Highland Airways Limited

The monument at Wideford Farm commemorating the first scheduled service from Inverness on 8th May 1933. The plane, a three-passenger Monospar G Acew, was flown by Captain Ted Fresson, managing director of the newly formed Highland Airways Ltd. Investors in the company included the North of Scotland, Orkney & Shetland Steam Navigation Company and George Law, owner of the Scotsman newspaper. The plane was soon fitted with a panier underneath the fuselage to carry the newspapers.

These small planes must have struggled sometimes to cope with the weather of the northern isles, but nevertheless the new airline quickly built a solid reputation for reliability. Apparently, when the plane had to land in windy conditions teams of up to 12 burly islanders were organised to grab the wings of the landing plane and hold it down while it was secured to a heavy vehicle.