50 years ago: a Proctor's wonderful journey...

[Okami]

It's December 24th, 1960, and at Baginton airfield in Coventry, UK, a small Percival Proctor is made ready for a journey.



An awful lot of planning has been made for this trip, which has an as yet unmentioned destination (just you wait and see )



At 12:35 local time, the small plane takes off. It has had some delays, as the fuel carnets for 1961 hadn't arrived yet, but after the pilot and his friends collected them at the Shell House, the plane is ready for its trip.



Moments after its take-off, the pilot turns to a heading of 125 magnetic, setting it on a course for Southend airfield. He has submitted a VFR plan: the Proctor has little navigation equipment on board. Unlike some aircraft, it lacks an ADF, which will make its trip somewhat more difficult.



As it passes RAF Cranfield, the Proctor suddenly finds itself in a somewhat persistent bank of fog. The lack of navigational means aboard the Proctor means this makes the flight somewhat more challenging, especially as the aircraft still has to cross the Luton and Stanstead airspaces.



Suddenly, while crossing the Luton airspace, the controller warns for a Dakota at 10 at 2300 ft. A quick glance learns the pilot his plane is at 2500, however he's unable to see the Dakota. A feeling of dread crawls up his spine. And all of a sudden, he glances something, a momentary movement partly hidden by the window frame. Just some 300 feet below, and about a mile away, the Dakota appears in sight. Quickly the pilot gains some altitude, separating the two aircraft. (See if you can spot the Dakota in the picture above..)



Luckily, the Stansted airspace crossing proves to be far less adventurous. Once past this airport, Southend is just a couple of miles...



With the runways in sight, the pilot contacts the tower, and gets a clearance for a runway 24 approach. As he turns onto his finals, a British United flight radios in for clearance to land, however it is still 20 miles away.



Minutes later, the Proctor taxis from the runway onto the parking. It is directed to the GA stands past the terminal building, where the pilot parks it up and shuts down the engine.

To be continued...

Flight:
Leg 1: Coventry (EGBE) to Southend (EGMC).
Type: Percival Proctor Mk.II
Take-off: 12:35:10
Landing: 13:26:15
Flight time: 51 minutes
Fuel used: 60.2 lbs

[Okami]

About an hour later, the fog has lifted, and the Proctor has been fuelled up for its second leg. After receiving clearance from the tower, the small plane and its three occupants takes off out of runway 24 on its way to Calais...



Just after take-off, the plane heads East towards Dover. As it turns over the Thames, the lights of the aircraft coming out of Heathrow are clearly visible. Moments later, ATC warns them about a Lufthansa Viscount directly overhead.



Soon they are on their cruising altitude and pass RAF Manston and Dover. As they start heading out over the Channel, two Freighters tune in onto their frequency: one heading out of Southend to Ostend, and one heading out to their destination, Calais.



Like the waterways below them, the airspace over the Channel is rather busy. They are twice warned about aircraft in their vicinity: once for a Cessna which is crossing our route at 2500 feet, and once for a Bristol Freighter coming from dead ahead: the air ferry coming out of Calais.



Soon, though, they find themselves on their approach into Calais. After a short righthand approach, the Proctor touches down at the small coastal airfield...



And as they head towards the parking, the Freighter which took off behind them radios Calais tower, announcing its approach.



Here at Calais they have a nightstop, the first of many.

To be continued...

Flight:
Leg 2: Southend (EGMC) to Calais (LFAC).
Type: Percival Proctor Mk.II
Take-off: 15:49:10
Landing: 16:18:48
Flight time: 30 minutes
Fuel used: 56.6 lbs

[Okami]

It almost speaks for itself that the trio didn't fly on the 25th of December. Instead, they headed into Calais and had some celebrations.

The day after that, however, was an entirely different affair:

After having rested from the previous day, the Proctor crew heads out to the airport on the 26th of December, 1960. There something unexpected happens: the controller refuses permission for the aircraft to take off. After some fierce discussing, it becomes clear why: the controller does not want to grant them permission to land at the major Paris airports. So the three men concede, and submit a flight plan to Beauvais airport.



Once all of this is cleared up, the trio checks their Proctor. It has been refuelled. The Met warns for some reduced visibility after Le Touquet, but still within bounds. At about 10:35, they step into their Proctor and close the cockpit. They start up the engine, and taxi towards the runway, being second in line for take-off. After the previous plane, an Ercoupe, takes off, the tower clears them to line up, and minutes later they're finally airborne.



The first part of the flight goes without a hitch. Even after the Proctor passes Beauvais, the weather remains fine. It is only as the trio passes Abbeville that things begin to deteriorate.



The small plane runs into a ridge of clouds, with a cloudbase at about 2000 ft. As the airport is just about 30 miles away, the pair decides to descend to just below the cloudbase, otherwise they might overshoot their destination. However, as the Proctor starts its descend, the predicted fog rolls in...



While there are still a couple of miles visibility, the situation isn't really ideal. Three pairs of eyes start to scan the horizon, looking for the runways of Tille airport, and about 5 miles out, the airport is finally spotted. An approach is made into runway 22, and minutes later the Proctor is firmly on the ground...



To be continued...

Flight:
Leg 3: Calais (LFAC) to Beauvais (LFOB).
Type: Percival Proctor Mk.II
Take-off: 10:47:18
Landing: 11:43:18
Flight time: 56 minutes
Fuel used: 60.2 lbs

[Okami]

About 3 hours later, the trio receive clearance to their next destination, Meaux airport near Paris. The met promised improving weather and visibility, but as the Proctor takes off these predictions seem to have been quite mistaken...



It is only a short hop from Beauvais to Meaux, but there is quite some risk connected with it: the direct path takes them right underneath the approaches into both Paris Le Bourget and Paris Orly airport. Only minutes after take-off, the men are warned about a BOAC DC-7C which is crossing their path on its approach into Orly...



And just minutes after that, it's a Tarom "Crate" (Ilyushin Il-14) which is flying into Le Bourget.



By the way, earlier that year, on May 19th, 1960, another light airplane pilot found out the risks of crossing the approaches into these airports the hard way - he was flying a light Stampe biplane from Chelles into Toussus-le-Noble, when he strayed into the approach into Orly, and into the path of an Air Algérie Caravelle.

Here are some images of the results, courtesy of British Pathé:
http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=67651

And here's the official report (in French):
http://www.bea.aero/docspa/1960/f-ni...f-ni600519.pdf

That said, our Proctor made it safely, although the bad visibility is forcing the pilots to fly at about 1000 ft AGL. They're now just 10 miles out of Meaux-Esbly, but as this is a grass airfield, it is quite more difficult to spot...



However, moments later, the airfield is spotted, and the Proctor lands without any problems. After having taxied off the runway, the pilots park up the plane and shut its engine down. With such bad visibility, and about 1 1/2 hours of flight in their carnets and about two hours of daylight remaining, they decide to call it a day and start looking for some local accommodations for the night...



To be continued...

Flight:
Leg 4: Beauvais-Tille (LFOB) to Meaux-Esbly (LFPE)
Type: Percival Proctor Mk.II
Take-off: 14:45:38
Landing: 15:15:15
Flight time: 30 minutes
Fuel used: 34.1 lbs

[Z-claudius24]

Hi,

Very nice pictures !

[Okami]

Thanks! ^^

The next day, December 27th 1960, our trio board their Proctor at Meaux. Unlike the day before, the weather has improved and the skies are clear as they take to the sky.



Soon, the Proctor has climbed to its cruising altitude of 5500 feet. This leg sees her fly from Meaux to St. Yan.



Navigating on sight is relatively easy, though, as there are a number of rivers to be followed. Following the Seine and the Yonne, the Proctor reaches Auxerre, where it turns south towards Nevers.



Halfway between Auxerre and Nevers, though, they notice the clouds begin to build, with a ridge towards the East. Luckily, these are only light clouds, so they quite easily navigate their way through.



Past Nevers, the crew follow the Loire. In the distance, they can already see the snow on the tops of the Alps. About a half hour later, they spot their destination: the airport of St. Yan.



They radio in, and the tower clears them for a landing on runway 33 Right. And so the Proctor lands about one and a half hours after their take-off out of Meaux.



Flight:
Leg 5: Meaux-Esbly (LFPE) to St. Yan (LFLN)
Type: Percival Proctor Mk.II
Take-off: 12:50:34
Landing: 14:22:46
Flight time: 1 hour 32 minutes
Fuel used: 92.0 lbs

[Okami]

Little over an hour later, our trio board their Proctor again, and after the tower clears them, they take off for Lyon.



Météo-France predicted some local fog which will improve later on, with a cloudbase over 3000 ft and a minimum visibility of 6 miles guaranteed - good enough for them to decide to continue their journey. After following the Loire to Roanne, the trio seeks out the railway linking the city to Lyon and start to follow it.



However, once they cross the hills into the Saône Valley, the weather predictions turn out to be entirely wrong. Much to the trio's horror, it turns out that the cloudbase is at 1000 feet and lower, and there's barely two miles forward visibility, with patches as bad as one mile.



With the cloudbase deteriorating to barely 200 foot above ground level, the pilot skilfully drops his plane into the valley down to 100 foot above the ground. Luckily a road appears right in front of them: this turns out to be the highway into Lyon.



Once they reach the outskirts of Lyon, their map tells them that the airport is across town. Flying low enough to keep in touch with the ground, they manage to find the airport after a couple of nailbiting moments.



Minutes later they touch down at Lyon airport, in conditions bordering on a total QGO. As they taxi towards the apron, the three men breathe a sigh of relief. They decide it's too dangerous to carry on for the day, especially as their next leg would see them crossing the Lower Alps...



To be continued...

Flight:
Leg6: St. Yan (LFLN) to Lyon/Bron (LFLY)
Type: Percival Proctor Mk.II
Take-off: 15:19:09
Landing: 15:55:01
Flight time: 36 minutes
Fuel used: 40.4 lbs

[Sunny9850]

Very nice story line and pictures Niko. I am looking forward to the continuation.
I am glad the Scud running exercise had a happier outcome for these three Aviators than so many I read about in the accident reports.

Close to my real world home base is Cajon Pass which has claimed it's share of victims over the years when VFR pilots tried to follow I15 north when they should have left their airplane tied down or in the hangar.

One of them actually talked to me before setting of and I told him that aside from the obvious challenge of avoiding cumulus granite in the pass when visibility is limited there is usually also a strong downdraft in the pass during those conditions.
Stronger than most GA aircraft can out climb .... That I know from personal experience in my Saratoga, descending at 1500ft/min with all 300 ponies pulling for all they are worth up hill. Since both she and I are still around we obviously managed to turn tail and retreat in one piece.

When talking to the pilot I mentioned that I had just come back from KSMX via Burbank and that he should be able to make it into the high desert the long way around VFR....but he said he would then need another fuel stop.

Cheers
Stefan

[Okami]

Hi Stefan,

Thanks for the kind words.

I have to say, I thought about that as well. I was running the simulation on real-time weather, so I was rather (unpleasantly) surprised I had similar weather on this leg as they had fifty years previously. To put it in their own words:

On this last leg we came nearer to disaster than on any other part of the journey. Prior to take-off we were told that the weather was OK and that we would have 1,500ft and visibility of one mile; in fact we went VMC on top from St Yan over the mountains and had to let down through cloud into the Rhone Valley. Our height was only 400ft when we sighted the ground. It was necessary to follow the road all the way down to Lyons. At 300ft the houses along the river and on the sides of the hills were higher than we were; there was also a television mast to be avoided. We would never have taken off to go there had the met. forecast been correct.
One amazing revelation came when we called Lyons Control and asked for a QDM—they told us that they had no direction-finding equipment. We asked for a radar approach; but they had no radar either, so we had to find our own way in. It seemed fantastic that a place of that size should have had no radio aids at all.

Unlike many others, though, their luck held up...

Anyway, fifty years ago, their journey continued:

On the 28th of December, 1960, our three intrepid adventurers board their Proctor at Lyon, intent on reaching Nice. The weather around the airport has cleared, but Météo-France has warned for some local patches of fog in the Alps.



The first part of their journey is relatively simple: following the Départementale 518, 502 and 502 into Grenoble, a relatively simple task, even with just a Shell road map as a guide. (Just to avoid any possible confusion: they were using million-series Stanfords maps. I'm using the 1960 Shell road map for Central Europe, scale 1:1500000.)



Once past Grenoble, things become slightly more complicated, as the Proctor heads into the Alps. They follow the D85 into the Drac valley.



Once into the Alps, the visibility steadily decreases as predicted, but remains over 6 miles. The Proctor remains below the cloud base, inching its way up the valleys inbetween the massive Alpine mountains. Past Gap, the trio navigates their Proctor into the valley between the Cheval Blanc (7628 ft) and the Pelat (10013 ft), following the Verdon river.



Once past Castellane, the trio picks up the D85 again. It leads them straight out of the Alps, right up to the Mediterrean coast.



Their Proctor finally emerges over the coastline at Antibes, just West of Nice airport. Tuning in to the tower frequency, they are immediately cleared for landing.



To be continued...

Flight:
Leg 7: Lyon/Bron (LFLY) to Nice (LFMN)
Type: Percival Proctor Mk.II
Take-off: 09:54:19
Landing: 11:41:08
Flight time: 1 hour 46 minutes
Fuel used: 99.7 lbs

[Okami]

After a quick lunch at Nice airport, the guys board their Proctor once again, this time for their next leg into Ajaccio.



The controller clears them for a take-off from runway 04 for a VFR flight to the French island of Corsica, and minutes later they're airborne.



The small plane climbs to 5500 feet and levels off. As they leave the shoreline behind them, the weather gradually improves...



... until they arrive over the Corsican coast in near-perfect conditions. They even decide to open the windows... only to close them just as quickly. Despite the sunny conditions, it is rather chilly. Especially at 100 mph at 5500 feet... ;D



As they make their way along the coast, the trio glance at the hilly landscape of the island - quite a far cry from the rather flat geography of Coventry. They can't help but wonder about the landscapes they will see later on in their voyage, or the marvels...



But those thoughts are soon put aside as the Ajaccio airport comes into sight. The Proctor soon manoeuvres in for its landing, and little over one and one quarter hour after their departure in Nice, they touch down on Corsican soil.



Rather than continuing their journey, the trio decides to stay at Ajaccio for the night. The journey through the Alps was quite a bit more exhausting than they anticipated, and they know they'll need lots of rest for tomorrow's leg...

To be continued...

Flight:
Leg 8: Nice (LFMN) to Ajaccio (LFKJ)
Type: Percival Proctor Mk.II
Take-off: 13:17:03
Landing: 14:33:31
Flight time: 1 hour 16 minutes
Fuel used: 72.8 lbs

[Okami]

After a good night's sleep, the trio steps aboard their Proctor once again. It's now the 29th of December, 1960, and they hope to reach Cagliari airport on the Italian island of Sardinia.



After making a swift take-off, the Proctor starts to head South towards Sardinia. Like the previous days, the weather predictions aren't too good, with predictions for reduced visibility over Sardinia, but all in all they aren't too bad either. Soon the Proctor reaches its cruising altitude.



Crossing the Strait of Bonifacio, the Proctor soon makes landvall near the city of Sassari. As predicted, the visibility at first remains excellent...



Only to deteriorate as the aircraft begins to near Cagliari. There's some fog in the valleys, but not at the cruising altitude of the Proctor. If there is one thing the trio decides they can not use, it's another repeat of yesterday's Lyon - Nice leg.



A quick check of the fuel level soon causes a change of plans - no, not a shortage, but a surplus. As his passengers make some quick calculations, the pilot asks Cagliari Tower for an update on the weather between Cagliari and Tunis. Moments later the tower confirms some slight headwinds, but nothing severe. When the passengers' calculations show there's still ample fuel aboard, the decision is made: instead of landing at Cagliari, they will head out straight to Tunis.



Out over the Mediterrean, the Proctor encounters some clouds and fog, but not of the sort to cause any kinds of navigational problems. Soon, the Tunesian coast looms on the horizon.



The Proctor makes landfall just East of Bizerte, much to the relief of the trio. Even though their aircraft is well maintained, they can't help shrug off the thought that it is nearly 20 years old and single-engined. There are still plenty of hours on the engine and it isn't even ten hours past its last inspection, but still...



On its approach to Tunis, the Proctor descends into the fog. Despite it, there's over 6 miles of visibility. Finding it isn't a problem either, as they just have to follow the coastline - and minutes later, they spot the airport beacon in the distance. After radio contact with the tower is established, the Proctor is cleared to land.



A little over three hours after taking off out of Ajaccio, the Proctor touches down at Tunis airport. As the trio hop out of their aircraft, they gesture one of the airport's tanker crews. Their day isn't over yet.

To be continued...

Flight:
Leg 9: Ajaccio (LFKJ) to Tunis (DTTA)
Type: Percival Proctor Mk.II
Take-off: 11:39:24
Landing: 15:36:15
Flight time: 3 hours 11 minutes
Fuel used: 195 lbs

[Okami]

While their plans called for grabbing a quick bite to eat and refuelling their plane, the trio instead find themselves delayed at Tunis due to customs and all other kinds of formalities. After a gruelling three hours of filling in documents and showing certificates, the Proctor finally takes off against a setting sun. They know they will have to fly part of this flight in total darkness, but the trio is certified for night flying.



Soon their Proctor is climbing out of Tunis. The trio turn their plane to the South, as they plan to follow the coast.



Heading out over the Gulf of Hammamet, the trio can't help but notice the beauty of the clouds in the diminishing light.



As they reach Sousse, darkness has set in. The trio wonder at the star-studded skies above them, so much more clear than they are used to. Past Sousse, the Proctor is turned East over the Gulf of Gabès.



Soon, the coast disappears from their view. They only have their compass and artificial... wait, the artificial horizon has failed! What a time for such a thing to happen! Luckily, the skies are clear and the moon is out, so they are able to orientate themselves by watching the horizon.



After a tense hour, the trio suddenly notices a glow at the horizon. A short radio relay later, they get a confirmation from the radar station at Wheelus Air Force Base that they are about fifty miles out of Tripoli.



And about a quarter of an hour later, they can clearly see the lights of the city and the coastline. From there, it's only a short distance to Tripoli's Idris airport.



And so, about two and three quarters of an hour after they left Tunis, the trio's Proctor touches down at Tripoli airport. They are relieved to be on terra firma; luckily they know that at the RAF base, they are likely to find a replacement for their failed dashboard instrument...



To be continued...

Flight:
Leg 10: Tunis (DTTA) to Tripoli (HLLT)
Type: Percival Proctor Mk.II
Take-off: 17:14:30
Landing: 20:02:09
Flight time: 2 hours 48 minutes
Fuel used: 164.1 lbs

[Okami]

At dawn the following morning, the trio arrives at the RAF base of Tripoli Idris airport, where the Proctor has been wheeled into one of the maintenance hangars. The technicians, having heard about the faulty artificial horizon, search among the reserve parts, and after about a half hour they manage to locate the same make of instrument. While it is being installed, the aircraft receives some other quick checks, and is given a clean bill of health. The base commander agrees to lend the artificial horizon to the trio, on the condition they return it on their return journey.



It is already past eleven in the morning by the time their plane is ready to take off. The trio intend to reach Benghazi airport, but as they have to follow the coast, they know their Proctor quite possibly hasn't the range to reach it in one single leg. Their plans call for a refuelling stop at Marble Arch, however as the strip is closed, they will have to take the fuel inside the plane. With three five gallon tins resting on the rear seats, the Proctor receives clearance for its take off some twenty minutes to noon.



The trio can feel the Proctor is rather more heavily loaded than it usually is, but it takes off without a hitch, and soon it is climbing to its cruise altitude.



After reaching its cruise altitude, the Proctor levels off. The skies are clear and the weather is fine, unlike on their previous legs. Navigating turns out to be rather more easy, too: from Idris, the trio follows the road leading them to Homs, and then they follow the coastal road to Misratah.



Once past Misratah, they reach the Gulf of Sydra. Cutting across the Gulf, they head for the city of Surt. By now, the green landscapes of Tunis and Tripoli have given way for the barren sands of the Libyan Desert. In awe, they look at the yellow flats on their right side, which stretch out for miles and miles...



At times, they notice what seem to be pools and lakes in the desert, which disappear as suddenly as they appear. "Fata Morgana", one of them remarks.



Some two hours into their flight, the trio notices the deserted strip of Marble Arch. In the distance, they can see the large Arch itself, towering high over the coastal road, one of Mussolini's follies (NOTE: Built in the 1930s, it was demolished by the Libyans in 1970). Touching down at the far end of the runway, the Proctor stops not even halfway the sandblown strip. Quickly, the trio gets out of their plane. Within minutes, they start to fill the aircraft's tanks, hoping to get back on their way as soon as they possibly can.



To be continued...

Flight:
Leg 11: Tripoli (HLLT) to Marble Arch (HLNF)
Type: Percival Proctor Mk.II
Take-off: 11:39:24
Landing: 14:07:43
Flight time: 2 hours 28 minutes
Fuel used: 183.5 lbs

[Okami]

After a quick splash at the abandoned airstrip of Marble Arch, the crew give their Proctor a check before taking off once again. They are a little over halfway between Tripoli and Benghazi, and hope to reach the latter place by roughly following the coastline.



Soon after take-off they pass the Marble Arch, a remnant of Italy's attempt at colonising Africa. The collossal structure, in the middle of the desert, spans high over the windswept and deserted road.



A couple of miles further, they pass a number of pools. First the trio dismiss them as fata morganas, but these turn out to be real. Water in the desert...



As the Proctor passes Marsa El-Brega, the Gulf of Surt starts to curve northwards. Still following the coast and coastal road, the crew relaxes a bit, and enjoy the views.



About twenty minutes after overflying Brega, the Proctor passes the city of Ajdabiyah, the last great city before reaching Benghazi.



Before that, though, the crew have to pass a large stretch of desert. Minutes pass as the Proctor overflies the deserted coasts...



And then, after what appears to be an eternity, they spot the city of Benghazi in the distance. Soon they crossing the city, flying towards the airport of Benina...



... and minutes later, their Proctor touches down. However, they are not yet done for the day, and as they stop near the terminal, they gesture towards one of the tanker crews...

To be continued...

Flight:
Leg 12: Marble Arch (HLNF) to Benina (HLLB)
Type: Percival Proctor Mk.II
Take-off: 14:20:00
Landing: 15:58:37
Flight time: 1 hours 39 minutes
Fuel used: 86.6 lbs

[Okami]

By the time they are airborne again, the sun has already set. However, this doesn't stop the trio from continuing their journey.



With their tanks filled up for the leg and the third pilot taking his turn behind the controls, the Proctor speeds off into the night. Soon they leave the lights of Benghazi behind them. In front of them is the empty desert.



Climbing to their cruising height, the trio notices they have to contend with a bit of turbulence. The rising air from the warm desert sands, mixing with the cool air of the desert night makes for quite an interesting, but not all too smooth ride...



Luckily, though, the turbulence isn't anywhere near as bad as some of the weather they had since their departure out of Coventry. With nearly clear skies above them, the trio occasionally gazes up towards the stars. Only once do they see something resembling an aircraft: based on the few radio messages they receive, it is a Misrair Viscount high above them on its way to Cairo...



About an hour and a quarter after taking off, the trio spot a faint light in the desert ahead of them. As they close in, it increases in intensity to the point they are able to recognise it: it is the RAF base at El Adem. Switching frequencies, the trio requests their permission to land, which they soon receive.



A little past 8'o clock local time, the Proctor touches down at the RAF airbase, and minutes later the trio halt on the apron in front of the barracks. Warned in advance by their colleagues at RAF Tripoli, the trio are given a hearty welcome by the base personnel.

Flight:
Leg 13: Benina (HLLB) to RAF El Adem (HLFN)
Type: Percival Proctor Mk.II
Take-off: 18:30:00
Landing: 20:06:18
Flight time: 1 hours 36 minutes
Fuel used: 118.9 lbs