MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Falklands South America inaugural second weekly flight occurred in May 1979
The following letter was posted in the Penguin News edition of this week, signed by GW Cheek, who for several decades was head of Civil Aviation in the Falkland Islands. Read full article
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Disclaimer & comment rulesInteresting to hear that LADE operated these pre-conflict flights and the use of F-27 Friendships makes a lot of sense but Wiki says that they were restricted to 22 pax due to short runway length at Stanley, so I therefore question the use of F-28 Fellowships (jets) which would have presumably had even greater capacity restrictions, or am I wrong, Mr. Cheek?
Nov 29th, 2019 - 10:15 am - Link - Report abuse +1One of these days someone with greater knowledge than me will publish a history of Falklands aviation (floatplanes and all) - should be a good read.
I think the twin jet F28 started when Stanley Airport was built and opened - the F27 started off using the Hookers Point metal strip- that was provided and laid by Argentina back in those days of them trying to befriend us.
Nov 29th, 2019 - 11:45 am - Link - Report abuse +1Those F27 pilots were damned good to- recall one landing in strong cross winds-came in totally sideways and a few feet of runway pilot kicked the plane around and touched down, braked and swung around into the wind again. They were use to dodgy winds up and down Patagonia airstrips.
Merci Islander - Yes, I can very well imagine that a boot full of rudder was necessary for a crab landing but I also recall the FIGAS pilot I was with who performed heroics on a couple of the grass farmstrips in my time.
Nov 29th, 2019 - 12:22 pm - Link - Report abuse 0They could have done with those pilots to land at the St Helena airport. :) Must have found some in SA though, since there are now regular flights.
Nov 29th, 2019 - 01:04 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Islander1, how were relations in those days? Were people very cynical about the flights etc that Argentina was arranging or just happy to have the services? Can't have been as bad before the war.
Was the time Arg was being tipped the wink and nod by London to be nice to us and give us lots of favours so we might learn to like them - and same FCO doing its best to quietly push us their way and actively make us more and more dependent on them.
Nov 29th, 2019 - 10:02 pm - Link - Report abuse +1LADE Pilots used to come shopping in the West Store and buy load loads of Scotch- Corgi toys and whatever else was the kids craze if coming up to Xmas - and take back to Argentina and smile as they walked past Arg Customs - who could do nothing about ti as- they had just been shopping in the M- Islands and thus part of Argentina in their eyes - so could not charge them any taxes or import duty!!
Was the time of the infamous “White Card” - we had to travel on it only and not show a passport in case it upset them!
Suppose the FCO hoped if they neglected you enough you'd agree to be part of Argentina eventually. Though how they believed anyone would consent to join a country ruled by a dictatorship and busy murdering dissidents is a mystery.
Nov 30th, 2019 - 10:30 am - Link - Report abuse 0The open border thing is funny, I'm surprised no one started flogging duty free cigarettes to them. But you said it was the pilots, were there no tourists from Argentina back then?
Interesting that Aquila airways with the Shorts flying boats visited in the 1950s. Was this short lived for commercial reasons, because it did not pay?
Nov 30th, 2019 - 08:19 pm - Link - Report abuse 0RedBaron - in response to your initial comment, there was an excellent article in the Falkland Islands Journal a number of years ago about the history of FIGAS (Beavers and all). I believe an article also appeared in Air Pictorial in the late 1970's.
Dec 02nd, 2019 - 08:36 pm - Link - Report abuse +1Islander, correct me if I'm wrong but the “White Card” was the only travel document since Falkland Islanders did not have British Passports.
Dec 04th, 2019 - 03:41 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Demon Tree: Argentine teachers taught Spanish on the islands. Argentine Navy ships arrived at Port Stanley.
Dec 05th, 2019 - 03:19 pm - Link - Report abuse 0There were exhibitions of Argentine painters.
Other times there were dance performances and Argentine music.
They were different times.
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