Welcome to the home of former staff of Skyways Coach-Air Ltd.

The Sixties (and early Seventies) represented a very special time for young folk growing up, starting or developing their careers - and partying a bit! The team that worked with the Kent-based airline Skyways Coach-Air Ltd on their London - Paris service (via Lympne and Beauvais airports) was no exception. Great people, sunny summers, some very snowy winters and a great social scene left a lot of people with very happy memories of those interesting times.

Many of the team - particularly cabin crew, and staff from Lympne Airport in Kent and the Victoria Coach Station terminal in London - still keep in touch, and there have been three well-attended staff reunions, the first in Canterbury on 28 October 1995, a second one in Hythe, Kent on 10 October 2009, and a third at Lympne and Hythe on 6-7 July 2013 - as well as a small gathering of several Skyways folk at the Lympne Aero Classic event on 2-3 July 2011.

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OUR HUGE SKYWAYS PHOTO COLLECTION

Our growing collection of over 680 wonderful photos of Lympne Airport, Skyways aircraft and Skyways people, and all the reunions, CAN BE SEEN ON OUR FLICKR WEBSITE HERE.

These illustrate the Skyways Coach-Air operation and employees from the mid-1950s to the early 1970s, also including Skyways International, Dan-Air Skyways, Skyways Cargo Airline, Air Freight Ltd and the operations down at Lydd. If you have more Skyways Coach-Air pictures that we can use, or if you played a part in the Skyways adventure during those carefree and very special days and want to get in touch with old friends, please feel free to contact Dick Gilbert.

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SKYWAYS VIDEOS ON YOUTUBE

Colin Mitchell's unique video of 748 activity at Lympne and Beauvais (and in between) taken in 1970/71.

Another one from Colin - 1968-69 footage of Airspeed Ambassadors at Luxembourg, bits of film at Gatwick (how different airport security was in those days!), the Paris Air Show, and a remarkable insight into the antics of Skyways boys and girls - Colin, Cris Rees, Sally Featherbee, Frances Flynn, Linda Eccles and others let loose in Paris on a sunny weekend!

Lympne to Beauvais on a Dakota, taken in 1959 and posted by someone called Ozzie. Fabulous!

A Pathe film clip of Skyways passengers arriving and departing from Lympne in the 1950s.

And these are Pathe film clips of Lympne from Silver City days;
http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=135 , http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=46694 , http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=48296

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SKYWAYS - THE BOOK

The book about those wonderful days - SKYWAYS AT LYMPNE - was launched at the Lympne Aero Classic weekend of 6/7 July 2013 and has since been enlarged and improved into a 5th edition.

This is the story of Skyways Coach-Air Limited at Lympne Airport in Kent, covering the period from 1955 to 1974. It describes how Skyways came to Lympne, the initial growth of services to France using Dakotas, the introduction of the Avro 748 in the 1960s and the building of the new runway, and ends with the decline of the operation, sale to Skyways International in 1971, eventual acquisition by Dan-Air and the move to Lydd. Paperback, 116 pages, 55 pictures (many never before published), 31 in colour.

The price is £10 + £3 post and packing. You can find details for purchase on my website here, or email Dick Gilbert at dick@skylineaviation.co.uk 07850-780281. I hope you buy it, and I hope you like it. You may be in it!

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LYMPNE AIRFIELD HISTORY SOCIETY

The Lympne Airfield History Society was formed in the wake of the successful events held in the village in 2011 and 2013. Regular meetings take place at St Stephen's Church, Lympne. You can also find out more about the future of the airfield here.

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Oh, and you may find the book 'Girl in the Cockpit', by Gloria Hall of interest. It's the story of her years working for Skyways Coach-Air and Dan-Air, and a subsequent career in aviation as a pilot. Copies are available at £11 plus p & p. Contact me and I will forward your details to Gloria.

Dick Gilbert dick@skylineaviation.co.uk 07850-780281

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Happy days, a great little airline, and fantastic people.

....keeping the memories alive....