Sydney Airport 1950's

[Tmbstory]

When I first started flying there was a north east/south west runway/ landing area at Sydney Airport as well as the 07/25 and 16/34 runways.

If anyone remembers or has photos of " this short strip" , I would appreciate information or a photo or two.

Kind regards

Tmb

[nomorecatering]

U have a book at home that details YSSY, its called...i think, from paddocks to boeings. Has some good photos of teh runway complex in the 50's and clearly shows that runway. One end was where the Qantas engine overhaul centre is and the other is up towards the carpark next to general Holmes Dr and cooks river.

[QSK?]

Tmbstory:

Try this link:

Airways Museum / Civil Aviation Historical Society (http://www.airwaysmuseum.com/)

They usually have a lot of good old photos.

Cheers QSK?

[Aye Ess]

The book is called "From Bullocks to Boeings:an illustrated history of Sydney Airport" by Jennifer Gall.

Near the threshold of rwy 16 the train line used to cross. The controllers had to check for trains prior to clearing aircraft. One rainy night a DC3 hit a goods train & subsequently the line was moved further north.

[Tmbstory]

nomorecatering
QSK?
Aye Ess:

Thany you for the input, I am trying to get a photo or two of that shorter NE/ SW strip at Sydney, in that era.

Am also chasing up the book From Bullocks to Boeings.

Kind regards

Tmb

[Runaround Valve]

The runway that Tmbstory is seeking ran about the 03/21 direction, it was at the 03 end that the DC-3 hit the train. There was the runway and adjacent taxiway. The taxiway went up and down a rise as it crossed the railway line and the runway was level. The Stratocruisers of Pan Am had a tail down attitude and would have scraped the aft fuselage if they attempted to cross the railway line via the taxiway, so they would do a backtrack down the runway instead.

[Runaround Valve]

I have done some research since my last post. The runways in 1950 were 16/34, 11/29 and 04/22 which is the one that Tmbstory asked about.
Runway 07/25 did not exist then.
A layout of the runways and the DC-3 collision with the train can be read on www.spiritsofansett.com/history/Niven/trains.htm (http://www.spiritsofansett.com/history/Niven/trains.htm)

[Tmbstory]

Runaround Valve:

Many thanks for the information and the link. It is what I was looking for. I do appreciate it.

Tmb

[lamax]

I was a school boy in the mid 40s to the mid 50s and have many happy memories of Mascot as it was known.I spent every available minute after school and on week ends exploring its aircraft and hangars as well as collecting dozens of airline brochures from domestic and international departure lounges.
Recollections, not in order are, clambering over an abandoned Halifax freighter, riding bikes in the prop wash of tethered Hudsons and DC3s doing engine runs, the first sight of a jet aircraft, a Vampire on close left base for rwy 04, the first heavy jet, a Valiant parked where the Virgin terminal is today. Security was of course non existent, enjoyed a ride in a fire truck after running across rwy 16 in front of a departing DC3.
Aircraft noise was never a problem, being woken up every morning to the glorious sounds of engineers running up large radials and the evocative sights and sounds of an endless early morning gaggle of departures climbing away into the blue Sydney skies, no SIDS then the skies seemed to be covered with aeroplanes tracking in all directions.
Present airport operators would not welcome B377 Stratocruisers which dripped gallons of oil onto the tarmac, on one occasion I got into the flight deck and obtained the Captains autograph, he without thinking pocketed my cherished turned brass biro and I wasn't game to ask for it's return!
In early 1954 I spent hours one day searching the skies for the first Comet arrival only to be bitterly disappointed to read in the evening papers that it had crashed in Karachi. I wonder how many readers recalled the subsequent arrival 18 months later of the first jet airliner into Sydney, a BOAC Comet 3 in December 1955. A large crowd had gathered along the flight strip of rwy 25, on short final the spectators surged forward and the aircraft was forced to go around. A most memorable sight from mid way down the runway!
When rwy 07/25 was built but not commissioned we rode our bikes along it for hours from the 16 intersection to the 07 threshold. I was fortunate enough to know I was on my last flight in 2006 (rather than not know it was my last flight), that long final across the beaches and eastern suburbs onto Rwy 25 could have gone on forever as I thought about those exciting days at Mascot over 50 years ago.
Apologies to the young guys that read this, it's really meant for old guys with long memories.

[friction]

No need to apologize for concluding a marvelous career Max, I cherish the memories of flying with you .... Your Permanent First Officer.:cool:

[Tmbstory]

Lamax:

Please do not apologise to the young ones, they will also become older pilots one day.

Thoughly enjoyed reading your post, there have been some good stories that have come out of Sydney Airport over the years.One I remember was sitting in a line of traffic at the holding point of 16 while the first arrival of the Condorde made it's approach and landing to the same runway. The black smoke from the engines certainly stood out.

Tmb

[QSK?]

lamax:

your post is gold! No need to apologise.

[Runaround Valve]

On the northern side of the airport were the QANTAS hangars. from east to west they were 85, Constellation servicing, 58 was Constellation major overhaul, 20 was Douglas DC-4 and DC-3 servicing. Next was 12 which was the fitting and machining shop. After that were about another five hangars, occupied by Pan American, Butler Air Transport, and Department of Civil Aviation. The last one was Adastra Aerial Surveys. Hangar 85 was originally a flying boat hangar at Rose Bay and was relocated to Mascot later. In the Department of Civil Aviation hanger was Sir Charles Kingsford
Smith`s ' Southern Cross' VH-USU. It was possible to inspect the aircraft and get inside to sit in the pilots seat, which I did.
The suburb between the QANTAS and Trans Australia hangars was called
Lauriston Park. Not many people would remember that.
In a hangar on the TAA side was a DC-4 that was broken down. Was ANA I think and hit a ditch or suchlike on landing and declared a write off.

[mirage3]

Come on you blokes and girls. Tell us your stories so that the rest of can attempt to gain the magic that you people experienced. We can probably only ever dream of what you did as we won't be able to duplicate it in this world of overly legalised and regulated regimes. Oh, for the freedom of flight. Remember the days when you weren't mandated to use the autopilot and could actually make a decision without first referring to the SOPs, then referring to the SOPs and thirdly asking the right seat if we should refer to it again.

[Worrals in the wilds]

Present airport operators would not welcome B377 Stratocruisers which dripped gallons of oil onto the tarmac,

Oh, I dunno, they might make an exception for a Stratocruiser, even a DC8's sadly a rare sight these days...

Security was of course non existent, enjoyed a ride in a fire truck after running across rwy 16 in front of a departing DC3.

...although that would probably be an issue ;):}

Don't apologise for such wonderful stories. If only aviation was still that cool :ok:

[Wally Mk2]

Am sure us older drivers can tell a few stories but few like 'lamax' Thanks very enjoyable reading:ok:

As many others threads have degenerated into almost nasty comments between the Gen 'Y" pilots & the mature drivers floating around here it saddens me to some degree that the gen 'Y" pilots won't ever have such stories to tell as lamax has portrayed here after they have completed a life's time of aviation, we can only wonder for them what life will be like flying in 40 yrs or so time. But as they say..........that's another story!:)

I can recall as a child living across the Valley of EN Airport I/we kids used to ride to the airport leave our pushies with the car park gate man & wander off into the GA area & poke around the old Canberra bombers that where stored up the Nthern end of the Drome as well as watch the old Bristal Freighters leak oil right there in front of our eyes:-) The poor re-fullers having to climb up atop the high winged plane & fuel in all sorts of weather:-) The old PBY in latter years that was more like a flying spiders web of wires based at EN:-) I believe that had it ever landed on water that would be where it would stay, beneath the waves:-) We would wonder out to the end of the Covered fingers ways & watch planes come & go. I still watch planes come & go from the same airport but the ghosts of many characters along with their unique stories (such as Keith Hants, one of the nicest guys you would ever meet) have long gone:sad:
We each have our own story/s to tell am sure,would make for some teary reading if they could ever be told such as lamax has shown here:)


Wmk2

[Tmbstory]

Below is a copy of a post I made in March 2009.

"Weird HF Antenna Kit
In 1965 I managed to have Sydney airport put on a high sense of alert when we were doing a Test flight on Survey equipment, a "Bomb Shaped" device to measure the magnetic field over a particular portion of land.

The extending and winding in of the device was quite similar to your antenna.

After a test we found we could not retract the "bomb" and we could not jettison it, so after much discussion with the Tower in Sydney, which included an option to try and drag it off on the water of Botany Bay, or try and "land" it on the runway at the Airport. The feeling was that the "bomb" may skip off the runway and wrap itself over the Tail Plane, with a resulting big problem. They filmed the landing and there was no drama, the "bomb" flew gently onto the runway, wore off about half an inch of one of the fins, the wheels of the aircraft then touched down and the emergency ended. The Airport then reopened and the engineers got into the system and fixed it .The reel system had broken and jammed between the cockpit floor and the bottom of the aircraft.
The aircraft was a Cessna 310 B model."

Tmb

[Ascend Charlie]

My enduring memory of getting to Mascot was the stink along Botany Road or O'Riordan Street, from the tannery and brewery. Eeeeewww!:yuk: