Birmingham: Airport Nostalgia

[wolfheze]

On reading through the forum swinburns aviation shop on hangar road has been mentioned a few times, can someone tell me when it was opened as I have no memory of it. The only facilities we ever had were the newsagents in the terminal and the coffee machine in the departue lounge. Am thinking it must have opened in the early 80s?

 

[wolfheze]

Rubbish photo. I have no scanning facility so just took the picture with the phone from an album. Not sure when I took this, would imagine 84 /85. Note the trident on the fire dump.

 

[Ray Finkle]

That's still a great image, it was such a superb spot back in the 80's. I have fond memories of running down that hill to the fence to wave at pilots, I think most waved back :smile:

I took some photo's from there of the various airliners of the time along with Concorde and the B-17 called Sally B, I just can't seem to find them

 

[wolfheze]

What was the Sally b doing there?
Was lucky enough to blag a tour of the B17 'liberty belle ' at Bagington while it was on a UK visit a while back.Was sadly burnt out a year later after a forced landing back in the states

 

[wolfheze]

Can someone tell me where I would have taken this from because I can't remember!

 

[Ray Finkle]

I've looked at it for a while now but can't work it out :s_sad

I thought it could possibly be and old road network at the entrance to the airport, maybe pre Eurohub, but I'm not sure where you would have been standing. Maybe somewhere on the NEC site? It's a shame that we can't read the sign.

Hopefully someone else can be more helpful?

 

[wolfheze]

Had a magnifying glass on the roadsign. Says long stay with I think a 3.

 

[Ray Finkle]

This image from 1984, courtesy of the BHX Blog, shows the road layout back then. There seems to be a couple of possibilities with another possibly just out of shot on the top right.

http://bhxflightguide.blogspot.co.uk/20 ... -1984.html

 

[wolfheze]

Its a long time ago and I only ever went to the 'aviation experience ' 4 or 5 times but I do seem to remember that the first time I went access was by 2 or 3 flights of stairs and that there were windows at the top. Next time I went the layout had changed and you came in from the terminal building or was it the euro hub and that the stairs and windows had gone. So I think I took the picture from the Aviation experience before the it merged into the euro hub.

 

[thunderchild]

Before all the terminal redevelopments the Aviation Experience was reached by a flight of stairs/lift accessed from outside what was then the Main Terminal building. This was back in the day when you before the building works began to impact on the views.

At some later stage - and I can't recall exactly when - the entrance was changed to inside the terminal building, on the upper level next to the old enthusiast model shop. By this point I think the shop inside the experience had closed as numbers had begun to dwindle.

 

[wolfheze]

So did the views become completely obscured ? The building I believe is used for something else now but I am guessing that it stood unused for quite a while? Can't understand why the gallery had to close because the shop wasn't making any money. It doesn't cost much to keep the door open on an empty room and we all managed fine at the old airport where all you had was tables and those horrible plastic chairs and no shops or vending machines etc. Makes me sad when I look at Google maps of the old terminal and there's an empty space where the arrivals/departure/viewing lounge stood.

 

[thunderchild]

So did the views become completely obscured ?

Not completely but it really did limit what you could see - the roof of the Millennium link obscured the view of the main pier while the roof of the extension and the new shorter pier blocked the view of the remote stands. Since the international pier has gone up I imagine there is very little of the airfield left to see.

 

[wolfheze]

It's such a shame because from what I can remember the views were pretty good. Have read through the thread looking at the possibility of a new viewing area and it doesn't look very promising. Fair play to them but I don't know how the people on here can find the enthusiasm to stand on a windswept golf course or in the middle of a field somewhere to pursue their hobby. Anyone know what the tower at the old airport is used for now?

 

[jfy1999]

Anyone know what the tower at the old airport is used for now?

My guess is administrative offices, same as the old tower at Manchester.

 

[Ray Finkle]

The old viewing area in T1 is now a sort of education centre that schools and other youth groups can use.

 

[wolfheze]

Have been looking through the bhx blogspot. What a brilliant bit of information :good: I can still remember some of the dates and aircraft movement's . Was mistaken about the Sterling Caravelle that flew over my house on a Saturday in 77, turns out it was a Sunday :blush: In all the times we were at the airport I can only recall talking to two other lads. All I know is that one of them was called Deakin or Daykin . Is that anyone on here?

 

[Spitfire3]

Hi everyone I'm looking for 1970's / 1980's photos of a Cessna based at Birmingham elmdon airport with the registration of G-ATRD
Thank you. :dunno:

 

[Ray Finkle]

Not much luck I'm afraid I can only find a very small picture, I'm not even sure if the reg is correct?

https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/imag ... gWa8c3AAHg

 

[wolfheze]

Can someone tell me whether the viewing area (the one with the benches and secondhand bus shelter ) is still there?

 

[Ray Finkle]

The viewing area is still there but it is currently closed.

There is some digging going on to do with the drainage, the last time I walked past it looked like quite major works. There is still a decent viewing opportunity along the fence but there is nowhere to sit or shelter at the moment. Hopefully it will be done by the time the summer programme starts as it will be busy on March 27th :smile: