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Elmdon Airport

Ragga - Thanks for the photos, 'aviation fanatics' looking at them!
One of your photos of Valetta VW197 here shows an aircraft I've looked at many times, another photo of it somewhere else is here.
All in connection with this pic in the BHF post here.
VW197 flew in to Elmdon in 1970 but did not last long as can be seen in BHF post here.
oldmohawk
 
LHR for London Heathrow, LGW for London Gatwick, MAN for Manchester, GLA for Glasgow etc etc So why is Birmingham BHX?
 
chocks2 said:
LHR for London Heathrow, LGW for London Gatwick, MAN for Manchester, GLA for Glasgow etc etc So why is Birmingham BHX?
Click to expand...
That's something I always wanted to know too Chocks - never got a reply,even when the girls did a school project on the airport no-one there could tell us!
Sue
 
BIR has already been grabbed by Biratnagar airport in Nepal, and BMG is allocated to Bloomington Indiana in the USA.
Not a lot of people know this ....:rolleyes:
 
Interesting, but why BHX. It must stand for something?
In these codes, the location of the airport or the airport name is generaly used so I guess it would be right to assume "B" stands for Birmingham but why was H & X added or adopted. There must be a reason somewhere for it?
 
Seeing as BIR is taken, and BMG also, I would suggest B for Bir, H for ham and X - well, that's anyone's guess. Perhaps because it needs three letters, X is probably the only one that does not have a 'natural' home, so might just be a stand-in when there is a problem. Just my thoughts .......
 
The railway code for New Street Station is BHM presumably from the normal shortening of the name Birmingham to B'ham as Ham is a word which can stand on its own as meaning a settlement. As we could not have BHM then X is a wild card. Belfast has two airports, BFS for Belfast International and BHD for George Best Belfast City Airport, the BHD was from its old name of Belfast Harbour.

As long as the campaign to rename Birmingham Airport as Ozzy Osbourne Airport fails, I am happy.
 
I have just stumbled onto this thread, reading the postings brings back many happy memories from my plane spotting days in the 50's and 60's. I used to live in Croftdown Road from 1950 to 1957/8 when we moved up to Rangoon Road.
At that time the now disused (former) short runway 24/06 was roughly aligned to our house, and my first memories of aircraft are BEA/Air Lingus & Air France Dakota's taking off & near overflying. Also pleasure flights by DH Rapides and (for a short time) Derby Airways Marathons. The light aircraft of the time were mainly DH Tiger Moths; Austers; Percival Proctors & Miles Messengers.
There were occasional visiting & weekend over stopping RAF aircraft such as BP Balliols from Cranwell as well as Vampires of 605 Sq Honiley.
I have a copy of the programme for the 1949 National Air Races around which I wrote a 2 part article several years ago for a now discontinued Aviation magazine, who sourced a number of photos. I would very much like to renew aquaintance with any fellow regular spotters of the same perios
 
Hi Terenceskipp -welcome to the forum.
Reminders for me of that grey July day in 1949. I had flights in two of the aircraft you mention, Miles Marathons in the RAF (probably mentioned it in the NS thread) and my first ever flight in a DH Rapide mentioned in the forum thread here.
Derby Aviation a name from the past, I believe their airfield eventually became the site of the Toyota factory.
As a long shot, any ideas on the whereabouts of the street in the forum thread here ?
oldmohawk
 
I remember the Tiger Moths that use to fly around Eldom late 40s anyone else? John Crump OldBrit. Parker, Colorado USA
 
Hi John
I only had one visit to Elmdon in the 1940s as mentioned in post #108. We went as a family outing by excursion train from New Street and joined a crowd of 50,000 to see the air races there. I could however get to Castle Bromwich on the No 28 bus and saw many Tiger Moths there. Some photos of Tiger Moths are in the Castle Bromwich Aerodrome thread.
oldmohawk
 
I never learned to fly but as a boy I read several instruction books on flying from the library and they were all on how to fly Tiger Moths.
 
David (post 136) My first ever flight was in a Tiger Moth at RAF Valley when in the ATC about 1945, as the pilot/instructor sits behind you, you really feel in control. In 1948 I entered the RAF for 8 years as aircrew wireless op and the pilot always let us 'have a go' (against all regs of course) My biggest thrill was 'hands on' in a Lancaster whilst serving with 82 (PR) Sqdn in Africa 1949 to 1951, the last Lancaster Sqdn. Happy days. Eric
 
Eric, I have flown a glider on an "air experience" event. The tow line broke on the first take off so I experienced my instructor doing an emergency landing.
 
shady said:
Anyone remember Orion part of the Horizon holiday group??
Click to expand...
Yup, I remember Orion. I flew to Ibiza with them on a 737 around 1967. Didn't Doug Ellis have an interest in Hrizon?

Does anyone remember a bar being called the Buccaneer just at the main entrance to Elmdon? I can remember doing a bit of courting there and enjoying my first British pint in there follow a few weeks working in Poland. It tasted like nectar.
 
My only 'hands on' was at RAF Feltwell in 1958 when the pilot in a dual control Provost trainer asked me to take the controls and keep it straight and level while he made some notes.
A couple of pics ref Derby Aviation at Elmdon
The first pic shows one with staff near it, one man carrying the steps for the passengers, they were not reliable aircraft.
The second pic shows Derby Aviation Marathons at the Elmdon terminal in 1956. With 4 engines, 3 tail fins, 20/25 passengers, no wonder BEA did not want them.
 

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David, have always wanted to fly in a glider but never have and as I am now 82 I don't suppose I ever will, recently went up in a hot air balloon but not quite the same. Did go in a 50 year old Otter sea plane in Malta as an 80th birthday present, enjoyed that Eric
 
Oisin said:
Yup, I remember Orion. I flew to Ibiza with them on a 737 around 1967. Didn't Doug Ellis have an interest in Hrizon?

Does anyone remember a bar being called the Buccaneer just at the main entrance to Elmdon? I can remember doing a bit of courting there and enjoying my first British pint in there follow a few weeks working in Poland. It tasted like nectar.
Click to expand...

I frequented the Buccaneer with a young lady many a time,she is now my wife of 40yrs :)
 
I was fotunate enough to be able to learn to fly and gained a PPL at EMA, with the East Midlands School of Flying, at the rate of £10.80 per hour dual. When I moved back to the Birmingham area I flew with Birmingham Aviation in their Cessna 172 G-AVAS and the 150 which I think was G-AVVE, I also then flew the Arrow G-WEND for a ,while. When we moved to the Stratford are I started flying from Wellesbourne untill quite recently as apart owner of Turbo Arrow G-BOYV but the costs became prohibitive, and I have reverted to my original pre teens hobby of model aircraft.
However nothing can take away my early memories of Tiger moths, Austers, Proctors etc. at Elmdon, as well as the sound of radials starting up in Dakota's; etc.
Happy Days.
Some of the Tiger moths were G-AOHY; G-ANLB; G-ALMN, that I can remember as well as Auster 5 G-ALFA
 
I think that was in the "New" terminal/viewing lounge at the old airport site. Had my first pint there also. Flowers Keg.......tasted awfull!!!!!
 
Oisin, Doug Ellis was something to do with travel company 'Ellerman Sunflight', went on holiday with them late 70's, probably gone now. Eric
 
Doug Ellis was a pioneer of air package holidays running a company which I think was Midland Air Tour Operators (MATO) eventually selling out to Ellermans, the shipping line.
 
Does any one remember a later air display, in either 1952 or 53???? I have vague recollections of RCAF F86 sabres; A formation of RAF Canberra's; Seafire FR47's from 1833 Sq RNAS Bramcote etc. but cannot pinpoint the year, yet alone either the exact date or purpose. Was it anything to do with the Coronation?
 
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