Speedbird

Back in September 2017, I wrote to the photographer asking for permission to use his photo on Blip. I had discovered it on Flickr and used Facebook messenger to send my request. This evening (19/12/2017) I got the thumbs up. Thank you, Malcolm.

Malcolm's photo is of BOAC Boeing 707-436 call sign G-APFF at Shannon Airport during crew training in December 1968. I have "hijacked"  it to this date as it was the day I flew on this very same aircraft from London Heathrow to Piarco International, Port of Spain, Trinidad.  According to my BOAC Junior Jet Club Log Book, a distance of 5041 Statute Miles lasting 11:15 Hrs: Mins.

I didn't get my Log Book until 1965 when the same journey is shown as being 800 miles and 1:15 Hrs: Mins longer. I can no longer remember if the route had changed during the 18 cross Atlantic flights I made between 1962 and 1970. I have always had in my mind it was Heathrow: Bermuda: Antigua: Barbados: Trinidad. It could be that at some point Bermuda was dropped.

Whatever - it was a long day, always leaving London in the early hours and arriving at dusk or dark in Trinidad. It was proceeded the day before by a train from school in Somerset to Paddington where I was picked up by a "Universal Aunts" escort lady who would usually take me via the Joe Lyons Corner House at Marble Arch (she could claim the meal on expenses) to the Air Terminal on Cromwell Road and then with the Airport bus to a hotel at Heathrow. Then the next morning, would pick me up and deliver me to the BOAC check-in where all the children were caged up and despatched to the various aircraft, again under supervision,  and were handed over to the care of a stewardess. There we were always put in the very rear rows where they could keep an eye on us and well away from the first class passengers. There were only two classes back then.

After taking off we were given a large rectangular tin of goodies. I think it was about half the size of a shoe box and contained biro, pencil, postcard, lozenges to help with popping ears and no doubt other bits to keep us amused. I did keep the odd one for years. They were quite something. We also did our best to steal the miniature After Shave and Eau de Toilette bottles in the WCs but had to be careful!

I chose the photo at Shannon although I had found some rather more appropriate ones, because the year before, we had landed at Shannon to refuel as the runway at Heathrow was for some reason shortened. My only ever time on the Green Isle.

I look at the photo fondly. This livery of the BOAC planes was my favourite - I think just a few years before the Speedbird Logo was more rounded, a larger Union Jack above it on the tail and the B.O.A.C. in large black lettering on the white upper part of the fuselage. This version is the ultimate of sublime British understatement. Back then one didn't need to flout one's superiority! A tiny Union Jack and the Speedbird logo said it all. "Speedbird" was then and still is the air traffic call sign used for all BOAC/British Airways flights....

"London Approach, Jet Speedbird 707 has reached 2000ft now"
"Jet Speedbird 707, London Approach Roger, commence a right turn, establish the ILS, intercept the flight path ........."

Oh, what wonderful days. I think the pilots all had to undergo a very special language speech course to talk in that ever so confident, slightly upper-class voice they used. If your plane was about to fall out of the sky and one of these fellows came on the overhead speakers to say one would be taking a rapid descent and thank you for flying BOAC, you would not have thought anything was untoward. A piece of her Majesty's Britain on every corner of the earth.

I have marked the photo as being at Trinidad in case someone wants to look up where it is.