Stationair8:
Anyone remember the two D50 Twin Bonanza's that lived there in the 1970's,
VH-CLM was one of them.
Yep I do (noisy buggers) and the other one was VH-CLN.
I did my training at MB in '73 and you also failed to mention another couple of things that have disappeared or changed:
- the 04/22 grass runways;
- no GAAP contra-rotating circuits;
- the old control tower and briefing office;
- having to call MB Ground for taxi clearance;
- VFR Full Reporting and NOSAR/NO DETAILS;
- the run-up bays which in those days were located close to the runway 35/31 thresholds;
- large number of market gardens (instead of houses) surrounding the airport (it was very easy to find GMH then) and
-the lack of parking space for aircraft even on the grass.
Also Saturday mornings training in a Be23 on VDO and being number 11 waiting for takeoff! Then again, it was only $29 per hour dual; still a lot of money for a young goat in those days. Also no pilot headsets in training aircraft in those days: just the unbearable noise, hand signals from your instructor, the hand-held mic and the ability to guess correctly what the tower guy was saying to you (?)
Ah, those were the days!