A BEAline to the 1950/60s

[RStretton]

The recent release of the great BEA Viscounts inspired me to take a series of shots illustrating BEA's fleet in action using my Dowse National 1:400 scale diorama as a base. Removing the airbridges enables it to pass just about for a 1950s airport if you don't look too hard.

Starting with the 1950s we've got BEA aircraft in the 1952-59 Three Crown scheme. Here there a Pionair DC-3, Viscount 700 and very early Vanguard plus a BOAC Strat, DC-7C and Britannia 100.

BEA / BOAC Ops at Model Airport Diorama 1950/60s by rstretton, on Flickr

BEA / BOAC Ops at Model Airport Diorama 1950/60s by rstretton, on Flickr

BEA / BOAC Ops at Model Airport Diorama 1950/60s by rstretton, on Flickr

BEA / BOAC Ops at Model Airport Diorama 1950/60s by rstretton, on Flickr

Onto the Red Square (1959-1968) and as well as the Vanguard we have a Trident 2 and Herald. I know the scheme is not quite the right one for the Vanguard and Herald when actually in service but there all I've got.

BEA / BOAC Ops at Model Airport Diorama 1950/60s by rstretton, on Flickr

BEA / BOAC Ops at Model Airport Diorama 1950/60s by rstretton, on Flickr

BEA / BOAC Ops at Model Airport Diorama 1950/60s by rstretton, on Flickr

BEA / BOAC Ops at Model Airport Diorama 1950/60s by rstretton, on Flickr

Plus BOAC by the early 60s were knee deep in Comet 4s and stretched Britannias they didn't really want too much:

BEA / BOAC Ops at Model Airport Diorama 1950/60s by rstretton, on Flickr

BEA / BOAC Ops at Model Airport Diorama 1950/60s by rstretton, on Flickr

Next there'll be some Speedjacks!

[RStretton]

Lastly here's a few from about 1970. BEA aircraft are wearing the Speedjack (08/68-1974) now and we have the new Viscount 800, a Trident 2 and Trident 3 plus an Airtours Comet 4. BOAC by this time have lots of 707s as well as Super VC-10s.


BEA / BOAC Ops at Model Airport Diorama 1950/60s by rstretton, on Flickr

BEA / BOAC Ops at Model Airport Diorama 1950/60s by rstretton, on Flickr

BEA / BOAC Ops at Model Airport Diorama 1950/60s by rstretton, on Flickr

BEA / BOAC Ops at Model Airport Diorama 1950/60s by rstretton, on Flickr

BEA / BOAC Ops at Model Airport Diorama 1950/60s by rstretton, on Flickr

BEA / BOAC Ops at Model Airport Diorama 1950/60s by rstretton, on Flickr

BEA / BOAC Ops at Model Airport Diorama 1950/60s by rstretton, on Flickr

BEA / BOAC Ops at Model Airport Diorama 1950/60s by rstretton, on Flickr

BEA / BOAC Ops at Model Airport Diorama 1950/60s by rstretton, on Flickr

BEA / BOAC Ops at Model Airport Diorama 1950/60s by rstretton, on Flickr

[Adrian]

Ah, this is is stuff I really enjoy and the models that are very dear to my heart. The BOAC white-tail livery was in the early '50s, but the early BEA livery Vanguard, G-APEA, was only used on route-proving flights during the summer of 1959, so would only be seen alongside the later BOAC blue tail livery Comets and Britannias.
I was delighted to get the latest Aeroclassics BEA Viscounts in the late '60s 'Speedjack' livery, but you need to remove all the markings above the wings, as they are not correct with that. As you can see, the Gemini BEA Speedjack Tridents have been made correctly with no markings on top of the wings.