Aviation Nostalgia Thread

[ChurchFenton]

I thought Gill flew to Edinburgh, rather than Glasgow? I know for sure they also flew to Bristol, very briefly, at around the same time (late 1990's).

 

[Seasider]

Gill A/W operated to Bristol in Winter 1999/2000 but I don't think they completed the whole winter.

 

[White Heather]

If you look up the history of Gill Air on Wikipedia, it doesn't even mention LBA as a destination. There is very little about them really considering how much there is on older airlines in LBA's history such as BKS. I thought Gill operated GLA shortly before Capital (we seemed to have a succession of airlines after Dan Air at LBA operating various routes (Metropolitan, Genair and Gill) and GLA seems to be a route that has changed hands more often than most over the years. Capital picked up Bristol too eventually.

 

[The Pole]

Just looking at some old pics of LBA and noticed the 'new' radar on the red and white pylon where it is today and there is a Britannia 737-200 in the foreground, I thought that Britannia 200's had gone before that was installed. My question is when was this radar added to the airfield, when I was younger I remember there was one on the ground in the triangle between 32/14 (33/15 as it was then) 28/10 and the N/S taxiway.
Anyone any pics of the old radar??

 

[oldendays]

The Watchman radar was installed in late 1989. Britannia withdrew their last 737-200s in 1994. The older radar was a Plessey ACR430 which operated concurrently with the Watchman for about four or five years. A Google search should bring up some pics although not necessarily at LBA.

 

[News Guru]

[textarea]Motion to celebrate Leeds factory’s war efforts

A Leeds aircraft factory where the famous Lancaster bomber planes were produced during the Second World War has been commended in Parliament.

Leeds North West MP Greg Mulholland has tabled a Parliamentary Motion commemorating the historic role of the Avro factory, in Yeadon, during the conflict.

The motion recognises the critical role the factory provided during the raid by Lancaster bombers on the 70th anniversary of the Operation Chastise attack on German dams.

The Royal Air Force No 617 Squadron, subsequently became known as the Dambusters, following the operation during the Second World War.

The factory, which was built in 1939 alongside what is now the Leeds-Bradford Airport, was the largest single building in Europe at the time, covering an area totalling a million and a half square feet.

Full Story: http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/n ... -1-5779881[/textarea]

 

[Seasider]

Here's a question to get the "grey matter" working.
Which airline were the last to operate schedule passenger services from LBA with a DC3?

 

[LBAYORKIE]

BKS?

 

[White Heather]

I would say BKS too. Failing that it would probably be Aer Lingus or Silver City Airways as they were the three main DC3 operators from LBA in the very early 60's. I lived around LBA at that time and although very young, I seem to recall all the DC3's disappeared in pretty quick time. BKS replaced them with HS748's and then Viscounts whilst Aer Lingus replaced them with the F27 and then they too introduced Viscounts. Silver City disappeared altogether. I can't think of any other regular DC3 operators but I haven't cheated and looked it up.

 

[eastcoaster]

Air Anglia operated sporadic DC-3 services right into the late 70s. They used to do a an Edinburgh LBA Norwich on a saturday morning. The rest of the week it was an F-27

 

[a300boy]

Derby Airways also operated DC3s in the 60s and 70s. Didnt we have one end up in the runway extension workings having overun the shortened old runway during this period.

 

[LBAYORKIE]

I worked on the ramp at LBA in the late 70's and Air Anglia only ever operated F27's and a Piper Navajo Chieftain they used on the LGW service. Derby Airways became British midland and as far as I know by the 70's they had already changed their name. I think Air anglia merged with BIA in the late 70's and became Air UK, at which time the merged airline used bandeirantes and heralds as well.

I think I can say with reasonable certainty that BKS were the last to use DC3's on scheduled flights on a regular basis, before being replaced (as mentioned above) with
'Avro Prop Jet 748's'

 

[a300boy]

You must have worked on the ramp at the same time as me !!! I started with Air Anglia in 1975 and left to start my flying career in 1985 with Dan-Air based in Manchester.

 

[john@thornton]

I recall my first ever flight in the summer of 1961.

It was on a Dan Air DC3 from Yeadon Airport to Ostend. I remember it being quite an effort walking up the aisle to my seat; if my memory serves me right you had to use a rope to help you up the slope!

At the time it was quite an experience for an 18 year old virgin flyer.

 

[LBAYORKIE]

It would be interesting to note forum members 'first flight' experience, particularly if it was on a flight from LBA.

Mine was a BKS Viscount LBA-LHR in roughly 1970 with a connection on a BEA Vanguard LHR-GCI

LbaYorkie

 

[eastcoaster]

My first flight was BKS DC-3 G-AMSH Leeds to Guernsey Aug 1964.

 

[White Heather]

Mine was a Britannia Airways (old red/turquoise livery) 737-200 from LBA to Ibiza, September 1980, off the old short runway. At the time, IT flights from LBA were in their infancy and the flight operated only every 3 weeks with a return midweek after 10 days. I have to say that take off from the short runway was 'interesting'!!

 

[lbaspotter]

Shame to say my first ever flight was on Britannia Airways Boeing 737-200 from Manchester to Malaga in December 1988 just after xmas on a family holiday returning back 2 weeks later in January 1989.
I was only 8 years old at the time but remember it well seen as it was only few days after the terrorist bomb exploded on board Pan Am Boeing 747 jumbo jet, destroying the aircraft over the Scottish town of Lockerbie and killing all onboard. Then whilst I was still on Holiday, a few days before returning home the British Midland, Boeing 737-400 crashed onto the embankment of the M1 motorway at Kegworth near East Midlands Airport killing 42 of the 126 passengers onboard as well.

My first flight out of Leeds/Bradford was not until the summer off 1995 when I flew on the Leeds based Monarch Airlines, Airbus A320-200, G-MPCD (Operating for Thomson Hoildays) to Tenerife South. I actually think the aircraft was retired and scrapped just last year after 18 years of service,,,

 

[Pat]

My first flight was on an Andover out of RAF Waddington in 1974. First flight out of Leeds/Bradford was Air UK into Norwich in 1984

 

[rmac]

My first flight ever and from LBA was to IOM in 1959, Silver City Airways -Bristol (170) Wayfarer or similar.