Squadron Leader Jones' application for the Fleet Air Arm, whilst serving onboard HMS Ardent off Malta in 1935, was turned down. Determined to fly, he bought himself out of the Navy and volunteered for the RAF, only to be refused, but later accepted on the second attempt, as the Second World War broke out. It was not long before he was with 22 Squadron, piloting Bristol Beauforts and Vildebeests, and testing Balloon cables (which earned him his AFC). He was serving with 267 Squadron at the end of the war, supplying the partisans in Yugoslavia, and flying heavy aircraft at the Transport Command Development Unit.

Prior to his release from the RAF he had already purchased three aircraft through Government Sales, and which he had hangered in Portsmouth, but upon being demobbed found he could afford to overhaul only one of them, a Puss Moth (G-ABKZ). On 16th August 1946, he began making a little money from it from joy-flights from a field in Herne Bay, though actually made more money at that time from selling the aerial photographs he had been taking.

Private flying: The fee for dual instruction was £3 5s, and £2 17s 6d for solo flying.

The new airline operated IT charter flights and regional scheduled services along the UK's South Coast, as well as between the South Coast, the Channel Islands and the Continent. A Miles Aerovan (G-AJKM) was purchased, and most notably with this aircraft, Angus Pascoe took a party of schoolboys (sons of RAF officers), without the aid of radio or autopilot, to Malta with with just a huge stack of maps for guidance.
de Havilland Rapides were added to the fleet, along with an Auster (G-AIGL), and Jack Jones applied for a licence to fly into Ostend, which was refused, and so hit on the idea of linking up with a hotel and operating some of the very earliest Inclusive-tour flights.

East Anglian's services to the Channel Islands were resumed when the economic climate improved. The aircraft were brought out from the hangars and the co-directors returned. Ex-115 Squadron's "Danny" Burgess, together with ATC Cadets, cleared the undergrowth on an area leased at Ipswich Airport.

In 1955, the Southend-Ostend schedule was at last secured, with Rochester, Shoreham and Portsmouth as regular calls for services as far as Paris. Three DH Doves were bought and a maintenance base was started with six men led by "Tommy" Atkins.
By the end of 1957 a figure of 30,000 passengers per annum was recorded, and two Bristol 170 passenger/freight aircraft were obtained, plus three Vikings from the King's Flight. IT business was sought and secured, a commercial manager and an administrative manager appointed and, on 29th October 1961, East Anglian Flying Services officially changed its name to Channel Airways.

In 1963 Channel Airways took over Tradair (which had operated since March 1958). During the 1960s Channel Airways supplemented and eventually replaced the C-47/DC-3s with De Havilland Doves and De Havilland Herons as well as more modern Vickers Viscount turboprops. During that period Channel Airways also established itself as one of the UK's five leading, contemporary Independent airlines (in addition to British United, British Eagle, Caledonian and Skyways).
The number of passengers carried in 1964 was 370,000 - more than 12 times the 1957 total. At this time, Jack persuaded theSouthend Airport Commandant, Bernard F. Collins, MBE, to join him as Deputy Managing Director.

Bernard Collins had the notoriety of being the man who set up the British long-distance record for 'Flying Fleas' (home-built aircraft of wire and plywood and usually powered by motorcycle engines). In May 1936, at just 20 years of age, he flew 87 miles from Heston to Melton Mowbray. He knew nothing about the record until it was announced on the BBC News while he was sitting at home that evening.

In 1965, Channel Airways obtained four Hawker-Siddeley 748s and twelve Viscount 812s from Continental Airlines of the USA. The 1967 passenger forecast then was 750,000-plus.
On 15th June, the first of six BAC One-Elevens began flights to Malta, and plans were in hand for the country's first "Bus Stop" services linking Portsmouth - Southend - Luton - East Midlands - Leeds/Bradford - Tees-side - Newcastle - Edinburgh - Aberdeen. Channel Airways already operated twice-daily Southend - East Midlands links with British Midlands flights to the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland, and brought passengers to Southend for the Channel Islands, Ostend, Paris and Rotterdam schedules.

The business for Inclusive-tours at Airways House in Southend was booming, with flights out to Italy, Spain and Majorca. The company also owned and operated its own fleet of 52-seat 'Reliance' luxury coaches, bringing in passengers from London and outlying areas and shuttling between Norwich and Ipswich.

The key people leading a workforce of 400 personnel at Channel Airways in 1967 were:
Squadron Leader R. J. Jones, Chairman/Managing Director
Bernard F. Collins, Deputy Managing Director
Captain A. E. Hugo Parsons, Executive Director & Operations Director
Norman Armitage, Commercial Manager
Alan Fincher, Administrative Manager
T. A. Atkins, Technical Manager
S. M. P. Walsh, Chief Pilot
Captain Angus Pascoe, Director & Deputy Chief Pilot
Michael J. Steed, Sales & Public Relations
L. Mellish, Chief Accountant

Squadron Leader R. J. "Jack" Jones passed away on 28th February 2006, aged 94.

There are four recorded accidents involving East Anglian Flying Services/Channel Airways aircraft. One of these resulted in the loss of lives of fare-paying passengers. The airline's four accidents are detailed below:

On 6th May 1962, a Channel Airways Douglas C-47A-1-DK (registration G-AGZB) operating a scheduled passenger flight from Jersey to Portsmouth collided with a cloud-covered hill at St. Boniface Down in Southern England, resulting in the aircraft's destruction and the deaths of twelve of the 18 occupants (all three crew members and nine out of 15 passengers) on board. The C-47 had descended to 1,000 feet - well below the safe minimum height - while approaching Portsmouth in low cloud and drizzly weather conditions. The poor weather conditions made it impossible for the flight deck crew to spot the hill in its vicinity and to take evasive action, as a result of which the aircraft struck high ground and burst into flames. This was Channel Airways first and only fatal accident.

On 3rd May 1967, a Channel Airways Vickers Viscount 812 (registration G-AVJZ) was damaged beyond repair during a test flight to renew the aircraft's Certificate of Airworthiness as a result of propeller no. 4 being feathered shortly after takeoff from Southend Airport, resulting in the aircraft entering an uncontrolled turn and scraping the ground with its right wingtip. This, in turn, resulted in the plane crashing into a wire fence compound, catching fire and killing two workers in a maintenance hut. Although the aircraft was a complete write-off, none of the three crew members on board were hurt.

On 4th May 1968, a Channel Airways Vickers Viscount 812 (registration G-APPU) was damaged beyond repair in a landing accident at Southend Airport at the end of a scheduled passenger flight.
The Viscount touched down on Southend's runway 06 at too high speed. Braking proved ineffective because the pilot in command, Captain George Wood, wrongly assumed that the aircraft was aquaplaning. Instead, he used the aircraft's parking brake in the ensuing emergency, in a futile attempt to arrest its speed. The plane ran off the runway and collided with an earth wall. There were no injuries among the 83 occupants (4 crew, 79 passengers).

According to the Southend Standard, ten of the passengers were detained in hospital. Two independent witnesses remember the name Channel Airways being painted out the next day

Additional information courtesy of Leslie Hunt and Tom Clark