A few of my memories of Ringway-
Going with my friend Roger and his parents in their Austin (KAT 647 - why can I remember that registration when I can't remember if I locked the back door this evening?) to 'look at the planes'. This must have been circa 1952 or 3 (we were VERY young). The car park was cinders, I think we saw a Rapide that was doing pleasure flights and I can remember the Fairey hangar was clearly visible. I have no idea where the car park was in relation to today's layout.
I was never a frequent visitor to EGCC as a pilot but my logbook tells me I first went there on 31 May 1971 in a Cherokee G-AVBM. I visited several more times that year, once in a Chipmunk to pick up my then girlfriend, a hostie on BEA's S1-11 fleet, parking alongside one of the piers! My last visit was 2 Oct 1999 in command of a 146.
I certainly remember North Western Roadcar's buses with the lateral benches upstairs. Getting off wasn't much of a problem on the route I used to travel - Glossop to Manchester with stops in Stalybridge and Ashton only. (As an aside I also remember the SHMD buses which worked the same area - they all seemed to be real rattletraps).