Icarus newsletter spring 2007

6, Knightwood Close

Reigate, Surrey

RH2 8BE

Our Roll of Honour is compiled from the “Remembering Absent Friends” column of Touchdown newspaper, and from advice sent by members or their families.

We will miss them all and send our condolences to the families of:
Dave Beard Frank Benton John Carpenter

David Chambers Ted Cook Douggie Cooper

Fred Cundy Oscar Evans Ash Goodhew

David Heathcote Frank Hicks Anthony Jarvis

Roy Laver Bert Orriss ‘Flaps’ Rendall

Dennis Richards Jeff Shippobotham Kiwi Symons
Bert Orriss was a great Icarus supporter and was a regular attendee at our meetings.

‘Flaps’, whose real forenames were Athelstan Sigfrid Mellersh, started commercial flying on the HP42 Hannibal in 1936 and retired from BOAC in 1968 as VC10 Flight Manager.

Three of his sons were pilots with BA and his granddaughter was a VC10 captain in the RAF - quite a family dynasty! Another big name in the industry has recently passed away - John (known as Jock) Cochrane, Concorde Deputy Chief Test Pilot, who was co-pilot to Brian Trubshaw on the initial flight of the first British-built prototype, died peacefully at his home in Cyprus on 4th November 2006. Some of you will have met him when he gave a typically informative and forthright talk at the RAF Club in 2004, just over four months after the type’s withdrawal from service, but I am sure all of you will have heard of Jock and the influence that he had on the development of Concorde and, prior to that, the VC10.

Chairman’s jottings:

A request was made at the last function for a volunteer to join the committee with a view to backing up Alan Marshall’s valuable IT skills. We are very pleased to welcome Mike Austin, who took up the vacancy - his vast computer knowledge, dexterity and energy will be a great asset to the society in the future. He is also well placed to do a spot of recruiting amongst the large ex-BA pool of potential Icarus members that reside in Cyprus, about whom Geoff Smith wrote in our last newsletter. Jim Fomes, one of our most regular and well-known meeting attendees, also agreed to help out, so you might well spot him selling a few raffle-tickets at a function, when we are short of committee members on the day. Thanks to both Mike and Jim for responding to my “call to arms”.

For those of you unable to attend our autumn meeting, I referred to the blossoming museum at Brooklands, in Weybridge, which I would recommend to you for a visit. Not only does it contain some fine motoring memorabilia, but also has several ex-BEA/BOAC/BA aeroplanes (Viking, Viscount, Vanguard, VC10, 1-11), the vanguard G-APEP having been flown into there onto the remaining 600metres of the old runway by a couple of intrepid Hunting Air Cargo pilots for its last, and certainly shortest, landing. Having “cut my teeth” on Echo Papa and her sisters, albeit prior to their conversion to Merchantman, I have a special affinity for the “Guardsvan”, and for all the captains on the fleet, who suffered my attempts at landing the beast! Oh the sweet nostalgia of it all.
The patrons of the museum have also made a bold venture by transporting Concorde

G-BBDG from Filton to Weybridge as a kit of parts, which has been expertly reconstructed by a team of aircraft salvage specialists into an impressive exhibit. The project has been fine-tuned by some ex-BA Concorde engineers who have lovingly restored the remaining parts, many of which were missing, having been cannibalised when the airframe was dormant at Bristol. Delta Golf was a production- standard aeroplane, used during the development flying, but never entered airline service. It spent most of its life in a large Marley-type building on the fringe of Filton Airfield, adjacent to the short runway, and looked a sorry-sight after various bits (tailfin, nose and visor, undercarriage, etc) had been taken to LHR to support the BA fleet. Now that the aeroplane is ship-shape again, it has been opened to the public and is a splendid addition to the other Concs that are exhibited around the UK. The rear cabin has memorabilia and audio-visual histories arranged around the walls, which the public enjoy before proceeding to seats in the forward cabin where they relax and experience the sights and sounds of a supersonic “flight”.

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We asked Peter Sinclair, who was recently presented with his Icarus tie and gift (the latter kindly and uniquely sponsored by Viv Gunton and Dick Boas) to let us know how life had progressed after retirement, considering that he had chosen to carry on B747 flying in the world outside BA. Peter writes “I came into BA through the British Caledonian merger having been involved with flying from quite an early age where I had progressed through some interesting employment, from bush flying in East Africa to freighting with that most delightful of tramp-steamers, the Douglas DC-8. Much of this has proved to be an asset and good grounding for life after BA. So the big retirement day came and I quietly slipped out of the side-door, heading for the big wide world with flying still very much in mind. I am lucky to be the co-owner of an Auster, taking every opportunity to get airborne - the Auster Association is very active with several fly-ins to be attended each year – but I still felt inclined to continue commercial flying beyond the relatively young age of 55.

Therefore the world of flight crew hiring and firing now opened its arms to my advances. I was delighted to be invited to join European Air Charter, based in Bournemouth, who were flying a couple of the BA-retired Classics, so familiarisation was not a problem and soon I was checked out and ready to go. Unfortunately EAC decided to retire the longhaul fleet after I had been there for only 6 months - ever been through the benefits office? Fun, isn’t it! Subsequently, and completely out of the blue, I was telephoned one Sunday afternoon by Air Atlanta (Iceland) offering employment and “could I commence on Wednesday”! So started another conversion course, but at least I was in the company of several colleagues from the Old Firm, and Air Atlanta were about to get an injection of a BA expertise into their operation. Their idea was to set up an operation from two UK airports, Gatwick and Manchester, for the tourist market. The conversion was under the eyes of the CAA and quite impressive, even down to a dunk in the pool near Heathrow for dinghy drill - the outcome being Air Atlanta Europe, operating Icelandic TF registered B747s, owned by Air Atlanta Iceland with the crews holding the JAA Licence. When the basic training was complete there was a shortage of sectors available in the UK for line training, so another phone call came out of the blue asking if I could make the flight from Heathrow the next day to Kuala Lumpur on Malaysian Airways? Some shuffling around with bookings etc., gave me an extra 24 hours to settle things before heading off for my Training.

There was quite a cross section of crews operating in KL, this being on behalf of Malaysian Air Cargo; the routes being mainly to China, Australia and the Middle East, which was all new ground for me as I had retired from the B777 Fleet operating west and southbound. It was also nice to get back to carrying freight and livestock, neither of which get disgruntled nor complain about my PAs. One of the problems with contract companies is their insistence on working with minimum crew establishment, so it was now difficult to break loose from KL as I was a captive and relatively valuable commodity. I have to admit it was enjoyable for a while, especially as there was a wonderful camaraderie amongst the crews however, after 2 months the tolerance was wearing as bit thin and Mrs Sinclair had not been used to my being away on tour for such lengths!

After much wrangling a compromise was reached and, if I was prepared to do a tour around China and the Middle East, they would bring me home. Following my return I was able to start operating from Gatwick on our regular run to Orlando. This was interspersed with other charter destinations around the Med, Egypt and the Canaries. This then was where the differences occurred as, once dispatched to these destinations, you were very much on your own; no engineering cover (apart from our flight engineer) and no load control; just the local agent, only interested in getting the passengers off and on, and us away asap! When the summer season ends it is all-change - we give up the 520 passenger seater and move to either Brize Norton to service the military’s requirements for the South Atlantic or over to Frankfurt to fly the Lufthansa freight schedule to the USA.

As I said previously, the grounding from my previous life has been a great help in sorting some of the problems that arise. With our JAA licences we operate to CAP 371 however, there are a few variations running parallel, as Icelandic regulations also have to be respected. For instance one item hidden in the regulations allows any amount of positioning following a duty, which can amount to very long days.

Many of you will remember B747-200 G-BDXJ - I had the sad but distinct pleasure of flying her into Dunsfold in June ’05. With a major check due it was decided to retire her, the purchaser requesting this to be her final resting-place. On a perfect summer evening we took off from Gatwick for the short hop across and, once cleared by ATC, I took up a position in the circuit over this famous aerodrome. We were unable to land straight away because Jeremy Clarkson and his team had overrun filming on the runway for their TV programme, but this gave me the opportunity to view the runway, not long, but quite adequate for our weight. ‘XJ flew her last circuit like a real lady and between us, she gracefully touched down on the tarmac for the final time. Happily she is still there and is being used for various activities, including filming. The Auster came into its own a few weeks after the event as I was allowed to fly in to Dunsfold, being welcomed once again by the aerodrome owner – I was then able to put both aeroplanes together for some interesting photography from ground level as well as from the elevated flight deck. I am pleased to see her on those occasions when Runway 08 is in use at Gatwick.

Dave Lilley recently agreed to write an account of one of his Viscount escapades that didn’t exactly go to plan, so I will keep it up my sleeve for “flights to remember” in the next issue in the autumn. Dave also wrote “A big thank you to the Icarus team for their efforts, particularly with the newsletters. My summers are spent with Parish Council and Rotary duties, water-colour painting and golfing, where my occasional partners are John Hampson and Barry Smith. My wife and I generally winter abroad, the majority of the time in New Zealand with our daughter’s family in Diamond Harbour, just outside Christchurch. We have walked many of the long distance trails in this beautiful country.”
Our intrepid Scotsman Ian Scott tells us that he continues to defy nature by leading his Probus walking group colleagues to the top of various peaks in his local Perthshire and has even managed to crack some ribs whilst rambling in the Melrose area. He’s also won a decanter full of port for catching the longest fish of the season with the Probus angling section!
Andy Mills has also sent us a description of his recent sojourn to the Aegean:

“In June 2006 my wife, Sue, and I spent a very pleasant week in Ikaria (i-ka-ree-a) in the Dodecanese in the Aegean. The island is named after Icarus who was buried there.

We flew from LGW departing at 0815 to Samos, an island slightly larger than Ikaria and very close to the Turkish mainland. Unsurprisingly Samos has changed hands a few times between the Greeks and Turks over the years but has been continuously Greek since the 1920’s. We were taken by coach from the airport to the ferry port and told we had 3 hours for lunch, before the ship departed, which provided an ideal opportunity to relax and enjoy some excellent Greek cuisine. At 1630 we departed for Evdilos on Ikaria where we arrived three and a half hours later. Soon after, with darkness falling, we were ensconced in our luxury (a/c optional) hotel in Armenistis, on the north side of the island, boasting 2 lovely beaches. A swift unpack and we were off on a short tour of the village where we discovered the local taverna for a light supper. The friendly inn-keeper, Iannis, a Chelsea supporter (inevitable), had a wide screen TV showing the World Cup so, needless to say, we were to become regular visitors for the England games!

The island takes its name from Icarus who, as we all know, drowned in the sea. Daedelus recovered his body from the water and brought it to the island, which was the nearest land - there is a striking sculpture celebrating Icarus on the harbour wall at Agios Kirikos, which is the main port on the south side of the island. The western end of the island is aptly nicknamed the “Wild West” where the roads are dirt and the terrain rugged, beautiful and unpopulated. The oleanders were flowering in stunning profusion along the coast road during our stay and the sea was sparkling and clear. The mountainous interior, which rises to 1,000m, is rugged and picturesque. The village of Nas, 4 Km west of our hotel in Armenistis, is the boundary of metalled roads and is a delightful spot with a small inlet which was the site of the Temple of Artemis in the 5^th century BC. Artemis was the goddess of wildlife, mistress of the sea and patroness of sailors - not airmen obviously! A group of tavernas overlook the inlet and cove and the stunning sunsets are just fabulous.

The island bus service is very Vicky Pollard -“whenever”- so people will just stop and give you a lift if you are walking. The food is simple and delicious - everything is grown locally. These people are fiercely independent and have seen difficult times - surviving pirates, marauders and deportees. In fact a whole generation nearly starved to death after WWII when mainland Greece deported left-wing dissidents to the island when it was known as the “Red Rock”.

Ikaria is a must-see on the island-hopping list - it is pretty, the people are friendly and accommodating – and also the wine is good!”

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Flights to Remember (or forget!)
Following Denis Clifton’s exploits, covered in the previous two newsletters,

Captain Peter McKeown has provided a description of one of his less-enjoyable flights in the early days of the BEA Comet operation. He writes:
Comet 4B G-APMB. LHR-Copenhagen-LHR. 21^stFebruary 1960
Captain Peter J McKeown, P2 Don Hill, P3 Paddy Mockler.
The incident happened during the period when BALPA and BEA were arguing over jet pay and thus fare-paying passenger flights were banned. We were however able to carry out route training, with cabin crew and staff passengers aboard. Having landed at CPH at 1053 am from Heathrow, we encountered several inches of slush toward the end of the landing run - we had not been warned that only about half of the runway had been cleared. As we turned off the runway we were suddenly aware that numbers 1, 2 & 3 engines had stopped!

After parking, a staff passenger reported that a bow wave from the nose wheel had thrown a load of slush into the engine intakes. After phoning London the engineers suggested that we should start the engines and, if ok, run them to full power. They thought that the weight of water might just have put the fires out and that the engines would be undamaged. This we did and all was perfectly normal. I went out to the runway for a check and about 2/3rds of the runway was clear, before the slush started.

Being light we had no difficulty in turning down wind and, after advising ATC that we had a bit of a problem, requested immediate landing clearance. I clearly remember ATC being mainly interested in “how many souls on board?” - I suppose they wanted to order the body bags! Anyway, despite the cloud base and visibility being a bit dodgy, and with great help from Don and Paddy, we safely returned to terra firma. After parking, the BEA station manager (I forget his name) came up to the cockpit and said “if you were not flying again today I would give the crew a bottle of brandy!’ I said “Open the bottle, we’ve had enough flying for one day”.

I only vaguely remember the party we had that evening in Copenhagen and we came home passengers on an SAS flight the next day, nursing well deserved hangovers!

The three engines were wrecked and all four were changed before the Comet was ferried to London. This incident sparked off a big enquiry. Mudguards for the nose wheels were suggested and abandoned as being impractical. Lots of research into slush depths took place and limits were laid down. A nose wheel-skimming technique was subsequently approved, at least for Comets. (I reckoned this made a much smoother take-off and we used it on all take-offs thereafter). Examination of the reasons for the Munich disaster were re-opened which eventually led to Captain Thain being exonerated from blame but, unfortunately, that came too late for him.

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One of our number reports the following:

There has been some correspondence recently via the Icarus website between several of our members who reside and have their pensions paid abroad, regarding the exchange rates that BA Pensions use to make the transaction and whether they are disadvantaged by the procedure. Mike Post, our Icarus pensions guru, has provided some background information for those who consider the Bank of New York exchange rate (which our pensions dept use) inferior, compared to those available through a currency transfer agent. Indeed the latter do offer competitive rates, but the currency transfer service that they provide is unregulated and would therefore involve significant risk. The operations committee of APS, in response to the aforementioned queries, have reviewed the situation and have concluded that the BoNY service has been good, comparing very favourably with the previous bank provider used. Said pensioners retain the option of having their pensions paid into a UK sterling account and then making their own exchange arrangements should they so wish.

If you happen to be ex-Hamble, just to remind you that another reunion for former instructors and students will be held on 11^th May at the BAE social club in Hamble.

The contact, should you wish to attend, is Phil Nelson. (p.a.nelson@btinternet.com)
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Icarus online.
While the original reason for an Icarus online presence was to list members' email addresses for correspondence, it has expanded over the years to include other services, not least the ability to download the newsletter, which helps the committee to reduce the costs of the printed newsletter.
The latest incarnation at http://www.icarusba.org.uk now has a secure login procedure so that member details are only available to other members. Besides email addresses, some forty members have entries in the "Where are they now?" section and there is also a list of useful links, some of which are not available to non-members, and, of course, the newsletter.
In addition to the website, there is now a Icarus Google group, the main object of which is members' discussions, some quite lively. Mike Austin is the driving force behind this group and, besides his obvious passion for communication, has uploaded a large number of files on Staff Travel, which can help you to unravel the latest changes.
To join the groups, and help us to reduce costs by getting your newsletter online, please use the contact form at http://www.icarusba.org.uk

Following the newsletter mailing six months ago several envelopes were returned to us marked “addressee has moved away” – does anyone therefore know the current address for Pat Russell, Dennis Regan, G W Pollard of Finchhampstead, Dave Peters, Clive Richardson, Terry Armstrong, Clive Edgell, Dick Lenton, S Geffryes, Peter Plowright,

Ken Muir-Hunt, Ian Mcgrath, Brian Weaver or Arthur Spain?

Due to data protection sensitivities BA are unable to provide us with a contact address for pilots who approach retirement, even though they have paid their Icarus subscription to the pay office whilst serving. Unless they respond to the gift choice letter, which is sent out for us by our contact within Flight Operations (Julie Reid), we have difficulty arranging their gift and its subsequent presentation, which seems a shame! Should you know the whereabouts of any of the following, perhaps you could either advise the chairman, or ask said-colleague to make contact with us, so that the situation can be remedied. Those who have not responded are Peter Frisk, Peter Hocking, John Holland, Colin Seaman, Stephen Taylor, Dick Chapman, Douglas Duguid and Shaun Haddock.

The committee look forward to welcoming you all to the spring meeting at:

On behalf of the Icarus Committee.