ATA DUTIES: PASSENGERS

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 The ATA didn't just ferry aircraft, it carried passengers. 

 

The ATA never intended to be a passenger-carrying operation. Britain's two national airlines, British Airways and Imperial Airways were merged in November 1939 to form British Overseas Airways Corporation or BOAC. This national airline continued to fly throughout the war and was particularly important for maintaining contact and communication with Britain's far-flung colonies. The ATA did not attempt to undercut or compete with this service, but by the end of the war it had carried thousands of passengers.

The bulk of those passengers were the pilots of the ATA en route to or from one of their ferrying assignment, i.e. they were the passengers carried in the ATA's own "air taxis."  Any pilot qualified to fly on twin-engine aircraft could be assigned to fly one of the ATA's taxis, but over time some of the pilots proved particularly suited to the role of "taxi driver" and were assigned routinely to this work. 

Charter passenger services were also provided to the British Armed Forces and HM Goverment officials in response to specific (and not infrequent) requests for rapid transport within the British Isles. These flights could take the form of a single flight or a round-trip. In some cases, pilots were required to remain at the disposal of the VIP for a week or more, making multiple trips around the country to support his activities. A more "routine" service resulted from the frequent requests from the Royal Navy to fly engine, armaments, radar, radio or other specialists up from their shoreside establishments such as HMS Vernon in Portsmouth to wherever port their badly damaged escorts and fighting ships had limped into.

One particularly unusual "passenger service" was the support for secret sabotage work in Scandinavia by flying personnel and materiel up to the north of the Shetland Isles for embarkation on submarines or small naval craft that would transport them to Norway. This service entailed flying not only the commandos involved, but their baggage of detonators, explosive, electric wiring etc. 

Finally, the proximity of the Fifth Royal Canadian Hospital to ATA's HQ, No. 1 Ferry Pool at White Waltham, resulted in the development of an air ambulance service. A small number of Ansons and Dragon Rapides were converted to collect patients in need of specialized surgery that could be conducted only at this hospital. The patients were accompanied on these flights by members of ATA's own medical staff. The ATA pilots had meanwhile developed the ability to fly in almost any weather, which was a huge asset since most patients in need of transport were in urgent need of medical treatment. The ATA air ambulance undoubtedly saved many lives.

  

An air ambulance flown by a former ATA pilot plays a prominent role in the Bridge to Tomorrow Trilogy about the Berlin Airlift.  Find out more about the series at: https://helenapschrader.net/bridge-to-tomorrow/

Watch a video teaser here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7rS_Mwy3TU 

                                      

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