Beyond The Sprues
Modelling => Completed GBs => Group and Themed Builds => Bite Me! (or Tiger Mouth/Anything with a mouth) GB => Topic started by: Litvyak on July 22, 2022, 12:43:09 AM
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So this is probably a bit different than other entries will be, since it's a civilian subject with a smile instead of a snarl... but here 'tis anyways, hope yous like it. :smiley: The aircraft is out of my AltBC universe, but PSA was very definitely a real-world airline... one that will always have a special place in my heart: as a kid I flew back and forth between BC and California twice a year, and from winter 1985 to PSA's end in 1988 I was always flying with them... they were absolutely lovely; their successor, USAir, were entirely the opposite, though the ex-PSA staff did do their best within the constraints placed upon them.
Catch our smile!
California-based Pacific Southwest Airlines became the second American airline (after Southern Airways) to order the De Havilland BC Trident 7A (see here for details: https://beyondthesprues.com/Forum/index.php?topic=19.msg199457#msg199457 (https://beyondthesprues.com/Forum/index.php?topic=19.msg199457#msg199457)), placing an order for eight in 1967 and receiving the first in 1968. In 1972, PSA introduced its iconic "Smile" livery, whose vibrant pink, orange, and red colourway embodied well the spirit of early 1970s California. The recently-delivered Tridents were all quickly repainted into the new livery:
(https://static.miraheze.org/dominionofbcwiki/c/c1/Trident-7a-psa-1972.png)
Minor changes were made to the "Smile" livery for 1978, replacing the hot pink with a medium orange colour, and an outline version of the "PSA" wordmark replaced the solid black. This proved to be the last PSA livery, as the airline was merged into USAir in 1989:
(https://static.miraheze.org/dominionofbcwiki/2/2d/Trident-7a-psa-1978.png)
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:smiley:
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Love your PSA Trident 7A 'Grinningbird'. Perfect for "The World's Friendliest Airline" :smiley:
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Thanks! I had a lot of fun doing these in particular, took me down a rabbithole of good memories of PSA, AirCal, CP, Malév... I have to say I'm really glad to have been old enough to experience flying in the 80s... I mean, full meal service on SEA-LAX? With *metal cutlery*?!
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Nicely done, as an aside there is some photos of those aircraft in a recent Air-Britain Aviation World issue, can't remember which quarter though ---
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Nice! That brings back some good memories (especially the PSA TV ads (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwY-bDuFOMk)). Some horrific crashes, too (although none their fault)