Tim Byatt

@_RGArmstrong @scottyeders Air UK

@scottyeders There used to be an airline that flew 146s on UK domestic routes. IIRC it was called UK Airways or something similar. Very capable aircraft but I was in one that hit the runway so hard on landing at Glasgow that all the oxygen masks dropped down.

The BAe 146 – The RAF’s Quadjet Workhorse (1986–2022) 🛫🇬🇧 The British Aerospace 146 wasn’t just a regional jet — it became a trusted VIP transport, light airlifter, and royal ride for the Royal Air Force. Four decades of reliable service across the globe. Here’s its story. It all started in 1986 when the Queen’s Flight took delivery of the first BAe 146 CC2 (146-100 variant). Three luxurious Statesman-configured aircraft joined the fleet, replacing older turboprops. Fitted for VIPs with plush interiors for ~19 passengers.

Low sun creating sunbeams through the scattered altocumulus cloud over the Caribbean Sea, whilst climbing out of Grand Cayman. A slightly earlier schedule than previously, and the sun being close to its zenith over GCM, meant an unusual daylight departure for us.

Beautiful and poignant in equal measure. bbc.co.uk/news/articles/…

@scottiebateman @dcms1000 And a long slow boat home…..😄

@dcms1000 They’ll get a month off in lieu.

This is global protection and projection at its best. The aircrew, the teams from 47 AD Sqn and the troops and medics… great work all. Absolutely the best of British and something that looks simple but takes significant effort and planning to achieve.

@PeoplesAndy Happy converting ! You’ll miss starting 3 & 4 😄

So it turns out my last @Airbus #A380 flight and landing was to one of my favourite places, @flySFO the BDEGA4 arrival for the ILS on 28R on A6-EUU! What a way to bow out! Back to school on Monday for the start of the #A350 course! Looking forward to it 🇦🇪✈️🛫

@SClark51032281 I think from memory (not first hand memory) they went bust on the very day Heathrow Terminal One opened, in 1968. For a small independent airline, they had quite a reach, network wise. Lots of info about them here :- britisheagle.net/home.htm

@Tim_the_Pilot Flew from London Heathrow to Singapore Paya Leba in a Britannia, It went aog at Ankara and Bombay, 3 days in an aircraft, Not funny. British Eagle, Unsurprisingly they went bust the following year.

A little ray of Monarch sunshine on a cloudy bank holiday Monday. Such a lovely airframe & livery combination. The Bristol Britannia was such an elegant airliner, with impressive capability, but was eclipsed by the first jet airliners. Seen here on a recent visit to Duxford.

Without doubt, one of the most important speeches ever delivered by a British monarch. To me, as a regular visitor to the US, the King said what needed to be said. Respectfully & graciously. We’ve far more that unites us than divides us. Happy 250th USA 🇺🇸 youtube.com/live/XJitc-3D4…

@ThetaSi49453085 Interesting, thanks. As a side note, the first out of sequence G-reg to be issued was to the first British Concorde (002), now at Yeovilton, when it was registered as G-BSST in the late 1960s (BSST = British supersonic transport).

@Tim_the_Pilot 1st repeat use of a G- reg. It's been on 2 A321s.

Great registration, G-GBNI. I’d never really clocked that before. (For those not of these shores, the UK’s official name is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland)

Standby for a rare Falcon Heavy launch with the booster synchro pair return to launch site spectacle…. x.com/i/broadcasts/1…

@Jordan9Brian Thanks, that’s great to know. There weren’t many shorthaul tags. Ankara, served as an extension of the Istanbul service was another that springs to mind.

@Tim_the_Pilot It was LHR-CPH-MMX; I think, bearing in mind that it was some time ago, on Saturdays. Through CPH then on to MMX for a nightstop. Mid-morning out of MMX and back via CPH. One clear memory is that we took check-in staff from CPH to deal with the MMX departure.

What a difference a month can make…. Last month I operated my longest flight, 14:55hr from take-off to touchdown. Tonight I’ll do my shortest, potentially just 18 mins, LHR 09R to LGW 08R. The 777 fleet always keeps it interesting !

@Jordan9Brian I never realised BA ever operated a tag to Malmo. Was that an extension of the Gatwick or the Heathrow to Copenhagen service ?

@Tim_the_Pilot Back in the '80s I was flying 737s for BA. We had a sporty little sector from Copenhagen to Malmo. That finished after the Øresund Bridge was built.

@donkeyrider We departed from the N8 intersection of 09R, so the third entrance from the western end, and we were rotating at the end of the 09R touchdown zone markings. And that was with the maximum derated thrust and flap 5. VR was 127kts…. She was trying to impersonate a 757 !

@Tim_the_Pilot The B777 must have felt like a rocket.

@the_geeker Two bottles of water and not even a packet of crisps ! 😁

@Tim_the_Pilot Will you get an inflight meal and some crew rest on that sector ? 😂

Well that was fun. Just 18 mins take-off to touchdown and a new shortest flight record for me. In the past I’ve done LGW-LTN and LGW-Cambridge, but this was my first time operating between BA’s two 777 bases.

@Andrewinsussex We thought we’d only climb to 6000ft but London Ctr climbed us to FL80 as we went through the LGW 08R extended centreline, so a quick pirouette over West Sussex needed before landing. Take-off to touchdown just 18 mins….

@Tim_the_Pilot How high do you get on that sector? Out to the Biggin hold and in?

@MikeMedFly Ten Mike…..

Somewhere I’d love to visit? But where??

@DavidDeeayjay The original 757 sim (we had two) was the first sim I ever flew, back in 1986. I arranged a visit with the Air Cadets. BA very kindly provided 2hrs and a training captain. 16 years later I was back in the same sim on my 757 conversion. It was later sold to Jet2 and went to Leeds.

@Tim_the_Pilot @Tim_the_Pilot thanks for the info. Do you still have the @VirginAtlantic sims on site? I once had a 30 minute session in a 757 sim at Cranebank back in the 90’s. Best 30 minutes of my life.

We have a new toy…. ….well we have a new box, but still waiting for the toy itself to play with 😁