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KeMac
27th Apr 2016, 12:21
I am not sure if this is the right place but we are trying to pin down the first aircraft to land at Abbotsinch when it opened as Glasgow airport (officially 2 May 1966). The first was actually an RAF Pembroke on 26 April which had mistaken Abbotsinch for Renfrew Airport. The archives show that two days later CAA Flying Unit Dove G-ANOV arrived but the question is - as it was presumably testing instruments would it actually have had to land or do overshoots?
Many Thanks
Keith

spekesoftly
27th Apr 2016, 21:11
If the CAAFU Dove was visiting Abbotsinch to calibrate/flight check the airport navigation aids, then it probably would have landed to drop off their engineering ground party before the flight checking started.

chevvron
28th Apr 2016, 04:21
I was told (by the ATC Training Officer when I worked at Glasgow ATC) that the first aircraft to land was before it was officially opened as a civil airport and was a Varsity which, not surprisingly, caused some consternation to the Irish navvies working on the runway at the time.
The Dove, as has been mentioned, probably visited in order to calibrate the ILS.

KeMac
28th Apr 2016, 09:09
Spekesoftly - good point but I suspect that they were dropped off at Renfrew airport which was a virtual stones throw away and we have a picture of it taken on the apron at Renfrew on that day (28th April 1966). Renfrew closed for good when Abbotsinch opened. NOV is at East Fortune now and someone suggested contacting the museum to see if there were any logbooks with it.

Chevvron - The Pembroke which landed in error on the 26th April was WV703

Many Thanks
KeMac