Hoax in Glasgow: Paul McCartney doesn’t show up

CONFUSION AT AIRPORT AFTER BEATLE HOAX

An airline, an air charter company, Press and television were thrown into confusion in Glasgow, last night, by the non-arrival of Beatle Paul McCartney — and a telephone call saying he was due to arrive was assumed to have been a hoax. A caller had asked Loganair the charter company based at Glasgow Airport, to have an aircraft standing by at 4 p.m. to take McCartney to Campbeltown, where he was to visit his farm.

According to a spokesman at Loganair, B.E.A. had been asked to reserve three seats on the return scheduled flight from Campbeltown to Glasgow yesterday in the name of McCartney, Wilson and Jones. The Press were asked to go to a Glasgow hotel where a Press conference had been arranged in the afternoon. But the hotel reception desk denied that any conference had been arranged.

AIRCRAFT KEPT STANDING BY

Mr Duncan McIntosh, manager of Loganair at Glasgow Airport, said last night: “I am convinced that the whole thing is a hoax. We have had a five-seater Piper Aztec plane standing by all afternoon with its pilot.” Mr McIntosh said he received a call earlier in the day from someone saying he was Paul McCartney. “He asked for a charter plane and I asked him to phone back so that I could confirm it.” Ten minutes later a man phoned in the name of Mr Jones, who said he was speaking on behalf of Mr McCartney. “We confirmed that the charter would be ready, that the plane would leave at 4 p.m., and that the R.A.F. Station at Machrihanish would keep open to enable us to land. But more than an hour later there was no sign of anyone,” said Mr McIntosh.

It was established later that Paul was still in London — and had no immediate plans to visit Scotland.

From Daily Post (Merseyside edition) – January 24, 1967

Beatle Paul was not told

EVERYONE was prepared for the visit yesterday of Beatle Paul McCartney to the isolated farm he bought six months ago near Campbeltown (Argyllshire) — everyone except Paul McCartney.

Yesterday a young man with a Liverpool accent telephoned newspapers and television companies in Scotland saying that he was Paul McCartney and that he would be visiting his farm last night.

The same person made a telephone reservation at a hotel in Campbeltown and booked a charter flight by private plane from Glasgow to the only airport on Kintyre, the peninsula where the farm stands.

This is an RAF Coastal Command station at which private planes may land by arrangement with the C.O.

The CO. Sqdn Ldr W Collins, accepted the telephone message which told him that a private charter plane would be taking Paul McCartney.

Scottish daily newspapers sent reporters and cameramen to the station to await Paul’s arrival. No plane came.

Then it was established through the Beatles agent that Paul was in London and planned to remain there for some days.

From The Guardian – January 24, 1967