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A Guide to the history of British flying sites within the United Kingdom
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Bristol International Airport




BRISTOL AIRPORT: Military aerodrome later civil regional airport now major regional airport

(In WW2 known as LULSGATE BOTTOM later shortened to LULSGATE)

In 2000s known as BRISTOL INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

Note: Pictures by the author unless specified.

 

ICAO code: EGGD              IATA code: BRS

 

Military users: WW2: RAF Flying Training Command        23 Group

3 FIS  [Flight Instructors School]   (Miles Masters and Airspeed Oxfords)

1540 BAT Flt   (Oxfords)



A MIKE CHARLTON GALLERY

An apron view, presumably in the early 1960s?
An apron view, presumably in the early 1960s?
The terminal and tower in the 1960s
The terminal and tower in the 1960s
Apron view with Aer Lingus Carvair
Apron view with Aer Lingus Carvair
Postcard with multiple scenes
Postcard with multiple scenes

An Aer Lingus Carvair
An Aer Lingus Carvair
A brace of Douglas DC-3s
A brace of Douglas DC-3s
View from the control tower, probably mid 1960s?
View from the control tower, probably mid 1960s?












 

Note: These pictures from postcards were kindly sent by Mike Charlton who has an amazing collection. See,  www.aviationpostcard.co.uk

First picture: This shows two Douglas DC-3s with the foward fuselage of an Aer Lingus Aviation Traders ATL-98 Carvair on the left hand side. The DC-3 with two dark bands on the tail is, without much doubt, a Cambrian Airways example. Can the other DC-3 be identified? Cambrian Airways operated the Douglas DC-3 from 1956 to 1968.

Second picture: This shows a British Midland Airways Canadair C-4 Argonaut on the apron, which would seem to date it from the early to mid 1960s?

Fourth picture: The top two pictures on the postcard are of a Monarch Boeing 757-200 departing. Monarch started operating the 757 in 1983 so this helps to date the picture. But why the golf course picture? Even today a golf-course exists adjacent to the airport boundary on the NW side, but what is the significance? Did or does the airport run the golf course?

Even if so, was this once used as a selling point, whereby golfers could play a round before or after flying? Seems unlikely? Of one thing I feel fairly certain, and that is that I have not come across another UK airport which has featured a local golf-course in their promotional material. Perhaps the photographer and or postcard producer were keen golfers?

Fifth picture: I have to confess that, when Mike Charlton sent me these postcards, I had no idea whatsover of Aer Lingus operating Aviation Traders ATL-98 Carvairs, and immediately jumped to the conclusion that they were freighters, probably carrying race horses. Nothing could be further from the truth, and the more I looked into it, the more interesting it became. For example, did Aer Lingus only use their Carvairs for services to BRISTOL?

It appears that Aer Lingus used the Carvair to suit the demands on the day, with generally a combination of freight and passengers. It appears their Carvairs could be quickly configured as an airliner, with 55 seats, or more generally with freight and up to 22 passengers. Aer Lingus also used the Carvair for the purpose it was designed for, as a car transporter, and indeed, whilst looking into the subject I found a picture of BRISTOL AIRPORT with, in the background, a car being loaded on a scissor-lift into an Aer Lingus Carvair.

Looking back to those days it all makes complete sense for those who could afford it. Just as they flew their cars into Europe. I suspect that the era of the Ro-Ro ferry hadn't yet started in South Wales, and anyway the road system was something of a nightmare. It is I think quite important to realise that Aer Lingus were really quite in advance of most British airlines, in applying what today is called 'lateral thinking'. Most of them, at that time were still stuck in the DC-3 / DC-4 mindset.

Sixth picture: On the left a Cambrian DC-3 and on the right a Dan Air DC-3.


A BIT OF HISTORY
As pointed out above, a British Midland Argonaut can be seen. Initially British Midland had decided to buy Douglas DC-6s, a very good decision, and crews were being trained. But, unfortunately the managing director, who was an ex-RAF senior officer, was quite incapable of understanding the concept of cost-benefit. In effect basically a fool catapulted from the military mindset into commerce. All he saw were Argonauts going cheap, with no idea whatsover that they would be far more costly to operate.

A common enough story in British aviation. And, by most accounts, British Airways are now, in 2017, suffering a similar fate?


 

Operated by:
1965:  Bristol Corporation

1990/2000: Bristol Airport Plc
 

Bristol in 1977 Copyright; British Airways
Bristol in 1977 Copyright; British Airways

 


British airline users: Post 1945: Air 2000, Air Southwest, Air World (Envoy), Aurigny, Britannia Airways, British Airways (Cambrian), British Caledonian Airways, British Midland Airways, bmi regional, British Westpoint, Brymon Airways, Business Air, Cambrian Air Services, Cambrian Airways, Channel Airways, Channel Express, Dan-Air, Derby Airways, easyJet, Flybe, Gill Aviation, Jersey European, Mayflower Air Services, Olley Air Service, Scilly Skybus, Severn Airways (?), ThomsonFly


Charter/I.T. Operators in 1974 at least: Britannia Airways, British Airways (Cambrian), Court Line, Dan-Air, Inex-Adria and Trans Europa




Foreign airline users: Post 1945: Aer Arran, Aer Lingus, Aer Turas, Air France, Air Malta, Austrian Airlines, Balkan, Brussels Airlines, KLM, Ryanair, Wizz Air, WOW Air
 

Cargo users: Post 1945: Atlantic Air Transport, Aer Turas, Heavylift
 

Car ferry: Post 1945: Channel Airways
 

Charter/air taxi: Post 1945: Bristol Air Taxis

Visiting Bristol Flying Centre with G-WACL in 1992
Visiting Bristol Flying Centre with G-WACL in 1992
        

Flying schools: Post 1945: Bristol Flying Centre, Bristol & Wessex Aeroplane Club later Bristol & Wessex Flying Club later Bristol & Wessex Aero Club
 

Gliding: Post 1945: Bristol Gliding Club?







Resident Light Aircraft in 1974 
This list is from the UK & Eire Commercial Airports book, published in 1974 by Airline Publications & Sales.

Beagle single:  Beagle A.109 Airedale

Beagle twin:  Beagle B.206 Srs 1

Beechcraft twin:  Beechcraft 95-B55 Baron

Cessna single:  Reims Cessna F.150 (x 3), Reims Cessna F.172 (x 3) 

Cesnna twins: Cessna 337 Super Skymaster,  Cessna 402B

Miles single:  Miles M.38 Messenger 2A

Miles twin:  Miles M.65 Gemini 3C

Piper single:  Piper PA-24 Comanche 250, Piper PA-28 Cherokee 180

Piper twins:  Piper PA-E23 Aztec 250 (x 5), Piper PA-30 Twin Comanche 160,  Piper PA-34 Seneca 200,  Piper PA-31 Turbo Navajo & Piper PA-31 Navajo Chieftain, Piper PA-39 Twin Comanche 160 C/R

SNCAN SV-4C Stampe

Helicopters:  Augusta-Bell 47J Ranger, Augusta-Bell 206A Jet Ranger


 

Helicopter ops: Bristol & Wessex Aero Club
 

Location: W of A38, 7 nm SW of Bristol

 

Period of operation: 1940 to present day (when did military occupation cease?)

 

Bristol 1965
Bristol 1965
Bristol 2000
Bristol 2000
      

Note:  These maps are reproduced with the kind permission of Pooleys Flight Equipment. Copyright Robert Pooley 2014







 

Runways:

WW2: 03/21   1006x46   hard       10/28   1189x46   hard       16/34   1006x46   hard

1965: 10/28   1600x46   hard         16/34   1001x46   hard          03/21   1033x46   hard 

1990: 09/27   2011x46   hard         15/33   496x46   hard

2000: 09/27   2011x46   hard



 

NOTES: During WW2 a Junkers Ju-88 bomber landed here after bombing Birkenhead on the night 23/24 July 1941. It appears the crew mistook the Bristol Channel for the English Channel. I think I’m correct in thinking this aircraft was given the RAF serial EE205.
 

In February 1969 a Channel Airways Trident was the biggest jet airliner to visit LULSGATE and in May that year a Trident service to Gerona in Spain was opened. There is still a debate regarding which type of British jet aitliner was the most effecient at converting pound notes into noise. The BAC One-Eleven, Trident or VC 10? 

In 1986 the PFA Strut was opened by founder members meeting at the Bristol & Wessex Flying Club. In 1993 they moved to Filton.



REGIONAL AIRPORTS
The increasing popularity in recent years of regional airports and the development of some new ones in recent years is something I am a huge fan of - providing GA can happily and affordably co-exist of course. BRISTOL is a fine example - so far! In 1995 they handled over one million passengers but by 2005 this was predicted to become 4.5 million.

In about 2003 I wrote: "I don’t really mind if GA genuinely has to get squeezed out for duties such as circuit training for example if another suitable user friendly airfield exists nearby; in this case FILTON perhaps? (By 2010 it was announced that FILTON was scheduled for closure in 2011). I suppose that STAVERTON (GLOUCESTERSHIRE AIRPORT) still provides a good alternative, but that is quite a schlep up the M5 for anybody living in or around Bristol.



THE CHOICE GETS LARGER
On a brief visit in early 2017 I was astonished to discover just how many destinations were being served from BRISTOL. Below is a list of destinations available during the winter season by scheduled services, so I expect this might well increase during the summer period. On top of this there were charters, seasonal mini-breaks and so on. For example to Enontekio, Ivalo and Kittila in Finland and Bergen and Tromso in Norway for a wide variety of winter adventures.

AUSTRIA:  Innsbruck, Salzburg and Vienna

BELGIUM:  Brussels

BULGARIA:  Sofia

CANARY ISLANDS:  Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Tenerife

CAPE VERDE:  Cape Verde

CYPRUS:  Paphos

CZECH REPUBLIC:  Prague

DENMARK:  Copenhagen

FRANCE:  Bordeaux, Chambery, Grenoble, Nice, Paris, Toulouse and Lyon
Note: Basel was also listed as the airport for Basel is actually in France.

GERMANY:  Berlin, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg and Munich

GIBRALTAR: Gibraltar

HUNGARY:  Budapest

ICELAND:  Reykjavik  (Keflavik)

IRELAND:  Cork and Dublin

ITALY:  Milan (Bergamo), Milan (Malpensa), Pisa, Rome, Turin, Venice (Marco Polo) and Verona

LITHUANIA:  Kaunas

MADEIRA:  Funchal

MALTA:   Malta

MORROCCO:  Marrakesh

NETHERLANDS:  Amsterdam

POLAND:  Gdansk, Katowice, Krakow, Poznan, Rzeszow, Warsaw (Modlin), Warsaw (Chopin) and Wroclaw

PORTUGAL:   Faro, Lisbon and Porto 

ROMANIA:  Bucharest

SLOVAKIA:  Kosice

SPAIN:  Alicante, Barcelona, Bilbao, Madrid, Majorca (Palma), Malaga and Murcia 

SWITZERLAND:  Basel and Geneva

TURKEY:  Dalaman

I trust you will agree that this is an impressive list, and clearly goes to illustrate that despite the 'gloom and doom' mongers in the popular press and media, a substantial amount of people can afford to travel abroad - and do so. Plus of course you can fly from BRISTOL to several destinations in the UK such as:  Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Guersey, Inverness, Jersey and Newcastle - plus Belfast International in Northern Ireland.

On top of this you could fly from BRISTOL to catch connecting flights to North America, Canada, Africa, the Far East and South America without going anywhere near the London airports.
 
 


NOT QUITE CORRECT
It was from here, it is claimed, that the first ever female British airline Captain, Yvonne Sintes, started her career with Dan Air flying as a first officer on DC-3s in 1969. She went on to fly the BAC.111 with Dan Air from 1975, becoming the first ever British jet airliner Captain. When she retired in 1980 from Dan Air she had flown DC-3s, HS.748s, BAC One-Elevens and the DH.106 Comet 4.

A remarkable career, there is no doubt about that, and quite probably achieved the longest career by any female ATPL in the UK by the time when she retired. However, she was not the first female airline pilot in the UK as I can think of at least two who flew for airlines in the 1930s. See RENFREW for one example.



A 1974 OVERVIEW
I think this account from the UK & Eire Commercial Airports book published by Airline Publications & Sales, published in 1974 is well worth quoting. "The well-established Lulsgate Airport, seven miles from Bristol, affords direct scheduled services to Paris Dublin and a dozen points in the United Kingdom, together with an increasing selection of inclusive tour flights, from this part of western England. Thus British Airways (Cambrian), Dan-Air and Aer Lingus aircraft are to be seen here alongside those of such I.T. carriers as Britannia Airways, Court Line and Trans Europe."

"Peak summer movements here reach over 120 per day, with up to 30 air transport flights of which half are inclusive tour and charter services. A major feature in the recent development of Lulsgate has been the runway extension, to 6.600 feet, opened in 1969. Light aviation plays a prominent part in the activities here, as at many U.K. airports." Just think how much that remark has changed since!

What I like is; The passenger terminal, "Considerably expanded in 1969, to cater for up to 300,000 passengers annually, with enlarged lounge area, licensed bar overlooking the airfield. Shop and restaurant provided." And, "Viewing Facilties: Enclosure on terminal roof, admission free." Those were the days - never to be seen again I expect. No UK airport, as far as I know, now has a public viewing area? 



BRISTOL TERMINAL PICTURES IN 2017

The main concourse and check-in area
The main concourse and check-in area
The departure board in the main concourse
The departure board in the main concourse
Passengers going through to departures
Passengers going through to departures
Advert for WOW Air
Advert for WOW Air

Check-in sign
Check-in sign
The café in the main concourse
The café in the main concourse
Austrian Airlines check-in board
Austrian Airlines check-in board
The check-in area, including Ryanair, at the north end of the terminal
The check-in area, including Ryanair, at the north end of the terminal



 

A COUPLE MORE PICTURES 

The easyJet bag-drop area
The easyJet bag-drop area
Another view of the main concourse
Another view of the main concourse

 













 

 

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