Born and raised in NoVA and I remember taking a tour of the airport back in the late 60s on a school "field trip". It was so.... shiny! Such a "space age bachelor pad" feel. :-)
I remember back in 1973 when there was absolutely nothing but open road and stix between the beltway and the airport on the 13.5-mile access road. One time we were running late to get my grandmother to the airport so my father had the old V8 Duster going 110 mph until the airport appeared like an oasis in the desert.
I love this period of time. Now i finally know, what those mobile lounges were for. I fly a lot in and out of DC and i only get to use the lounges inbound. I think the concept of those things is amazing, just think of it as a luxury thing. Today, as a top frequent flyer at Lufthansa, you get driven to your aircraft in a Mercedes S class and these mobile lounges are like the S class for the mass of people. Just a brilliant idea :)
This was back when IAD was still thought of as a gigantic white elephant, note 3:21 "a giant half asleep". Back in the mid 60s (this looks to be from 1965) Dulles was beyond the hinterlands, deep in the sticks. Stage-length restrictions were then placed - which remain today with increasing number of exemptions - at DCA to funnel traffic to the boondocks. Today she receives an impressive array of daily international traffic - including 3 daily scheduled A380s and until recently more middle-eastern destinations than any other airport in the Americas along with being ANA's flagship Flight 1 destination and some 50 daily heavy passenger aircraft movements. But she's still not a significant domestic destination, which is to say her international characteristic remains hugely dominant.
Interesting video, nice seeing this vintage airport when new. State of the art for its time & the architecture/design (if spelled right) is very nice & unique which glad this airport is still in operation to this day. I've never been here but this airport can been or in shots in movies "Airport 1975", "Airport '77" & "Airport '79: The Concord". I follow this airport on Twitter as well. Thank you for sharing.
I Think this promo was filmed in the Spring of 1963. The reason I say this because at 13:27 you see tree's blooming and that would not have happened in November or December and since Dulles opened at the end of 1962 this must mean that this was filmed in the Spring of 1963
Also it can’t be 1962 because the Boeing 727 prototype didn’t even fly until February 1963. The first commercial flight of a 727-100 was not until February 1st, 1964, incidentally an Eastern flight from Miami to Washington and on to Philadelphia. So my conclusion is that at least some of this footage dates to no earlier than the spring of 1964.
I recall few years back a BA flight from LHR into IAD and a mobile lounge was brought up to the very last door port side of the 744 to off load us in cattle class for immigration and customs.
Im thinking that this Documentary was made a bit after 1962 as the Boeing 727 didnt enter service until 1964 and at the beginning of the film, it shows an American and a TWA 727 landing.
Great documentary. Truth be told, this airport was largely considered a white elephant well until the 1980's when United established a hub there and more international flights started flying to DC after Deregulation. Also, the Maryland suburbs of DC grew well before the Virginia side did, so there was nothing out there for years.
Amazing and romantic airport. Way ahead of it's time. My favorite childhood destination in the 70s. The announcer voice gave such atmosphere. I wonder why the mobile lounge idea never got implemented in other airports?
So much has changed. If only the planners had the foresight to get ahead of the region's growth, DC and VA could have saved millions of dollars in growth costs. My first time there was in June of 1975. We flew in from Geneva, moving back to the States then. From then on, I took many a drive to and frow from Potomac to the airport. We had our share of trips to Washington National too. Both of those airports have more than doubled in size over the past 60 plus years. Thanks for the video, or was it a 16mm film?
Definitely not filmed in 1962. Check out Eastern Airlines B727 sporting the then new "hockey stick" branding ( Eastern began painting their 727, DC8 and Electra turbo props in early 1965). Thus, filming of the airport runways ( if not the entire video ) must of been 1965 or later. Anyone know for certain?
I've ridden them since 1976. Back then, when you rode out to midfield, they linked directly to the aircraft, via a telescoping jet bridge. I also worked there in the 1980's. They were and still are, a pita. Several people have been killed by them (ramp workers). With over 22 million people using Dulles each year, cramming 50 or 100 people at a time into them, is not very efficient.
Wow the nay sayers are really in force here in the comments section! Esp re the Mobile Lounge which I and many others absolutely love. If they're so inefficient, funny that Dulles choose to keep them. You know Airport executives, they're famous for being sentimental romantics 😁. Or just maybe because they do actually serve a purpose. In fact Montreal has chosen to completely upgrade theirs. So 🥳 to them and long may hey continue 🤗.
What boggles my mind when metro was being built they didn’t bring it out there when there was nothing in the way, they waited till everything was built around it what a cluster f…k
Can you imagine dealing with 600 or so passengers at a time on an A380 super jet? You'd need seven mobile lounges just for that airplane. Almost a good idea.
One reason the mobile lounges aren't practical anymore: time. Everyone, including the airlines, are in too much of a hurry. Watch how relaxed and paced everyone is in this film. Compare that to going there today, where it's a manic zoo.
This is so true, rush, rush now days, even with fast food in airports. I miss the days of coffee shops and/or restaurants in airports. See everyone checks in bags as now days people take on plane with them. I don't fly much & never had but when I do I check my suitcase in at check in, one less thing I have to worry about when roaming airport to kill time & watch planes or take pictures. People need to slow down & not be in a hurry.
The other problem with the mobile lounges in addition to what has been mentioned here is that they are very expensive to fix. The other problem is it's near impossible to get parts for them anymore. Whatever parts they have to put on a broken lounge, they have to take it off another lounge that is being cannibalized for its parts. In some cases, they have to have a custom part made at a machine shop. That's far from being cheap when you get into specific customization. They were originally manufactured by Budd Motors. They were designed by Chrysler. The problem is further compounded that the company that made these contraptions no longer exists and they have not been manufactured in decades.
yes a total nightmare, and that back then the airlines were regulated, and only a small fraction of the population (the wealthy middle and upper-class) flew.
Where is this US today? This ultra modern new airport for its time was world-class. LAX, with its iconic futuristic Theme Building, was opened in 1961. The US was the world leader in these huge infrastructure projects during this era. Up until this past decade, our airports were stuck in the 1960s and 70s. They looked ancient compared to new airports around the world today. The powers at be both public and private now focus on the quick fix and not the long-term future. That changed a little with Biden's infrastructure bill, but it's nowhere enough to get us out of the crumbling outdated infrastructure we have to replace and construct a new.
Born and raised in NoVA and I remember taking a tour of the airport back in the late 60s on a school "field trip". It was so.... shiny! Such a "space age bachelor pad" feel. :-)
I remember back in 1973 when there was absolutely nothing but open road and stix between the beltway and the airport on the 13.5-mile access road. One time we were running late to get my grandmother to the airport so my father had the old V8 Duster going 110 mph until the airport appeared like an oasis in the desert.
just gave me a break from this ruinous time, to a beautiful time
This is really not a Washington, DC airport. This is a Virginia countryside airport.
@@ADihleSure - and BWI isn’t really a Washington airport, either. That one should be called BI.
@@EdgeDC agreed!
Starting on 11-15-2022 you can take the Washington Metro to and from Dulles Airport. That is progress !
I love this period of time.
Now i finally know, what those mobile lounges were for. I fly a lot in and out of DC and i only get to use the lounges inbound.
I think the concept of those things is amazing, just think of it as a luxury thing.
Today, as a top frequent flyer at Lufthansa, you get driven to your aircraft in a Mercedes S class and these mobile lounges are like the S class for the mass of people. Just a brilliant idea :)
Love the period-corrrect Pink Panther-ish soundtrack.
With a subtle boutique 007-ish Connery lol
This was back when IAD was still thought of as a gigantic white elephant, note 3:21 "a giant half asleep". Back in the mid 60s (this looks to be from 1965) Dulles was beyond the hinterlands, deep in the sticks. Stage-length restrictions were then placed - which remain today with increasing number of exemptions - at DCA to funnel traffic to the boondocks. Today she receives an impressive array of daily international traffic - including 3 daily scheduled A380s and until recently more middle-eastern destinations than any other airport in the Americas along with being ANA's flagship Flight 1 destination and some 50 daily heavy passenger aircraft movements. But she's still not a significant domestic destination, which is to say her international characteristic remains hugely dominant.
Interesting video, nice seeing this vintage airport when new. State of the art for its time & the architecture/design (if spelled right) is very nice & unique which glad this airport is still in operation to this day. I've never been here but this airport can been or in shots in movies "Airport 1975", "Airport '77" & "Airport '79: The Concord". I follow this airport on Twitter as well. Thank you for sharing.
I Think this promo was filmed in the Spring of 1963. The reason I say this because at 13:27 you see tree's blooming and that would not have happened in November or December and since Dulles opened at the end of 1962 this must mean that this was filmed in the Spring of 1963
Also it can’t be 1962 because the Boeing 727 prototype didn’t even fly until February 1963. The first commercial flight of a 727-100 was not until February 1st, 1964, incidentally an Eastern flight from Miami to Washington and on to Philadelphia. So my conclusion is that at least some of this footage dates to no earlier than the spring of 1964.
I recall few years back a BA flight from LHR into IAD and a mobile lounge was brought up to the very last door port side of the 744 to off load us in cattle class for immigration and customs.
Im thinking that this Documentary was made a bit after 1962 as the Boeing 727 didnt enter service until 1964 and at the beginning of the film, it shows an American and a TWA 727 landing.
Great documentary. Truth be told, this airport was largely considered a white elephant well until the 1980's when United established a hub there and more international flights started flying to DC after Deregulation. Also, the Maryland suburbs of DC grew well before the Virginia side did, so there was nothing out there for years.
The terminal building looks so futuristic (Googie architecture) it make's the Jetsons age more of a possibility.
look at all those nice juicy,707s,727s,and DC-8s with those delicious JT8Ds. I love it
Amazing and romantic airport. Way ahead of it's time. My favorite childhood destination in the 70s. The announcer voice gave such atmosphere. I wonder why the mobile lounge idea never got implemented in other airports?
I always wondered who the voice of the public address system was.
Once I rode a "mobile lounge' from IAD to PIT! Last time I flew that economy "airline" :)
So much has changed. If only the planners had the foresight to get ahead of the region's growth, DC and VA could have saved millions of dollars in growth costs. My first time there was in June of 1975. We flew in from Geneva, moving back to the States then. From then on, I took many a drive to and frow from Potomac to the airport. We had our share of trips to Washington National too. Both of those airports have more than doubled in size over the past 60 plus years. Thanks for the video, or was it a 16mm film?
2:18 all of that grass is gone
The B-727 was delivered later than 1962. So the video wasn’t taken in that year!
White elephant is right. My parents used to drive out to the terminal for dinner in the early 70s! Chantilly was like the edge of the universe.
Definitely not filmed in 1962. Check out Eastern Airlines B727 sporting the then new "hockey stick" branding ( Eastern began painting their 727, DC8 and Electra turbo props in early 1965). Thus, filming of the airport runways ( if not the entire video ) must of been 1965 or later. Anyone know for certain?
I've ridden them since 1976. Back then, when you rode out to midfield, they linked directly to the aircraft, via a telescoping jet bridge.
I also worked there in the 1980's. They were and still are, a pita. Several people have been killed by them (ramp workers). With over 22 million people using Dulles each year, cramming 50 or 100 people at a time into them, is not very efficient.
Wow the nay sayers are really in force here in the comments section! Esp re the Mobile Lounge which I and many others absolutely love. If they're so inefficient, funny that Dulles choose to keep them. You know Airport executives, they're famous for being sentimental romantics 😁. Or just maybe because they do actually serve a purpose. In fact Montreal has chosen to completely upgrade theirs. So 🥳 to them and long may hey continue 🤗.
In the 1990s, the original terminal was expanded on both sides to make it longer
What boggles my mind when metro was being built they didn’t bring it out there when there was nothing in the way, they waited till everything was built around it what a cluster f…k
I'm your 100th sub
Wow it’s so different now in 2020
lmdao 😂😂😂😂😂😂 You ain't jokkng! AMEN! i agree completely! IT SURE IS!
The seats in those mobile lounges left black tar all over my trousers. Fuck that.
Can you imagine dealing with 600 or so passengers at a time on an A380 super jet? You'd need seven mobile lounges just for that airplane. Almost a good idea.
One reason the mobile lounges aren't practical anymore: time.
Everyone, including the airlines, are in too much of a hurry.
Watch how relaxed and paced everyone is in this film.
Compare that to going there today, where it's a manic zoo.
This is so true, rush, rush now days, even with fast food in airports. I miss the days of coffee shops and/or restaurants in airports. See everyone checks in bags as now days people take on plane with them. I don't fly much & never had but when I do I check my suitcase in at check in, one less thing I have to worry about when roaming airport to kill time & watch planes or take pictures. People need to slow down & not be in a hurry.
The other problem with the mobile lounges in addition to what has been mentioned here is that they are very expensive to fix. The other problem is it's near impossible to get parts for them anymore. Whatever parts they have to put on a broken lounge, they have to take it off another lounge that is being cannibalized for its parts. In some cases, they have to have a custom part made at a machine shop. That's far from being cheap when you get into specific customization. They were originally manufactured by Budd Motors. They were designed by Chrysler. The problem is further compounded that the company that made these contraptions no longer exists and they have not been manufactured in decades.
That’s my int airport
yes a total nightmare, and that back then the airlines were regulated, and only a small fraction of the population (the wealthy middle and upper-class) flew.
@ 12:34 ....right...10-minutes.
Those weird moon buggy things are still so strange. IAD is an annoying airport to navigate. It the original terminal building is cool
I fly to/from it in 2022, it looks like it hasn't had any money spent on it since 1962
this is amazing it, today it is way way diffrent
Cool film.
This video makes me want to grab a martini and a pipe.
I was waiting for Sean Connery to, side roll into the picture and point a Walther PPK at us,
sure am glad the mobile lounge didn't become an "integral part of every modern jet age airport" that would have been a nightmare 5:30
Mobile Lounges-Buses on stilts.
I always wondered what the purpose of these giant mobile platforms were for. They consume so much fuel and stink!
The supersonic age of tomorrow... that turned out to be yesterday.
Eric Peters you can thank whiny ass liberal nut jobs for that. bitching about Concorde's noise.
"I can't say goodbye to yesterday; my friend"
Where is this US today? This ultra modern new airport for its time was world-class. LAX, with its iconic futuristic Theme Building, was opened in 1961. The US was the world leader in these huge infrastructure projects during this era.
Up until this past decade, our airports were stuck in the 1960s and 70s. They looked ancient compared to new airports around the world today. The powers at be both public and private now focus on the quick fix and not the long-term future. That changed a little with Biden's infrastructure bill, but it's nowhere enough to get us out of the crumbling outdated infrastructure we have to replace and construct a new.
This airport is a half asleep in the 60’s
"Only 27 miles from the White House!!"
test
God damn overly dramatic music. Ridiculous composition impulses of the day.