G-BEYH
Handley Page H.P.R.7 Herald 401 Series – c/n 180
With BAF* from Jan 1978 to Dec 1981
This Herald would be the very last of the ex-Malaysian Air Force aircraft and the very last of its type to be purchased by Mike Keegan. Landing at Southend on January 18th 1978 via Munich carrying parts from non-airworthy Herald FM1025 (G-BEYI – ntu) she was then overhauled before being put into service. However, while this aircraft would immediately receive the standard BAF bee livery, she would see little in the way of work for BAF as she spent much of her time away on lease. However, her first summer would see her flying some of BAF's established routes, turning up at Jersey during April and Basle in June. Her first venture away from Southend would see her heading off to British Island Airways at the end of 1978 after which she returned to Southend for the winter. By April of 1979, she had once more departed, although this time on lease to Touraine Air Transport being seen on May 5th on Jersey, where she was carrying out operations, albeit still in a BAF livery.
By July, she was back with BAF where she undertook a few charters that witnessed her venturing into Bristol during July and Coventry in August while in October, she made a refuelling stop inbound to Egypt where she would join and then replace BAF Herald G-BDZV which was at the time, flying taxi services in and out of Cairo on behalf of Nile Valley Aviation. By February 1980, she returned to SEN, spending only a few days there for checks and maintenance before again departing for North Africa, this time flying domestic services for Air Algerie. It would seem that Yankee Hotel was destined to spend much of the rest of her BAF service career in this part of the world and by the spring of 1981, she had carried out additional stints for both Oasis Oil Company and Occidental Oil in Libya, returning to Southend for short periods in between. However, in May 1981 this Herald was temporarily removed from service and would sit idle on the northern apron until finally being sold on in December of this year.
History of G-BEYH
9/64 to 1/78
Royal Malaysian Air Force as FM1024
Killyspae/Bembridge Air Hire as G-BEYH (*Keegan concerns)
5/81 to 12/81
12/81 to 11/89
Aerosucre Colombia as HK-2702X
Crashed near Popayan, Colombia – 5/11/89
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