STRAIGHT&LEVEL
flightglobal.com 13-19 January 2015 | Flight International | 37
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Falcon obvious, isn’t it? Cap-ital idea or mixed bag?
When modesty
ruled at Qatar
Airline entrepreneurs are rarely
known for their modest dreams,
so Hamad Ali al-Thani must get
some award for understating the
potential of his creation.
Former Budgie scribe Ian
Goold recalls how the founder
of Qatar Airways told him in
1994 that the one-aircraft outfit
was “the national carrier, but
not a prestige airline”. Rather, it
was a “low-cost operation”.
Of course, that was before the
appointment of Akbar Al Baker
two years later, and the rest is
history. Who would have
predicted then that the mighty
Gulf Air would be eclipsed –
and the world of long-haul
aviation transformed – by a
cocky start-up in Dubai, a flag
carrier with a fleet of one and a
national airline that would not
even be named for almost
another decade.
Hound flog
It’s now or never if you fancy
owning one of Elvis’s jets and
have around $10 million to
spare. Two private aircraft
belonging to the King – a
Lockheed Jetstar called Hound
Dog II and a 1960 Convair 880,
Lisa Marie – are up for auction.
Neither are airworthy and
have been on display at Elvis’s
former home, Graceland, for 30
years. But a failure to agree a
continuation of a revenue-
sharing lease with the visitor
attraction means the owners,
OKC Partnership, are offloading
them. The Convair’s last flight
was to take the former Mrs
Presley, Pricilla, from California
to Graceland for Elvis’s funeral
in 1977.
fully familiar with French
bizjets and have a proven record
of the ability to count above
two.” Touché.Hat trick
Stuck for somewhere to lay your
pilot’s hat between flights?
Veteran aviator Aaron Rogers
believes he has the answer. His
HatPak cap case (below) allows
airline pilots, military personnel
and law officers to carry their
headgear with their luggage
without damage.
Most pilots, he says, stuff
their hats in with their clothes,
tuck them under their arm or
balance them on their suitcases,
with far from ideal results. He is
raising funds on Kickstarter to
bring his invention to market.Beverley thrills
Our piece about the Blackburn
Beverley prompted Ray Neve to
add these “recollections” from
the type’s time with the RAF.- Its cruising speed was so
low that it was the only aircraft
in RAF service which suffered
birdstrikes on its trailing edges. - Pilots were forbidden to
spin the Beverley in case the
torque reaction with planet
Earth caused the latter to speed
up or slow down, depending on
the aircraft’s spin direction.
Yuckspeak #195
“Strategically located in the
heart of the airport, Jewel is... a
world-class lifestyle destination
that will enable the Changi air
hub to capture passenger
mindshare, and strongly boost
Singapore’s appeal as a stopover
point for travellers.”
= We’re opening some shops.Must tri harder
Thanks to Rod Holdridge for
pointing out this Budgie Blues –
a photograph of the Dassault
Falcon 8X (left) on our contents
page last week. “A new vacancy
has arisen in the caption-writing
department,” he suggests. “The
successful candidate should beMinesweepers
That seaplanes could be of
some assistance in dealing
with mines has
long been thought
possible. Our
picture touches
upon one of the most
dastardly phases of the
present war, in which the
Prussian Huns have violated
every international law of
humanity and decency, under
the cloak of their wonderful
creation, “Kultur.”Adolf’s Christmas
I trust Adolf, in his mountain
vultures’ nest, had just exactly
the sort of
Christmas he
deserves. I hear
there was a tree
there. I should love to have
the decorating of it. How
about a coal(less) scuttle for
Adolf, a bladder of lard
covered with tinsel stars for
Goering, and for Goebbels a
clever little adaptation of the
lie detector.Eyes on the prize
If a fat purse is the spice of
competition there should be
no reason why this
year’s Royal Aero
Club sporting
calendar should
not interest practically every
pilot in Britain. There is to be a
round-the-Isle of Man air race
with prize money totalling at
least 1,000 guineas.Habsheim crash
The crash of an Air France
Airbus A320 at Habsheim on
24 June 1988 was
caused by the
crew putting
themselves in a
situation beyond their ability to
control fully, say investigators.Rex FeaturesA little less Convair-sation: Elvis’s favourite jet is up for sale