Hunting-Clan Air Transport

Hunting-Clan Air Transport was a wholly private,

In addition to an airline operation and a maintenance organisation, the Hunting Group's other aviation interests included Percival Aircraft Ltd, Hunting Aerosurveys Ltd and Aerofilms Ltd.^[5]

Hunting-Clan's operations included all-

On 14 June 1952, Hunting Air Transport began operating quasi-scheduled low-fare services from the UK to East, Central, Southern and West Africa using Vikings. These services were part of a joint operation with Airwork, another wholly private British independent airline of that era. Flights initially operated on a fortnightly basis.^{[10][11][12][13][14][15][16]} International Air Transport Association (IATA) minimum fare rules did not apply to these services because the governments that owned most of IATA's member airlines had not empowered it to set and control domestic air fares, which included dependent overseas territories.^[17][18]

The joint Hunting—Airwork Safari/colonial coach service from

In 1953, operations were to commence on Hunting's Northern network of short-haul domestic and international European scheduled services from Newcastle. However, IATA member airlines objected to Hunting's proposed Scandinavian fares, which delayed the inauguration. This resulted in Hunting-Clan becoming the first British independent airline to join IATA at the following traffic conference in Honolulu, where a resolution was passed permitting fares 10% below standard tourist fares.^[5]

In June 1953, Hunting and Airwork jointly launched a fortnightly Safari/colonial coach service between London and Salisbury, entailing one round trip per month by each company.

In spring 1954, Hunting-Clan finally inaugurated its Northern network of short-haul scheduled services from Newcastle following IATA's 1953 resolution permitting fares 10% lower than corresponding standard tourist fares.[5] Its aeroplanes also featured in the 1954 film 'Mask of Dust'.

In June 1954, Hunting and Airwork launched a joint Safari/colonial coach service to West Africa linking London with

In 1955, Hunting-Clan became the first British independent airline to operate state-of-the-art Vickers Viscount turboprop planes, when it took delivery of three brand-new series 730 aircraft. These replaced Vikings on Safari/colonial coach and trooping flights to Africa, as well as on some of the airline's general passenger charter and IT flights.^[3] During that year, the airline also shifted all its operations from Bovingdon to its new base at London Airport.^[4]

In 1956, the Clan Line and the

By 1957, Hunting-Clan and Airwork converted their successful East, West and Southern African Safari/colonial coach flights into regular "third-class" scheduled services. However, the Government forced the independents to maintain additional stops that were no longer needed, as a result of replacing Vikings with technologically advanced Douglas DC-6s and Vickers Viscounts. It also required them to share all traffic with BOAC on a 30:70 basis.^[6] Despite these restrictions, the independents' services were fully booked five months ahead within a fortnight of their launch.^[15][23] When Britain's African colonies became independent, Safari/colonial coach was converted into a fully fledged scheduled service. To secure their traffic rights between the UK and the newly independent African nations, Hunting-Clan and Airwork began participating in revenue-sharing agreements with BOAC and the destination countries' flag carriers.^{[nb 6][24][25]}

1957 was also the year Hunting-Clan discontinued its Northern network, resulting in the closure of its base at

By March 1960, Hunting-Clan's and Airwork's shareholders had finalised the merger terms. This was followed by a public announcement of their airline subsidiaries' intention to amalgamate all commercial activities from June 1960, trading as British United Airways.[1]^[28]

Hunting-Clan operated the following aircraft types:

• Avro Nineteen
• Avro 685 York
• Bristol Britannia 317
• de Havilland DH 89 Dragon Rapide
• Douglas DC-3
• Douglas DC-6A
• Percival Proctor V
• Vickers Viking 1/1A/1B
• Vickers Viscount 700
• Vickers Viscount 800

In April 1958, the Hunting-Clan fleet comprised 15 aircraft.^[8]

There are three recorded accidents involving Hunting-Clan aircraft. Two of these were fatal.^[29][30]

• The first fatal accident occurred on 17 February 1952. It involved a Hunting Air Travel Vickers 614 Viking 1 (registration: G-AHPI) operating an international non-scheduled passenger flight between Nice Côte d'Azur Airport and Malta Luqa Airport. The aircraft was destroyed and all 31 occupants (five crew and 26 passengers) were killed when it crashed into the northern slope of the La Cinta mountain range at an altitude of 3,410 ft (1,040 m). This was the worst fatal accident in the company's history. The commission investigating the accident established "imprudence on the part of the pilot", who did not maintain a sufficient safety altitude during his flight over Sicily, as the prime cause. This was of particular importance in view of the thundery formations that were present over the area. The pilot's ignorance of existing wind conditions the aircraft encountered en route, which led to a three-degree discrepancy between the actual and intended track, was cited as a contributory factor. The investigating commission furthermore found that D/F stations at Rome and Cagliari provided flight safeguarding services as and when required, and that other D/F stations at Milan and Venice voluntarily transmitted bearing information to ensure the aircraft and its occupants reached their destination safely.^[31]
• The second fatal accident occurred on 2 December 1958. It involved a Hunting-Clan Vickers Viscount 732 (registration: G-ANRR) on a
  elevator spring tab as the probable cause. Incorrect maintenance of the spring tab mechanism and failure to notice the tab's faulty operation as a result of negligence on the part of maintenance personnel, who were responsible for inspecting the aircraft before returning it to service, involved the pilot in command in involuntary manoeuvres that overstressed the aircraft. This in turn resulted in the aircraft's right wing breaking off.^[32]
• The non-fatal incident occurred on 8 May 1951. It involved a Hunting Air Travel Vickers 639 Viking 1 (registration: G-AHPD) operating an international scheduled passenger flight from
  propeller governor due to the lack of a split pin on the governor spindle, and due to the nut of the ball joint of the control spindle having been unscrewed by force.^[33]

• List of defunct airlines of the United Kingdom

Notes