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Elmdon Airport Birmingham International Airport

Lovely memories for me too Jan, I used to go with my dad on Sunday's when I was a child, this would have been in the 50s. They used to do flight's at 10/- a go, but my dad wasn't able to afford it, and I alway's felt so disappointed about that. We used to get there by bus as we lived in just off Icknield St, but I can't remember which bus it would have been. Perhap's it was a Midland Red.
 
hi the signpost was located in the centre of the island it the airport entrance where it joined the A45, I am shure it has been moved to the new? airport or maybe a replica as i dont recall the one at the new airport being so detailed with airport names on it
 
chinnychinn said:
do you remember the flash of the beacon before automated landings. it used to sweep round every 30 seconds or so. i lived in acocks green and could see it
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yes i remember the beacon i think it was like a small lighthouse.with a green lens on one side and a white one on the other. i think it used to stand at the top of the hill on the A45 just past the airport buildings? There also was quite a few other lights mainly red on poles dotted around th perimiter
 
Same here Jan, I have happy memories of riding my trike from the 58 bus terminus (we lived in Sheldonfield Road) down to Elmdon airport to watch the planes coming and going. Just loved it. Recently I took my grandson aged 4 to see the planes coming and going from Birmingham airport and guess what, he loved it too. Great to see some things dont change!
 
I worked at Elmdon for a short time in the late 60's and I was nearly blown over by the back wash from an Air France Super Constellation. In the late 60's the police at Elmdon were not part of the Birmingham Police.
 
We were living in Small Heath in the early 1960's and my Grandad used to take me to Elmdon on a Sunday sometimes.We would take a bottle of pop and a few sandwiches,watch the planes and it was like a mini holiday in the countryside.
 
keegs said:
We were living in Small Heath in the early 1960's and my Grandad used to take me to Elmdon on a Sunday sometimes.We would take a bottle of pop and a few sandwiches,watch the planes and it was like a mini holiday in the countryside.
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I remember doing the same thing with my dad. I always wanted to go up for a flight in the plane at 10/- a time, but I don't think dad could afford it.
 
I remember those flights from Elmdon Airport, My Brither In Law and I went up, my sister wouldn't join us.I think the plane was a Dragon Rapid, it would have been in the late 40's.

Nick
 
brummie nick said:
I remember those flights from Elmdon Airport, My Brither In Law and I went up, my sister wouldn't join us.I think the plane was a Dragon Rapid, it would have been in the late 40's.

Nick
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You're right Nick. The plane was either the De Havilland "Dragon" or "Rapide", (both biplanes, they looked very alike).
Like Maggs, I remember it cost 10/- to go on a flight, an impossible amount of money to a lot of people in those days.
 
I wouldn't have a clue what sort of planes they were maypolebaz, I was so disappointed that I could go up in one. Brummie Nick was lucky enough to go in one I see. It would have been the early fifties when I used to go to Elmdon with my dad, certainly not the late forties. I suppose they used to same planes for years for those trips though.
 
I was given this picture this morning and I thought it was worth sharing. It shows the old terminal with a Westland Dragonfly overhead. Dated 1950
dragonfly 1950 bham airport.jpg
 
Thanks chocks2 for sharing that super pic .. looks like a Dakota on the left. I flew from the old Elmdon terminal in the early 1960's in Vickers Vicounts. All very civilised then, I even wore a sports jacket and tie.
oldmohawk
 
I flew from Bham to Heathrow to catch an onward flight also in a Viscount about 1979, so they were going some time ( think it was Midland Airways, could be wrong) Eric
 
chocks2 said:
I was given this picture this morning and I thought it was worth sharing. It shows the old terminal with a Westland Dragonfly overhead. Dated 1950
View attachment 77479
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I remember reading in a book about aviation in Birmingham that these helicopters were based in Small Heath and had to make positioning flights to Elmdon and Heathrow every morning and return each evening. Can't imagine why this was done or why Small Heath not Elmdon.
 
I think they're the same thing, but helicopter G-AJOV in the linked list is BEA's Sikorsky S-51 "Sir Lamorah". It carried three passengers, plus pilot!
An ex-military Dragonfly is preserved at Cosford aircraft museum, painted up as BEA's G-AJOV in a later livery.
0995172.jpg
 
The Way We Were....
The 1950s thread takes me back to 1949 when as a lad I stood in a crowd of 50,000 at Elmdon Airport watching the National Air Races. High-speed jet pilots—Cunningham, Wade, Duke, and Derry pressed gallantly on, rather than disappoint the crowd, in extremely unpleasant weather conditions. They raced each other very low over the field at 500mph - it was mad, unsafe, but marvellous. Hard to believe these days that it took place - but it did on 28th July 1949 as some pics show below - we'll never see such sights again...
The race results and some speeds show over 500mph click to see larger


The course they flew over at very low altitude. click to see larger


J.Cunningham's aircraft a De Havilland Vampire
4-vampire.jpg


N.Duke's-T.Wade's aircraft a Hawker P1040
5-p1040.jpg


J.Derry's aircraft a De Havilland 108. Only 3 were made and sadly they broke up in flight.
6-dh_108.jpg


A photo of the DH108 in the race over Elmdon.
7-dh108.JPG
 
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OldMohawk, nice posting and nice pics reminds me of the Kings Cup races at Bagginton that I loved to watch, Graham.
 
004.jpg005.jpg007.jpgDoes anyone remember when the City of Birmimgham Jumbo came into the old Elmdon Airport?? I think it was there for a naming ceremony and it would of been some time between 1979 and 1984. Some people used to think that jumbos never came into Elmdon Airport but I can remember the Canadian Pacfic Jumbo used to fly from there for a while, does anyone else remeber this as well??
 
shady, after I took early retirement from BT in 1986, I done a 9 month stint at Birmingham airport with a company whose name eludes me, as an aircraft cleaner and dealt with a number of Jumbo's, plus 2 concorde visits. was there when a Harrier jump jet had to make an emergency landing, the pilot stayed in our mess room till collected Also a year or 2 ago saw the double decker airbus land and take of there. Also had few cut price flying lessons in a Piper Tomahawk there whilst working there, Happy days. Eric
 
Jumbos and other large planes used to fly from Elmdon but the runway was not long enough for them to take off with a full payload and suffient fuel so trans Atlantic flights had to fly to Manchester to take on extra fuel. This is why at last we are getting a runway extension. I think with the first Jumbos checkin had to be done at the Excellsior Hotel as there was insufficent capacity at the old terminal for the number of pasengers.
 
Thanks for the replies. Now you come to mention it I do recall some one saying that the CP air used to go to manchester from birmingham to take on more passengers and fuel. I do recall the concorde coming into elmdon as well, managed to get a silver charm souvenier from british airways on that occassion still have it........Yes very happy days.
 
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Some more photos from the old Elmdon Airport. Think they show Air Malta, Orion, Britannia, British Midland and British Airways.

Anyone remember Orion part of the Horizon holiday group??
 
Thanks shady - nice collection of photos. Seeing that BA 111 reminds me of a flight to Glasgow. Cabin pressure failed as we climbed out of Elmdon but Capt decided to continue, flying no higher than 6000ft. Lovely views of the Lake District as we ate breakfast.
 
that post 115 of the Air Malta B707 brings back happy happy memories of my late Wife and I, we had many holidays in Malta going via their B707, wonderful a/c and 4 engines gives you more confidencethan 2 !! Still go to Malta twice a year, now in Air Malta air buses. Eric
 
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