BOAC Logo

The British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) was the British state airline from 1939 until 1946 and the long-haul British state airline from 1946. The company started life with a merger between Imperial Airways and British Airways Ltd. Following an Act of Parliament in 1971, BOAC was merged with British European Airways in 1974 to form British Airways.
Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1151x179, 5 KB) cleaned up scan of BOAC logo File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1151x179, 5 KB) cleaned up scan of BOAC logo File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... The term company may refer to a separate legal entity, as in English law, or may simply refer to a business, as is the common use in the United States. ... The Imperial Airways Empire Terminal, Victoria, London. ... This article deals with the 1930s airline British Airways Ltd. ... An Act of Parliament or Act is law enacted by the parliament (see legislation). ... For other uses of BEA see Bea British European Airways, or BEA, was formed in 1946 by an Act of Parliament. ... For the 1930s airline of similar name, see British Airways Ltd. ...

Alliance Oneworld Components British Airways BA CityFlyer Franchisees British Mediterranean Airways [Until October 28, 2007] Comair GB Airways Loganair Sun Air Destinations British Airways destinations British Airways franchise destinations Heritage Imperial Airways British Airways Ltd British European Airways (BEA) British South American Airways British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) Other British Airways Engineering British Airways ethnic liveries Timeline of British Airways Speedbird

Image File history File linksMetadata British_Airways_747_landing_SFO,_crop. ... For other uses, see Oneworld (disambiguation). ... For the 1930s airline of similar name, see British Airways Ltd. ... BA Cityflyer is a fully owned subsidiary airline of British Airways. ... British Mediterranean Airways, trading as BMED, is an airline based at London Heathrow Airport in the United Kingdom. ... Comair is an airline based in South Africa. ... GB Airways is an airline, and uncer a franchise agreement with British Airways. ... Loganair is an airline based at Glasgow International Airport (GLA) in Scotland. ... Sun Air of Scandinavia is an airline based in Billund, Denmark. ... British Airways flies to destinations on every inhabited continent. ... British Airways flies to destinations on every inhabited continent. ... The Imperial Airways Empire Terminal, Victoria, London. ... This article deals with the 1930s airline British Airways Ltd. ... For other uses of BEA see Bea British European Airways, or BEA, was formed in 1946 by an Act of Parliament. ... British South American Airways (BSAA) was a British state-run airline of the 1940s. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... In 1997 British Airways adopted a new livery. ... This is a timeline of the history of British Airways plc (including the history of predecessor companies which influence its shape today). ... Evolution of the Speedbird logo to todays British Airways identity Speedbird is a callsign used by British Airways during air traffic control procedures, as well as the name for the famous stylized British Overseas Airways Corporation logo. ...

History

During the 1930s, 1940s and until November 1950 Imperial Airways and then BOAC operated flying boat services from Southampton to colonial possessions in Africa and Asia. Aeroplanes such as the Short Empire and Short S.8 Calcutta flying boat, transport passengers and mail. BOAC also operated the Handley Page HP42 airliner for service through Europe and the Empire routes to India and South Africa. Boeing 314 A flying boat is an aircraft that is designed to take off and land on water, in particular a type of seaplane which uses its fuselage as a floating hull (instead of pontoons mounted below the fuselage). ... Southampton is the largest city[1] on the south coast of England. ... A world map showing the continent of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. ... World map showing the location of Asia. ... The Short Empire or S.23 was a passenger and mail carrying flying boat, of the 1930s and 1940s, which flew between Britain and British colonies in Africa, Asia and Australia. ... The Short Calcutta or S.8 was a flying boat made by Short Brothers. ... It has been suggested that first class mail be merged into this article or section. ... Handley Page H.P.42 G-AAUD Hanno. ... World map showing the location of Europe. ...

As well as training pilots in the UK, BOAC operated a tropical training school in Soroti, North East Uganda. Soroti is the chief town of the Soroti District of Uganda, lying near Lake Kyoga. ...

The breakup

The Civil Aviation Act of 1946 led to the demerger of two divisions of BOAC to form three separate corporations:

• BOAC - for Empire, North American and Far East routes
• British European Airways (BEA) - for European and domestic routes
• British South American Airways (BSAA) - for South American and Caribbean routes

In July 1949, British South America Airways was merged back into BOAC. For other uses of BEA see Bea British European Airways, or BEA, was formed in 1946 by an Act of Parliament. ... British South American Airways (BSAA) was a British state-run airline of the 1940s. ...

Introduction of jets

After technical problems with the Comet, BOAC resumed jet service with imported Boeing 707s

The Vickers VC-10 was developed for BOAC. Many of the airline's requirements for operability from hot and high airfields made the VC-10 unsuitable for North American carriers

In May 1952, BOAC became the first airline to introduce a passenger jet, the de Havilland Comet. All Comet 1 aircraft were grounded in April 1954 after four Comets crashed, the last two being BOAC aircraft. Investigators discovered serious structural cracks caused by metal fatigue due to the repeated pressurization and depressurization of the aircraft as they ascended and descended. While rectifying this problem, de Havilland engineers improved the Comet in many ways and improved its range, creating the Series 4. In 1958, BOAC used the new Comets to become the first airline to fly jet passenger services across the Atlantic. BOAC Boeing 707 at London (Heathrow) Airport. ... BOAC Boeing 707 at London (Heathrow) Airport. ... Vickers VC-10 (G-ARTA) somewhere in southern England (information now lost). ... Vickers VC-10 (G-ARTA) somewhere in southern England (information now lost). ... The VC-10 airliner was designed and built by Vickers (part of the British Aircraft Corporation) in the 1960s. ... A jetliner is an airliner powered by jet engines (usually of the turbofan type). ... This article is about the de Havilland Comet jet airliner. ... This article is about a computer game. ... Wiktionary has a definition of: Pressurization Pressurization generally refers to the application of pressure in a given situation or environment; and more specifically refers to the process by which atmospheric pressure is maintained in an isolated or semi-isolated atmospheric environment (for instance, in an aircraft, or whilst Scuba diving). ... For other uses, see De Havilland (disambiguation). ...

During the 1950s and 1960s, BOAC shifted to a largely Boeing-made fleet, starting with a 1956 order for 15 Boeing 707s. Sir Giles Guthrie, who took charge of BOAC in 1964, preferred the Boeing aircraft for economic reasons, and indeed BOAC began turning a profit in the late 1960s. The preference for US-made aircraft caused a political row in Parliament, however, and the government ordered BOAC to purchase 17 Vickers VC-10 aircraft from a 30-aircraft order which Guthrie had cancelled.^[1] However the VC-10 had somewhat higher operating costs than the 707, largely as a result of BOAC's own demands for the aircraft to have excellent "hot and high" performance. The Boeing Company (NYSE: BA, TYO: 7661 ) is a major aerospace and defense corporation, originally founded by William Boeing. ... Year 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Boeing 707 is a four-engine commercial passenger jet airliner developed by Boeing in the early 1950s. ... Type Bicameral Houses House of Commons House of Lords Speaker of the House of Commons The Right Honourable Michael Martin MP Lord Speaker Hélène Hayman, Baroness Hayman, PC Members 1377 (646 Commons, 731 Peers) Political groups (as of May 5, 2005 elections) Labour Party Conservative Party Liberal Democrats... The VC-10 airliner was designed and built by Vickers (part of the British Aircraft Corporation) in the 1960s. ...

BOAC later became the largest Boeing customer outside North America. The next major order of Boeing aircraft was for 11 747-100s. BOAC received its first 747 on April 22, 1970 but due to strike action by the British Air Line Pilots Association the aircraft did not enter commercial service for almost a year, on April 14, 1971. The Boeing 747, commonly nicknamed the Jumbo Jet, is a long-haul, widebody commercial airliner manufactured by Boeing. ... is the 112th day of the year (113th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... See also general strike, or for other uses see: strike (disambiguation). ... The British Air Line Pilots Association is the worlds second largest flight crew associations, next to U S Air Line Pilots Association. ... April 14 is the 104th day of the year (105th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 261 days remaining. ... Year 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1971 Gregorian calendar. ...

In 1962, BOAC and Cunard formed BOAC-Cunard Ltd to operate scheduled services to North America, the Caribbean and South America. The operation was dissolved in 1966. The Cunard Line, formerly Cunard White Star Line, is a British cruise line, operator of ocean liners RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2) and RMS Queen Mary 2 (QM2). ...

Dissolution

On September 1, 1972, the British Airways Board was formed, a holding board that controlled BOAC and BEA. On March 31, 1974, both the BOAC and BEA were dissolved and their operations merged to form British Airways. September 1 is the 244th day of the year (245th in leap years). ... Year 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... March 31 is the 90th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (91st in leap years), with 275 days remaining. ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... For the 1930s airline of similar name, see British Airways Ltd. ...

BOAC would have become one of the first operators of the Concorde had it not merged to become British Airways. BA's Concordes carried registrations of G-BOAA through G-BOAG. British Airways Concorde G-BOAB. Concorde G-BOAD on a barge beneath Verrazano Narrows Bridge in New York City in November 2003, bound for the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum. ... For the 1930s airline of similar name, see British Airways Ltd. ...

Incidents

• AM918, Liberator C I BOAC registration G-AGDR, Shot down by a Spitfire in error over English Channel near Plymouth, England on 15 February 1943.

• Flight 777, 1943 June 01, shot down over the Bay of Biscay by German Junkers Ju 88s. All seventeen crew and passengers were killed, including actor Leslie Howard.^[2] There has been widespread speculation that the downing was an attempt to kill British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.^[3]

• Flight 781, (Mediterranean Sea, near Elba, January 10, 1954)
• South African Airways Flight 201 (operated by BOAC) (Mediterranean, near Naples, April 8, 1954)
• Flight 911, (Mount Fuji, March 5, 1966). Several passengers decided to cancel their tickets at the last moment in order to see a ninja demonstration. These passengers, Cubby Broccoli, Harry Saltzman, Ken Adam, Lewis Gilbert and Freddie Young, were in Japan scouting locations for the fifth James Bond film, You Only Live Twice.
• Flight 775 became the first British plane to be hijacked on September 9, 1970 as part of the Dawson's Field hijackings.

Consolidated Liberator B I In August 1939, the USAAC ordered 38 examples of the Consolidated B-24A. From this order, 20 aircraft (s/n 40-2349 / 40-2368) were released for direct purchase by the RAF under the designation Liberator B I. The twenty Liberator B I were delivered to... BOAC Flight 777, a scheduled British Overseas Airways Corporation civilian airline flight on 1 June 1943 from Portela Airport in Lisbon, Portugal to an airport at Whitchurch near Bristol, United Kingdom, was attacked by eight German Junkers Ju 88s and crashed into the Bay of Biscay, killing several notable passengers... Year 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... June 1 is the 152nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (153rd in leap years), with 213 days remaining. ... Map of the Bay of Biscay. ... The Junkers Ju 88 was a WW2 Luftwaffe twin-engine multi-role aircraft. ... Leslie Howard (April 3, 1893 - June 1, 1943) was an English stage and film actor. ... A prime minister is the most senior minister of a cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. ... Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, KG, OM, CH, TD, FRS, PC (Can) (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British politician, soldier in the British Army, orator, and strategist, and is studied as part of the modern British and world history. ... On 10 January 1954, BOAC Flight 781 a de Havilland Comet 1 (type DH-106), took off from Ciampino Airport in Rome, Italy en route to Heathrow Airport in London, England on the final leg of its flight from Singapore. ... Elba (bottom centre) from space, February 1994. ... South African Airways Flight 201, a de Havilland Comet 1, took off at 18:32 GMT from Ciampino Airport in Rome, Italy en route to Cairo, Egypt, on the second stage of its flight from London to Johannesburg, South Africa. ... Composite satellite image of the Mediterranean Sea. ... Location of the city of Naples (red dot) within Italy. ... BOAC flight 911 was a round-the-world flight operated by British Overseas Airways Corporation. ... Mount Fuji Mount Fuji , IPA: )   is the highest mountain in Japan. ... This article is about the day. ... Year 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. ... Jiraiya, ninja and title character of the Japanese folktale Jiraiya Goketsu Monogatari. ... Albert Romolo Broccoli (April 5, 1909–June 27, 1996) known to millions of movie fans as Cubby Broccoli (a nickname used by a cousin), produced more than forty movies, but will be remembered by most for his contribution to one of the most successful film franchises in history, James... Harry Saltzman (October 27, 1915 - September 28, 1994) was a film producer best known for co-producing the James Bond film series with Albert R. Broccoli until selling his share of the franchise to United Artists in 1975. ... Sir Ken Adam (born 5 February 1921 as Klaus Adam) is a production designer most famous for his set designs for the early James Bond films. ... Lewis Gilbert (born March 6, 1920) is a British film director born in London, England. ... Freddie Young (9th October, 1902 - 1st December, 1998), (sometimes credited as Frederick A. Young) was one of Britains most distinguished and influential cinematographers. ... Flemings image of James Bond; commissioned to aid the Daily Express comic strip artists. ... Ian Flemings You Only Live Twice is the fifth film in the EON Productions James Bond series, the fifth to star Sean Connery as British Secret Service agent Commander James Bond 007, and the sixth film to feature James Bond. ... is the 252nd day of the year (253rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... Main article: Black September in Jordan The Dawsons Field hijacking occurred on September 6, 1970. ...

Popular culture

• BOAC is mentioned in the first line of The Beatles song "Back in the USSR": "Flew in from Miami Beach BOAC, didn't get to bed last night."
• Bobby Bloom's song Montego Bay also mentions BOAC in the first line; he pronounces it as an acronym (rather than as an initialism, which was more usual), using it to mean a BOAC aircraft.
• A song by electronic music group Autechre is titled Under BOAC.
• BOAC is mentioned in the eighth line of the J-pop song, "Nagisa ni Matsuwaru Etc." by the Japanese group Puffy (Puffy AmiYumi).
• BOAC flight bags and memorabilia have remained popular 'retro' fashion items.
• Evolutions of the BOAC logo inherited from Imperial Airways, the Speedbird, continue to be used as the logo for British Airways, and continues to be used as BA's call sign.
• In Ian Fleming's James Bond series, Bond flies with BOAC on many occasions, including The Man With The Golden Gun
• In Graham Greene's novel Our Man in Havana, agent Hawthorne describes a poor flight experience on Pan Am, to which his superior replies, "You should travel B.O.A.C."
• In the mid-1960s' British television series, Thunderbirds, a "B.A.O.C." (with initials 'O' and 'A' transposed) jetliner is frequently seen at airports or as part of the programme's plot.
• In the airline industry, B.O.A.C. meant Better On A Camel. To some employees, however, BOAC also stood for "Bring Over American Cash" and "Best Of All Carriers."
• In the 1964 animated movie, "Hey There, It's Yogi Bear", Yogi and Boo Boo hitch a ride on a BOAC aircraft.

References

Manchester shown within England Coordinates: , Sovereign state United Kingdom Constituent country England Region North West England Ceremonial county Greater Manchester Admin HQ Manchester City Centre Founded 13th Century City Status 1853 Government  - Type Metropolitan borough, City  - Governing body Manchester City Council Area  - Borough & City 115. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... December 2 is the 336th day (337th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• BOAC Junior Jet Club Information