CUNARD EAGLE AIRWAYS DC6A Original By Tom Gibson and Harry Follas.
G-APON Repainted by Gerry McLaughlin
Cunard Eagle airways was formed in July 1960 when negotiations between the great Cunard Shipping Co and Eagle Airways led to that company purchasing the entire share capital of Britain's premiere independent airline.
However, despite the additional financial resources which Cunard gave to Eagle Airways, and even although its name and reputation added cosiderably to the company's status, the new airline was unable to obtain the rights to operate a network of scheduled Transatlantic and Caribbean services in competition with BOAC.
In 1961, a licence WAS originally granted to operate once daily to New York, but intense lobbying by BOAC led, disgracefully, to the Government backing down and withdrawing all rights to the service.
Cunard Eagle had to content itself with operating a successful Trans-Atlantic charter programme throughout the 1961 season, together with numerous flights in support of the British Forces overseas in such places as Malta, Singapore and Hong Kong.
In 1962, Cunard, still pursuing a Transatlantic scheduled network, secretly entered into negotiations with BOAC, resulting in a new, additional alliance, BOAC-CUNARD.
Shortly afterwards, Harold Bamberg, who had originally owned Eagle Airways, re-purchased Cunard's share of the company, and in August 1963 the name Cunard Eagle disappeared to be replaced by BRITISH EAGLE AIRWAYS
Cunard Eagle was famous as a Britannia operator, but they also operated the DC6, including this DC6A - G-APON. The DC6A was the cargo version of the DC6, similar in many respects, but with a completely redesigned, lengthened fuselage incorporating two cargo doors and a strengthened floor. Mechanically, and dimensionally, it was similar to the DC6B Cloudmaster and when you read Tom Gibson's Dc6b98 file, packaged with this zip, you will learn much about flying both aircraft.
Thanks to Tom Gibson and Harry Follas who made the moving-parts DC6B which is the basis of this repainted aircraft, and for letting me do it. I still retain parts of Tom's paintwork and of course Harry's very clever metal textures which add so much to the realism. The original Western Airlines aircraft is great, and I still fly it too.
I'd also like to thank all the other people who contribute so much to the FS community, making models, recording sounds, designing panels; all those things I'd love to be able to do, but can't.
Finally, thanks to that great magazine 'Propliner' from which I got all the information on Cunard Eagle Airways.
Now read the FS98 DC-6B CLOUDMASTER Text, for all the information about this FS aircraft, and how to install it. Also, read that legal stuff which applies to the entire package!
