Leeds Bradford: Aviation Nostalgia Thread

[White Heather]

INTRA AIRWAYS

I don't remember ever seeing one of their aircraft at LBA, but I do know that Viscount 724, G-BDRC, did visit us at least once in the 1970s. Colin Addison photographed it (along with umpteen other aircraft over the years) and I believe the picture still hangs in the airport Fire Station.

Intra had a few Viscount 810s as well, AVJB, BAPE and BAPG. Did any of these grace our concrete?

Pretty sure that some did. I recall seeing an Intra 800 series at LBA.

 

[oldendays]

There's lots of pictures on the web of the Intra 810s at German and Dutch airports but not as much closer to home. I'm sure they did pass through - an awful lot of Viscounts did - but I was probably at school at the time.

Southern International is another Viscount operator that I believe passed us by.

 

[DH106]

Speaking of old Viscounts, as a kid, I'm pretty sure I remember seeing Alidair's G-ARBY departing R15 from the waterworks area at the R33 threshold just a few days (a week tops) before her infamous deadstick landing into a farm field near Exeter. Anyone have any old logs to confirm?

 

[oldendays]

Speaking of old Viscounts, as a kid, I'm pretty sure I remember seeing Alidair's G-ARBY departing R15 from the waterworks area at the R33 threshold just a few days (a week tops) before her infamous deadstick landing into a farm field near Exeter. Anyone have any old logs to confirm?

I've been looking at LBA airliner movements for July 1980 on the Air Yorkshire archive. I can't see any mention of G-ARBY but a look at the summer schedule for that year shows an Alidair charter to Jersey using a Viscount. I don't remember seeing Alidair personally but I do recall the Dan Air Viscount 800s on Channel Islands duty on weekends in summer 1980. G-BCZR and G-BGLC. The latter was a sistership to G-BFZL of British Midland.

 

[White Heather]

I've been looking at LBA airliner movements for July 1980 on the Air Yorkshire archive. I can't see any mention of G-ARBY but a look at the summer schedule for that year shows an Alidair charter to Jersey using a Viscount. I don't remember seeing Alidair personally but I do recall the Dan Air Viscount 800s on Channel Islands duty on weekends in summer 1980. G-BCZR and G-BGLC. The latter was a sistership to G-BFZL of British Midland.

The only time Dan Air used Viscounts on the Jersey route or from LBA. Normally it was the HS748, BAC1-11 300, BAC1-11 500, and later, the BAe146, although on one occasion they used a Boeing 727 100 - the only time one ever operated into LBA. They did of course use 727 200s regularly along with 737 200s on their various IT charters out of LBA on behalf of Intasun mainly.

It's amazing to think how busy the Jersey route was back then with between 3 and 6 flights each way on Saturdays and Sundays using all sorts of equipment.

 

[oldendays]

The only time Dan Air used Viscounts on the Jersey route or from LBA. Normally it was the HS748, BAC1-11 300, BAC1-11 500, and later, the BAe146, although on one occasion they used a Boeing 727 100 - the only time one ever operated into LBA. They did of course use 727 200s regularly along with 737 200s on their various IT charters out of LBA on behalf of Intasun mainly.

It's amazing to think how busy the Jersey route was back then with between 3 and 6 flights each way on Saturdays and Sundays using all sorts of equipment.

I guess the multiple CI flights of yesteryear were a reflection of a different time for the UK holiday industry.

Those two Dan Air Viscount 800s I mentioned were something of an anomaly for the airline. If I've got this right, both aircraft were owned outright by Dan but flown by contract pilots from Fields/Air Bridge at East Midlands. I guess they were both operated on the Fields AOC as well. Previous 800s were damp-leased from Fields and Southern International, e,g. BBDK and CSZB.

Alidair leased several of their Viscount 700s to Dan Air in the 1970s. BDRC was one of these, also leased to their associates at Guernsey Airlines as well as...Intra. She certainly got around!

 

[White Heather]

I guess the multiple CI flights of yesteryear were a reflection of a different time for the UK holiday industry.

Those two Dan Air Viscount 800s I mentioned were something of an anomaly for the airline. If I've got this right, both aircraft were owned outright by Dan but flown by contract pilots from Fields/Air Bridge at East Midlands. I guess they were both operated on the Fields AOC as well. Previous 800s were damp-leased from Fields and Southern International, e,g. BBDK and CSZB.

Alidair leased several of their Viscount 700s to Dan Air in the 1970s. BDRC was one of these, also leased to their associates at Guernsey Airlines as well as...Intra. She certainly got around!

I have a photo of G-BDRC in Guernsey Airlines livery taken at LBA.

 

[jason1-11]

The only time Dan Air used Viscounts on the Jersey route or from LBA. Normally it was the HS748, BAC1-11 300, BAC1-11 500, and later, the BAe146, although on one occasion they used a Boeing 727 100 - the only time one ever operated into LBA. They did of course use 727 200s regularly along with 737 200s on their various IT charters out of LBA on behalf of Intasun mainly.

It's amazing to think how busy the Jersey route was back then with between 3 and 6 flights each way on Saturdays and Sundays using all sorts of equipment.

Summer 1992 Saturday LBA - Jersey Schedule:

Arrive Depart

11:00-11:30 F27 Jersey European

11:05-11:50 737-200 Dan-Air

15:00-16:00 737-200 Dan-Air

15:20-15:45 SH360 CityFlyer

16:00-16:45 BAC1-11-500 Dan-Air

Shows you the decline in the CI market over the last 30 odd years.

 

[Starflyer]

Summer 1992 Saturday LBA - Jersey Schedule:

Arrive Depart

11:00-11:30 F27 Jersey European

11:05-11:50 737-200 Dan-Air

15:00-16:00 737-200 Dan-Air

15:20-15:45 SH360 CityFlyer

16:00-16:45 BAC1-11-500 Dan-Air

Shows you the decline in the CI market over the last 30 odd years.

It's the same everywhere for Jersey and Guernsey though - the market is a fraction of what it once was. Dan-Air weekend capacity (and British Midland thereafter) was largely to service Wallace Arnold which is no more - the coach interchange fed the LBA flights and a coach interchange at South Mimms services fed the Luton flights.

Jersey has also lost a huge proportion of its hotel bed stock and that's roughly halved in the last 30 years as hotels are converted to apartments and flats. That will only continue - so it doesn't matter how many flights there are, if there's nowhere to stay, the flights won't fill.

The fundamental issue is that you can now go somewhere much further afield for less money and greater likelihood of decent weather. Seven-night stays in Jersey are no longer the norm and it's surprising that Jet2 sticks with it, tbh.

 

[lbaspotter]

Just found out that ex Capital Airlines, Short 360 registration G-OLBA is still flying after 37 years in service over in the USA for Air Cargo Carries as "N970AA"

G-OLBA is a 1988 Short 360-100 c/n SH3737 Capital Airways Luton 22Oct88 - rescanned by Kerry Taylor, on Flickr

Air Cargo Carriers Shorts 360 N970AA by Bruce Leibowitz, on Flickr

#CapitalAirlines #GOLBA

 

[Ashwo99]

Here’s an interesting one

I’ve just come across this Malaysia airlines route map from 1997: https://www.departedflights.com/MH033097.html

You’ll notice that Leeds Bradford (and Teeside!) are listed. Now I’m sure these will have been connecting flights via a codeshare partner airline, most likely from LHR, but I’m not quite sure who that airline would have been, any ideas?

 

[Finger66]

If 1997 almost certainly via LHR and almost certainly BMI.

That said something is telling me at the back of my mind that KLM and MH were close at that time so could be via AMS

 

[markietg]

I was ground staff for Midland at LBA 96-99. We basically codeshared with anyone and everyone on the LHR flights. I remember the BD413 10:00 departure was a United Airlines shuttle with over half the flight connecting with UA at LHR.

 

[ex_crew]

Although it's a B.A photo , in many ways it is LBA related , I thought I would share this with the group.

During my youth I use to cycle all the way from Rothwell if I knew a Britannia 737 was going to be coming in , even then it was a dream to work on an aircraft, I spent many weekends in the upstairs cafe watching the planes for hours .

I'm particularly fond of the nostalgia thread on the forum because in 1989 I was taken on as B.A crew at Gatwick flying mainly on DC-10S and 747s , 36 years ago aged 22 .

For the majority of my flying career which lasted for over 20 years I was either on a B.A widebody or a British Midland DC--9 , Fokker or a 737 commuting down to LHR from LBA .

I was 22 years old when I started the commuting with British Midland and will never forget their awesome hot breakfast on the morning flights ....great memories.

 

[White Heather]

Although it's a B.A photo , in many ways it is LBA related , I thought I would share this with the group.

During my youth I use to cycle all the way from Rothwell if I knew a Britannia 737 was going to be coming in , even then it was a dream to work on an aircraft, I spent many weekends in the upstairs cafe watching the planes for hours .

I'm particularly fond of the nostalgia thread on the forum because in 1989 I was taken on as B.A crew at Gatwick flying mainly on DC-10S and 747s , 36 years ago aged 22 .

For the majority of my flying career which lasted for over 20 years I was either on a B.A widebody or a British Midland DC--9 , Fokker or a 737 commuting down to LHR from LBA .

I was 22 years old when I started the commuting with British Midland and will never forget their awesome hot breakfast on the morning flights ....great memories.

View attachment 32407

I took the entry exams for BEA at their Heathrow Head Office in 1972. There were 500 applicants for 50 jobs and I wasn't one of the 50. I had figured that out before I started, so after finishing the exam I enjoyed watching the planes landing outside the building. Not getting a job was heart breaking.

Like you, I cycled to LBA almost every night if something worth seeing was in. I chained my bike to the railings where the benches were in the outdoor viewing area, then went to the arrivals/ departures board, which was a black felt board inside a glass fronted case. The airport security officer put all the flight details up using individual letters and numbers that were pinned into the grooves on the board. Then I would go upstairs to the bar and watch out of the darkened panoramic windows. Often, the boss, Gordon Dennison, would come out of the 'Staff Only' doorr by the window and I would sometimes have a chat with him.

A relative worked for BKS as a maintenance engineer, and I often saw him. Once, after the last arrival, he told me to cycle to the big black hangar where two Viscounts had been towed for the night. I was taken in one, G‐AOYR, an 800 series based at LBA and at the time, the inly one without a black nose cone. I explored the inside, sat in the cockpit left hand seat, and walked the length of the port wing, A night will never forget.

I assume you are in this photo ex crew?

 

[ex_crew]

All sounds familiar WH .

Yes , I am first on the right , back row .
My first flight was on a DC-10 to Dallas , September 1989 . Barbara Hamer, the Concorde Skipper was the captain .
I also worked on a couple of 747-400s on their first revenue flights, fresh from Seattle

The crew at Gatwick were mainly B-Cal and British Airtours , there were one or two confrontations during late nights at the bar ...
I

 

[fozzy]

Sorting through my stuff and found this old pic I took many moons ago 😲

 

[White Heather]

Sorting through my stuff and found this old pic I took many moons ago 😲
View attachment 32596

Their first Shorts 360.

 

[Len Fish]

Seems there are still a few flying in various parts of the World as freighters. Tough old birds!

 

[Bob O'JOb]

Seems there are still a few flying in various parts of the World as freighters. Tough old birds!

Sherpa's coming back in to production soon if Bombardier have their way.