| |||||||
| Founded | 1928 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ceased operations | 1960 | ||||||
| Hubs | Blackbushe Airport | ||||||
| Fleet size | 12 | ||||||
| Destinations | (Africa) | ||||||
| Headquarters | Central London | ||||||
| Key people |
| ||||||
Airwork Limited, also referred to during its history asAirwork Services Limited, is a wholly owned subsidiary company ofVT Group plc. It has provided a variety of defence support services to theRoyal Air Force (RAF),Fleet Air Arm and overseas air forces, as well as having played an important role in the development of civil aviation – both in the United Kingdom and abroad.[1]
Airwork was founded in 1928 byNigel Norman andAlan Muntz, with the opening of the privateHeston Aerodrome inMiddlesex.[2][3] In the early days, Airwork's chief pilot was CaptainValentine Baker, who later formed the world-famousMartin-Baker company with SirJames Martin. In December 1936, Airwork Limited was registered atCompanies House, and the newly formed company started its long association with RAF flying training.
Airwork moved out of Heston in 1935 due to a lack of adequate space and relocated toGatwick, where it continued with a contract to maintainWhitley bombers for the RAF. During the 1930s, Airwork also helped to establish the predecessors of the post-World War II national airlines ofEgypt, India andRhodesia. Thus,United Arab Airlines,Indian Airlines andCentral African Airways were Airwork descendants.[4]
In June 1936, Airwork opened No. 11 RAF Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School (ERFTS) atPerth in Scotland, under contract to theAir Ministry.[5] The company developed accommodation and facilities there, and provided aircraft in the form of thede Havilland Tiger Moth. Other Airwork operated ERFTS followed soon afterwards with No. 14 ERFTS atCastle Bromwich in July 1937, No. 17 ERFTS atBarton in October 1937, No. 50 ERFTS at Barton, andRingway in May 1939[6] and No. 44 ERFTS atElmdon in May 1939.
With the outbreak of World War II the word 'Reserve' was dropped, and the 50 ERFTS establishments were consolidated into 20 Elementary Flying Training Schools (EFTS). No 17 ERFTS was disbanded at that time, and No. 44 ERFTS at Elmdon was merged with No. 14 ERFTS at Castle Bromwich to form No. 14 EFTS. One further Airwork-run unit, No. 21 EFTS, was established atBooker in June 1941, withMiles Magisters supplementing the Tiger Moths then in use there and at all other EFTS. Through its sites at Gatwick and neweraerodromes atStaverton,Renfrew andLoughborough, Airwork also became a vital part of the Air Ministry's maintenance operations. Further aircrew training, for example No. 6 Air Observer navigation School at Staverton usingde Havilland Dominies andAvro Ansons, also featured prominently. Airwork's contribution to the war effort was a vital one, and the company was responsible for the initial training of tens of thousands of pilots. There were also engineering contracts that included the manufacture ofAvro Lancaster wings and modifications onDouglas Bostons, as well as the preparation, maintenance and repair ofHawker Hurricanes, Whitleys,Vought Corsairs,Grumman Hellcats,Consolidated B-24 Liberators andNorth American P-51 Mustangs.
Following the war, Airwork purchasedPerth Aerodrome from the local Council, and developed a highly successful flying school for commercial pilots. In 1947, Airwork relocated its headquarters toLangley in Buckinghamshire and further new sites were established atBlackbushe Airport (overhaul and sales) and atLasham (engineering). By now Airwork had been acquired by theCowdray family, and had become part of theBritish & Commonwealth (B&C) group of companies. Airwork continued its flying training role providing elementary, RN grading, Volunteer Reserve (VR) and University Air Squadron (UAS) flying training across its locations initially usingTiger Moths and, from the 1950s, theChipmunk.
A new Reserve Flying School (13 RFS) was established atGrangemouth in April 1948, and atRAF Usworth (23 RFS) in February 1949. In April 1951, Airwork also assumed responsibility of No.2 Basic Air Navigation School atUsworth. Approximately 25Avro Anson T.21's were used and supported during this time. In addition, there were between 15 and 20 Chipmunks, which were used by theDurham University Air Squadron – mostly at weekends. These were also maintained by Airwork. AtRAF Digby Airwork was also responsible for running the No 1 Grading Unit during 1952/53.
During the post-war period Airwork also further expanded its business into civil aviation. This expansion was financed by its wealthy shareholders, includingLord Cowdray,Whitehall Securities, the Blue Starshipping line,Furness Withy andThomas Loel Evelyn Bulkeley Guinness.[7][8]
Airwork's otherair transport related activities include contracting, aircraft servicing and maintenance, sale and purchase of aircraft, operation and management of flying schools and clubs, contract charter flying, overhaul and modification of aircraft, specialised aerodrome catering andaviation insurance.
During the early post-World War II years,charter flights usingHandley Page Hermes andVickers Vikingairliners, primarily flying out ofBlackbushe Airport, constituted the bulk of Airwork's commercial air transport activities. These included a twice weekly series of flights on behalf of the Sudanese government, which carried 10,000 passengers[nb 1] between London,Wadi Halfa andKhartoum between 1947 and 1950, as well as a series ofinclusive tour (IT) flights under contract to the UK Civil Service, and flights carryingMuslim pilgrims to and fromJeddah during the annualHajj season. Airwork was also among the UK independent[nb 2] airlines participating in theBerlin Airlift.[9]
Airwork first proposed transporting troops by air rather than by sea in 1950. The company's contacts with theWar Office helped Airwork become the first carrier to be awarded a trooping flight contract. The War Office subsequently made Airwork its main contractor for the UK—Singapore trooping service, as well as its unofficial "chosen instrument" for all trooping flights that were contracted to third parties. However, theHermes aircraft that operated most of these flights frequently suffered from engine faults. This resulted incrash landings on a number of occasions. These incidents cast doubt on the aircraft's reliability and the airline's safety record, as a result of which the firm lost its monopoly in the trooping business.[8][10][11][12]
In 1952, Airwork applied for UK and US authority to operate scheduledtransatlantic all-freight services from London viaManchester to New York City'sIdlewild airport (laterJFK).[13]
The same year, on 14 June, Airwork began operating quasi-scheduled low-fare services from the UK toEast,Central,Southern and West Africa using Vikings. These services were part of a joint operation withHunting Air Transport, another wholly private British independent airline of that era. Flights initially operated on a fortnightly basis.[8][10][14][15][16][17][18][19]International Air Transport Association (IATA) minimum fare rules did not apply to these services because the governments that owned most of IATA's member airlines had not empowered it to set and control domestic air fares, including dependent overseas territories.[4][20]
The first joint Airwork—Hunting all-economySafari/colonial coach class[nb 3] service from London toNairobi routed viaMalta,Benghazi, Wadi Halfa, Khartoum,Juba andEntebbe.[19][21][22] It used single-class 27-seat Vikings, which took three days[nb 4] to complete the journey. Although this compared unfavourably withBritish Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC), whose regular scheduled services took only 24 hours, load factors averaged 93% during the first nine months of operation. Airwork andHunting-Clan continued to achieve very high average load factors of 85–90% because their £98 single fare was £42 cheaper than the comparable BOAC fare.[21][23] These load factors were much higher than BOAC's, as a result of which the independents doubled the flight frequency on their London-NairobiSafari/colonial coach route to once-a-week.[4] This service proved to be so popular that a second weekly frequency was eventually added, which was operated alternately by each airline.[21]
In June 1953, Airwork and Hunting jointly launched a fortnightlySafari/colonial coach service between London and Salisbury, entailing one round trip per month by each company.[21]
In June 1954, Airwork and Hunting launched a jointSafari/colonial coach service to West Africa linking London withAccra viaLisbon,Las Palmas,Bathurst andFreetown.[24]
Following long-delayed approval of Airwork's application for a scheduled transatlantic London – Manchester – New York all-cargo service, flights eventually commenced in early 1955, using aircraft chartered from US supplemental carriers.[nb 5] However, the operation was short-lived.[nb 6][13]
By 1957, Airwork and Hunting-Clan had converted their successfulEast,West and Southern AfricanSafari/colonial coach flights into regular "third-class" scheduled services. However, theGovernment forced the independents to maintain additional stops that were no longer needed, as a result of replacing Vikings with technologically advancedDouglas DC-6s andVickers Viscounts. It also required them to share all traffic with BOAC on a 30:70 basis.[22] Despite these restrictions, the independents' services were fully booked five months ahead within a fortnight of their launch.[8][25] When Britain's African colonies became independent,Safari/colonial coach was converted into a fully fledged scheduled service. To secure their traffic rights between the UK and the newly independent African nations, Airwork and Hunting-Clan began participating in revenue-sharing agreements with BOAC and the destination countries'flag carriers.[nb 7][26][27]
1957 was also the year Airwork acquired control ofTransair, a fellow independent airline. A year later the process of merging the Airwork-controlled airlines with Hunting-Clan to formBritish United Airways (BUA) started.[3][28] In 1959, Airwork took overAir Charter,Freddie Laker's first airline venture. In February of that year, Airwork transferred the operation of itsSafari flights to its subsidiary Transair, together with twoViscount aircraft. This resulted in the service's London terminal moving from Blackbushe to Gatwick.[29] On 19 May 1960, Airwork changed its name to British United Airways. (The origins of the new name went back toUnited Airways, one of the three predecessors of the pre-World War IIBritish Airways. The [re-]use of the United Airways name together with the prefix British had been agreed with shareholder Whitehall Securities, the controlling shareholder of both United Airways andSpartan Airways before these airlines' merger withHillman's Airways to form the pre-war British Airways.)[30] By the time Airwork merged with Hunting-Clan to form BUA in July 1960, the former's air transport subsidiaries already included Airwork Helicopters, Air Charter,Bristow Helicopters,Channel Air Bridge, Transair andMorton Air Services.[3][28] By that time, Airwork had also negotiated a long-termcharter contract with the Gold Coast Chamber of Mines. This entailed regular Hermes services between the UK and West Africa.[8]
In addition to Airwork's airline operations, the company serviced numerous airliners in the civil maintenance hangar atHurn Airport. These includedSudan AirwaysDoves andDakotas,Skymasters, and Vikings of various operators.
The Airwork airline operated the following aircraft types:
In April 1958, the Airwork fleet comprised twelve aircraft.[8]
| Aircraft | Number |
|---|---|
| Handley Page Hermes | 4 |
| Vickers Viscount 800 | 2 |
| Vickers Viking | 5 |
| Airspeed Consul | 1 |
| Total | 12 |
A fatal accident occurred on 25 August 1952.[31] It involved a Handley Page HP.81 Hermes 4A (registration: G-ALDF) operating an international non-scheduled passenger flight from Blackbushe to Khartoum via Malta. When the aircraft approachedSicily, an engine malfunction affecting engines no. 2 and 3 forced the flightdeck crew to shut down both engines as well as to feather both propellers. Intensive use of the onboard radio equipment to send out emergency signals soon depleted the aircraft's batteries. The resulting electrical power failure caused the remaining two engines to fail as well. This in turn forced the flightdeck crew to ditch the aircraft off the port ofTrapani, which killed seven of the 57 occupants.[32]
The subsequent accident investigation established the failure of one or both of the inner two engines (no. 2 and 3) as the primary cause. Although the reason for the engines' failure could not be determined, the investigators concluded that only one of these engines malfunctioned and that an error of theflight engineer caused the other one to fail. The investigators furthermore cited a number of contributory factors. These included:
The first non-fatal accident occurred on 23 July 1952. It involved a Handley Page HP.81 Hermes 4A (registration: G-ALDB) operating a trooping flight from Blackbushe to the RAF station in Fayid, Egypt. While the aircraft was overflying France, the flightdeck crew noticed a defect in the no. 4 engine and decided to make anemergency landing at the nearest diversion airfield. This resulted in acrash landing atPithiviers. Although the aircraft was damaged beyond repair, there were no fatalities among the 70 occupants (six crew and 64 passengers). The evidence at the crash site seemed to suggest that an internal failure occurred inside the no. 4 engine, which caused over-speeding and subsequent disintegration of the reduction gear pinion bearing.[34]
The second non-fatal accident occurred on 15 August 1954. It involved a Vickers 627 Viking 1B (registration: G-AIXS) operating a passenger flight from Blackbushe toNice Côte d'Azur Airport. Thecaptain noticed oil streaming from the no. 2 engine ten minutes aftertakeoff from Blackbushe. He decided to feather the propeller and to return to Blackbushe, where the aircraft struck the ground 135 yd (123 m) short of the runway. Although this damaged the aircraft beyond repair, there were no fatalities among the 37 occupants (five crew and 32 passengers). The accident investigators concluded that the captain's failure to prevent the aircraft fromstalling while making a single engineapproach was the probable cause. The captain's distraction by a flickering redundercarriage indicator light during the criticalfinal approach stage was cited as a contributory factor.[35]
The third non-fatal accident occurred on 1 September 1957. It involved a Handley Page HP.81 Hermes 4A (registration: G-AKFP) operating an international non-scheduled passenger flight from Blackbushe toSingapore viaKarachi, Delhi andCalcutta. While approaching Calcutta, the aircraft was cleared for a runway 19LInstrument Landing System approach atDum Dum Airport. A shower passed at break-off height, as a result of which the flightdeck crew could not see the runway and decided to carry out an overshoot. Dum DumAir Traffic Control then offered the captain an assisted approach to runway 01R and advised that he was no. 2 to land.Radar control guided the aircraft during the assisted approach and cleared it for a visual landing. At that time the aircraft was a mile from the runway threshold and to the left of 01R's centreline. After breaking through the clouds, the captain was able to see the runway and continued his visual approach without realising that he was actually approaching 01L.
When the Airwork Hermes came in to land, an Indian AirlinesDC-3 (registration: VT-AUA)[36] had just been cleared to line up and hold on runway 01L. This resulted in the Hermes striking the DC-3. This in turn resulted in the death of the Indian aircraft's four crew members who were its only occupants. There were no fatalities among the Hermes's 64 occupants (six crew and 58 passengers) although the aircraft was damaged beyond repair. Accident investigators cited the Hermes captain's failure to maintain effective radio communications with thetower during the final stage of theradar-assisted approach and his decision to continue with a visual approach under conditions that did not allow him to positively identify the correct runway as the probable cause of thisrunway collision.[37]
A major contract was secured in September 1952 when Airwork was selected by theRoyal Navy to operate theFleet Requirements Unit (FRU) at Hurn Airport, nearBournemouth. The FRU employed civilian pilots usingFleet Air Arm aircraft to provide target aircraft for the training of Royal Navy radar operators. The first type of aircraft,Sea Mosquito, began arriving at Hurn in August 1952 and these were replaced during 1953 by thede Havilland Sea Hornet. Over the next decade the FRU's duties were expanded to include all aspects of Fleet requirement tasks including target towing for gunnery purposes, eventually covering not just UK based destroyers and frigates but theMediterranean Fleet as well. A wide variety of aircraft types were used over the years with theSea Hornet being followed, in chronological order, by theSupermarine Attacker (1955–1957),Sea Fury (1955–1961),Sea Hawk (1956–1969),Westland Dragonfly (1958–1961),Gloster Meteor (1958–1971),Supermarine Scimitar (1965–1970),Hawker Hunter (1969–1972) andEnglish Electric Canberra (1969–1972).
Airwork was also contracted by the Fleet Air Arm in January 1950 to provide aircraft atRNAS Brawdy to exercise the Aircraft Direction School at nearby Kete. They also undertook a Heavy Twin Conversion Course forFleet Air Arm pilots using Sea Hornets and Sea Mosquitos. This Unit moved toRAF St Davids in September 1951 and operated ajet conversion course with Meteor T.7s. It returned to Brawdy in October 1958 but continued to use St. Davids as a satellite. Finally, in January 1961, it relocated toRNAS Yeovilton where it operated as the Air Direction Training Unit (ADTU). Aircraft used here were theSea Venom,Sea Vampire, Hunter andSea Vixen.
A further contract was won in 1953 when Airwork was appointed to operateRAF Oxford for the benefit of trainee radar operators at theRAF Sopley radar station situated close to Hurn. TheOxfords were replaced in June 1957 by fourteenBoulton Paul Balliols that provided a service to the trainee trackers and plotters of the School of Fighter Control that had relocated to Sopley fromRAF Bolt Head in Devon. The Balliols remained in service with Airwork until 1960.
In January 1957, Airwork Services Ltd was created to separate the defence support activities from the airline business elements, which continued under the original Airwork Ltd name. During summer 1959 Airwork moved its head office from Langley to Hurn. Its overhaul facilities were also centralised there. As a result, the operations at Blackbushe, Langley and Lasham were closed.
In 1960, Airwork acquired the Aeronautical Engineering College in Hamble, and relocated it to its existing training operation at Perth Aerodrome where the revised enterprise became known as Airwork Services Training. In 1971 Airwork added an English Language School to the facilities at Perth to service a training contract with theImperial Iranian Navy. Quickly the School's main business became language training for students due to train at either the Flying School or the Aeronautical Engineering College and it became part of Air Service Training. Pilot training at Perth ceased in 1996 but a successful engineering training college continues to this day under new ownership as Air Service Training (AST).
Throughout the 1960s Airwork continued elementary and University Air Squadron flying training including training pilots of theArmy Air Corps atAAC Middle Wallop in DHC Chipmunks andHiller UH-12s. Airwork was also responsible for overhauling these aircraft. It also provided a complete flying grading service for the Royal Navy's Britannia Flight atRoborough, nearPlymouth – something that under its present guise it continues to do today. The 1970s saw the introduction of theBulldog, which gradually replaced the popular Chipmunk. TheBaron training aircraft of the College of Air Training arrived at Hurn in February 1971 and Airwork assumed responsibility for their maintenance. At the end of 1978 Scottish Aviation Bulldogs of the Southampton University Air Squadron and DHC Chipmunks of No. 2 AEF relocated to Hurn and Airwork became responsible for their storage and maintenance. The Bulldogs were used for training by potential RAF pilots whilst the Chipmunks were used by localAir Cadets.
In November 1972, the Fleet Requirements Unit was relocated from Hurn toRNAS Yeovilton and amalgamated with the Air Direction Training Unit to form the Fleet Requirements & Air Direction Training Unit (FRADTU). The word 'Training' was later dropped from the Unit's name to form the more familiarFRADU. The new Unit continued to use the Hunters, Canberras and, in the early days, Sea Vixens that had previously been used by the FRU and ADTU. In 1983, the FRADU contract was put out to competitive tender and was subsequently awarded to FR Aviation.
Airwork quickly put this setback behind it and in 1984 was awarded a contract for the operation ofNo. 1 Flying Training SchoolRAF Linton-on-Ouse. It was then equipped with the Bulldog andJet Provost. The Jet Provost was in turn replaced by theShorts Tucano in 1989. The company also managed to regain an element of the FRADU business, when in 1988 it obtained a contract to overhaul FRADU Hunters at Hurn.
Whilst Airwork's airline activities had merged into the B&C-controlled BUA group as long ago as 1960, it was only in January 1980 that the company's remaining operations reverted to the original name of Airwork Ltd. At this time, Airwork also supplied air traffic control services atExeter Airport and operatedUnst andScatsta airfields inShetland. Airwork Services Training also continued to thrive at Perth Airport in Scotland. In 1991, the Britavia (formerlyAviation Traders) design office moved from Southend to the Airwork offices at Hurn once they were rebuilt following a serious fire in August of that year.
Airwork operated the British Civil Air Training Mission toSaudi Arabia from 1947 to 1949, based inTaif, Saudi Arabia. This was a flying school with 3 Tiger Moth and 1 Anson Aircraft.
Following the creation of theSultanate of Muscat and Oman Air Force (SMOAF) in March 1959, Airwork was appointed to provide maintenance and technical support. The new air force initially consisted ofPioneer CC.1,Provost T.Mk.52 andDHC-2 Beaver aircraft. Growing problems with civil unrest and insurgency, primarily in theDhofar region, during the late 1960s led to the expansion of the SMOAF. Initially this was through the formation of a squadron ofBAC Strikemaster Mk.82 aircraft and also through acquisitions of theC-47,DHC-4 Caribou,Skyvan,Defender, Viscount,One-Eleven andVC10 aircraft.
The conditions in which Airwork staff had to work were some of the most challenging in the world with shade temperatures of over 40 °C commonplace and cockpit temperatures on the ground often exceeding an unbearable 80 °C. Existing working practices had to be radically amended accordingly. Airwork's support role inOman was further cemented in the late 1970s by the arrival of over thirty Hawker Hunters. Two squadrons ofSEPECAT Jaguars followed, further expanding the capability of the Sultanate of Oman Air Force (SOAF), the name of which had been adopted in 1970. During the early 1980s threeC-130H Hercules transport aircraft were ordered. RenamedRoyal Air Force of Oman (RAFO) in 1990, more new combat aircraft were acquired in the shape of four newBAE Hawk 103s and twelveHawk 203s delivered in 1993.
In addition to providing aircraft maintenance and airfield communications support services to SOAF\RAFO, Airwork was also involved in providing radio and radar support to theRoyal Navy of Oman (RNO) and ground radio for theRoyal Army of Oman (RAO). Spares provisioning and personal recruitment were provided from Airwork's UK headquarters at Hurn and the nearby Supplies Division inFerndown.
The success of the Omani partnership led to Airwork securing similar support contracts in other countries. InSaudi Arabia Airwork was contracted between 1966 and 1973 to provide servicing and training for the Saudi'sEnglish Electric Lightnings, Hunters, BAC Strikemasters andCessna 172s. Airwork also provided a similar service inSouth Yemen,Kuwait andJordan. In Africa, Airwork developed a support presence inNigeria,Sudan andZimbabwe with aircraft from these countries also being overhauled at Hurn.
During the 1960s Airwork carried out delivery flights of a number ofFairey Gannets toIndonesia. A large number of aircraft were also handled at Hurn during this time prior to delivery for theAbu Dhabi Air Force, (Caribou andIslander),Ghana (Shorts Skyvan),Qatar Police (Gazelle helicopter), theSingapore Air Force (BAC Strikemaster),South Arabian Air Force (Bell 47G and Dakotas) and theSudan Air Force (Jet Provost). The supply of spares and equipment from Hurn was central to activities withBritannia,CL-44 and Douglas DC-6 freighter aircraft being frequently used.
Following amanagement buyout in 1988, Airwork became part of the Bricom Group of companies. Airwork were part of the Nobel Group and administered through a bank. In 1992, a contract with the RAF atSt. Athan to modify a number ofTornado F.3 aircraft was to have far reaching consequences for the company. Serious damage was caused to the centre fuselage of 16 aircraft during the removal of rivets. When the extent of the damage became clear, the Ministry of Defence cancelled the contract with Airwork and pursued compensation from Bricom. Questions were asked in theHouses of Parliament and the reputation of Airwork – at least in the UK – was dealt a grievous blow, (although this was not supported by the facts; the MOD andBAe had produced incorrect engineering drawings). A multi-millionpound compensation settlement was eventually agreed out of court, and the Tornado F.3 aircraft involved were repaired by new contractors, replacing the damaged centre fuselages with those from surplus Tornado F.2 aircraft, which had been earmarked for disposal.
Short Brothers ofBelfast, which had itself been bought by the Canadian companyBombardier in 1989, acquired Airwork as a wholly owned subsidiary in November 1993, and the company became known as Bombardier Defence Services Limited. The VT Group subsequently took over the business – renaming it VT Defence – in a £30m deal in June 2000. Whilst in the UK, the former Airwork element of the business which traded under the name VT Aerospace, the name and brand of Airwork is still used prominently in Oman asAirwork Technical Services and Partners LLC, and a new five-year contract to support the Royal Air Force of Oman commenced in January 2005. Airwork Technical Services LLC (ATS) was acquired in July 2010 byBabcock International Group during the acquisition of theVT Group and the operation in Oman continues to this day in support of Aircraft Maintenance and Training for theRoyal Air Force of Oman (RAFO) across its military aircraft fleets. Current activities include: