UTOPIA AIRPORT: AVRO 685 YORK-BOAC

BOAC AVRO 685 YORK

Copyright Kristian Sagia

Our model depicted above is a Corgi Die cast 1/144 of B.O.A.C G-AGJC named after Malmesbury . From Wikepedia/ Malmesbury is a market town and civil parish in the southern Cotswolds in the county of Wiltshire, England and became prominent in the Middle Ages as a centre for learning focused on and around Malmesbury Abbey, the bulk of which forms a rare survival of the dissolution of the monasteries.

CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=335652

G-AGJC (c/n 1209) was delivered to BOAC on May 30 1944 and sold to SKYWAYS on November 22, 1957

Silhouet view of the AVRO 685 York

Some technical charasteristics :
Length : 23.90 m
Wing span : 31.10 m
Height : 5 m
Accomodation : Crew :5, Accomodation up to 56 passengers in a high density layout . 24 to 36 passengers in 3 abreast seating

Speed : 298 mph (479 km/h) at 21,000 ft (6,400 m)
Range: 3,000 mi - 4,800 km
Servive ceiling: 23000 ft -7010 m
Rate of climb : 820 ft/m-4.2 m/s
Power Plant : 4 RR Merlin 24 liquid-cooled V12 engines, 1280 hp (955 kW) each
Retractable main wheels and fixed tail-wheel.

Avro York G-AGJC, BOAC photo: Avro York G-AGJC, BOAC agjc.jpg

G-AGJC In war time livery as the type was operated until the end of the war under the RAF transport command

BOAC G-AGSP Malborough depicted below

Avro 685 York G-AGSP BOAC LAP 02.06.53 edited-1.jpg

By RuthAS - Own work, CC BY 3.0, commons wikimedia

The fate of the ww2 was not decided yet when British aircraft makers were designing airplanes that would connect the various points of their empire with the Mother country. One of these designs was the AVRO York that was derived from the Avro Lancaster bomber , the first having a new square fuselage allowing for greater capacity (Although the Lancaster was used for civil purposes but it was not really fir for this duty) . Sales were aimed at both the civilian and military markets. The first York flew on July 25 , 1942 and deliveries starting with G-AGJA to B.O.A,C in February 1944.

50 civilian Yorks were delivered to civilian operators whereas 208 were military versions . BOAC got 25, British South American Airways 13, FAMA (Argentina) 5

During the Berlin airlift the York played an important role and accounts for almost the half of the British contribution.
As surprising as it can be, the York fleet was based at Hurn and passengers travelling to Karachi or the famous springbok route had to travel by train to Bournemouth and then by car to Hurn Airport. This lasted until 1946 when all operations were transferred to London airport.

BOAC Yorks were operated as Passenger-Cum-Freight operations, freight being carried in the aft section whereas 12 passengers could be seated . It is said that the Springbok services operated by BOAC were one of the most luxurious services operated by an airline at that time.
At the merger with British South American Aiorways , BOAC inherited some 13 frames.
BOAC named their York fleet after cities starting with M and hence the M-Class

The timetable dated June 15, 1948 shows the routes operated by BOAC's York.

frm www.timetableimages.com/Bjorn Larsson collectiom

The advent of much more performing aircraft in the guise of the Lockheed constellation, the Handley Page Hermes and the Argonaut meant the beginning of the end for the York. On October 7, 1950 BOAC retired the type from scheduled services although the type operated briefly on the Nassau Santiago de Chile route as per their timetable dated July 1, 1950

frm www.timetableimages.com/Bjorn Larsson collectiom

However, the type provided for many years a lot of valuable work as freighters and charters' operations

An other original operator of the YORK was FAMA (Flota Aerea Mercante Argentina) which took delivery of 5 frames : LV-XIG/XGN/XGP/XIG/XIH and were used on the long and tedious route to Europe and on their regional services .

Copyright Keith Broomfield

The timetable dated fall 1947 provides us with ample information on the operations of the type.

frm www.timetableimages.com/Bjorn Larsson collectiom

Many of BOACs aircraft were sold to independent UK operators such as

DAN AIR LONDON

By Ken Fielding/http://www.flickr.com/photos/kenfielding, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia commons

SKYWAYS OF LONDON

Avro 685 York C1, G-AHEY, Skyways of London-1.jpg

By Ralf Manteufel - http://www.abpic.co.uk/photo/1118586/, GFDL 1.2, Wikimedia commons

Hunting Clan, Scottish Airlines, Air Charter to name a few :

South African Airways operated 9 Avro York between 1946 and 1947 waiting for its DC4 to be delivered , the York were stationed in Nairobi

Canadian operators such Maritime Central Air ways . Transair and Pacific Western Airlines

The York and the Arab aviation world

Many of these operators leased their Yorks to other companies, Skyways leased 3 AVRO YORKS : OD-ADB/ACJ/ACZ to Middle East Airlines which operated the type as a freighter ...