Karl M
15th June 2009, 10:54 AM
SYDNEY TO LONDON CHARTER
On 14th December 1934 the Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services (now known as Qantas together with Imperial Airways (fore-runner of British Airways) operated the first scheduled air service between Australia and the United Kingdom.
The journey was accomplished with a variety of aeroplanes, the most famous of which was the Handley Page HP42, described by Mr J.V.Fairbairn, Federal Member of the Australian Parliament, as "this flying hotel, a four-engined 22-seater with a large pantry and bar between the two cabins. .The sight of the ice chest through the open door was too much for me, so I rang the bell and ordered a round of drinks, an orangeade for a young kinsman of the Maharajah of Jodhpur and lime squashes for a planter from Assam and myself".
Each night was spent in a luxury hotel; some of these, such as Raffles in Singapore, the Oriental in Bangkok and the Strand in Rangoon will be used on the westbound Nostalgia Route.
The attractive features of those early pioneering flights were the excitement of seeing remote and exotic places, short duration, daytime flights with each night spent in a comfortable bed at a grand hotel, minimal formalities, and the personal attention of the Flight Captain and crew who personally took care of the passengers, affording them V.I.P. treatment at each port of call.
On the other side of the coin, of course, were the uncertainties and occasional dangers inherent in travelling in primitive machines with none of the safety features which we now take for granted.\
Having successfully inaugurated a re-creation of this historical journey in 2007, Far Horizons is pleased to offer another opportunity in 2010 travelling by jet--prop Convair CV 580 airliner. Normally providing seating for 44 - with a Business Class seating pitch of 96.5cm (38.5 inches), we are limiting the number of passengers to 22. This will allow all passengers to have a window seat and there will be plenty of room in which to move around.
This fully pressurised and air-conditioned aircraft has a range of 2870kms and flies at a speed of 520kph at an altitude of 4,500-6,400m (15,000 - 21,000 ft). It is equipped with a hot and cold galley and a full-size toilet.
Just imagine......
Whereas passengers on regular flights are required to be at the airport 2-3 hours before departure, we need to be there only 30 minutes beforehand.
Then, instead of queuing up - first for check-in - then for emigration - then for security checks - we can usually relax in a private Executive lounge.
And - when the flight is ready - we just exit by our private doorway and walk across to our waiting airliner
Again - on arrival at our destination, we disembark at a private lounge while waiting for our luggage to be offloaded and placed inside our waiting luxury coach and whisked away to our even more luxurious hotel.
The normal Business Class baggage allowance of 30kgs will apply
Just consider the advantages of travelling in our Convair 580. At 15,000 feet you can gaze our of your window (everyone has a window seat) and look down at the passing scene -
And with an average daily travelling time of 3-4 hours we usually schedule our flights to depart at around 10.00. No early morning starts aor late night arrivals.
And every night is spent in a comfortable bed in the best available hotel . .
THE WESTBOUND JOURNEY - SYDNEY TO LONDON
(The "Nostalgia" route)
The westbound journey follows closely to the historic pre-war route, with side trips and diversions to enable us to visit such fascinating places en route as Borobodur Temple, Mandalay, Varanasi (for a dawn cruise on the Ganges), Agra (where we have time our visit to see the Taj Mahal by moonlight), the bazaars. mosques and palaces of Damascus, the great Roman city of Ephesus and the glamorous French Riviera resort of Cannes.
The "Nostalgia" element is highlighted with a special reception at Brisbane’s Kingsford Smith Memorial, visits to the original Q.A.N.T.A.S base at Longreach, Darwin’s National Aviation Museum, the site of Sharjah’s runway in the former Trucial States, a private tour of Croydon Airport Museum and Visitors Centre and lunch in the Rayon d’Or Brasserie at Croydon’s art deco Aerodrome Hotel - named after the world’s first deluxe dining service, which flew between Paris and Croydon in the 1920s.
The farewell dinner and final night will again be spent at London’s Ritz Hotel
http://www.farhorizons.com.au/?id=10&tour=32
On 14th December 1934 the Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services (now known as Qantas together with Imperial Airways (fore-runner of British Airways) operated the first scheduled air service between Australia and the United Kingdom.
The journey was accomplished with a variety of aeroplanes, the most famous of which was the Handley Page HP42, described by Mr J.V.Fairbairn, Federal Member of the Australian Parliament, as "this flying hotel, a four-engined 22-seater with a large pantry and bar between the two cabins. .The sight of the ice chest through the open door was too much for me, so I rang the bell and ordered a round of drinks, an orangeade for a young kinsman of the Maharajah of Jodhpur and lime squashes for a planter from Assam and myself".
Each night was spent in a luxury hotel; some of these, such as Raffles in Singapore, the Oriental in Bangkok and the Strand in Rangoon will be used on the westbound Nostalgia Route.
The attractive features of those early pioneering flights were the excitement of seeing remote and exotic places, short duration, daytime flights with each night spent in a comfortable bed at a grand hotel, minimal formalities, and the personal attention of the Flight Captain and crew who personally took care of the passengers, affording them V.I.P. treatment at each port of call.
On the other side of the coin, of course, were the uncertainties and occasional dangers inherent in travelling in primitive machines with none of the safety features which we now take for granted.\
Having successfully inaugurated a re-creation of this historical journey in 2007, Far Horizons is pleased to offer another opportunity in 2010 travelling by jet--prop Convair CV 580 airliner. Normally providing seating for 44 - with a Business Class seating pitch of 96.5cm (38.5 inches), we are limiting the number of passengers to 22. This will allow all passengers to have a window seat and there will be plenty of room in which to move around.
This fully pressurised and air-conditioned aircraft has a range of 2870kms and flies at a speed of 520kph at an altitude of 4,500-6,400m (15,000 - 21,000 ft). It is equipped with a hot and cold galley and a full-size toilet.
Just imagine......
Whereas passengers on regular flights are required to be at the airport 2-3 hours before departure, we need to be there only 30 minutes beforehand.
Then, instead of queuing up - first for check-in - then for emigration - then for security checks - we can usually relax in a private Executive lounge.
And - when the flight is ready - we just exit by our private doorway and walk across to our waiting airliner
Again - on arrival at our destination, we disembark at a private lounge while waiting for our luggage to be offloaded and placed inside our waiting luxury coach and whisked away to our even more luxurious hotel.
The normal Business Class baggage allowance of 30kgs will apply
Just consider the advantages of travelling in our Convair 580. At 15,000 feet you can gaze our of your window (everyone has a window seat) and look down at the passing scene -
And with an average daily travelling time of 3-4 hours we usually schedule our flights to depart at around 10.00. No early morning starts aor late night arrivals.
And every night is spent in a comfortable bed in the best available hotel . .
THE WESTBOUND JOURNEY - SYDNEY TO LONDON
(The "Nostalgia" route)
The westbound journey follows closely to the historic pre-war route, with side trips and diversions to enable us to visit such fascinating places en route as Borobodur Temple, Mandalay, Varanasi (for a dawn cruise on the Ganges), Agra (where we have time our visit to see the Taj Mahal by moonlight), the bazaars. mosques and palaces of Damascus, the great Roman city of Ephesus and the glamorous French Riviera resort of Cannes.
The "Nostalgia" element is highlighted with a special reception at Brisbane’s Kingsford Smith Memorial, visits to the original Q.A.N.T.A.S base at Longreach, Darwin’s National Aviation Museum, the site of Sharjah’s runway in the former Trucial States, a private tour of Croydon Airport Museum and Visitors Centre and lunch in the Rayon d’Or Brasserie at Croydon’s art deco Aerodrome Hotel - named after the world’s first deluxe dining service, which flew between Paris and Croydon in the 1920s.
The farewell dinner and final night will again be spent at London’s Ritz Hotel
http://www.farhorizons.com.au/?id=10&tour=32