AIR TRAVEL As well as its collection of military aeroplanes, The Imperial War Museum, at Duxford near Cambridge, is home to many historically important civil aircraft.Ìý John McCarthy visits the airfield and hears about the connections between the forces’ planes and those used by the airlines, how the famous wartime bomber, the Lancaster, became the York in post war civilian life.
John McCarthy is joined by Richard Ashton the museum director; Ken Pettit a member of the Duxford Aviation Society; Audrey Cartmell a former ‘star girl’ who tells of her days as an air stewardess on the Comet 1; Brian Barnett, a passenger in Comet 4 on the first transatlantic jet flight; and John Hutchinson former Concorde pilot.
Presented by John McCarthy
Photo:ÌýConcorde (courtesy of the Imperial War Museum Duxford)
This week’s guests:
Richard Ashton is the director of the .
Ken Pettit is an aviation expert and a member of theÌý and concerned with the museum’s civil aviation collection.
Audrey Cartmell is a former stewardess who flew on BOAC planes from 1950 – 1957. At the age of twenty five Audrey started her stewardess career on propeller planes such as Stratocruisers, Constellations and Argonauts. She flew all over the world and was one of the first jet hostesses.
From Little Ships to Comets
By Audrey Iliffe
Publisher: John Nickalls Publications
ISBN-10: 0954163508
ISBN-13: 978-0954163501
Brian Barnett was a passenger from the inaugural passenger commercial transatlantic flight on theÌý in 1958, between London and New York. He had won his seat on the flight in a competition for a slogan in the Daily Express.
John Hutchinson is a former pilot with British Airways and .
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PRESENTER BIOGRAPHIES
John McCarthy is a widely travelled journalist and presenter with a particular interest in the Middle East.
