Nostalgia at BHX

[IanFarquharson]

http://bhxovertheyears.blogspot.co.uk/

 

[elmdon74]

Links to my updated Flickr sets of old BHX pictures,

1970`s https://flic.kr/s/aHsk5PX5e9

1980`s https://flic.kr/s/aHsk6stRhX

1990`s https://flic.kr/s/aHsk6rk4j2

2000-2007 https://flic.kr/s/aHsk6ri485

Regards,simon.

 

[jfy1999]

I remember seeing an Airtours DC10 next to Air Transat A310 (C-GPAT, we still have the pictures!) on my first ever visit to BHX. Where did Airtours and JMC fly their DC10s? Did they visit on a scheduled or ad hoc basis?

 

[Jon Dempsey]

I remember the Sunday morning trips to the airport to see the Spantax Cononado. The cr@p coming out from the engines when it took off wouldn't exactly please Greenpeace!

 

[Brummiegem]

If memory serves me correctly Airtours and Flying Colours(both MAN based)merged to become JMC.The DC10s flew mainly to Orlando.I don't remember them flying to the Caribbean,but that is not to say that they didn't.
Would I be right in saying that when Orlando was served by Airtours/JMC,it was McCoy airport(MCO)and not Sanford that was used?

 

[elmdon74]

The Spantax Convair 990`s were the main reason I started spotting in the early seventies.Still remember standing on the Coventry road waiting for the tell tale smoke trail in the distance to appear,then being deafened and covered in fumes as it landed over us!Good times.

 

[richard winterbourn]

Ah, memories, unfortunately mine has a rather macabre twist to it. I was 26 in 1971, recently married and was making my first ever flight - from BHX to Faro.

I was more than pleased that we were flying on a Comet until, that is, i started reading one of the magazines my wife had bought for me to read in flight. I can't remember the name of the magazine but it was about substantial news events of the previous 10 years or so.

Ok, so you might have guessed what happened next.... Flicking through the pages i came to 'The Comet Disasters'.... I read the article earnestly and with an aisle seat then looked across. Phew.... they were oval and not square!!!!

But, what a beautiful plane was the Comet, designed and built at a time when Britain led the world in avionics.

Several years later when i went to visit my brother who lived in Shirley i happened to visit one of the local cemeteries and, coincidentally, there was the gravestone of a air stewardess who died in one of the Comet disasters....

 

[Ray Finkle]

Thanks for the links, some great memories :good:

I was more than pleased that we were flying on a Comet until, that is, i started reading one of the magazines my wife had bought for me to read in flight. I can't remember the name of the magazine but it was about substantial news events of the previous 10 years or so.

Ok, so you might have guessed what happened next.... Flicking through the pages i came to 'The Comet Disasters'.... I read the article earnestly and with an aisle seat then looked across. Phew.... they were oval and not square!!!

:shok:

That must have set the heart racing a little :smile:

 

[wolfheze]

Hi. Came on here a few days back and spent an hour writing a post of my memories from the 70s at elmdon only to find it disappear when I clicked submit ! Will try again if this one works.

 

[Aviador]

Welcome to Forums4airports wolfheze, it's good to have you with us!

Sorry to hear that you had a problem. If you spent an hour writing your post it maybe that the forum had timed out. I would recommend right clicking and selecting copy before submitting such a long post in case your post does time out. A quick paste and resubmit will bring your post back to life.

 

[Brum X]

Hi. Came on here a few days back and spent an hour writing a post of my memories from the 70s at elmdon only to find it disappear when I clicked submit ! Will try again if this one works.

Welcome to the BHX forum :good:

 

[Ray Finkle]

Welcome to the forum.

I do hope you can find the time to try again, it sounds an interesting read :smile:

 

[wolfheze]

I would have started going to Elmdon around 74 at the age of 12. Myself and a mate would catch the 159 (later the 900 ) bus from Meriden. For the next 5 years it became a regular haunt. Back then it was quite possible to sit in the viewing lounge for hours on end and see absolutely nothing! Strange thing was I don't recall ever being bored even though the only thing coming through the radio was the bleep of every revolution of the radar dish. Aircraft most commonly seen were the 737s, 111s and viscounts of Brittania, Aer Lingus, BMA and British Airways with the occasional Dan Air Comet or 727. Best times came during the winter months when fog or snow (remember them ) would often result in diversions. If it was foggy Luton always seemed to close first followed by Manchester which could result in the arrival of Monarch super one elevens and 720b, British airways Tridents and Bcal one elevens. From what I can remember it was generally snow that would close Heathrow which would bring in 707s, VC 10s, Tristars, DC 10s and 747s. All sounds very mundane now but to see widebody jets on the tarmac at Elmdon was a very rare occurrence back then. One event that I can recall quite clearly was on a paticularly windy night when several 737s took off on 06/24 rotating just after the intersection and only getting airborne as they passed the viewing lounge, looked a bit hairy to say the least Living in Meriden had the advantage of being under the downwind leg of 33 for anything approaching from the north. I remember one freezing Saturday morning watching a Sterling Carravelle diverting from Manchester roar over the house and then slipping over on the ice running to the bus stop, cost me a new pair of wranglers did that. My times at the airport came to and end in 1979 when I developed an interest in motorcycles and girls. Think I probably still hold the record of the fastest time between the airport chip shop (sadly now a curry house ) and Meriden but that's another story.

 

[Ray Finkle]

Great stories, thanks very much.

Think I probably still hold the record of the fastest time between the airport chip shop (sadly now a curry house ) and Meriden but that's another story.

I can remember that chippy (if it's the same one), it was where Sreepur Restaurant is now

 

[Karl C]

Evening all,

I think some of my favourite memories of skipping school in the 80's and going to the 'grassy knoll' at BHX on the way out to 33 as i used to call it, was a Friday. The JAT 727's with an amazing climb rate and the Dan Air 727's too. Loved watching the Aviaco DC9'S take off noisily to the canaries and mainland Spain.
The main reason I skipped school on a friday sometimes was to see the Caledonian Tristar that came in from Mahon every week. A real treat as we didn't get very many, and loved the colour scheme too.
On the rare occasion I skipped out on a Thursday afternoon to catch the Cyprus A310 and Orion A300. Time flies.....all long gone now.

Cheers

Karl

 

[wolfheze]

Got to be the same chippy, set back slightly off the cov road opposite where the Monarch hanger is now. Had forgotten about the Avianca Dc9s and Jat 727s. 200 series as well. Looked much better than the Dan air 100s

 

[wolfheze]

Talking of taking days off school I had taken a day off and unbeknown to me Heathrow had been closed early in the morning. By the time I turned the radio on (I could pick up Birmingham radar) Heathrow had reopened and there was nothing unusual going on so I stayed at home.In the afternoon my mate called round, by coincidence he had also taken the day off but had gone to the airport and found the short runway full of diversions including an Air Malawi VC10, Was so fed up having not yet seen a VC10 at that point.

 

[Jon Dempsey]

I remember the BOAC VC10's flying overhead on Hodge Hill Common as a kid.

 

[Ray Finkle]

I only have very vague memories of the Elmdon site. My Mom used to work there before having me and often reminisced about what a great place it was.

My memories of BHX start around the mid 80's when the new terminal was under construction and endless hours sat on the grass bank. I don't know if it's rose tinted spectacles or not but back then, even though the airport was much quieter, there seemed to be so much variety. Last night I had a flick through my Dad's old copy of Mike Vines photo book which bought back many happy memories. So different to the endless rows of Airbus and Boeings that we see today.

 

[wolfheze]

For me part of the appeal of the old elmdon was that although it was generally quiet there was always a chance you MIGHT see something special.