Air UK

[om15]

Found these photos on the Air UK website, worked on all of these aircraft between 1979 and 1984 at the maintenance bases at Blackpool and Norwich, Air UK was, in retrospect, the best airline that I worked for, and is still here, albeit called something else.

G-ASKK_JER_1983_.jpg (52.42 KiB) Viewed 703 times

G-APWG_JER_May_1980_.jpg (53.56 KiB) Viewed 703 times

G-APWE_JER_Apr_1981_.jpg (44.51 KiB) Viewed 703 times

[om15]

G-BBXI_SEN_Nov_1981_.jpg (50.97 KiB) Viewed 702 times

G-ASKK_SOU_1981.jpg (42.29 KiB) Viewed 702 times

[ian16th]

I used to be SLF on some of them.

They were called Air Anglia at the time, 1973-76ish.

I used to to travel from Leeds to Edinburgh & return.

[om15]

Air UK was formed under the ownership of British and Commonwealth shipping who owned British Island Airways, the companies that became Air UK in 1980 were British Island Airways, Air Anglia (acquired), Air Wales and Air Westward.
The whole lot was based at Norwich and then later moved to Stansted.
Fleets consisted of HP7 Heralds, (BIA), F27 (Air Anglia) and Emb 110 Banderantes, the Heralds and Bandits were quite quickly phased out with consolidation of the F27 fleet, 22 F27s operated in total, later the ATR72 and Bae 146 were added, then Fokker 50s, but I had long gone by then.

[ian16th]

When I was using them, AA had a F27 that did a daily 'Bus Run'.
Norwich - Leeds - Edinburgh - Aberdeen - Stavanger - Aberdeen - Edinburgh - Leeds- Norwich.

I could use the Leeds - Edinburgh leg, do a days graft in Edinburgh and get the return leg and sleep at home!

Dan Dare had a HS 748 that was based at Leeds and did a similar Bus Run up and down the West Coast of UK. I used them more frequently.

[wings folded]

om15,

I have flown on 298 Air UK flights. (How's that for a useless bit of information?)
They also briefly had Shorts 360s. BLZT, DASI and OBHD were the ones I flew on

[om15]

That is amazing wings, yes the Shorts arrived after I left.
G-BLZT and G-DASI went on to be operated by Gill Aviation, when they went bust G-BLZT was operated by BAC Express and I worked on this at Exeter in the early nineties, G-DASI was bought by an engineering company and scrapped for parts.
G-OBHD was owned and operated by Jersey European Airways and again I worked on this one, possibly it was on a lease to Air UK at the time that you flew on it. The shed was not my favourite aircraft, but it was pretty straight forward with a dependable engine, just looked horrible.

[wings folded]

Brute ugly and not at all comfy

[CharlieOneSix]

....the companies that became Air UK in 1980 were British Island Airways, Air Anglia (acquired), Air Wales and Air Westward.

Back in the early 70's Air Westward used to do the Newquay - Plymouth Roborough - LHR or LGW, can't remember which now. I recall a filthy day at Roborough, rain and low cloud with nothing moving, and a few of us were idling away the time chatting in the tower when Air Westward en route from Newquay called up for the weather. I think it was an Islander, may have been a Bandit.

Lou, the controller, gave 1000 metres in mist. All the bodies in the tower had resulted in steamed up windows. Lou's oppo, Paddy, wiped one with his handkerchief. "Westward 25, visibility improving rapidly, now 2 miles", said Lou. Quite a character was Lou! Happy days - shame Roborough is no more - I did my first powered solo there in a Tiger Moth in '63.

Later in the 70's I used to watch the guys in the Miles hangar at Shoreham rolling sheet metal back and forth to form the Shed's undercarriage 'sponsons'. Just fascinating.

[om15]

C16, I think that Brymon took over that route, Newquay-Plymouth-Gatwick with Herald G-ATIG in the mid 70's or so. It had an unflattering colour scheme.

[Cacophonix]

I see that the remnants of the Air UK business were absorbed by KLM uk then KLM Cityhopper and also into Buzz (KLM owned) that was sold to Ryanair!

Caco

[Ibbie]

You are all forgetting the Air UK Leisure short lived operation.

[Wodrick]

about 9 years LEI was is that short lived ?
They ain't mentioned the F100s either, little buggers to fix they were.


Perhaps both after their time.

[ian16th]

about 9 years LEI was is that short lived ?
They ain't mentioned the F100s either, little buggers to fix they were.


Perhaps both after their time.

Super Sabre's?

[Ibbie]

I think all the Fokker 100s and the B737s went to KLM/KLM Cityhopper/KLM(uk).

They certainly stayed "in house".

Following that you have the Buzz fiasco.

[Smeagol]

Some memories for me here.
Regularly used Air UK to/from Norwich. Seem to remember they had a flight from Heathrow to Norwich which I used a number of times and think it was on the Short 360 (thanks Wings Folded, I thought they were a Short's aircraft but the actual type was lost in the mists of time). One such flight was possibly the roughest, lumpiest flight I have ever taken, the final approach was in heavy rain and a considerable cross wind. But we all walked away safely so no problem!
CharlieOneSix mentioned Roborough which I remember from 1970 when I spent a few days there doing the hours necessary to keep my PPL current.