

In short,not at all!:D Are you ready for a little history lesson? :p

Arnarflug (Eagle Air of Iceland) started in 1970 but at that time the name was Air Viking. Air Viking was started by the travel agency Sunna because they were a little browned off by the treatment they were receiving from the then Icelandair. Their main buisness for the first year was flying Icelandic tourists down to the Med, with two Boeing 720’s. Soon though, they branched out and started flying Hajj flights and general charters in europe. It didn’t last long though, and Air Viking went bankrupt at the begining of 1976. The remains were bought out of the bankrupcy proceedings by a group of men, lead by a guy named Arngrímur Jóhannsson, a pilot previously working for Air Viking. The renovated airline got the name Arnarflug (Eagle Air of Iceland) and started scheduled and charter flights at once with the 720’s Later they had got 707’s, 737’s and DC-8’s.

Around 1980, they started flying scheduled services domestically when they got the aircraft, routes and personel of the bankrupt airline Vængir. The domestic arm got the name Arnarflug Innanlands (Eagle Air Domestic) and had a different business identity from Eagle Air of Iceland, but was run by the same board of directors.

Through out it’s live time Arnarflug (Eagle Air of Iceland) had a difficault time financially. They were unlucky with their aircraft, for example on of the 720’s the got from Air Viking had to be scrapped due to corrosion in 1977 and in 1978 one aircraft crashed in the UK and the threat of bankrupcy was ever there. In the year 1979 the god were smiling again and financial security was achived and lasted until 1983 when the numbers were significantly in the red. From then on, it was a month by month battle to keep the airline (the Eagle Air of Iceland part) out of bankrupcy until it finally went under in 1989.

In the middle of the 80’s, Arngrímur Jóhannsson, the driving force behind the forming of the Arnarflug, left. He took with him a some of the most experinced crew’s and started a new company with the name Air Artic, which lasted only a short time before being transformed into Air Atlanta Icelandic, which is well known through out Europe at least.

The domestic arm, Arnarflug Innanlands, did not go bankrupt with the other half of the company in 1989, but battled on until 1991 when the writing was on the wall and bankrupcy was unavoidable. The remains were bought by the staff and local business men and given the name Íslandsflug. Since 1991 the company has grown very much, and is a well known player in ACMI lease in Europe.

The Arnarflug story does not end here though. Guess what will happen on the first of january? Íslandsflug and Air Atlanta Icelandic will merge into the biggest ACMI lease provider in the world! The spirit of Arnarflug is alive and well 😉 😀

Both FIE and FIA were QC versions, therefor both would have the cargo door.

But you sure have some treasures up your sleeve. Do you have any more? 😀 😀

Ok, here’s pic of one in flight 😀

That’s a good one! Any idea which one it is? Icelandair had two -100’s. TF-FIE ‘Gullfaxi III’, the first Icelandic jet airliner, and TF-FIA ‘Sólfaxi’, the one you have in black and white above.

For some reason I’m thinking this is Gullfaxi. Can you confirm?

Thank goodness there were no casualties, however that’ll do nothing to placate the suits anger

So true, so true. Every word of it. Rumour has it that the top suits are not in the best of moods 😮