\n\n N\/A\n <\/td>\n | \n N\/A\n <\/td>\n | \n N\/A\n <\/td>\n | \n N\/A\n <\/td>\n | \n N\/A\n <\/td>\n | \n N\/A\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\nBefore Fame<\/h2>\nAfter being forced to leave the Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys, he worked for an aviation company called Short Brothers before joining the Air Transport Auxiliary during the World War II years.<\/p>\n <\/i> Biography<\/h2>\n<\/i> Biography Timeline<\/h2>\n\n \n \n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n 1947<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n \n Freddie Laker founded Aviation Traders in October 1947. It was based at Southend Airport, Essex, England and specialised in converting numerous war-surplus bombers and transporters into freighters. This included the conversion of Handley Page Halifax bombers into freighters, six of which were sold to Bond Air Services, an early post-war British independent airline. Bond Air Services based these planes at Wunstorf aerodrome in West Germany to carry essential supplies into West Berlin during the Berlin Blockade of 1948\u201349. Bond Air Services furthermore contracted Aviation Traders to service these planes. In return, Aviation Traders got half of Bond Air Services’ freight charges.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n \n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n 1949<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n \n Following the end of the Berlin Airlift in 1949, Laker had most of the Halifaxes he had supplied to various independent airlines during the Airlift scrapped at its Southend facilities. He also made use of these facilities for the subsequent conversion of several DC-4\/C-54 Skymaster airframes into Carvairs for various operators around the world.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n \n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n 1951<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n \n In 1951, Aviation Traders (Engineering), a sister company of Aviation Traders, won a contract from Bristol Aircraft to manufacture wing centre sections for Bristol Freighters. Between the beginning of 1952 and the end of 1955, Aviation Traders (Engineering) built 50 wing sections for Bristol Aircraft.<\/p>\n This was his first airline venture, which he took over in 1951. Since its inception in 1947, Air Charter had been based at London’s old Croydon Airport. The airline participated in the 1948\u201349 Berlin Airlift. (Following the end of the Airlift in 1949, Laker sold the Air Charter Yorks that were still airworthy to other independent airlines, two of which were acquired by Dan-Air in 1956).)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n \n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n 1954<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n \n By 1954, Channel Air Bridge, his second airline venture, was flying cars and their owners in Bristol Freighters from Southend Airport (Rochford) to Calais.<\/p>\n His second airline venture began flying cars and their owners across the English Channel in 1954, initially using a fleet of Bristol Freighter twin-engined, piston-powered planes. These were later supplemented and eventually superseded by the larger-capacity, four-engined Carvairs. The Carvair design was based on the Douglas DC-4 piston-engined airliner. It involved raising the aircraft’s cockpit “above” the fuselage in a 747-style bulge so as to create more space for vehicles and\/or passengers on the main deck. It also involved replacing the DC-4’s original tail fin with a newly designed, larger DC-7-style fin as well as equipping the aircraft with a Bristol Freighter-type nose-loading cargo door, more powerful brakes and a stronger undercarriage.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n \n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n 1955<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n \n On 14 April 1955, Air Charter inaugurated its first vehicle ferry service between Southend and Calais using a Bristol 170 Mark 32 Super Freighter.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n \n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n 1958<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n \n In 1958, he sold Air Charter, Aviation Traders and Channel Air Bridge to Airwork. All three companies joined the Airwork group in 1959. Following the Airwork\u2013Hunting-Clan merger in 1960, he became managing director of British United Airways.<\/p>\n In 1958, Laker announced his decision to sell both Aviation Traders and Air Charter to Airwork for \u00a3600,000 cash plus a further \u00a3200,000, subject to the valuation of stock. The deal became effective in January 1959, when Aviation Traders and Air Charter joined the Airwork group.<\/p>\n In 1958, Laker announced his decision to sell both Air Charter and Aviation Traders to Airwork for \u00a3600,000 cash plus a further \u00a3200,000, subject to the valuation of stock.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n \n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n 1959<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n \n In January 1959, Air Charter became a subsidiary of the Airwork group.<\/p>\n Following a rationalisation of Air Charter’s flight crew and ground staff in February 1959, Laker decided to transfer all vehicle ferry services along with the Bristol 170 fleet to the newly formed Channel Air Bridge.<\/p>\n At the end of 1958, he sold Channel Air Bridge together with his other two companies \u2013 Air Charter and Aviation Traders \u2013 to Airwork. All three officially became part of the Airwork group in January 1959. In June 1960 Airwork and Hunting-Clan merged to form British United Airways. Channel Air Bridge continued operating under its own identity for more than two years.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n \n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n 1960<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n \n Air Charter was absorbed into British United Airways in June 1960, as a result of Airwork’s merger with Hunting-Clan and several other contemporary, British independent operators.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n \n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n 1961<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n \n In 1961, British United became the launch customer for the BAC One-Eleven short haul jetliner when it placed an order for ten series 200 aircraft. Laker had personally negotiated this deal with the manufacturer. This was the first time that an independent airline had placed an order for brand-new jets. The first of the new One-Elevens entered service on 9 April 1965, on the airline’s scheduled London Gatwick\u2014Genoa route. Laker also placed an order for Vickers VC10 series 1103 long-haul jets on behalf of British United. The first two aircraft were delivered towards the end of 1964. (These aircraft differed from other operators’ VC10s by having a large cargo door on the left-hand side of the forward fuselage where the aircraft’s first class section was located. They also had extended wingtips that were slightly bent downwards to reduce the aircraft’s cruise drag as well as to help it overcome the instability encountered when entering a stall.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n \n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n 1963<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n \n On 1 January 1963, Channel Air Bridge merged with Silver City Airways, which had pioneered commercial cross-Channel vehicle ferry flights in 1948. The merged entity traded as British United Air Ferries.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n \n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n 1964<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n \n Laker was furthermore instrumental in securing the transfer of the traffic rights for BOAC’s loss-making South American routes to Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Uruguay to British United. The airline commenced service on these routes in November 1964 using its brand-new VC10s and managed to make them profitable within five years.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n \n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n 1965<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n \n He left British United in 1965 and formed his own Laker Airways, in 1966, initially operating charter flights with a pair of turboprop planes acquired second-hand from British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC). The livery was a mixture of black and red with a bold LAKER logo on the tailplane. He offered a new, revolutionary concept of economic air travel requiring passengers to purchase their tickets on the day of travel as well as to buy their own food. These flights were operated by Laker Airways and marketed under the Skytrain trademark.<\/p>\n In 1965, Laker decided to leave British United to set up his own airline following an alleged disagreement with British United’s chairman Myles Wyatt.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n \n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n 1966<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n \n Laker Airways was formed in 1966. This was Laker’s third and most prominent airline venture. Laker Airways commenced commercial airline operations that July with a fleet of two ex-BOAC Bristol Britannias. These were subsequently supplemented and eventually replaced with a brand-new fleet of BAC One-Eleven jetliners as well as a pair of second-hand Boeing 707 jets.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n \n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n 1969<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n \n In 1969, Laker Airways announced its intention to buy the proposed BAC Three-Eleven, an all-British widebodied jet powered by two rear-mounted Rolls-Royce RB211 engines. The airline’s letter of intent was for four aircraft to be delivered in 1974. It was anticipated that these 250-seaters would replace the entire narrow-bodied fleet, which was envisaged to comprise two 158-seat Boeing 707s and four 84-seat BAC One-Elevens by that time. Following the project’s cancellation in 1971 due to a lack of Government funding, Laker remarked that this would force him to spend the \u00a33 billion he had planned to invest by 1986 in a fleet of British-built widebodied airliners (including options) on competing foreign models.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n \n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n 1971<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n \n On 15 June 1971, Laker Airways submitted an application to the UK’s Air Transport Licensing Board (ATLB), one of the forerunners of today’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), to launch the world’s first daily transatlantic, low-fare scheduled service between London and New York City, charging a then incredibly low one-way fare of \u00a332.50 in winter and \u00a337.50 in summer. This was one third of what the major, established “flag carriers” were charging at the time. The proposed service was to be marketed using the Skytrain trademark and was to be initially operated with 158-seat, single-class Boeing 707-138Bs that were acquired second-hand. Skytrain was to be a “walk-on”, “walk-off” operation that did not require any advance reservations. Instead, seats were to be sold to the travelling public at each end of the route on a “first come, first served” basis only.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n \n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n 1972<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n \n Laker Airways eventually became the first independent British airline to actually operate widebodied equipment when it introduced its first two McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10 series aircraft into commercial airline service in November 1972, the first European operator to do so. These aircraft were the first UK-registered DC-10s.<\/p>\n The ATLB rejected Laker’s application before the year was out, and Laker appealed the ruling. The appeal was successful, and the ATLB eventually granted Laker the requested licence in February 1972.<\/p>\n However, on 30 March 1972, the UK government revoked Laker’s licence and instructed him to reapply to the CAA, which came into being on 1 April 1972.<\/p>\n The newly formed CAA approved Laker’s application on 5 October 1972, granting a ten-year licence. However, it specified Stansted rather than Gatwick as the service’s UK departure\/arrival point and limited the number of seats that could be sold in winter to 189 per trip, the maximum number of passengers a Boeing 707 could accommodate in a high-density, all-economy configuration. The unexpected change of the UK departure\/arrival point for Laker’s Skytrain service as well as its capacity limit during the lean winter season were intended not to undermine the planned launch of a daily British Caledonian (BCal) Gatwick\u2014JFK full-service scheduled operation, for which the ATLB had already granted that airline a 15-year licence, along with another 15-year licence for a daily Gatwick\u2014Los Angeles International Airport full-service scheduled operation, during the so-called “cannon ball” hearings earlier the same year.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n \n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n 1973<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n \n In 1973, Laker Airways operated the world’s first Advance Booking Charter (ABC) flight. By the mid-1970s it had become the undisputed, global ABC flight market leader.<\/p>\n The UK government designated Laker Airways as a scheduled transatlantic UK “flag” carrier on 11 January 1973.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n \n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n 1975<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n \n However, under intense pressure from the established airlines, including Laker’s archrival and next-door Gatwick neighbour BCal, against a backdrop of huge losses and overcapacity on the North Atlantic in the aftermath of the global energy crisis caused by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries’ oil embargo, the UK’s Labour government of that era decided to revoke Laker’s licence on 29 July 1975.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n |