Re: Leeds Bradford Airport - Photo Thread

Runway extension opened November 84
 
Re: Leeds Bradford Airport - Photo Thread

wawkrk said:
I assume the photo of the Monarch 757 shows it landing on the original 5,400ft runway!

[album]62[/album]

The picture was taken on a random day sometime in the 90's. I think it was a Thursday or Friday and the Britannia 767 came in around the same time if I remember correctly.

[album]59[/album]
 
Re: Leeds Bradford Airport - Photo Thread

As LS16 rightly says, the runway extension opened in November 1984 - the 4th to be precise. I am fairly sure we never had a 757 on the unextended runway - I think the biggest thing to use it was a Boeing 707 or 720 around 1983 - the 737-200 and especially the 1-11 struggled sometimes. Some 1-11 flights operated by British Island Airways to Mahon had to refuel en route! 757's were a new aircraft then and I seem to recall that the first regular 757 services we had at LBA might have been Air 2000 who flew them on the Faro route in the mid 80's. I flew on G-OOOA myself down to Faro in September 1986, the day before the famous Michael Fish Hurricane hit the South of England. Very quickkly we had Hispania, Britannia, Odyssey International, Air Transat and Inter European who all operated the type to LBA regularly around the mid 80's.
 
Re: Leeds Bradford Airport - Photo Thread

Very quickkly we had Hispania, Britannia, Odyssey International, Air Transat and Inter European who all operated the type to LBA regularly around the mid 80's.

Some names to remember there, Heather.

Hispania and the Canadian Odyssey International ceased to exist around the same time (late 1980s), though Odyssey in some way was merged with Nationair which itself went out of business about three years later.

Inter European Airways was the inhouse airline of the Cardiff-based travel company Aspro, whose owners were the Asprou family. It operated for about six years from the late 1980s until being absorbed into the Airtours company (both Aspro and IEA) whch later became My Travel and is now part of Thomas Cook.

With Britannia long ago changed to Thomson, only Air Transat has survived in its own name.
 
Re: Leeds Bradford Airport - Photo Thread

Even though I was only a small kid at the time I'm sure I have heard or been told by somebody that a Boeing 757 actually landed a on the old runway 15/33 before it was extended in 1984.

I also sure that there are photos out there on the internet of it as well. I'll have to have a look around and do some Google searches to see if I can find anything
 
Re: Leeds Bradford Airport - Photo Thread

lbaspotter said:
Even though I was only a small kid at the time I'm sure I have heard or been told by somebody that a Boeing 757 actually landed a on the old runway 15/33 before it was extended in 1984.

I also sure that there are photos out there on the internet of it as well. I'll have to have a look around and do some Google searches to see if I can find anything

After asking around elsewhere. I have just been reliably informed by Neil Claughton
that the aircraft in question that landed on the old runway 15/33 before the runway extension in 1984 was in fact Monarch Airlines, Boeing 757-200, G-MOND.

And after doing web search here is a picture of the said aircraft on twevsmiff flickr page.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/76990703@N06/6902001475/
 
Re: Leeds Bradford Airport - Photo Thread

Presumably it was empty then? No way would it have operated with pax and their luggage of the old runway, surely? Frankly, I am surprised, as the stopping distance for a 757 was tight to say the least!
 
Re: Leeds Bradford Airport - Photo Thread

I can assure you a passenger carrying Monarch Airlines 757 did land at LBA prior to the runway extension. I was there so I saw it. It was magnificent to watch on LBA's then super short runway.
 
Re: Leeds Bradford Airport - Photo Thread

The Monarch B757 was operating a Thomson Malaga flight and indeed had passengers on board.
 
Re: Leeds Bradford Airport - Photo Thread

I've corrected my previous post. I meant to say "pre-extension" as, indeed, the aircraft landed in March 1984 and the runway extension was opened that November. As I recall it was simply filling in for the usual 737-200 (reason unknown) so it's not likely to have had more than 130 pax on board. It made a comfortable landing and even better take-off.

Where is it now, I wonder ? Probably scrapped. :sad:
 
Re: Leeds Bradford Airport - Photo Thread

Some more picture's of Boeing 757-200, G-MOND visit to LBA back in March 1984 which was working a charter to/from Malaga for Thomson Holidays due to a tech aircraft have come light courtesy of JRC_Flickr's photostream this morning.

See links below.

On Approach to runway 33: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jrc_flickr/7168028700/in/photostream/lightbox/

On the apron from the Terminal:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jrc_flickr/7168031542/in/photostream/lightbox/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jrc_flickr/7168034746/in/photostream/lightbox/

And Take-Off:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jrc_flickr/7168033092/in/photostream/lightbox/
 
Re: Leeds Bradford Airport - Photo Thread

I remember the Monarch landing and I saw it on the apron.
I believe there were pax on board, maybe 100 or so.
They had to bring steps over from Manchester in a big hurry as non were suitable at LBA.
 
Re: Nostalgia Thread

Well that explains it then - a very light load and shortish range for a 757. I guess it was replacing the Monarch 737-200 that operated around then on a Saturday afternoon? Even so, I would think that the pilots had a feeling of 'into the unknown' flying a 757 into LBA on a runway previously quoted as only being long enough to handle Viscounts comfortably, especially (judging by the photo of it on approach) in a crosswind. I can see it getting airborne without a problem as those engines are powerful, but as for the landing, they would certainly have had to get it right and no drifting down the slope! I wish I had been there to see it though.
 
Re: Nostalgia Thread

White Heather, it was no problem at all landing back then. It was prior to the moving of the threshold. The touchdown markers were around 300m from the start of the runway back then and the piano keys were almost at the start of the runway. Now the piano keys are about 300m down the runway where the old touchdown zone was. It's so annoying, in gaining concrete we lost landing distance. The bloody CAA police! :s_no
 
Re: Leeds Bradford Airport - Photo Thread

Thanks Wawkrk,

That would be brilliant; Colin Addison took some brilliant photographs.

I have a framed large black and white print of his photo of the newly "Landor" liveried Boeing 747* piloted by BA's Senior Captain Mike Webster with flaps down and gear up hurtling low above 32 when he brought it into LBA when they were doing publicity filming for the then new livery, and also a night colour shot of Concorde parked in front of the terminal on a night stop. I must find an A3 Scanner so I can save and possibly post them.

*I think this 747 was the one burnt out at Kuwait airport at the start of the first Gulf War?

Bob
 
Re: Leeds Bradford Airport - Photo Thread

Hi Bob,

Yes Colin was fortunate to be able to set up his camera very close to 33 touchdown at the side of the runway. Aircraft landed on the flat part in those days as you know.
I will try to sort some photos out shortly, I am away at the moment so I have limited time.
I can also post some great scans of Concorde at night and indeed 2 Concordes parked up for the night, that must have been a first.
 
Re: Leeds Bradford Airport - Photo Thread

Hi Bob, I am fairly sure that the 747 caught up in the fighting at Kuwait was one of the BA ones that visited LBA, although I thought it was the 747-100 that landed here on 4th November 1984, which if I remember correctly was G-AWND. I might be wrong though. I just remember thinking about it when I heard which aircraft had been destroyed. I guess I will have to try and find out for sure now, although I am certain that someone on here who is more spotter orientated than me will already know the answer
 
Re: Nostalgia Thread

Bob, I have checked and the aircraft destroyed at Kuwait in 1990 was indeed Boeing 747-100 G-AWND, which on the 4th November 1984 had been named 'Spirit of Yorkshire', although I have a feeling it might subsequently have been named City of Leeds. Anyway, it had been delayed in Kuwait on 2nd August 1990 and ended up being captured and written off - as far as I can see, the only BA 747 to suffer such a fate. Bit sad really that the aircraft that made history at LBA should meet such an end only 6 years later.
 
Re: Nostalgia Thread

Thanks Wawkrk, please do try and put the scans you mentioned on to the forum, and White Heather, thank you for the information about the destroyed Jumbo, I knew it visited Leeds, but as you say it was the inaugural 747-100 piloted by Yorkshireman and Senior Captain Mike Webster which had come in November 1984 with the temporary "Spirit of Yorkshire" name.

It was the sight of this aircraft lumbering down the approach from my home in Horsforth, and then watching the Look North footage of it's incredibly low and slow pass above 32 that rekindled my interest in aviation (it was temporarily sacrificed in my teens and early twenties in an effort to be cool).

Only about a month later Captain Webster brought in City of Durham, the Landor liveried 747-200? which spent a day flying out from LBA being filmed for BA Publicity and Stock footage with helicopters and a business Jet chase planes - including some much used film of it at altitude in the sunset with golden contrails.

Ah would that something like that would happen again.
 

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