Guestbook

Lived in Kitale 1929 - 1932 (don't remember this!), UK 1932 - 1938, Nairobi 1938 -1940 (Nairobi Primary School),1941 - 1944 Kampala(Prince of Wales Nairobi 1942 1946), Nairob1 1944.Joined EAAC Jan 1947 as Traffic Trainee and assigned to freight section at Eastleigh airport working with Nigel Gilfillan (his brother worked for Shell in Nairobi)Later transferred to freight section in EAAC office based in Shell House,Delamere Ave.1949 transferred to Daressalaam, accommodated in a Greek run hotel in town center and worked a ground staff shift at the old airport based at Kurasini. EAAC later rented a house in Kurasini which we ran as a bachelor Mess.Main office was on the jetty in Dar Harbour and manager was Denis Lloyd) Other EAAC colleagues there - Freddy Fox, Dave Burnham, Derek Edwards, Chick Little, Ted Bates and June Ovenden who became my wife.There was a BOAC boat coxwain and his wife based there who opereated the launch ferrying passengers and freight to and from the flying boats. Also a Boac employee and his wife helping EAAC to set up the passenger reservations system. Can' recall their names. Left EAAC April 1950 and Joined E.A OXygen as Office Manager 2 Years in Dar & 2years in Nairobi. Joined Caltex in 1954 in the marketing Dept. and stayed with them until I retired in 1988. During that period was based in Dar, Mwanza, Morogoro, Dar, Nairobi, Mbale, Kampala, Lusaka, New York and Dallas, Texas.

My father Kenneth Stephen Gould used to work for EAA as ground aircraft engineer and serviced VC10's, DC9's, Fokker Friendships, DC 3's. I would love to see or hear more of the past during the EAA years.

I was brought up in Kenya in the 50s. As a retirement project I am researching the history of civil aviation in Kenya from 1928 - 1965. As part of that research I am building a collection of photographs of a/c that appeared on the Kenyan Colonial Register VP-K**.  I would be interested to have copies of any suitable photos. In particular I am looking for the following aircraft that served with EAAC:  VP-KCU deH 89A Rapide  VP-KDG deH 104 Dove 1  VP-KFE -KHA -KHE -KHY -KIA -KIB Lockheed Lodestar  VP-KJG Macchi 320  VP-KNU -KTS Douglas C47.  Any help would be most welcome.  Thks & rgds Mike BLAKE PS Would it be possible receive an invitation to the proposed re-union next year?

This is an amendment to my last post. I left EAA in 1966,not 1971. After transferring from DAR I returned to Central Reservations in Sadler House and joined Neill Todd in the Commercial Training Dept (newly formed) along with a Mrs Robson and Tony ODonoghue. My wife (Chris Bartlett) was the first local to transfer from Reservations to Flight Services and her photograph wearing life jacket was displayed on the DC3 flight deck door.

inquiry about internship placements on reservations and ticketing

LEFT EAA IN APRIL 1976. DC3 SIPPER. CHEERS JOHNNY.

I served in the RAF at Eastliegh on 1340 flt Harvards up to 1955 thence to Mauripur Pakistan for a year after 18 months working for English Electric on canberra's I emigrated back to Kenya,joined EAA late 1958 after a comical interview with Bunny Wright,after gaining my licences A & C I rose to foreman on servicing,I really wanted to fly but was never able to reach the then required 1000 hrs Dave Klien was the last to get in before this limit was introduced.I married hostie Pauline King in 69 which event most of Eaa attended!.Still together after 44 yrs.Now long retired in UK,Anybody know the whereabouts of Tom Palmer?. These were the best years of my life. 

I flew as a 'hostie' with EAA in the early sixties, both before and after independence. My main trips were Nairobi/London on the Comets...however,if one broke the rules and got on the bad side of the queen bee, we were relegated to the DC3's for one roster and were spoiled rotten by the pilot's on the "bush" runs!! We were all good friends in those days and those years in Nairobi can only really be understood by those that lived it. They say East Africa gets into your soul and it seems to be true...as so many of you say "The best years of my life".

Looking for pictures of DC3, anyone able to supply? Lots of good times- privileged to have the opportunity to see real Africa in those days.

Enjoyed my time in EAAC in the early '60s. A bunch of us joined, known collectively and colloquially as the 'Grand Nationals' since the Company could not attract enough Licensed Engineers so advertised for Engineers qualified to Higher National Certificate standard with relevant experience in aviation to come out to Nairobi; 15 of us did. We worked mainly on the Comet aircraft but also on the Daks, Argonauts and F27 with the occasional DH 86 Rapide of SKAT thrown in! Happy days - but hard work at times!