AIRWAYS HISTORY
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on Grand Bahama , which was described as basically a desert island . In addition to attracting wealthy tourists from the UK , it was assumed that residents of the USA , whose shores lie just 67 miles to the west , would also come for fun and frolic at the grand resort .
Alfred Cecil Critchley , chairman of British independent airline Skyways of London , and his financier , Harold Drayton , poured money into Butlin ’ s project with the understanding that vacationers from the UK would be flown to West End on Skyways charter flights . While most of the laborers working on building the village were from the Bahamas and Britain , the above-mentioned Midet Aviation ferried personnel and supplies to West End from the US mainland after an airstrip had been created to serve the project .
Butlin ran into several unforeseen problems that
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7 Mackey ticket jacket / envelope . // JON PROCTOR COLLECTION
8 This photo of DC-6 N90895 at Miami is from the collection of the late R . E . G . ( Ron ) Davies . Note the Naples Airlines / Provincetown-Boston Airlines Lockheed L-10A Electra in the background .
9 Mackey route map showing the shortlived triangle route : Fort Lauderdale- Nassau-Havana-Ft . Lauderdale . // DAVID H . STRINGER COLLECTION
10 DC-6 N90712 was photographed at West End on Grand Bahama Island . // PROCTOR / LIVESEY / THOMAS COLLECTION
11 Mackey schedules effective January 1 , 1958 . The poorly patronized non-stop between Nassau and Havana was not operating at this time . // DAVID H . STRINGER COLLECTION
12 Mackey route map from the July 1 , 1965 timetable . Jacksonville and more destinations in the Bahamas are now part of the system . // DAVID H . STRINGER COLLECTION
64 AIRWAYS MAGAZINE AUGUST 2024 www . airwaysmag . com