V-Flyer

Hey all,

Just reading the 'Suite Re-fit schedule' thread and thought it might be an idea to split out a couple of 742 comments/questions, especially as they are even further off topic.

I too will be sorry to see the last of these from British airlines - remember with fondness the 741s and 742s from growing up - especially flying with Pan Am to the states on numerous occassions as my mother worked for them out of LHR at the time.

My question is more specifically about the forgotten crew member - the flight engineer - who will dissapear when SSS retires. My uncle flew for many a years as a BOAC flight engineer with the 100s and 200s and then after having to retire from BA was employed by Virgin for another 5 years out of GTW (Virgin obviously had less restrictive retirement agaes) before finally retiring proper.
When Concorde retired last year nobody made any mention of the fact that it also saw the end of Flight Engineers in the BA fleet - I think.

Questions:

1. How many Flight engineers are still employed by VA to service SSS?
2. What is their fate - retirement / retraining?
3. This'll test your knowledge - Are there any other UK airlines still employing FEs in other aircraft?

Any other recollections also willingly recieved.

Phil

Isn't the Travel City Direct aircraft still a 747-200?

Hi Phil

The flight-deck crews flying the 742s at MAN (G-VBEE is also used) are actually employed by Air Atlanta Europe so in theory they will still have jobs after the VS contract finishes. AFAIK all the MAN crews are ex-VS mainline so there may be a clause to re-employ them as we need more pilots. I don't know what's in store for teh F/Es though as they are obviously no longer needed by VS.

Re F/Es employed by UK airlines; MYT still have a DC-10 flying (until the end of the summer). Air Atlanta/Travel City use F/Es but I think all their a/c (apart from the VS ones) are Icelandic registered.

Cheers
Alan