Bluegrass Airlines Feature of the Month

May 2011

Bahamas Airways ‘59

by Allan Lowson

 

bahamas.jpg

(copyright www.timetableimages.com)

Bahamas Airways

 

Bahamas Airways Ltd was founded in 1936 to take over  the  operation of  inter-island charter services begun in 1933. In 1943, Pan American Airways acquired a 45 per cent interest in the company but in 1949 Bahamas Airways was taken over by BSAA and later became a wholly owned BOAC  subsidiary. In April 1959 BOAC sold 80 per cent of its shareholding to Skyways Bahamas Holding Co Ltd, but in December 1960 the Corporation bought back this holding.

 

In March 1956 Bahamas Airways inaugurated a service to Grand Turk, Turks Island via San Salvador Island, Mayaguana and Great Inagua.

 

Bahamas Airways Routes

Bahamas Airways served routes throughout the islands as well as international routes to Florida. In '59 the inter-island services were provided by DC-3 or Grumman Goose aircraft. The routes from Miami to Nassau were covered by the Handley Page Hermes and DC-3s.

The Hermes were especially modified for the routes to Florida, increasing seating capacity to 78 and removing the pressurisation equipment to allow for a more luxurious passenger compartment. However the Hermes struggled to attract American customers, basically because they did not recognise them! After BOAC bought the airline back from Skyways  they introduced Vickers Viscounts with more success.

The times for these flights are taken from the 1959 timetable available at the excellent www.timetableimages.com 

 

Miami – West Palm Beach – Ft Lauderdale – Nassau

 

These services served flown by Handley Page Hermes aircraft.

 

Heading

Distance

Down

City Name

ICAO

Up

Heading

Distance

105

0

1015

Miami

KMIA

0930

 

160 nm

 

160nm

1115

Nassau

MYNN

0830

287

0

 

 

Heading

Distance

Down

City Name

ICAO

Up

Heading

Distance

186

0 nm

1000

West Palm Beach

KPBI

2100

 

  37nm

112

  37nm

1040

Ft Lauderdale

KFLL

2030

006

159nm

 

159nm

1140

Nassau

MYNN

1930

293

0

 

Nassau – Harbour Island (Eleuthera Island)

 

This route was served by Douglas DC-3 aircraft.

 

Heading

Distance

Down

City Name

ICAO

Up

Heading

Distance

096

0

1545

Nassau

MYNN

1040

 

70nm

338

70nm

1635

Rock Sound

MYER

1005

276

25nm

300

25nm

1705

Governor's Harbour

MYEM

0935

158

22nm

237

22nm

1725

Harbour Island

MYEH

0900

119

0

 

50nm

1815

Nassau

MYNN

 

 

 

 

Nassau – Turks Island

 

This route was served by Douglas DC-3 aircraft.

 

Heading

Distance

Down

City Name

ICAO

Up

Heading

Distance

138

0

0745

Nassau

MYNN

1645

 

320nm

078

320nm

1130

Inagua

MYIG

1425

319

144nm

 

144nm

1230

Turks Island

MBGT

1250

259

0

 

Nassau – Great Exuma – San Salvador Island

 

This route was served by Douglas DC-3 aircraft, note this is a circular route.

 

Heading

Distance

Down

City Name

ICAO

Up

Heading

Distance

135

0

1245

Nassau

MYNN

1615

 

700nm

062

131nm

1400

George Town (GE)

MYEG

 

 

 

 

78nm

1440

San Salvador

MYSM

1455

290

78nm

 

 

 

George Town (GE)

MYEG

1400

062

0

 

Nassau – Great Abaco – Grand Bahama – Florida

 

This route was served by Douglas DC-3 aircraft. Freeport is a flag stop, so it is included without a time. This is a circular route.

 

Heading

Distance

Down

City Name

ICAO

Up

Heading

Distance

012

0

1245

Nassau

MYNN

1635

 

91nm

309

91nm

1400

Marsh Harbour

MYEG

1550

192

22nm

260

22nm

1440

Green Turtle Cay

MYSM

1520

129

71nm

298

71nm

F

Freeport

MYGF

F

080

16nm

240

16nm

1140

West End (GB)

MYGW

1410

118

61nm

006

74nm

1245

Ft Lauderdale

KFLL

-

-

-

 

37nm

1305

West Palm Beach

KPBI

1320

089

37nm

 

 

 

Ft Lauderdale

KFLL

1245

006

 

 

Nassau – Cat Island

 

This route was served by Grumman Goose aircraft, and is again a circular route.

 

Heading

Distance

Down

City Name

ICAO

Up

Heading

Distance

103

0

1230

Nassau

MYNN

1510

 

117nm

148

100nm

1335

Bennetts Harbour

MYCA

 

 

 

 

22nm

1355

The Bight

MYCB

1405

291

0

 

Nassau – Mangrove Cay

 

This route was served by Grumman Goose aircraft.

 

Heading

Distance

Down

City Name

ICAO

Up

Heading

Distance

196

0

1230

Nassau

MYNN

1510

 

47nm

 

22nm

1355

The Bight

MYAB

1405

016

0

 

Nassau – Andros Town

 

This route was served by Grumman Goose aircraft.

 

Heading

Distance

Down

City Name

ICAO

Up

Heading

Distance

272

0

1300

Nassau

MYNN

1350

 

33nm

147

33nm

F

Mastic Point

MYAN

F

91

25nm

 

25nm

1320

Andros Town

MYAF

1330

327

0

 

Flight Simulator Files

There is a Handley Page Hermes by Jens Kristensen available for both FS2004 and FSX in Hermes_v20.zip and Hermes_v20x.zip respectively. Jens very kindly agreed to do a Bahamas Airways scheme for the Hermes and this can be found in  hp81_bahamas_fs9.zip and hp81_bahamas_fsx.zip from  www.flightsim.com

 

Although the DC-3 is not available in an Bahamas Airways scheme, John Payne did a Skyways Coach-Air set of schemes, and the Skyways AirCoach scheme is closest to that used by Bahamas Airways at the time of these flights; these are available in skwydc3s.zip from www.flightsim.com .

 

Jens has also done the Vickers Viscount which was introduced by BOAC after they re-purchased the company, and this package includes a Bahamas Airways scheme. The package is available in Viscount_10.zip and Viscount_10x.zip.

 

The Grumman Goose is available in a package by Bill and Lynn Lyons in cc9g21f.zip for fs2004.

 

The flights are covered by the default scenery, but the Bahamas can be significantly enhanced for fs2004 if you add the bahamas add-on scenery package available at www.fs-freeflow.com.