Manchester Airport Nostalgia

[Land23R]

Thanks David. What stands out for me on the timings of arrivals is that there were no less than 27 diversions accepted between 17.00 and 20.59.
What a contrast to the last decade when all too often MAN has felt it necessary to issue a "No diversions" notam except for emergencies, notwithstanding there are far less diversions nowadays with the enhancement of technical aids and less lasting dense fog.

 

[BlueManc]

With the reinstatement of FRA-MAN LH cargo flights using A321F, does anyone have an 80's timetable to hand that shows the LH B737-200F flightnumber. The daily pax flight was LH074.

 

[Land23R]

Thanks David. What stands out for me on the timings of arrivals is that there were no less than 27 diversions accepted between 17.00 and 20.59.
What a contrast to the last decade when all too often MAN has felt it necessary to issue a "No diversions" notam except for emergencies, notwithstanding there are far less diversions nowadays with the enhancement of technical aids and less lasting dense fog.

Apologies, I should have quoted David as my original post went to a new page. These are the timings of diversions that David listed: -
Arrival time + number of aircraft
0100-0159 3
0400-0459 1
0500-0559 1
0600-0659 2
0700-0759 2
0900-0959 1
1000-1059 3
1200-1259 1
1500-1559 2
1600-1659 2
1700-1759 - 4
1800-1859 - 7
1900-1959 - 5
2000-2059- 11
2100-2159 3
2200-2259 1

 

[Land23R]

With the reinstatement of FRA-MAN LH cargo flights using A321F, does anyone have an 80's timetable to hand that shows the LH B737-200F flightnumber. The daily pax flight was LH074.

In the July 1988 timetable (Spotters Guide), LH4130 is shown as arriving at 02.15 and departing at 03.00 as LH4131 with a B737F.

The daily passenger flight arriving 16.55, departing at 17.45, was LH 1662 & 1663 with a B727, but a B737 on Thurs/Fri/Sat.
Not sure if the flight number was different earlier in the 80's.

 

[mullion]

The first pax flight was LH074 which I think started July 1970 but cargo I think started earlier than that but I can`t remember the flight number and infact started with a DC-4 before I lived up here before changing to a 737-200F in 1970 , Lufthansa have a habit of changing the flight number and was a B737-130 about 3 days a week when it started

 

[gulftraveller]

LH took over the freight service in 1970 from a German DC4 operator. At least for the first couple of years it operated 6 days per week on a 727F f/n LH4072/3.

 

[Scottie Dog]

LH took over the freight service in 1970 from a German DC4 operator. At least for the first couple of years it operated 6 days per week on a 727F f/n LH4072/3.

Yes, was that the airlines with the initials "AF" on the tail?

Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't Lufthansa operate a B707F through MAN in the late 60s/early 70s? I've no idea of the routing.

 

[gulftraveller]

I believe it may have been a company called Trans Flug. I could not find any info on the company but D-ACAB may have been the aircraft used. It had a large TF on the tail. I believe the 707F operated FRA-MAN-ORD until around 1973.

 

[mullion]

Lufthansa have done quite a few trans atlantic flights over the years with 707s in the 70s and later MD-11s and 777

 

[Seasider]

I believe it may have been a company called Trans Flug. I could not find any info on the company but D-ACAB may have been the aircraft used. It had a large TF on the tail. I believe the 707F operated FRA-MAN-ORD until around 1973.

The airline was Transport Flug and the other aircraft was D-ABOW, another C-54 (DC4)

 

[David_itl]

transporting back to this day in 1989. It seems very odd to say the only reason I went to the airport that day was the BBC local programme stated Aer Lingus had stated 737-500 operations
Got there and saw something slightly better, Stayed for the morning and we had 10 747s, A310s from Pan Am and Wardair, and a L1011 of BWIA as highlights with the main European star visitor was an Icelandari 737--400.

Go home and then the afternoon and evening fun'n;'games began,,,

Virgin, Saudia, Thai, Pan Am, Ethiopian and a BA concorde were the highlights,.

Unsurprisingly I went to the airport the following day... which is where this will continue

Post automatically merged: Nov 14, 2022

so... the morning after the night before.

Get to the airport and from memory there were the following on Pier B:
BWIA L1011, Nigerian DC10 and Ethiopian 767

By the cargo apron we had...
Thai 747, Saudia 747, Air Canada 747, BA 747s

And then there were the diversions on the day. Nothing too exotic (my opinion!) USAF U-21, Fed Ex Dc10, 747s of Cathay, BA, El Al and Qantas, with a Wardair A310 and a sprinking of the "boring" stuff from the Midlands.

Go home... and lo and behold there were more afternoon and evening diversions. Mostly British stuff but 747s from BA, Malaysian and Air Canada, with a further Wardair A310 and BWIA sent in another L1011.

All of this and not including all our regular "heavies" that operated on Mondays and Tuesdays.

It was left to Singapore Airlines to do the longest non-stop flight from MAN (at the time) as passengers were bussed from Heathrow and it flew to Singapore.

Just a few years later, the Saudia 747 would be involved in a mid-air collision and the Ethiopian 767 got hijacked and crashed in the Indian Ocean. I saw that ET 767 on something like 4 occasions at MAN..... 3 times operating for Ethiopian and once in full Air Tanzania colours having diverted from Gatwick

 

[jfy1999]

Monarch DC10, taken in 2001

https://twitter.com/ClassicsPlanes/status/1439188075377307651

 

[Aviador]

Make the most of the old birds while you can!

I really wish I’d taken more photos in the 90’s early 00’s especially at MAN! God I miss those days of aviation…

Reminiscing on days gone by. What do you miss the most?

 

[BlueManc]

Reminiscing on days gone by. What do you miss the most?

Decent diversion days.
The surprise of something unusual calling up approach, to break the dreary stream of BA rockets, tridents and BY 73s.

 

[Land23R]

Some great memories of diversions from the 70's, 80's and 90's until Cat3 became the norm and dense fog rather less prevalent.
If it was a weekend, I was often undecided whether to stay home and listen to the RT with a bit of a view from the bedroom window, or, being only 5 miles away, drive to the airport to watch the action. My airband radio was only mains operated.
If I was at work (Bredbury), and didn't sneak my radio in, it was a case of listening for the sound of approaching a/c heading toward Stockport and R24 and hoping our weather was good enough the get a glimpse out of my office window as they passed overhead. I also confess to some phone calls to a fellow enthusiast contact at the airport to get an update on what was happening.
The most frustrating occasions though were when work took me abroad and I returned home to discover all the diversions I'd missed! One such time was having flown to the USA on a Thursday, I later learnt there were numerous diversions to MAN on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

 

[David_itl]

Having the airport arrivals on Ceefax (page 447 I seem to remember!) so you could judge if you wanted to go to the airport. All well and good having the old airport timetable but you couldn't beat seeing on teletext anything not expected. And in the autumn/winter looking at the LHR and LGW pages if fog had been forecast the previous night

Going to Parrs Wood was a bonus, have classes on the correct side of the window and it was possible to see everything landing on 24 or taking off on 06 or hearing the Kar Air Dc6 clattering away overhead on its departure back to Helsinki,

 

[David_itl]

Happy 21st anniversary of the Italian fly-in extravaganza. Got up nice and early on 28th May 2003 to record everything that moved, Main radio switched on to Tower, portable radio was covering approach (and scanning ops frequencies!)

 

[Seasider]

I was at runway 23 end at 7am taking photos, there is also a good dvd of the day's events.

 

[BlueManc]

After all the questions about the new taxiway E, anyone remember when was the last use of 02/20 was? I'm sure I remember a tin landing on 20 in the early 80's!

 

[Manchester Exile]

I believe 02/20 closed around 1972 as the construction of pier C was right over the approach path.
10/28 closed around 1980, I think?