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UK - Luxor flights after the war
Posted: Sun May 01, 2016 10:45 am
by crewmeal
Someone recently asked me about the history of Luxor airport. There sin't much on Google but a friend pointed me to this link when BOAC Flying Boats used to go fly from Southampton to East Africa.
I note there was a nightstop for passengers in Luxor. I wonder where they stayed.
http://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages ... a49-07.jpg
I'll post further info when I have it.
Re: UK - Luxor flights after the war
Posted: Sun May 01, 2016 10:59 am
by Who2
I couldn't spot any dates on the itinerary, but I believe there were a few very excellent hotels in Luxor,
besides The Savoy, The Winter Palace and The old Luxor Hotel....
Ps: And of course Sheik Ali's on the West Bank & The Memnon.
Re: UK - Luxor flights after the war
Posted: Sun May 01, 2016 11:14 am
by newcastle
I recall an anecdote ftom the Six Day War in 1967.
Mubarak was a senior pilot at the time based at Beni Suef. His and 4 other planes were forced to take shelter at Luxor airport, where all the planes were promptly destroyed on the ground by the Israeli airforce.
Mubarak had to return, ignomiously, to Beni Suef......by train!
Re: UK - Luxor flights after the war
Posted: Sun May 01, 2016 12:30 pm
by BBLUX
I remember back to when those flights operated. Solent and Empire class flying boats operated off Southampton Water. My family home was only a mile from the water and their favoured landing approach was straight over our house. I can remember one stormy afternoon one of the aircraft actually clipped the trees at the end of our garden and the branch fell down near me! It made a safe landing fortunately.
Re: UK - Luxor flights after the war
Posted: Sun May 01, 2016 12:33 pm
by crewmeal
Re: UK - Luxor flights after the war
Posted: Sun May 01, 2016 12:47 pm
by BBLUX
Those belonged to Imperial Airways which merged into BOAC in 1939. Capella was an Empire class aircraft.
Re: UK - Luxor flights after the war
Posted: Sun May 01, 2016 2:32 pm
by HEPZIBAH
Ohh... how I wish that they flew from Southampton these days. I'm guessing BBLUX and FABLUX would have appreciated that route too. The only negative I can see is that luggage would probably quite limited.
Re: UK - Luxor flights after the war
Posted: Sun May 01, 2016 3:44 pm
by crewmeal
I would imagine it was quite a sight to see a flying boat landing and taking off down the Nile.
Re: UK - Luxor flights after the war
Posted: Sun May 01, 2016 4:07 pm
by BBLUX
We did the float plane trip back in 2007. Took off down river towards the Hilton just missing the power lines. The landing was a bit scary as we came in from the south over Nile cruisers and motor boats crossing the Nile! The river was a lot busier in those days.
Hepzi, it would have been a romantic flight wouldn't it.
However with small luggage and a maximum cruising speed of around 200 mph it would have taken all day to get there. No wonder the flights left Southampton early in the morning and the returns were late in the afternoon.
Re: UK - Luxor flights after the war
Posted: Sun May 01, 2016 4:07 pm
by HEPZIBAH
It is only in relatively recent years that that sight has no longer been visible. Not so long back you could take a flight over Luxor and the surroundings on a flying boat. Alas, I didn't actually do it but would have liked to have done.
Re: UK - Luxor flights after the war
Posted: Sun May 01, 2016 4:11 pm
by HEPZIBAH
BBLUX wrote:
Hepzi, it would have been a romantic flight wouldn't it.
However with small luggage and a maximum cruising speed of around 200 mph it would have taken all day to get there. No wonder the flights left Southampton early in the morning and the returns were late in the afternoon.
I don't know about the romance but if it saved that horrid journey on National Express to Gatwick it would be well worth considering, and probably not that much longer time wise, if at all, than the present time it takes to get from home to hotel.
Re: UK - Luxor flights after the war
Posted: Sun May 01, 2016 5:37 pm
by BBLUX
HEPZIBAH wrote:It is only in relatively recent years that that sight has no longer been visible. Not so long back you could take a flight over Luxor and the surroundings on a flying boat. Alas, I didn't actually do it but would have liked to have done.
The float plane is still moored in the same place, or it was a few months ago.
Re: UK - Luxor flights after the war
Posted: Sun May 01, 2016 5:50 pm
by Who2
I was planning to swim up to it and sabotage the noisy bas*ed thing,
"Never were so many annoyed by so few"
It's dead easy to sabotage a sea plane.....'and I wasn't joking...
Re: UK - Luxor flights after the war
Posted: Tue May 03, 2016 6:49 pm
by Hafiz
I think the planes on their trip south landed in the Nile at Juba in the Sudan and in one of the soda lakes in north Kenya (Naivasha/Nakuru I'm not sure which). How they avoided the flamingos escapes me.
Re: UK - Luxor flights before and after the war
Posted: Thu May 05, 2016 7:48 am
by crewmeal
A friend who is in the know sent me this bit of info
lmperial Airways 1938. The first day is Southampton to Athens, and the second to Alexandria. "The flying-boat then proceeds to Cairo and flies over the Nile Valley Luxor and Wadi Halfa....On the morning of the third day from England, the first stage is to Khartoum....The trunk route southwards from Khartoum follows the White Nile to Malakal...and continues to Port Bell on the northern shore of Lake Victoria. It then turns eastward to Kisimu, which is the end of the third day's flight from England" It seems these flights were operated by Shorts Empire flying-boats.So perhaps similar to Khartoum. Of interest is the airfare. London-Luxor return was £ 90, inclusive of all meals and hotel accommodation.
Re: UK - Luxor flights after the war
Posted: Thu May 05, 2016 3:21 pm
by Hafiz
Here is an advertising poster for Imperial Airways from 1931-32 which shows the route as Cairo - Wadi Haifa and not including Luxor.
http://www.bahr-el-jebel-safaris.com/Ju ... ffice.html
Re: UK - Luxor flights after the war
Posted: Thu May 05, 2016 4:27 pm
by newcastle
Fascinating!
