S-61N BEA "Red Square" White mug

There is something wonderfully evocative about the sight of a Sikorsky S-61N wearing the iconic BEA "Red Square" colour scheme — that bold red cube on the tail, the striking black cheatline running the full length of the fuselage, and the equally eye-catching red-painted upper wings that made BEA aircraft so instantly recognisable in the skies of the 1960s. The Red Square livery was used by BEA between 1959 and 1968, primarily on domestic and European routes, adorning a fleet that included Hawker Siddeley Tridents, Vickers Viscounts, and Vanguards — but it is the sight of the big, amphibious S-61N wearing those colours that particularly captures the imagination. A separate company, BEA Helicopters Limited, was formed in 1964, and operated the first scheduled service between Penzance and the Isles of Scilly on 1 May 1964 with a Sikorsky S-61 — replacing the last de Havilland Dragon Rapide biplanes that had served the route, and marking the end of the final scheduled biplane service in the United Kingdom. The previous means of reaching the Scillies had been either the Rapide or the Scillonian ferry — a small vessel subject to an unpleasant rolling motion in anything but calm seas — making the helicopter's arrival a genuine transformation in island connectivity. The new service proved an immediate success, with 26,000 passengers travelling in the first four months alone — more than had used the air link in the whole of the previous year. With the merger of BEA and BOAC to form British Airways in 1974, the helicopter division was renamed British Airways Helicopters, and the successor company continued to operate the Penzance to Isles of Scilly route until it was finally withdrawn in 2012 — forty-eight years after it was first scheduled. The S-61N in BEA's Red Square colours represents a glorious moment in British aviation history: a purpose-built workhorse, in a thoroughly British livery, quietly connecting a remote island community to the mainland with quiet, dependable pride.

Product details:
• Ceramic
• 11 oz mug dimensions: 3.85″ (9.8 cm) in height, 3.35″ (8.5 cm) in diameter
• 15 oz mug dimensions: 4.7″ (12 cm) in height, 3.35″ (8.5 cm) in diameter
• Dishwasher and microwave safe
• Blank product sourced from China

This product is made especially for you as soon as you place an order, which is why it takes us a bit longer to deliver it to you. Making products on demand instead of in bulk helps reduce overproduction, so thank you for making thoughtful purchasing decisions!