Originally Posted by
ATNotts
Back in the mists of time BMA ran a late night IT from BHX to MAH, so they probably did others as well, and also the Viscounts were used for the pilgrims traveling to Lourdes, and the destination airport on the BHX departure board was Tarbes. At the time I believed the airports of Lourdes and Tarbes were different but having looked online it appears as though they are one in the same. Whether there were actually two airports back in the 70s, or if Lourdes didn't have an airport of it's own back then I don't know. I'm sure someone else will!
I'll do a bit of research into the BHX / MAH and see what I come up with, as I've got several of the old Birmingham Airport Timetables from that era that were published by an organisation called "The Airport Timetable Company" who I think were from Manchester. Did they publish timetables for other airports? I would have assumed so, as they couldn't have made much from the 6d, then 3p monthly Birmingham one.
Yes the BMA Viscount charter BHX-MAH was one of the last BMA VC8 IT charter services to the Med we ever did - Summer 1980? give or take a year...
Also we did LPL - PMI around the same time which I used a few times -
I could board at LHR after my late shift on the last LPL service up, and then the same VC8 usually would take the holiday flight to Palma.
A leisurely sojourn through the night with a hot meal. Took around 4 hours or so...Skipper would come down the back and sit with us and eat his dinner.
For me I did not have the bother of going home to get my bags and traipse to LGW or LTN, LOL....
On arrival at Palma, I would then take the 06.00 Iberia 727 flight to Ibeeefa...
One would repeat the process going home, sometimes to an earlyish start shift at LHR via the first LPL-LHR!
Came totally unstuck once on the way home, landed back at Palma about 23.30 on the last flight in from IBZ, and looked up at the Dep's Board and the BMA LPL flight said ''Cancelled'' !
Ooops, so had a quick work with our Agent, a fantastic chap with a big moustache and always smoking, he was well known at Palma, and he said look at the Board and tell me where you want to go!
I saw a GK flight to LGW so I said 'that one'...Oh he said that's on Final Boarding, Don't worry follow me. We ran outside in to the warm night air and he said jump in.
We then raced across the ramp in his little beat-up Seat ramp mobile to a big shiny Laker DC-10 about to the pull the back steps off, I dashed up the stairs, and took the empty back row!
Hostie looked puzzled lol.
It was Sept 1979 and the DC-10's had just been un-grounded so everyone was very quiet!
Landed back at LGW at stupid O'clock though.
EDIT- just seen this thread is 2 years old LOL...... I already replied to that one.......