Scottish Islands Explorer 41: Jan / Feb 2017

A Short Hop to Papa
Flying Time
From the engines starting on Westray to their being
shut down on Papa Westray, the time of my video was 4
minutes and 14 seconds. The actual flying time was
around two minutes as we barely lifted into the air and
flew at a low level towards Papa before banking to the
left to align with the runway and land.
We taxied towards the small single story concrete
terminal building. Gillian and I were getting off as we
had planned our flights around spending some time
there to explore. Two fire-fighters performed the roles
of safety-staff as well as baggage-handlers and a female
post-office worker doubled her day job by being airport
hostess.
We were to discover these same people there when we
returned in the afternoon. For us the flight was a tourist
trip encouraged, since 2011, by Loganair, the service
provider. For the islanders, most of our fellow passengers,
this flight is a vital link for people, food, mail and
goods as well as an ambulance service in emergencies.
At the Controls
One pilot, the now-retired Stuart Linklater, made this
journey more than 12,000 times. He was at the controls
on the record-breaking flight of 53 seconds. While during
his 24 years of service Stuart flew to the other destinations
in the northern islands, it appears he became
synonymous with the ‘worlds shortest scheduled flight’.
He managed to chalk up 1.3 million air miles for the
company. The cost of the tickets for this flight, like some
others, is subsidised and there has been discussion
recently about the linking of these and other islands by
bridges, tunnels, or causeways. Feasibility studies and
investigations have taken place, but decisions will be in
the distant future.
We found the whole experience unique, learned that, not
surprisingly, a lot depends on wind direction to determine
how fast the flight will be, and that certificates are available
to record the fact that you have made this trip. Despite, for
some reason, Gillian and I forgetting to collect ours,
memories of the complete excursion are still very vivid.
JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2017 SCOTTISH ISLANDS EXPLORER 45