Bob O’Brien reviews the career of the HS 748 with a well-known British airline.
PROPLINER SPECIAL
Dan-Air London was one of the UK’s most respected independent airlines until its demise and eventual sale to British Airways in November 1992. The carrier’s proud history dated to 1953, when London shipbrokers Davies and Newman diversified and moved into aviation.
A turning point in the airline’s fortunes came when the local council in Bristol approached the carrier to set up a network of feeder services from the city’s relatively new airport at Lulsgate to destinations in the UK and mainland Europe. This sowed the seeds for what was to become a valuable source of revenue for the airline.
The Link City service was inaugurated from Bristol Lulsgate to Cardiff, Liverpool and Newcastle on April 4, 1960, initially with two de Havilland Doves. As the popularity of these routes grew so larger aircraft were required eventually leading to an aircraft with the capacity of the HS 748.
Initially the aircraft were powered by two Rolls-Royce Dart Mk 514 turboprop engines, seating capacity on the aircraft was between 36-40 depending on the operator and the range was 580nm. The aircraft was developed from the Series 1to t…
