A couple of well known peaks
Glad to see you flying below the peaks , even if the tallest ones!
Regarding the British Airways Flying Club aircraft….
BAFC was part of Airways Aero Associations Ltd – a wholly owned subsidiary of British Airways. It was originally set up for BA staff (well actually BOAC, BEA and BSAA in 1948) but non-staff ‘public’ were also allowed to join ultimately. The fleet had been in BA colours for many years – from PA28-140s through PA-38s to the Warrior fleet. We also had a Chipmunk painted in the scheme that the club Chipmunk had worn decades earlier.
In my time, we had the Tomahawks with the BA World Flag tails and the Warriors/Dakota with the Historic Chatham Dockyard scheme. G-SIXT (G-BSSX) was due a repaint just before the club’s 60th anniversary in 2008 hence the change of registration and the repaint in 60s Comet 4 schemes (by Mick Allen) – BEA on the starboard side and BOAC on the port side.
The Chatham tail is not a trade mark of BA so we were allowed to keep the tail colours after we left the BA ownership. The ‘Speedmarks’ (’ribbon on the nose) and other BA trademarks had to be removed.
What we didn’t have was instructors wearing stripes. The club only taught to PPL/IMC/FIC etc, no commercial training.
Unfortunately, AAA (including BAFC) was sold off by BA in 2008 (to someone who learnt to fly with BAFC in the 1980s) and since that sale, it has morphed into its current iteration in another sale. The assets were not stolen by BA (some of the bank funds were held onto by BA) and the club was not shut down by them. It carried on with the same staff, reverting to its original name of Airways Flying Club.
Personally, I think the fleet looked great and the above is the first negative comment I have ever heard of the fleet paint schemes. Each to their own. We were proud to work for BAFC/AAA/BA and had one of the best maintained fleets in the country 
….
aerofurb wrote:
Personally, I think the fleet looked great and the above is the first negative comment I have ever heard of the fleet paint schemes. Each to their own. We were proud to work for BAFC/AAA/BA and had one of the best maintained fleets in the country ….
Thank you very much for the factual update on the history and status of the club. Sounded a great place to fly. Now…….my comment. It is each to his own and I personally do not like aircraft painted up in liveries. A very personal choice and the comment was made slightly tongue in cheek and was in a sense with regard to the large sticker stuck on the cowlings of the Beech. A small club sticker on the tail would be my preferred choice, but who am i to suggest that.
I was also being a tad mischievous and had just retired, again, from the Euro GA Covid 19 discussion
I have obviously spent far too much time in the house 
In for a penny…..I also do not like these schemes where older aircraft are painted in 2020 designs. I am a retro kind of guy…I also appreciate that the owners who have spent a fortune on the respray will love it, its just I prefer them painted in the scheme they left the factory in.
BeechBaby wrote:
In for a penny…..I also do not like these schemes where older aircraft are painted in 2020 designs. I am a retro kind of guy…I also appreciate that the owners who have spent a fortune on the respray will love it, its just I prefer them painted in the scheme they left the factory in.
Me too. In the spring I’ll be paying $15K to repaint my plane (for which I paid only $35K) in the same colors and scheme it has now, the same in which it left the factory in 1971. I’ve already had every factory decal and placard reproduced and now my biggest challenge will be close color match. After determining that the original wholesale invoice for the plane lists the wrong colors, I was able to find unfaded and shiny original paint on the back of a fairing, cross checked by peeling back some non-skid.
I’m also going to bug EAA to see if they can supply Oshkosh attendee stickers like those the plane displays now for 1977, 1978 and 1979. Or maybe just photos for reproduction.
I prefer them painted in the scheme they left the factory in.
The early Skywagons being one of my favourites – not sure how original this scheme is, but in tune with the period.
RobertL18C wrote:
The early Skywagons being one of my favourites
Beautiful. That is what I mean……
Silvaire wrote:
I’m also going to bug EAA to see if they can supply Oshkosh attendee stickers like those the plane displays now for 1977, 1978 and 1979. Or maybe just photos for reproduction.
I might just be able to assist you with that. If you PM me with your exact requirements I will check what, if anything, is available.
Thanks for the offer, EAA issue a similar sticker for the convention every year. Like these, I’d need two of each minimum for 1977, 1978 and 1979. I’d also need to find better photos and dimensions of each if the aim was reproduction.
OK. My good friend Adam Smith ran and organised the event for a number of years. I will see if he can assist. Let you know.
Thank you.
