Leeds Bradford: Aviation Nostalgia Thread

[Len Fish]

Yes, I remember Peter and Dave. Dave got promoted to SEO at Leeds Excise and I think Peter may still have been at LBA when he retired. When I moved to Bradford Excise on promotion Martin Shaw (no longer with us I’m afraid) was SEO at LBA and was also my boss. As an Excise officer I had dealings with some of the companies at LBA in particular Northair and AE Turbines just next door to the airport. Then for my sins I got promoted into VAT, it just wasn’t the same!

 

[LBAYORKIE]

Yes, a real shame about Martin. CITEX was always going to be more interesting than Vat.

 

[BarnsleyHolidays]

Dave Swift had a brilliant sense of humour and always ready to promote 'wind ups' with staff from the airline ground handling community.

BH

 

[LBAYORKIE]

Yes he did. He spent a lot if time in the Servisair office doing just that, and socialising with the girls. Always seemed to have a cigar to hand too. Are you ex Customs?

 

[BarnsleyHolidays]

Yes he did. He spent a lot if time in the Servisair office doing just that, and socialising with the girls. Always seemed to have a cigar to hand too. Are you ex Customs?

Not worked for HMC, but knew a lot of them such as John Kinghorn, Geoff Snodin, Steve Cottier, Bill Griffin, Andy Patton to name but a few ......

BH

 

[LBAYORKIE]

Not worked for HMC, but knew a lot of them such as John Kinghorn, Geoff Snodin, Steve Cottier, Bill Griffin, Andy Patton to name but a few ......

BH

All well known to me too. We could continue the conversation if I knew how to do PM's.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

All well known to me too. We could continue the conversation if I knew how to do PM's.

If you want to have a private conversation with BarnsleyHoliday click on the BarnsleyHoliday avatar.

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[LBAYORKIE]

If you want to have a private conversation with BarnsleyHoliday click on the BarnsleyHoliday avatar.

On the avatar box that appears you will see 'Start conversation' at bottom right. Click on that and a message page will appear. Type in your message and afterwards click 'Start conversation' again (at the bottom of the message page). The message will then be sent privately to BarnsleyHoliday.

You can access this message at any time and others you have sent/received by clicking on the envelope shape next to your log-in at the top of the page. When you receive a new message a figure 1 will appear on the envelope as an indication that there is something new to read.

Thanks for the guidance.

 

[White Heather]

Not worked for HMC, but knew a lot of them such as John Kinghorn, Geoff Snodin, Steve Cottier, Bill Griffin, Andy Patton to name but a few ......

BH

I knew Bill Griffin. And his sister's. A long, LONG time ago. Around 1973-4.

 

[DH106]

Hills Airport Shops. Does anybody, apart from me, remember them at Leeds Bradford ? They had two shops in the terminal up to about 1985 when the extension was opened. The main one was just to the left of the check-in desks with a smaller one under the staircase by the payphones. The latter was never open as I recall. Betty was one of the ladies who worked there.

Remember both shops well. The one to the right of the stairs I remember in the mid 70's as occasionally open selling postcards etc, but this seemed to move to the main shop later and the other was rarely open.
I remember there was a wonderful painted mural on the wall beyond the payphone kiosks - I think it was meant to depict the airport post-extension. Any photos exist of it? Happy memories.

 

[oldendays]

The only mural I remember is the Phillippa Threlfall number that was upstairs. There was a wall display downstairs giving details of proposals and plans and so on. A few photographs and maps and a selection of Colin Addison's aircraft photographs. The latter are now, fittingly, in the Fire Station.

 

[DH106]

Yes - I think you're right, my memory's playing tricks on me. It was a display illustrating the proposed extension with an artist's impression that I was thinking of. I do vaguely remember the upstairs mural - was it on the back wall leading to the restaurant?

 

[oldendays]

It was.

 

[DH106]

Does anyone have any memories or photos of the two BEA Viscounts (G-AOHH and G-AOHK) that were scrapped at LBA around 1976?

I have a vivid memory as a 10-11 year old kid, having cycled up the then quite windy Whitehouse Lane from Scotland Lane past the fencing which always hid the apron in front of the hanger to the left of the terminal. It was a very quiet day - as it could be back then - so, curious as to what lay outside the hanger I rested my bike up against the fence and clambered up to stand on the saddle. At full stretch I could just peep over the top - and I was amazed to see a Viscount sitting not far from the fence in the early stages of being dismantled.
It was positioned facing away from the hanger, and I remember I could see clearly the red top surface of the of the nearer left wing (it was still painted in the BEA red wing livery), and it seemed to be 'tiltled' towards me as if it was only standing on one main undercarriage.

Long shot, but I wondered if it would be possible to indentify which of the two scrapped BEA Viscounts I saw, if anyone had any memories?

 

[White Heather]

I don't remember them at all. I do remember a BKS Viscount 700 being broken up on the apron in front of the big black hangar and I am fairly sure there were other BKS Viscounts scrapped here.
If BEA also flew Viscounts to Yeadon to be broken up then presumably it was a recognised location for breaking and cannibalising for spares.
I think the one I saw being broken up was G-ATTA.

 

[DH106]

Thanks Heather - was far as I'm aware (from vickersviscount.net), there were only the 3 Viscounts scrapped at LBA:
As you say - G-ATTA, a 700 series BKS Viscount in 1971, followed around 1976 by BEA 802's G-AOHH and G-AOHK.

 

[LBAYORKIE]

Thanks Heather - was far as I'm aware (from vickersviscount.net), there were only the 3 Viscounts scrapped at LBA:
As you say - G-ATTA, a 700 series BKS Viscount in 1971, followed around 1976 by BEA 802's G-AOHH and G-AOHK.

It's a great resource for anyone who's into Viscounts.

 

[LBAYORKIE]

Thanks Heather - was far as I'm aware (from vickersviscount.net), there were only the 3 Viscounts scrapped at LBA:
As you say - G-ATTA, a 700 series BKS Viscount in 1971, followed around 1976 by BEA 802's G-AOHH and G-AOHK.

G AVIY was 'reduced to produce' in June 1970 at LBA. Incidentally the 'big black hangar' was actually a flight shed. It was huge and from memory it had sliding doors all along the side facing the apron.

 

[DH106]

G AVIY was 'reduced to produce' in June 1970 at LBA. Incidentally the 'big black hangar' was actually a flight shed. It was huge and from memory it had sliding doors all along the side facing the apron.

Yes, you're quite right - your post prompted me to check the other BKS Viscounts, but I think there were only the 2 scrapped here, so that's a total of 4 Viscounts altogether scrapped at LBA.

 

[oldendays]

Was AVIY an ex-Channel aircraft ? I know AVIW was, which went to Alidair.