We may have had less back then, but life was more relaxed and work was a happier place to be. Aviation was a great and proud industry before the arrival of Ryanair & Co.
Gillian Boden reminds me of a story from Southampton airport around the same era. There were several different airlines flying in and out with the type and on this particular day there were five or six 360’s taxing out for departure. The controllers referred to them as “Sheds” because of their likeness to the domestic structure commonly found at the bottom of gardens up and down the country. The controller instructed one 360 to “give way to and then follow the shed coming from your left to right” . Another 360 was then told to “follow the shed that’s following the other shed.....” and so on this went. One unidentified pilot waited for a break on the radio and said, “ Well, there’s that many sheds around here today it’s like a bloody allotment”.
So many memories of the old aviation park at EMA. I spent many many happy and content hours and days just watching the massive variety of aircraft coming in to land and taking off for there. Wish I could go back in time and revisit those glory days again and again.
So true, this is when great was part of Great Britain. It's all gone now, gone forever... Great upload btw, really enjoyed it, made me quite nostalgic 1987 was basically when my parents allowed me to go spotting at BHX on my own.
Ema was a great little airport back then..we used to go up on Sundays either on the balcony or were this is being filmed.. I think the aeropark was somewhere near to were this was filmed too..now sadly all this has gone no more balcony although you can see we're it used to be if you remember. I'm pretty sure all this viewing area has now gone too.very sad seeing the props too especially the good old Viscount..
My father flew from LHR - Leeds/Bradford in March '83 on BM. He said it might have been on a Shorts 360. He told me that one flight was the bumpiest ride he had ever been on in his 60 years of flying. Awesome videos that you're sharing!
Back in 1987 I was employed by Servisair at Stansted as a Station Duty Officer. Indeed it was a very different world. We even used to get free rides on the Air UK F27, SD330 and 360S and the BA 747 and Tristan performing their circuit training flights, which were common at Stansted back then.Those days were the happiest days of my aviation career, I miss ‘em still. Thanks for posting this wonderful video, many happy memories unlocked!
You were very lucky indeed! What fantastic times they were, I remember the special atmosphere that was around then too. Many thanks for watching and sharing those times past. There are more classic videos to come....
Must have been a ground shaking experience being that close to Concorde taking off in 'burner. Mind you, that gloriously smoky BAC1-11 is almost as noisy.
Because the UK sold it's soul. We have the brains but governments will no longer give the finance for us to experiment with aircraft design like we used to back in the 1940's/50's.
I agree 100%. I used to work at the Local Hero Bar upstairs. Best experience of my life and got to meet so many great people there as well. Such a shame it’s not the place it used to be.
Great vid👍. Any idea who the J31 was operated by? Nice little curiosity there as the engines look like they have the Landor cheatline rather than just being painted blue. Long before the advent of "London Airways", that's a massive BA presence at Birmingham.
Some good stuff here. And the ability to sit on a bench overlooking the taxiway, who would have thought that in the space of just 33 years that would be abolished forever, and you would be under house arrest for weeks on end. 🙄
Oh and as a side note, although BAW paid for the construction of Eurohub all the aircraft were actually operated Mearsk Air on BA's behalf. Well ok, not all lol.
Yes, these were interesting days for the BA fleet, with airlines such as Maersk, TAT (F.28) and even Air Liberte(MD-80 / DC-10) adopting standard or near standard BA colours, it must have given enginners quite a thrill seeing all these non-standard planes in BA livery! (and us spotters too!)
These were the days when you could video and photograph aircraft without people treating you like a terrorist. I remember Birmingham when the fence was about three foot high :-O
We may have had less back then, but life was more relaxed and work was a happier place to be. Aviation was a great and proud industry before the arrival of Ryanair & Co.
I totally agree
Shorts 360!! Bumpiest ride ever, like flying in an ice cream van!!!
Gillian Boden reminds me of a story from Southampton airport around the same era. There were several different airlines flying in and out with the type and on this particular day there were five or six 360’s taxing out for departure. The controllers referred to them as “Sheds” because of their likeness to the domestic structure commonly found at the bottom of gardens up and down the country. The controller instructed one 360 to “give way to and then follow the shed coming from your left to right” . Another 360 was then told to “follow the shed that’s following the other shed.....” and so on this went. One unidentified pilot waited for a break on the radio and said, “ Well, there’s that many sheds around here today it’s like a bloody allotment”.
So many memories of the old aviation park at EMA.
I spent many many happy and content hours and days just watching the massive variety of aircraft coming in to land and taking off for there.
Wish I could go back in time and revisit those glory days again and again.
You can revisit this video Kevin! Thank you for your memories, I miss the 80's too, the best days of aviation.
So true, this is when great was part of Great Britain. It's all gone now, gone forever... Great upload btw, really enjoyed it, made me quite nostalgic 1987 was basically when my parents allowed me to go spotting at BHX on my own.
Ema was a great little airport back then..we used to go up on Sundays either on the balcony or were this is being filmed..
I think the aeropark was somewhere near to were this was filmed too..now sadly all this has gone no more balcony although you can see we're it used to be if you remember. I'm pretty sure all this viewing area has now gone too.very sad seeing the props too especially the good old Viscount..
My father flew from LHR - Leeds/Bradford in March '83 on BM. He said it might have been on a Shorts 360. He told me that one flight was the bumpiest ride he had ever been on in his 60 years of flying.
Awesome videos that you're sharing!
This brings back wonderful memories. I worked for Servisair at EMA for many years.
Thank you. Please feel free to share this video with friends...
Back in 1987 I was employed by Servisair at Stansted as a Station Duty Officer. Indeed it was a very different world. We even used to get free rides on the Air UK F27, SD330 and 360S and the BA 747 and Tristan performing their circuit training flights, which were common at Stansted back then.Those days were the happiest days of my aviation career, I miss ‘em still. Thanks for posting this wonderful video, many happy memories unlocked!
You were very lucky indeed! What fantastic times they were, I remember the special atmosphere that was around then too.
Many thanks for watching and sharing those times past. There are more classic videos to come....
Personally I think Stansted is an awful place now. So much better back in the day before all of these so called low cost carriers came to town.
Are you biddy/sheila?
Awesome. Classic footage with good old Orion too!
Thank you so much for posting.... Memories flooding back
Awesome. It has taken me back to my childhood especially seeing the bmi viscount.
When plane spotting was simply awesome.
Damn right there Pepe. 👍
Must have been a ground shaking experience being that close to Concorde taking off in 'burner. Mind you, that gloriously smoky BAC1-11 is almost as noisy.
What happened? Why did we go from this amazing variation of aircraft to what we have now? Makes me sad. 😒
Because the UK sold it's soul. We have the brains but governments will no longer give the finance for us to experiment with aircraft design like we used to back in the 1940's/50's.
I agree 100%.
I used to work at the Local Hero Bar upstairs.
Best experience of my life and got to meet so many great people there as well. Such a shame it’s not the place it used to be.
Great vid👍. Any idea who the J31 was operated by? Nice little curiosity there as the engines look like they have the Landor cheatline rather than just being painted blue.
Long before the advent of "London Airways", that's a massive BA presence at Birmingham.
Some good stuff here. And the ability to sit on a bench overlooking the taxiway, who would have thought that in the space of just 33 years that would be abolished forever, and you would be under house arrest for weeks on end. 🙄
Oh and as a side note, although BAW paid for the construction of Eurohub all the aircraft were actually operated Mearsk Air on BA's behalf. Well ok, not all lol.
Yes, these were interesting days for the BA fleet, with airlines such as Maersk, TAT (F.28) and even Air Liberte(MD-80 / DC-10) adopting standard or near standard BA colours, it must have given enginners quite a thrill seeing all these non-standard planes in BA livery! (and us spotters too!)
These were the days when you could video and photograph aircraft without people treating you like a terrorist. I remember Birmingham when the fence was about three foot high :-O