Bryan Sutherland | |
---|---|
Born | 1950 (age 73–74) |
Occupation | Engineer |
Years active | 1967–2017 |
Known for | Career with Loganair |
Spouse | Dorothy Sutherland |
Bryan James Sutherland MBE (born 1950) is a British former engineer. For fifty years, he was in charge of operating the world's shortest scheduled airline flight, Loganair's two-minute-long Westray to Papa Westray route in Orkney, Scotland. [1]
He is the airline's longest-serving employee, [2] having worked for Loganair between 1967 and his 2017 retirement. [1]
Sutherland joined Loganair on 17 July 1967, [2] five years after the airline's formation. [3] Beginning in Kirkwall, he spent a few years in Glasgow before returning to Orkney. He was then asked to set up the airline's base in the Outer Hebrides in 1975. He returned to Orkney permanently in 1978. [3]
He planned to retire at the age of 65, but stayed on for two more years to achieve the fifty-year milestone. [3]
Sutherland is married to Dorothy, with whom he has two daughters: Tracey and Lianne. [3]
He was awarded an MBE in the Queen's 2018 New Year Honours. [3] His nomination was submitted by Liam McArthur, member of the Scottish Parliament for the Orkney Islands. [4]
Orkney, also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago in the Northern Isles of Scotland, situated off the north coast of the island of Great Britain. Orkney is 10 miles (16 km) north of the coast of Caithness and has about 70 islands, of which 20 are inhabited. The largest island, the Mainland, has an area of 523 square kilometres (202 sq mi), making it the sixth-largest Scottish island and the tenth-largest island in the British Isles. Orkney's largest settlement, and also its administrative centre, is Kirkwall.
Flybe, styled as flybe, was a British airline based in Exeter, England. Until its sale to Connect Airways in 2019, it was the largest independent regional airline in Europe. Flybe once provided more than half of UK domestic flights outside London.
Westray is one of the Orkney Islands in Scotland, with a usual resident population of just under 600 people. Its main village is Pierowall, with a heritage centre, the 15th-century Lady Kirk church and pedestrian ferry service to nearby Papa Westray island. Westray has a number of archeological sites dating from 3500 BC, and remains of several Norse-Viking settlements. The spectacular sea cliffs around Noup Head are home to thousands of seabirds.
Papa Westray, also known as Papay, is one of the Orkney Islands in Scotland, United Kingdom. The fertile soil has long been a draw to the island.
The Northern Isles are a chain of islands off the north coast of mainland Scotland. The climate is cool and temperate and highly influenced by the surrounding seas. There are two main island groups: Shetland and Orkney. There are a total of 36 inhabited islands, with the fertile agricultural islands of Orkney contrasting with the more rugged Shetland islands to the north, where the economy is more dependent on fishing and the oil wealth of the surrounding seas. Both archipelagos have a developing renewable energy industry. They share a common Pictish and Norse history, and were part of the Kingdom of Norway before being absorbed into the Kingdom of Scotland in the 15th century. The islands played a significant naval role during the world wars of the 20th century.
Loganair is a Scottish airline based in Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland. It is the largest regional airline in the United Kingdom by passenger numbers and fleet size.
The Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander is a British light utility aircraft and regional airliner designed and originally manufactured by Britten-Norman of the United Kingdom. Still in production, the Islander is one of the best-selling commercial aircraft types produced in Europe. Although designed in the 1960s, over 750 are still in service with commercial operators around the world. The aircraft is a light transport with over 30 military aviation operators around the world.
Dundee Airport is an airport based in Dundee, Scotland. It lies on the shore of the Firth of Tay and overlooks the Tay Rail Bridge.
Sumburgh Airport is the main airport serving Shetland in Scotland. It is located on the southern tip of the mainland, in the parish of Dunrossness, 17 NM south of Lerwick. The airport is owned by Highlands and Islands Airports Limited (HIAL) and served by Loganair.
Kirkwall Airport is the main airport serving Orkney in Scotland. It is located 2.5 NM southeast of Kirkwall and is owned by Highlands and Islands Airports Limited. The airport is used by Loganair.
The transport system in Scotland is generally well-developed. The Scottish Government and Scottish Parliament has control over most elements of transport policy within Scotland, with the Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Net Zero and Just Transition holding portfolio responsibility within the Scottish Government. Transport Scotland is the Executive Agency responsible for the Scottish transport network.
Blue Islands Limited is a regional airline of the Channel Islands. Its head office is in Forest, Guernsey, and its registered office is in Saint Anne, Alderney. It operates scheduled services from and within the Channel Islands to the United Kingdom and Europe. Its main bases of operation are Guernsey Airport and Jersey Airport.
Westray Airport is an airport at Aikerness, on Westray in the Orkney Islands, Scotland. It is best known for being one of the two airports joined by the shortest scheduled flight in the world, a leg of Loganair's inter-island service to Papa Westray Airport. The distance is 2.8 km (1.7 mi) and the scheduled flight time, including taxiing, is two minutes. As well as the Papa Westray flights, services to the main Orkney town of Kirkwall are offered.
Papa Westray Airport is located 22 NM north of Kirkwall Airport on Papa Westray, Orkney Islands, Scotland. The facility is best known for being one of the two airports joined by the shortest scheduled flight in the world, a leg of Loganair's inter-island service, to Westray Airport. The distance is 2.8 km (1.7 mi) and the scheduled flight time, including taxiing, is two minutes.
This list of flight distance records contains only those set without any mid-air refueling.
In aviation, the flight length or flight distance refers to the distance of a flight. Aircraft do not necessarily follow the great-circle distance, but may opt for a longer route due to weather, traffic, to utilise a jet stream, or to refuel.
Flybmi, styled as flybmi, legally British Midland Regional Limited and formerly branded as bmi Regional, was a regional airline in the United Kingdom that operated scheduled passenger services across the UK and Europe. The head office of the airline was at East Midlands Airport in North West Leicestershire, and it had operating bases at Aberdeen, Brussels, Bristol, East Midlands, Newcastle and Munich.
The Loganair Westray to Papa Westray route is the shortest scheduled passenger flight in the world. Flights on the route are scheduled for one and a half minutes, and actual flying time is closer to one minute. The record for the fastest flight is 53 seconds. The route is flown by Loganair, a Scottish regional airline that serves Scotland's Highlands and islands. It is also part of a connector flight that links the island of Westray and the town of Kirkwall, the central and most populous town of the Orkney Islands.
Captain Ernest Edmund "Ted" Fresson, was a British engineer and aviation pioneer.
Project Fresson is the development by Cranfield Aerospace of an electric propulsion system for the over 700 BN-2 Islanders currently operated, supported by Britten-Norman.