This article is from page 16 of the 2011-09-27 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 16 JPG
THE decision by the Irish Aviation Authority to grant a license to Harbour Flights Ireland Ltd to operate a seaplane service from Lough Derg brings to an end a campaign that was first started 35 years ago.
In 1976, aviation history was made in Clare when a flyingboat flew into Killaloe and landed on Lough Derg for the first time, which revived the mid west region’s association with the flying boat era from the 1930s to late ‘40s.
The Southern Cross was piloted by Captain Charles Blair – who had piloted the last schedulted sea plane flight from Foynes in 1945. Thirty one years later, Blair was accompanied on his historic flight by his wife Maureen O’Hara and Captain Paddy White of the Department of Transport and Power.
The Killaloe landing was part of a feasability study by the Department of Transport and Power into using Killaloe as a base for flyingboat operations, following a decision by Aer Arann Teoranta to apply for a license to run a service.
As part of the Aer Arann Teoranta application, the plan was to provide one-hour flights along the coast from Lough Derg at a £15 a head. However, the plan came to nothing.
Thirty five years on, Harbour Flights Ireland Ltd chief executive Emelyn Heapes has estimated that the cost of flights for his new operation would be between € 50 and € 160.
“This is huge news for us,” said Margaret O’Shaughnessy of the Foynes Flying Boat Museum, “given our history with sea planes and the museum. I am just back from a promotion visit to the US and we got a fantastic response. The fact that we will now be able to offer flights on sea planes will just be mega for Foynes and tourism in the wider region”.