On March 14, Sir Hubert Walker accepted the first example
from Sir Frederick Handley Page at the manufacturer’s Radlett
airfield at the start of a three-month trial period.
Six aircraft had been provisionally ordered back in 1948 but
the new design, Miles’ first attempt at a four-engined feeder
airliner, was beset with snags which, along with the Miles
company’s demise, delayed its entry into service several times.
By the time the aircraft was ready WAAC was desperatefor additional capacity and, despite misgivings concerning
anticipated teething troubles (the trial period having identified
numerous problems and defects), and its increased weight over
that originally specified, took delivery.
The airline had hoped to benefit from British European
Airways (BEA) putting the aircraft in to operation first, but the
carrier had cancelled its order and although the type promised
two and half times the Dove’s payload over the same range,
WAAC privately regarded the Marathon as ‘Hobson’s choice’.
The six aircraft finally entered service between November 1952
and April 1953 with the intention of developing first class travel
throughout the network. They were fitted with 18 passenger
seats and the type’s short take-off and impressive rate of climb
were thought well suited to WAAC’s network.
However, almost immediately the Marathons required
modifications to their wings, ventilation system, engine bearers,
fuel system, rudder/elevator trim actuators and brake assemblies
(WAAC used up two years’ supply of brakes in six months), and
the aircraft required completely rewiring as the original material
did not stand up to local conditions. The time spent fixing the
grounded Marathons left too few to operate their full schedule
and Bristol Freighters were used temporarily to cover their routes
with two stored Doves also returned to service.
The Marathons also suffered from skin cracking, wing spar
fatigue and poor acceleration at the airfields with significant
gradients (such as Jos, Bida and Ibadan). WAAC worked with
Handley Page to resolve the ‘unacceptable condition’ of the
Marathons but Sir Hubert Walker privately complained to
BOAC that the cost of modifications was proving “crippling.”
These recurrent technical hurdles and lower than anticipated
demand for first class travel brought a worsening financial
situation and led to an early decision to withdraw the type
completely by February 9, 1954. BOAC had recommended
that WAAC let the aircraft prove itself in limited service before
introducing it to its entire network, but WAAC had been in a
hurry to add extra capacity, and paid dearly for their haste.Fleet Change
Although the Bristol 170s, now standardised for 44 seats, were
performing well in their Flyer niche on the bigger volume routes,
they were too big for many points on the network, while the
Doves were now often too small.
In 1954 WAAC therefore took the decision to adopt a
reasonably priced single class service. It ordered three de
Havilland DH.114 Herons and began disposing of the smaller
aircraft. WAAC’s route map had doubled in size in five years,
with a five-fold increase in passengers, and it looked forward
to stability and consolidation over the next five years. The
company continued to make losses – not helped by the sale
of the Marathons at a knock-down price and upgrades to the
Bristol Freighters to “make them look more like the Wayfarers.”
Tragedy struck on February 5, 1955, when Bristol 170Handley Page H.P.R .1
Marathon G-AMEO
spent a three-month
trial period with
WAAC in 1951 and
f lew as VR-NAI before
returning to Handley
Page. The Marathons
gave WAAC an
increase in capacity
and were f itted with
18 seats in a First
Class configuration.
A ’
C
B • An
enterprising
passenger checks in
a consignment of
goatskins for a Flyer
service from Lagos.
Launched in 1952,
the Flyer introduced
many West Africans
to air travel and
drastically cut journey
times between regional
commercial centres.
T N
A
http://www.airlinerworld.com 21FLY ER services were often cheaper than
rail, road or sea journeys over the same
routes, providing a convenient alternative
for the local population