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Post by kiwithrottlejockey on May 2, 2012 19:21:28 GMT 12
BCPA definitely provided a stylish way to fly across the Pacific from Sydney & Auckland to San Francisco & Vancouer.
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Post by kiwithrottlejockey on May 2, 2012 19:45:58 GMT 12
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Post by Peter Lewis on May 2, 2012 21:58:27 GMT 12
"gay beautiful Honolulu" had a very different meaning in those days.
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Post by kiwithrottlejockey on May 2, 2012 22:42:01 GMT 12
Something I've always wondered about the four DC-6 airliners operated by BCPA, then the three operated by TEAL then the RNZAF.
I've got a copy of the book “Silver Wings in Pacific Skies” by H. M. Moore....a history of BCPA written by the son of the chief pilot. In the comprehensive appendices section towards the back of the book, it shows the DC-6 airliners as being fitted with Curtis Electric propellors. Yet more than one book about TEAL/Air NZ shows the DC-6s as being fitted with Hamilton Standard hydromatic propellors. So I wonder whether BCPA changed to using Hamilton Standard propellors, or whether TEAL did the conversion. I imagine it wouldn't be a matter of simply removing the Curtis Electric propellors and fitting the Hamilton Standard propellors.
The DC-6s were originally ordered by the Swedish airline AB Aerotransport, however when they decided to join the SAS consortium not long after ordering the DC-6 sleeper transports, they became surplus to requirements due to SAS already having a number of DC-6 sleeper transports with more still under construction. So when completed, ABA's “sixes” were temporarily mothballed at the Douglas plant, then shortly after sold to BCPA. Presumably it was ABA who had specified Curtis Electric propellors when they had ordered the DC-6s. There was a long production backlog at the Douglas plant, so being able to take over the ABA DC-6s effectively meant that BCPA were able to jump the queue ahead of other airlines who were ordering DC-6s. In fact, according to H. M Moore's book, Pan American got wind of what was going on and attempted to purchase the DC-6s themselves for use on southwest Pacific services to Australia and New Zealand, but ABA honoured the deal they had already made with BCPA.
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Post by kb on May 3, 2012 13:10:33 GMT 12
Surprisingly for such a small airline which only operated for a few years there have been two books published on it. The other is "British Commonwealth Pacific Airlines 1946-1954". This book has as its main focus an aerophilatelic history of thr airline.
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Post by davidd on Jul 30, 2012 20:48:21 GMT 12
Kiwithrottlejockey, As you say, the BCPA aircraft were originally fitted with Curtiss Electric props, but with TEAL and RNZAF they were always fitted with Hamilton Standard Hydromatics. Both were reversing propellers. Airlines were usually given the choice of propellers to be fitted (but not engines, unlike the case when the big American jet airliners came on stream - P&W, GE or RR!) but I don't think the conversion from one to another propeller type would be too massive. However it would probably require a complete factory conversion kit for each engine plus additional wiring (if this ws not already built in at factory) and controls at flight engineers station. If from Curtiss Electrics to Hydromatic it would require additional pumps, plumbing, etc to operate prop blades back past feather position. I imagine that TEAL could have undertaken such a conversion, but that is only a guess. The DC-6 was the first American civilian airliner certified with reversing propellers; strangely the first in Britain was the tiny DH Dove! However the first service aircraft with such propellers was (I believe) the Consolidated Coronado (PB2Y-3R flying boat, probably in 1943/44) , and Howard Hughes' "Spruce Goose". Also Hughes' XF-11 twin engined reconnaissance plane was fitted with such props, and it was these which almost killed him in 1946 or 1947. David D
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Post by kiwithrottlejockey on Jul 26, 2013 13:41:49 GMT 12
Surprisingly for such a small airline which only operated for a few years there have been two books published on it. The other is "British Commonwealth Pacific Airlines 1946-1954". This book has as its main focus an aerophilatelic history of thr airline. I just purchased a brand-new copy of that other book on Trade Me and for a very reasonable price. It was listed some time ago but didn't sell. I discovered the archived listing yesterday and persuaded the seller to list it again, and he put a Buy Now price on it, so I grabbed it. So once it is delivered, I'll have copies of both books about British Commonwealth Pacific Airlines. • Douglas DC-6 c/n.43127/133
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pvsjetstar
Flight Lieutenant
email: rassie6@optusnet.com.au
Posts: 97
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Post by pvsjetstar on Aug 9, 2013 13:34:18 GMT 12
You might like to take a look at one of the best websites in the world which will give you a great look at both the DC-6s and DC-4s operated by B.C.P.A. When you open the website, scroll down and click on 'Australia Airliner Histories', then click on Douglas DC-6 (or DC-4), and then select each aircraft by registration. We have some wonderful photos on the website as well as histories (which are constantly being updated as we find out more about each airframe). The Queensland Air Museum at Caloundra on the Sunshine Coast at Queensland are keen to get the remains of VH-BPG/ZK-BGB brought to Australia from Lanseria, South Africa, and restore it to display condition in B.C.P.A.livery, but it will be a very expensive project if it goes ahead!!
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pvsjetstar
Flight Lieutenant
email: rassie6@optusnet.com.au
Posts: 97
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Post by pvsjetstar on Aug 9, 2013 13:35:26 GMT 12
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Post by kiwithrottlejockey on Feb 25, 2015 16:41:16 GMT 12
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Post by Dave Homewood on Feb 25, 2015 17:41:19 GMT 12
Whilst the bed - which must surely be only for super rich First Class passengers only and also be completely pointless for such a short trip, might look comfortable; those seats look horridly uncomfortable to me. And the leg-room looks the same as Air New Zealand seating now. Give me a modern aircraft any day for such a flight. It's be quicker, quieter and more reliable.
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Post by kiwithrottlejockey on Feb 25, 2015 17:59:59 GMT 12
I'd hardly call it a short trip, Dave, when one departed Auckland on the first leg to Fiji at 3:00pm (NZ time) and arrived at Nadi at 8:20pm (local time), departing from there at 10:00pm and flying through the night to Honolulu, arriving there at 1:25pm (with a brief refuelling stop at Canton Island in the wee hours of the morning), then departing again from Honoplulu at 10:30pm and flying through the night to San Francisco, arriving there at 9:40am (local time), then departing again at 11:00am and finally arriving at Vancouver at 2:35pm. That's a considerably longer time than flying from Auckland to London on NZ2 today. Those folks back then spent two entire nights on the aeroplane before they even got to San Francisco. And they probably paid the same fare as what Pan American charged to fly on one of their DC-4 airliners sitting in a seat all the way. And if you look closely, you will see that the seat rows line up with those big Douglas windows which are spaced a considerable distance apart. I guess the legroom would be the same as flying in the Warbirds DC-3 or ZK-AMY or ZK-AWP, which is HUGE compared with the legspace in today's airliners. I guess you'd have travelled by ship back then, and naturally complained about the sea being too rough, eh?
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Post by Dave Homewood on Feb 25, 2015 19:07:02 GMT 12
Oh I see now, sorry I didn't read your post correctly for some reason and was thinking this was for trans-Tasman. Yeah the bed would be preferable over those horrid seats for such a long flight for sure. Was there a bar onboard?
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Post by kiwithrottlejockey on Feb 25, 2015 19:29:42 GMT 12
I don't know if they had an onboard bar.
You have to remember that BCPA was owned by three governments (Australia, NZ and UK) and attitudes were a lot more puritanical back then (pubs forced to shut at 6pm in NZ), so I wouldn't be at all surprised if BCPA was alcohol-free. I've got a couple of books about BCPA, but I don't recall seeing any mention of an onboard bar in either of those books.
And as for the beds....every passenger got a bunk to sleep in during the overnight sectors from Fiji to Honolulu, and Honolulu to San Francisco. They also had a harness they could wear so they didn't have to get out of bed when the DC-6 landed at Canton Island to refuel during the wee hours, then took off again. And during the long afternoon/evening servicing stopover at Honolulu, the passengers each got a hotel room right across the road from Waikiki Beach thrown in as part of the fare, although I presume a lot of them would have simply spent the hours lying on the beach or going for a swim.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Feb 25, 2015 19:38:12 GMT 12
I'll bet the politicians were not alcohol free back then Hmm, everyone getting a bed, nice. Isn't that what the 797's are like now?
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Post by Peter Lewis on Feb 25, 2015 20:02:44 GMT 12
Crossing the Pacific Ocean in style from Auckland to San Francisco and Vancouver with British Commonwealth Pacific Airlines between 1949 and 1954 in their Douglas DC-6 sleeper transport airliners was definitely a considerably more classy way to travel than today's cattle class.... and vastly more expensive.
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Post by kiwithrottlejockey on Feb 25, 2015 22:34:43 GMT 12
Here is the answer to your query about bar service, Dave.... (click on each image of the BCPA DC-6 brochure to download the full-sized version)
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Post by Dave Homewood on Feb 26, 2015 1:01:24 GMT 12
Sweet, it had a bar. My approval is given. "No tipping please" - a great kiwi tradition! Long may it last.
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Post by kiwithrottlejockey on Feb 26, 2015 16:26:41 GMT 12
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Post by kiwithrottlejockey on Mar 9, 2015 12:49:13 GMT 12
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