There has been
speculation that the Fairchild
C-82A Packet registered VR-ABD was operated by Aden Airways but there
is no evidence to support this theory. It is more likely that it was owned by
the John Mecom Oil Co. who were active in North Yemen in the mid 60's and
operated other C-82s. To further support this theory, VR-ABD was registered in the name of John W. Mecom
in 1963.
The C-82 VR-ABD is an
interesting enigma and John M. Davis has this to say:
1) The VR-ABx series of registrations was used by aircraft of
A. Besse & Co. (Aden) Ltd. So why the assumption that the C-82 was with Aden
Airways?
2) It seems that Besse was a local aviation
contractor/operator (Arabian Airways) who knew the 'lay of the land.' Thus it could be that
they were contracted to operate the C-82 on behalf of an oil company, for
example.
3) Possibly the Aden/UK authorities said Besse did not have
the expertise to operate such a large aircraft, and thus the nominal
operator should be Aden Airways.
To dispel any myth, this is not the aircraft
that was used in the movie "Flight of the Phoenix". Peter Pickering
|
Fairchild C-82 Packet
registered as VR-ABD at Long Beach Airport
LA, U.S.A. in 1966
The same
Fairchild C-82 Packet registered as N136E in
USA September 1967
History
of the aircraft:
1944 - 1958 in
service with the USAF. In storage from 1955.
1958 - 1963
Honduran Air Force as 793.
1963 - 1965 US
civil N136E.
1965 - 1967
Aden Airways as VR-ABD.
1967 - ?
US civil N136E.
Probably
scrapped in the late 1960's or early 1970's.
Simon Beck www.uswarplanes.net
As John Davis points out the VR-ABx series was originally
used by A. Besse & Co.
Antonin Besse was a well known merchant trader in Aden
of French origin who pre 1939 operated Arabian Airways with Monospar and
Scion aircraft. The company owned VR-ABA (D1990) a Beech Bonanza and, after his death in
1951, the company used a Twin Bonanza VR-ABB (CH80) and an later Aero Commander VR-ABC (680E-841-69).
John Havers |
