aspiration of flight, and it soon began to appear on aircraft. The logo, but not the callsign, was retired in
1984, but made a return as part of the retro BOAC livery on a BA Boeing 747. As I write, it has just landed
at Heathrow from Miami as Speedbird 208.
BSAA Lancastrian at Heathrow (1946)
In the year that followed the Second World War, British Airways’ predecessor airlines accomplished an
extraordinary amount. BOAC launched the first British civilian flights across the North Atlantic (refuelling
in Ireland and Newfoundland en route to New York), while BEA established a busy flying programme from
Northolt in northwest London – which made the aerodrome temporarily one of the busiest hubs in the
world.
The distinctive Speedbird logo was used for
years (British Airways)But the most significant event was right at the start of the year, when a British South American Airways
(BSAA) Lancastrian departed on a proving flight from a new airport set amid meadows to the west of
London. The airfield, comprised largely of grass strips and tents, was named after the tiny hamlet it
displaced: Heath Row.
BEA Route Map (1962)
In the early 1960s passengers on British European Airways were handed a small, neat brochure which gave
a succinct summary – in English, French and German – of onboard facilities. It also contained an intricate
route map. A surprising number of destinations have remained the same. All the great European capitals are
here, along with business locations such as Frankfurt, Milan and Zurich – plus leisure destinations such as
Palma, Nice and Venice.
Some routes have been lost over the decades. Birmingham and Bournemouth are no longer connected with
Heathrow, and the intricate Scottish island services are now operated independently by Loganair. Berlin
looks surprisingly busy: that is because, after the division of Germany, only airlines from Britain, France
and the US could serve the city. That entitlement ended after the unification of Germany following the fall
of the Berlin Wall in 1989.
Audio stethoscope (1980s)