Post by Dave Homewood on Apr 22, 2024 20:07:44 GMT 12
Two N.Z. Pilots Chosen To Fly New VC10 Jets
Two New Zealanders are among the first group of nine pilots chosen to fly the new fleet of Vickers VC10 jet airliners on order for the British Overseas Airways Corporation. They are Captain R. Hartley, of Auckland, and Captain B. Wallace of Invercargill.
The new four-jet 600 m.p.h aircraft will go into service early next year.
Until recently Captain Hartley was deputy flight manager of B.O.A.C.’s Britannia 102 flight. Educated at Auckland Grammar School, he joined the Royal Air Force in 1940, and was awarded the D.F.C. and bar while serving as a Mosquito pilot with the Pathfinder Force of Bomber Command.
Captain Hartley was awarded the Queen’s Commendation for valuable services in the air in 1960. Last year he piloted the Britannia which flew Princess Margaret to Jamaica for the island’s independence celebrations.
Captain Wallace was educated at Southland Technical College. He joined the RAF in 1940 and won the D.F.C and bar before transferring to B.O.A.C. in 1944. For several years he has been in charge of pilot training in the airline’s Comet 4 fleet.
Both New Zealanders will undergo an intensive course of theoretical and practical training on the ground and in the air before the VC10 enters service.
Two New Zealanders are among the first group of nine pilots chosen to fly the new fleet of Vickers VC10 jet airliners on order for the British Overseas Airways Corporation. They are Captain R. Hartley, of Auckland, and Captain B. Wallace of Invercargill.
The new four-jet 600 m.p.h aircraft will go into service early next year.
Until recently Captain Hartley was deputy flight manager of B.O.A.C.’s Britannia 102 flight. Educated at Auckland Grammar School, he joined the Royal Air Force in 1940, and was awarded the D.F.C. and bar while serving as a Mosquito pilot with the Pathfinder Force of Bomber Command.
Captain Hartley was awarded the Queen’s Commendation for valuable services in the air in 1960. Last year he piloted the Britannia which flew Princess Margaret to Jamaica for the island’s independence celebrations.
Captain Wallace was educated at Southland Technical College. He joined the RAF in 1940 and won the D.F.C and bar before transferring to B.O.A.C. in 1944. For several years he has been in charge of pilot training in the airline’s Comet 4 fleet.
Both New Zealanders will undergo an intensive course of theoretical and practical training on the ground and in the air before the VC10 enters service.
