Born of Adversity: Britain's Airlines 1919-1963What was it like to fly on British airliners before the Second World War? And why did you have to change planes so often? And why did the Conservatives nationalise the airlines, and Labour open up civil aviation for free enterprise? Born of Adversity looks at the paradoxes of aviation policy from the very beginning as it tells the story of Britain's airlines, the challenges they faced, the opportunities they found, who helped them fly, and who got in the way. An intriguing blend of heroic endeavour and epic mismanagement, the history of British civil aviation reflects our nation's strengths and weaknesses and, above all, the muddle in our politics and policies. This book helps steer you through them, as it tells of Imperial Airways, the wartime experiences of BOAC and the small internal airlines, the creation of BEA after the war, and the short-lived British South American Airways, the importance of aircraft manufacturers like Avro and de Havilland, the Berlin Airlift, and the indomitable rise of the private airlines, and their champions like Freddie Laker and Harold Bamberg, as they forced their way centre stage to share the limelight with the government owned corporations. |
Contents
1939 to 1945 Civilians in Wartime | |
1946 to 1948 Meddle and Muddle | |
1948 to 1951 Along the Corridor Turning | |
1951 to 1959 Basking in the Pale Sunshine | |
1959 to 1963 A New Charter for British Civil | |
Government trooping and other contracts | |
The development of Britains independent | |
Glossary of Terms | |
Common terms and phrases
Aeroplane Africa Air Charter Air Ministry air services Air Transport Airlift airport Airwork American ATAC Atlantic Avro awarded Balfour Berlin Bermuda BOAC BOAC’s Board Boeing bought Brabazon Bristol Bristol Freighters Britain’s Britannias British aircraft British Airways British United BSAA Cadman carried chairman Channel Islands charter airlines civil aviation CMcC Comet Committee competition Constellations Cunard Eagle d’Erlanger Dakotas debate Douglas Douglas DC-7Cs East Eastern Airways Empire engines Euravia European Ferry fleet flew flying boats freight Freighters government’s Handley Havilland HC Deb Hermes House of Commons Hunting-Clan Imperial Airways inclusive tour independent airlines internal air internal services Isle July Lancastrians later licences London Lord March Minister Ministry of Civil Ministry of Supply nationalised operations organisation Overseas Pakenham passengers railway companies Report routes scheduled services Scottish Silver City Singapore Skymaster Skyways subsidies Swinton traffic trooping contracts trooping flights Tudor Vikings Viscount Winster Yorks