• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

A blast from the past (1 Viewer)

bill moss

Well-known member
Hi folks,

If you can bear to hear a little family history, read on.

My Father was involved with Aeroplanes all his life, from joining the RFC when he was 16 until he retired. He was a pilot but after he left what was by then the RAF he specialised as a Ground Engineer and by the end of the 1920s he was approved to carry out full C of As on light aircraft all on his own, one of only 5 such I was told. Then in the early 30's he joined Imperial Airways (the then 'National' Airline and the forerunner of British Airways) and, as they opened up the air routes to the Empire he went and helped to set up the servicing facilities, winding up as Chief Ground Engineer at Karachi, the main servicing base for the London (Croydon)-Singapore-London route (the so-called 'Far Eastern Route').

What has this to do with birds, I hear you ask. Well, not much, he wasn't interested in them, but in looking through his old photo album I came across this photo, which is captioned 'The Sheik of Sharjah' who had apparently come to the new airport to take a look around. The interesting thing to me is the birds. The two gentlemen with the pole perches are obviously the 'royal' bit, the one at the back I don't know, probably not. What's interesting is that there seem to be 3 different Species of bird; I know what I think they are, any suggestions?

Oh, and I DO know what the Aeroplane is (big 'ead), does anybody else?

Bill
 

Attachments

  • Sheik of Sharjah.jpg
    Sheik of Sharjah.jpg
    124.8 KB · Views: 124
Hi Bill
well I never learn do I, so here goes:-
Aeroplane possibly an Airspeed AS57 Ambassador, operated by BA and later BEA.

As for the birds my first thoughts were lammergeir and then a Goshhawk sadly pic not to clear on my comp, my real interest is were they allowed to carry the birds on the plane in this way.
We have some history in common my Father was an engineer in the RAF, he was primeraly responsible for the instrument side. I still have his work book full of sketches on how to set up and repair the instruments.
Yours (probably still wrong) PeterK o:D
 
Last edited:
Hi Peter,

I'm making no comment about the birds yet but the Aeroplane..... I did say that the picture was taken in the early 1930s (1932 I believe), the Ambassador was one of the post-war (2nd) Brabazon Committee projects to re-build the British Airliner industry, and first flew in 1947. Nice try but no coconut.

I also wondered about whether they would have taken the birds on a flight but I suspect not. I don't know whether the Sheik was given a flight, the caption didn't say.

Bill.
 
Last edited:
The plane might be a Handley Page Type 42? Used on the long haul empire routes.
Large biplane and 4 engines.
 
Hi Andy,

Sorry, afraid not, although it could have been, they were used on the route, but this is a twin-engined high-wing monoplane.

Here's an HP42 from the same album

Bill
 

Attachments

  • HANNO 1.jpg
    HANNO 1.jpg
    43.2 KB · Views: 50
Hi Bill
Its that high wing monoplane that has me baffled cant find one in my books, only sea planes and it aint that. Peterk
 
Hi Peter and folks,

My apologies, I've just realised that I said a 'twin-engined', it's a 4-engined (what a Burk). Have one more look and then I'll post another photo.

Hi mutley,

In any event the Dakota wasn't flying then, first flight of the DC3 was in 1935. There were DC2s in service with KLM, one of them flew in the Melbourne Air Race in 1934 as the 'Dutch Airliner' and nearly won it. The only photos I've got of one of those from my Dad's album are of a crashed one. Imperial Airways never flew either the DC2 or the DC3.

What about the birds?

Bill.
 
Hi Bill, those birds are difficult !! I really don't know, but I'll guess Peregrine Falcon, maybe Eleonoras Falcon, Saker Falcon ??? I know I've made an absolute fool of myself, but can you give us any more clues ?
 
Events on recent ID threads have shown that it can be very difficult to identify falcons out of context. These birds are certainly falcons and I probably shouldn't venture much more than that. But I will. the bird on the left is relatively slim, certainly noticeably smaller and slimmer that the bird on the right (I cannot the bird at the back well enought to make any comments). Given that Lanner and Saker are both commonly used in falconry, and both are found in the Middle East, my best guess would be that the bird on the left is a Lanner and the one on the right is a Saker.

Stuart
 
Hi I just came up with Armstrong Whitworth AW15, is this the same as the Atlanta? In use with Imperial airways till 1930 on Singapore and Australia routes

The birds on this comp seem to have vertical breast stripes hence my choice.

This looks like a male quizz! o:)
 
Last edited:
PeterK said:
Hi I just came up with Armstrong Whitworth AW15, is this the same as the Atlanta? In use with Imperial airways till 1930 on Singapore and Australia routes

o:)

Yes, its the same plane.
 
Hi chaps,

First the aeroplane, yes it is(was) an AW15 'Atalanta' . Don't know exactly which one as I can't see the registration but probably either 'ASTREA' or 'ARETHUSA'.

Second the birds. Now I don't know any more than anyone else, Dad didn't identify them; if he had I would have taken it with a pinch of salt, he didn't know a Sparrow from a Sparrowhawk, his interests lay elsewhere. So this is just my opinion. I also think that the bird at the front on the right is a Saker, going by size, shape and colour. For me the bird front left is too small to be a Lanner, which is almost as big as a Saker; taking size and the dark colouring and the chest markings I think that one is a Hobby. The one at the back doesn't look like a Falcon to me, it looks chunkier and it's quite large allowing for the distance, I reckon a Goshawk. OK, OK, I'll cover my head and let you all have a go.

Thanks for the interest, Bill.
 
Warning! This thread is more than 18 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top