Glasgow International Airport
GLASGOW INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
ABBOTSINCH: Royal Naval Air Station, (HMS SANDERLING), later major civil regional airport and subsequently major international airport known in 1975, (for example), as GLASGOW AIRPORT. Now known as GLASGOW INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. Also once known as PAISLEY
A MICHAEL T HOLDER GALLERY (THE EARLY YEARS)
Note: Interesting to see in the 1940 and 1942 pictures how attempts were made to camouflage airfields. The top brass totally failed to realise that you cannot hide big high and angular hangars.
Note: So much time, money and wasted effort was spent in WW2 trying to do this utterly futile exercise. And as these pictures amply show - they could not succeed.
BONUS PICTURES
Note: In 2022 Mike Holder found these two pictures showing firstly a detail of ABBOTSINCH, just as it was being opened in 1933, and secondly as it was around 1948.
ICAO code: EGPF IATA code: GLA
Military activities and users:
Between the wars:
602 Sqdn (Gloster Gauntlets) Note: 602 Squadron was probably based at RENFREW?
WW2: Maintenance Yard and Fleet Air Arm until late 1950?
RAF Bomber Command 2 Group
88 Sqdn (Bristol Blenheims)
RAF Coastal Command: 489 (RNZAF) Sqdn (Handley Page Hampdens)
Torpedo Training Unit (Bristol Beauforts)
Post 1945: 602 Sqdn (Vickers-Supermarine Spitfies, later DH Vampires 1954 to 1957)
The Royal Navy lowered the White Ensign to end it’s days as a military aerodrome in October 1963. It then took about three years to reconstruct this aerodrome to become the main GLASGOW airport to replace RENFREW, opening in 1966.
Post 1966: RAF Glasgow UAS (DHC Chipmunks)
Glasgow & Strathclyde UAS (Beagle Bulldogs)
2013: University of Glasgow and Strathclyde Air Squadron (Grob 115 Tutors)
Operated by: 1990/2000: Glasgow Airport Ltd
Note:The last four pictures taken by the author.
British airline users: Air 2000, Airtours International, Air Southwest, Air World (Envoy), BEA, Britannia Airways, British Airways (BA), British Caledonian, British Eagle, British Midland Airways, Brymon Airways, Business Air, Caledonian Airways, Cambrian, Channel Airways, Court Line, Dan-Air, Donaldson International, Easyjet, Excalibur Airways, Flybe, Globalflyer, Loganair, Manx Airlines, Monarch Airlines, Thomson fly
Note: Both of these pictures taken by the author.
Foreign airline users: Adria Airways, Aer Arran, Aer Lingus, Air 2000 Airlines (Elite), Air Canada, Air Europa, Air Liberte Tunisie, Air Malta, American Airlines, American Trans Air (AMTRANS), Balkan-Bulgarian Airlines, Centennial Airlines (Cannon), Continental, Eurocypria Airlines, European Air Transport (Eurotrans), Futura, Icelandair, Intersun, KLM, Lufthansa, Newair, Northwest Airlines, Oasis International Airlines, Onur Air, Ryanair, SAS
Air cargo: Heavylift Cargo Airlines (scheduled service), KLM
Charter/air taxi: Aerofloat, Airgo, Assistair, Burnthills Aviation,
Air ambulance: BEA (British European Airwys), Loganair
Flying school: Glasgow Flying Club
Maintenance: Burnthills Aviation, Loganair
Manufacturing: Blackburn Aircraft and Scottish Aviation
Location: N of M8 at junction 28, 6nm W of Glasgow
Period of operation: Military: 1932 to 1957? (Not continuous?) Civil: 1966 to -
Note: These maps are reproduced with the kind permission of Pooleys Flight Equipment Ltd. Copyright Robert Pooley 2014.
Runways:
WW2: 06/24 1280x46 hard 10/28 940x46 hard
17/35 1580x46 hard
1948: 06/24 1280x46 hard 10/28 1110x46 hard
17/35 1097x46 hard
(10/28 1088x46 in 1990)
2000: 05/23 2658x46 hard 10/28 1104x46 hard
A MIKE CHARLTON GALLERY
Note: These pictures from postcards were kindly sent by Mike Charlton who has an amazing collection. See, www.aviationpostcard.co.uk
Second picture: The Vickers Vanguard is an interesting example of yet another British aviation industry flop. Right aircraft - wrong time. BEA were the launch customer, placing orders in 1955, but serious problems with the Rolls-Royce Tyne engine delayed its introduction into service. BEA ordered twenty, six of the V951 type and fourteen of the V953 type. Only forty-four were built and the only other airline to place orders was Trans-Canada Air Lines.
The main problem was that airlines now wanted jets. This said, it appears that the Vanguard was, once it got sorted out, a very fine aeroplane indeed with quite exceptional performance for a propeller driven airliner. Indeed, it appears that some considered it over-powered! A rather strange critiscm for any type of aircraft, and I bet the pilots didn't make it. Please correct me if I am wrong, but looking at this picture the Vanguard appears to have its own 'air-stairs' for passengers.
Fourth picture: I think this Vickers 806 Viscount, G-AOYO, has an interesting history in as much as after serving with BEA from the 20th December 1956 until the 29th May 1968, it was then operated by Northeast Airlines from the 30th May 1968 until the 31st March 1976. It was then registered to British Airways from the 1st April 1976 until the 27th of January 1984. BEA was amalgamated into British Airways in 1974 so it does make me wonder how many other ex-BEA aircraft were acquired by British Airways.
'Yankee Oscar' went to British Air Ferries at SOUTHEND from the 27th January 1984 until the 24th of September 1985. Quite a short period for some reason, before going to Spain.
Fifth picture: The launch customer for the BAC One-Eleven was British United Airways, who were then absorbed into British Caledonian. It appears that this picture was probably taken in the late 1960s or very early 1970s? Beyond, I think, is a Dan Air DH106 Comet 4B?
Seventh picture: On the apron are two British Airways Hawker Siddeley HS121 Tridents and a British Airways Vickers Viscount. As BEA, who originally operated the Trident was merged into British Airways along with BOAC in 1974, and the last BA Viscounts were withdrawn in Scotland in 1982, this pretty much dates this picture.
Ninth picture: The Hawker Siddeley HS121 Trident Series 3B-101 G-AWYZ. This Trident was registered to BEA from the 14th January 1969, but built in 1970. It then served with BEA until the 1st April 1974, when BEA and BOAC merged to form British Airways. It then went on to serve with BA until the 20th of February 1984. Then the records end. Was it scrapped or did it, like so many Tridents, go on to be positioned at an airport for use by the fire service. It seems, as far as I can make out - it was scrapped.
The history of the Trident is well worth looking at. In effect the original specification by de Havilland was pretty much spot on, although the requirement for triple-redundancy in the avionics fit is an argument that will probably never be resolved. BEA as the major launch customer insisted it had too many seats and a far greater range than needed. So a smaller version was designed to suit BEA. This meant that export sales, especially to the USA, were scuppered. I suppose that de Havilland simply could not afford to develop two versions side by side.
Plus of course, all the development work was given, free of charge, to the Americans and Boeing took full advantage in designing their simplfied 727 which was a huge success. Not much later on BEA announced, can you believe, that they needed a bigger version with more seats and greater range!
A LITTLE KNOWN ASPECT OF TRIDENT OPERATIONS?
When I gained my PPL an uncle of mine who had served with BEA since the start of the airline, having flown the Mosquito in WW2 with a Pathfinder squadron, then told me several stories about his career. This included flying Dakotas, Viscounts, Comets and ending up on Tridents. He told me that during the winter months BEA management would not install heaters and dehumidifiers in the Tridents, around the flight-deck, when parked overnight, despite serious requests to do so.
As a consequence, arriving early in the morning with everything cold-soaked and dripping in condensation, when they fired up the systems the warning lights lit up like a Christmas tree. The condition was known as "morning sickness'. Realising that invariably none of this really mattered, as the Trident was basically a very reliable aeroplane, they ignored most of the warning systems, and, given good readings from their analogue instruments, took off.
And, as the flight progressed and the flight deck warmed up, one by one all the warning lights went out. As he pointed out, this was totally unacceptable, but, if they didn't accept the risks involved and flew 'by the book', the majority of the BEA Trident fleet would have been grounded throughout much of the winter. The BEA top management regime, has of course gone down in the annals of aviation history as being amongst the worst ever known. Their accident record was abysmal.
NOTES: From a manufacturing point of view it should be explained that Blackburn in WW2 carried out final assembly and flight testing here; the Botha and Shark types being built in a factory in Dumbarton and a purpose-built barge ferried the aircraft across the Clyde. They also modified American aircraft for Fleet Air Arm use such as the Avenger, Corsair, Hellcat and Wildcat.
Scottish Aviation carried out assembly of imported American aircraft such as the Kingfisher, Kittyhawk, Martlet, Mohawk and Tomahawk.
THE BEA YEARS
During the period BEA operated the internal flights in Scotland, from GLASOW (ABBOTSINCH) 1966, (based at RENFREW initially of course), and before becoming British Airways, I thought it might be a good idea to add details of their fleet, for information and some local 'colour'. Not as easy as imagined - so advice will be most welcome.
The DH89A Dragon Rapides were, I think, already withdrawn from service during the RENFREW period, along with the Douglas C-47 Dakotas. But, perhaps the Pionair Leopard G-ALTT saw some limited service?
Far from being complete, it seems the fleet included these aircraft:
de Havilland DH.114 Herons: G-ANXA, G-ANXB and G-AOFY
Handley Page Heralds: G-APWB, G-APWC and G-APWD
Short SC7 Skyliners: G-ASZJ, G-BAIT
Plus seven Viscounts of which I can only trace five so far: G-AOHI, G-AOYM, G-AOYO, G-AOYR and G-APIM
THE OPENING OF THE NEW GLASGOW AIRPORT
Opened as GLASGOW AIRPORT in May 1966. A British Eagle BAC 1-11 was the first aircraft to land here on a crew training flight or so some records say. Other accounts record that although the ‘official’ opening was scheduled for 08.00 on the 2nd May 1966, BEA ferried two Handley Page Heralds over from RENFREW in the evening of the 1st to help celebrate the event. But it doesn’t end here according to James Allan; On the 26th April it appears a pilot of a RAF Pembroke, being “temporarily unsure of his position” landed here by mistake! Also, Captain Ken Foster of Loganair flying a Piper Cherokee and doing some last minute checks for the Ministry of Civil Aviation also touched down here. Such is history of course, rarely as written up!
AEROFLOAT
In 1992, or thereabouts, Captain Bob Swainston operated the Cessna P.206 G-SEAI as ‘Aerofloat’ and was, at that time at least, the only licensed commercial charter float-plane operator in the UK.
PRIVATE FLYING
It might seem hard to believe today but when GLASGOW opened there was a GA flying school based here and it continued in business until recent years. Jane Ritson was the first female pilot to ‘solo’ here.
Note: This information is reproduced with the kind permission of Pooleys Flight Equipment Ltd. Copyright Robert Pooley 2014.
AN UNIQUE SITUATION?
As far as I am aware, nothing like this exists at any other major UK airport, or at least once was allowed. In 2000 for example hang gliding, paragliding and microlight flying could be undertaken within the Glasgow Control Zone providing certain conditions were met.
SOME PERSONAL MEMORIES
In I992 I was invited to contribute to a book project by my very good friend Austin J Brown for the publishers, Ian Allan. This ended up flying a Cessna 172 into most of the major UK airports. As Austin had recently retired as an ATPL (airline pilot), having his advice and instruction to fly into major UK airports was a very great privilege - and a lot of fun too. Arriving from Aberdeen the air traffic controller at Glasgow steered us around his zone as if we were a 747, and we paid charges for this service! Not much appreciated as we were paying over a pound a miniute in flying time to hire our aircraft.
Terry Clark
This comment was written on: 2018-01-10 11:19:16I was training at Glasgow for most of 1972 and whilst I was there, the runway was extended at the western end withn the 'light' bits shwon k the first photo, which must have been taken in '72 or later. There were 2 civil flyingclubs there in ;72 both operating from the hangars west of the terminal building plus the UAS which had its own apron behind the Fire Station which was the other side of the terminal near the control tower.
Graeme Simpson
This comment was written on: 2018-01-19 13:07:57The three Concordes on the ground at the same time was on 30/08/1983. This was to celebrate the start of the BA Super Shuttle service between London and Glasgow.
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