Liverpool - Speke airport

[mmatthej1]

Just found this interesting website, lots of nice old pix etc:

Speke Airport in former days (http://www.chesterwalls.info/gallery/airport.html)

[Shannon volmet]

Thanks for that, I spent many hours on the spotters balcony below the tower in the 60's. My Dad used to fly for Starways, and there is a photo of one of the DC3's he used to fly for them.:O

[Tableview]

There was a Marriott Hotel in the Art Deco building which used to be the terminal. It has many historic photos and mementos of the early days of Liverpool Airport and is well worth a stay. Apparently it's now a Crowne Plaza but no doubt just as good.

[Liobian]

Me too, Shannon, we must have met; spotted as MGAE/MSAE member and worked there until '69.
Speke's old apron is now graced by Br. Eagle Britannia G-ANCF, Shell's Prince 3a G-AMLZ; ex-Emerald HS748 G-BEJD ; Meteor F8 WH291 and Jetstream 41 G-JMAC, in varying states of preservation. The Rapide out front of the hotel is a modern replica (nuff said)

[Hen Ddraig]

Brings back a few memories. I started my flying training there in 1958

Hen ddraig

Time to spare, go by air

[chiglet]

I was detatched to Liverpool ATC and whilst working in Flight Briefing, I was asked to hand swing the prop on a Pitts Special....going to Ireland. As we walked across the apron we crossed a white line. We were now in a "Customs Area"....:ok:

[ScouseFlyer]

Oh happy days!Very probably come across some of you as I used to spend a good part of my life on the terrace in the early-mid sixties watching arrivals and departures-Cambrian,Aer Lingus,British Eagle,Dan Air,Aer Turas etc having caught the 82(?) bus on Aigburth Rd straight to the airport.
Non aviation highlight was on a visit to atc in 1962/63 with my mate's dad who was an atco and bumping(almost literally) into the Beatles in the non-public areas in the terminal.

SF

I too was a member of MSAE-went on a couple of trips with them-only one I can remember now was a trip to Warton,Salmesbury etc around about the same time.

[mmatthej1]

Some Old Pictures of Speke Airport - Old Wirral Forums (http://oldwirral.activeboard.com/t32141137/some-old-pictures-of-speke-airport/)

[berniemack]

Hi. I would interested to know who your father is? I worked for Starways from 1956 to late 1963. I was an engineer and flew as a flying spanner on their DC 4s. I clocked up a few thousand hours of which were mostly on long haul flights to Hong Kong, South Africa, OZ etc, etc, I also did a spell in the Lebanon and the Congo. During this time I got to know many of the Pilots and got to know most of them pretty well as we spent lots of time in each others company on night stops etc. The ones I used to fly with were:-
George Leigh, Kieth (Dad as he was known) Goodwin, Jimmy Tickle, Frank Feenan, Val Meadway, Van Den-elst, Barny Potts, Johny Socket, Bryan Monkton, Gordon Greirson, Mike Tracy, Philip Ledent, Frank Caroll and a few more. If your dad is amongst these name, I would (out of curiosity) be interested to know,------ you probably know many of these names anyway!! They were all great pilots and that is why I am still here to tell the tale,-----------those really were the the golden days of aviation never to be seen again!!

Kindest regds, Bernie Mackenzie

[thetexpat]

berniemack

Greetings from a former 'member' of the BRITISH EAGLE Flight Operations gang who remembers many of the names listed! I worked with Fred Marshall, Keith Milligan, Fred Thompson & Barry Hesketh! I'm still in touch with Don Eckford (if you remember him?)!

Good to hear yer still kickin' around! I, too, certainly miss the Golden Days! BTW, do you remember 'Mush' from the telecomms office? She passed on a few years ago 'smiling 'til the end'!

Cheers Bernie,
Graham B

[Fokkerwokker]

Hi Bernie

Great to hear you are still cracking on.

Graham seems to have airbrushed me out!

Captain Cliff Watson, in particular, was very much an inspiration to me and encouraged me onwards and upwards which resulted in my recently retiring (forcibly retired!) from the pointy end after 40 years in the airline business.

Great days at Eagle Liverpool....oh and all those pretty gals!

Al

[sycamore]

F-W,thought you were still `55`..?

[stigansven]

Hi Gents. I Searched on the net for Speke Airport for a connection to
STARWAYS AIR CHARTERS, the reason being I have a "Information Of Interest"
sheet that was given to passengers on flights from Speke to Lourdes. This is a very interesting Itinerary.
Dakota --SPEED 150mph--Height 8.000ft----Distance 725 miles.
WHISKY---1/6 TOT-------BOT 17.6
BRANDY----2/- TOT------BOT 20/-
DON'T WORRY remember you are in the safe hands of 2 fully experienced pilots.
I would send pictures , but i haven't a clue how to send them.

stigansven

[mmatthej1]

Nice pic of Starways Viscount - why the french reg., I wonder?

Weekend read: Looking back at Liverpool as a city on the move - Liverpool Echo (http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/lifestyle/nostalgia/weekend-read-looking-back-liverpool-6179658)

[mmatthej1]

Oh, move the page down, then click 'view gallery', Viscount is a few pix along...........

[Liobian]

... because it was supplied new to Air France in 1954, and reached Starways several years later.

You can see more about them all on Vickers Viscount Network - A Virtual Museum dedicated to the Vickers-Armstrongs VC2 Viscount (http://www.vickersviscount.net)

[mmatthej1]

Presume that the Viscount had only recently come to Starways, as it would surely have needed UK registration to operate?

(Btw, I have a Starways schedule out of Speke in 1961 - any idea how I can attach it to a posting, plse?)