It is interesting to read not only what was involved for the pilots of BEA’s Elizabethans, but also the behind the scenes work to prepare the aircraft for the flight and also how air traffic control procedures have changed.
TRANSPORT PILOT’S VIEWPOINT
Flying the Elizabethan
This article is the first of a series specially written for "The Aeroplane" by R. E. GILLMAN, in which selected civil transport aircraft now in service are described from the point of view of the professional air line captain. Handling characteristics are discussed, but these are considered primarily in relation to the operational techniques employed, and the air line procedures involved.
THE ELIZABETHAN, as the D.H./Airspeed Ambassador is known, has been in service on British European Airways' routes for several months and is now settling down to the routine business of earning its keep. But it is a new type to appear on the air lines. For this reason and because, also, its configuration and characteristics are relatively conventional, the Elizabethan provides an ideal starting point for this series of articles.
So, befor…
