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Viking ’ s four-day layover , Bulgarian security police had combed the aircraft looking for hidden secrets but , finding none , had carelessly failed to properly replace many of the interior fittings .
1958 marked a turning point in Eagle ’ s development . Determined to escape the licensing straitjacket imposed by the British authorities , Bamberg began looking overseas for expansion . Taking a huge gamble , he set his sights on the Caribbean and succeeded in obtaining a license for a scheduled route linking Bermuda and New York . In December 1957 , Eagle Airways ( Bermuda ) was registered and two brand-new Vickers Viscount 800s were delivered . One of them opened the first flight over the new route in June 1958 . Although in competition with the likes of BOAC , Pan Am , and Eastern , the venture proved successful , carrying nearly 10,000 passengers in its first season . Meanwhile , Eagle expanded its European network to 11 destinations but trimmed it back in 1959 to release the second Viscount for North American operations , which now encompassed Bermuda to Baltimore / Washington , Montreal , and , later , Bermuda-Nassau-Miami .
By 1958 , government contracts favored the use of more modern equipment , leading Eagle to purchase two Douglas DC-6As from Slick Airways . Designated ‘ Eaglemasters ’, another four were subsequently added . The acquisitions soon paid off with the award of further contracts to West Africa , the Middle East , and , eventually , Christmas Island , Hong Kong , and Australia ( for the Woomera rocket test range ). The Sixes allowed Eagle to fly at night for the first time and found employment on a wide variety of charters and some regular services . Such was their success that , after just a year in service , one aircraft had amassed 3,804 flying hours . In 1959 , with 19 aircraft in service , Eagle uplifted a total of 171,023 passengers .
In December 1958 , Eagle applied to serve a number of British colonial destinations on the basis of Very Low Fare ( VLF ) ‘ Skycoach ’ charters at half the normal Economy fare . Predictably , this proposal raised objections from BOAC , leading to a compromise : Eagle was permitted to fly monthly from the UK to Bermuda and Nassau from October 1960 , but at a price . It had to withdraw all other outstanding applications . Despite this restriction , Eagle still offered spare seats on some of its long-haul charters at VLF rates .
The beginning of 1960 heralded major changes with an announcement that the Cunard Steamship Company had obtained a controlling interest in the Eagle group . With subsequent acquisition of the entire stock , the take-over was completed in May . Now
9 Eagle acquired the first of six Douglas DC-6s in 1958 . The company referred to the type as ‘ Eaglemasters ’. G-APSA was photographed at RAF- Akrotiri , Cyprus , in 1959 . DAVE WELCH PHOTO VIA MAURICE WICKSTEAD
10 Early in 1957 , the company reorganized into two divisions : Eagle Airways for scheduled operations and Eagle Aviation for charters , IT , and military flights . EAGLE ARCHIVES UK VIA MAURICE WICKSTEAD
11 Eagle ’ s first two brand new Vickers Viscount 800s were delivered in 1958 . G-APDX was photographed at Blackbushe Airport near London . PAUL ZOGG COLLECTION ( ZOGGAVIA )
12 Eagle Airways ( Bermuda ) inaugurated service between Bermuda and New York in 1958 . Viscount VR- BAX is pictured at Idlewild Airport ’ s International Arrivals Building ( IAB ) in 1958 . PAUL ZOGG COLLECTION ( ZOGGAVIA )
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