Manston Airfield

[GotTheTshirt]

Was anyone here at Manston during its time as a civil airport ?
I think there were a couple of airlines that did operate from there.

[SpringHeeledJack]

KLM were flying regularly to and from AMS in the last year or so of it's life as an airport.

[Heathrow Harry]

GoD!

For a moment I thought the Mods had finally moved the long running and hilarious thread from "Airports" to "History"...............

[lotus1]

use to see das cargo African international also mk use to operate from here numerious Russian types an12 il76 and an124 also did see an22 latest news local council ukip in disarray the head has resigned all partys have split up river oak investment want to run airport there was a piece in local news that they have spoken to Ryanair and if airport is open would base 2 planes there similar operation as EU jet did time will tell they do still have a helicopter company base there on tv the other night

[Harry Wayfarers]

LCC EUJet tried and failed operations from MSE, Flybe had a route or two that failed, adhoc charters and freighters, Jet Support maintenance brought in some freighter maintenance work, great for crew training for London based operators, I actually diverted a DUS/SEN F27 freighter in there one sh*t day back in the 80's ... Alas MSE as a commercial airport has never been anything to become excited about.

[lotus1]

Should have mentioned Airferry and invicta in the sixties and seventies both boomed from manston when package holidays took off. as mentioned before closure fascination of Russian types seen Gas il76 Lat charter 134 and an Iranian il76 got a picture somewhere

[Stampe]

My logbook shows entries into Manston to and from Jersey in various Vickers Viscounts during the summers of 1986 and 1987 when it was joint Civil/military.Summer season weekend only passenger charter routes for my then employer British Air Ferries I seem to remember the loads were always well subscribed and one trip in particular landing when there was some sort of airshow in progress which was stopped for a short interval whilst we arrived.Happy days running round the U.K. feeding the then thriving Channel Islands holiday market.18 Viscounts plus a few Heralds and Shorts 360s were working that market plus adhoc charters both passenger and freight.Regards Stampe

[lotus1]

Cosmos also run a number of flights to Majorca belive 94/95 used viva air 737 and eurocypria run a programme to Cyprus must have been 92/93 they also used airbus32o also Newmarket holidays run a programme with small planets 737s this was around the time the airport closed they did try and run this service from lydd but did not last I also remember the BAF viscounts on the jersey run they did also use Gill airs shorts 360

[treadigraph]

Didn't BA use it for early crew training on the A380?

[lotus1]

yes you are right BA did use both the 380 and 787 For flight training also virgin did 340 training but had difficulties with aircraft turning when landing

[Centaurus]

I lived in Tonbridge during the war and around 1946 our school Army Cadets had a camp at Manston although not on the actual airport which was RAF.
A couple us 14 year olds decided to cross the runways to have a look at Spitfires on the RAF tarmac. As far as I can recall there were no guards to be seen so we simply hopped the fence at the field where we were camped in tents and walked on the aeodrome.

FIDO pipes were crawled over and we started to cross a runway. Next minute we saw a formation of Spitfires apparently going around. Suddenly RAF guards with rifles arrived and with eminent restraint told us to go back from whence we came. We did as we were told and it was then we found the Spits had indeed gone around when ATC had warned the pilots of some kids in Army uniform about to cross the landing runway. The guards would have been entitled to kick our bums but they were gentlemen and let us go with a gentle admonishment.

[lotus1]

In the seventies our annual holiday was to ramsgate we had a family caravan at st Lawrence my older brother and myself would go up to manston in the evening to see if any aircraft was up there one year must have been 77/78 we was amazed to see 3 Belfasts these in later life became the heavy lift ones still in RAF colours but with pan African titles the amazing thing was there was no security around we managed to go right up to them we walked down the old terminal road no one there two invicta Britannias also an area dc4 which had belly landed RAF had pulled off with chains on chains we had just left when suddenly there was tremendous roar a buccaneer flew in what a sight

[rog747]

air ferry and invicta airlines both at the start of the package holiday boom in the 1960's flew from here and coaches from victoria or london terminals took the holiday makers to the airport and was included in the package to france austria switzerland italy or the spanish Costas and balearics

Lyons Tours was a big operator for the airlines

sadly an air ferry dc-4 left Manston june 3 1967 on a night flight to PGP for Lyons Tours and crashed on the slopes of Mt Canigou during let down
the next morning an inbound argonaut (canadian built variant of DC-4) from PMI to MAN suffered fuel starvation on final approach went around and then crashed at Stockport trying to return to Ringway

[rog747]

also in 1968 a british eagle Britannia Trojan departed LHR for Oz on an MoD flight and could not raise the main gear
after burning off fuel they crash landed gear down on a foam runway all pax/crew got out OK but the a/c was a w/off

also a Dan Air comet suffered a gear collapse too at Manston

[DaveReidUK]

also in 1968 a british eagle Britannia Trojan departed LHR for Oz on an MoD flight and could not raise the main gear
after burning off fuel they crash landed gear down on a foam runway all pax/crew got out OK but the a/c was a w/off

20th April 1967.

http://www.britisheagle.net/pictures/G-ANCG%20crash%201.jpg

[rog747]

davereidUK

sad for me as trojan was my first ever flight LAP-BCN summer 1964

[lotus1]

My brother has just told me there was unscheduled service operated by Volkswagen they had a big base just up the road at sandwitch they use to fly a islander and also sometimes a hs125 over there also was another small start up airline air Kent with chieftains this was around 78/79 didn't last long

[treadigraph]

Volkswagen GB had Islander G-AZEH for a year or so in the mid-70s; I remember seeing it "beating up" the Volkswagen Building in Purley sometime in 1975. There were some steep turns around the building and in my mind's eye they were quite low, probably something rather less than 1000'! I seem to recall it was quite a dark colour overall with VW on the fin.

The VW Building now known as Capella Court is just a few yards up the road from where I live now; Freddie Laker ran a business from there some years after Laker Airways collapsed.

The 125s were German registered.

Edit: found some pics of 'ZEH at Biggin, overall dark blue with "Express Parts Service" titles.

[suninmyeyes]

Air Gambia used to fly a Boeing 707 from Gatwick to Banjul and back in the 90's. However It also regularly used to fly from Manston to Gatwick and back. Was this to avoid the costs of keeping the plane on the ground at Gatwick?

[DaveReidUK]

Until a few years ago Iran Air's Heathrow-Tehran service always used to make a tech stop at Manston.

[DC10RealMan]

Why would Iran Air make a tech stop at Manston?

[Fly.Buy]

Yes until 2011, Iran Air Heathrow flights stopped at Manston to refuel thereby circumventing US sanctions.

[DaveReidUK]

Yes until 2011, Iran Air Heathrow flights stopped at Manston to refuel thereby circumventing US sanctions.

The circumvention continued for several years after that - after the Manston flights ceased in December 2011, the LHR-IKA flight routed via Vienna for a few weeks, then via Ljubljana or Malpensa for while and more recently via Prague.

It's only since January 2016, when US sanctions were lifted, that they have actually been able to fly direct to Tehran from LHR.

[lotus1]

I remember this article was on one local news channels it showed an Iran Airbus land at manston then refilled belive it caused a few raised eye brows with the government then suddenly stopped with regards to th air Gambia 707 this was which omega air owned manston had quite a few old 707s turn up around 92/93 they also flew them under flags of convinances I remember seeing one with a Mexican reg there was over 10 parked at manston once mostly scrapped I know one of the omega air aircraft was leased to the United Nations and run over a runway some where there was over 160 troops on board either Indian or Pakistan .I belive omega air moved to Ireland they use to operate from an old shady building across from the terminal this now demolished should have also mentioned air Atlanta operated from manston with Tristars 747 also did see a airbus310 which they operated it was a airport you did not know what was turning up fantastic let's hope it opens again

[chevvron]

Am I alone in wishing lotus1 would learn what punctuation marks are?

[lotus1]

Sorry chevron and anyone else I was brought up on a rough south London comprehensive school?

[chevvron]

Sorry chevron and anyone else I was brought up on a rough south London comprehensive school?

So was my missus (Camberwell)

[lotus1]

Apologise all round then.

[canberra97]

Air Gambia used to fly a Boeing 707 from Gatwick to Banjul and back in the 90's. However It also regularly used to fly from Manston to Gatwick and back. Was this to avoid the costs of keeping the plane on the ground at Gatwick?

Now that's very interesting and something that I wasn't aware of.

I've always wondered why there are several photos online showing the Air Gambia B707 at Manston and none showing the aircraft at Gatwick on any of the remote stands for it's layover, now I know the reason :-)

[aloominumtoob]

Cheaper to land and park at MSE than LGW.:) Re. the post about the airshow, arrived at Mse in a MK DC8 during the show, and made a low pass before landing to the delight of all.:E Just prior to the Balkans war, we had almost daily services by JAT for Yugotours which stopped immediately the conflict started.:(
AT

We also had, on a Tuesday evening, if I remember correctly, in the summer season a 737-200 of Air Atlantis (Portugese) drop in for motion lotion because it could not make SEN to Faro in one hop.
TTFN
AT

[lotus1]

WIth regards to operators from manston what ever happend to Mama airlines they
Did have a operators licence aircraft type to be used was going to be 737 aircraft .This must have been around 2003/2004.

[GotTheTshirt]

Manston was a major D & D airfield and had a nice 'line" in Foam runways!!

[DaveReidUK]

Manston was a major D & D airfield

Hence the runway that's almost as wide as it is long. :O

[Harry Wayfarers]

Manston was a MDA (Master Diversion Airfield) of which the RAF had 8, I worked at one of them (Lyneham) so it had nothing to do with runway width although another MDA was St Mawgan which had a 300' wide runway, I( think it was Leeming that also had a foam runway facility.

[chevvron]

Hence the runway that's almost as wide as it is long. :O

Only because it was one of the 3 'emergency' runways built during WW2, the others being Woodbridge and Bridlington/Carnaby. Whilst Woodbridge still exists, Carnaby has been almost obliterated by industrial buildings.
They were all 9,000ft long and effectively 3 'normal' width runways side by side.

[dixi188]

Manston also had FIDO.

[DaveReidUK]

Only because it was one of the 3 'emergency' runways built during WW2, the others being Woodbridge and Bridlington/Carnaby. Whilst Woodbridge still exists, Carnaby has been almost obliterated by industrial buildings.
They were all 9,000ft long and effectively 3 'normal' width runways side by side.

Yes, that's what I was thinking of. :\

[Harry Wayfarers]

In the old days, in crosswind conditions, the RAF even allowed Brymon to land their DHC7's across the runway at St. Mawgan

[Old Photo.Fanatic]

Jan. 21st 1961.
Troop flight to Germany.
Hermes Aircraft, I cannot remember the operator, maybe "Eagle"?

OPF

[GotTheTshirt]

Yes Dave the width is the thing !! One of the clubs with MS 880 used to take of across the runway ! I had a nose gear stuck in a Cessna 310 going into Biggin Hill. Biggin said you cant land here you''ll block the Runway ! They said we have contacted Manston and they will take you. I called Manston and they said I HAD to have foam !!
They asked what length I required !!! I said what is normal ?? They said will 2,000 feet be OK. So I said yes then orbited while they laid it. It was very quick with 2 tankers but when they finished 2,000 feet of foam on that runway looked very small !!

[Herod]

Back in the day, the RAF Hercules fleet used Manston for practicing three-engine take-offs.

[Harry Wayfarers]

Back in the day the CAA insisted Heavylift use Manston to practice some landings before putting a widebody A300 in to SEN's narrow runway.

And the AN124 filming of 'Die Another Day' was done at Manston courtesy of Air Foyle Heavylift

[treadigraph]

My limited piloting experience includes three landings - the first was a greaser at Manston, difficult to miss! Second was at Headcorn, apparently I landed in the big rut on the runway, well, that's my excuse for the thump that tested the sprung steel to its limits...

[chevvron]

Yes Dave the width is the thing !! One of the clubs with MS 880 used to take of across the runway ! I had a nose gear stuck in a Cessna 310 going into Biggin Hill. Biggin said you cant land here you''ll block the Runway ! They said we have contacted Manston and they will take you. I called Manston and they said I HAD to have foam !!
They asked what length I required !!! I said what is normal ?? They said will 2,000 feet be OK. So I said yes then orbited while they laid it. It was very quick with 2 tankers but when they finished 2,000 feet of foam on that runway looked very small !!
Did you have to pay for it?
Controllers at units other than Manston had strict instructions not to mention to pilots they would be charged for the use of the foam carpet unless the pilot specifically asked.

[GotTheTshirt]

Hi Chevron good point !! They did not mention to me about any charge -- However when the Insurance Guys came round they pointed out that there was a charge of 4,000 pounds for the foam which was not covered !! The gear failure was the forward link rod shearing so as it settled into the foam the nose gear pushed back into the bay. I put the two bladed props horizontal, so after the Guys washed all the foam off, I pulled the nose gear down, pinned it down and l flew the aircraft back to Biggin. So I pointed out to the Insurance guy that damage without the foam the repair bill would have been considerable more than 4k. They accepted the foam charge !!

[lotus1]

Does anyone remember the Arax Airlines Dc4 Which belly landed on the foam runway must of been 77/78 . This was on test flight from Southend the pilot was either ex AirFerry or Invicta

[Fareastdriver]

A Valiant did a wheels up on Manston's foam runway back in the sixties. One of the mainwheels wouldn't go down so they went through the procedure and selected emergency lowering on the wheel that wouldn't go down. On the Valiant you could select either wheel and the system would blow the outer door lock and the door would open followed by the undercarriage being lowered with the emergency actuators.

That didn't work so they cleaned up and carried out a belly landing.

At the wash up they found that the individual emergency undercarriage lowering circuits had been cross wired since manufacture. They didn't hear the bang on the wrong side.

[lotus1]

Last time I saw Arax Airlines at manston it was 1990 they had aDc8 also Flash airlines Dc8 came in and Turkish cargo airlines Golden Horn 707 was at modern jet support.

[DaveReidUK]

Does anyone remember the Arax Airlines Dc4 Which belly landed on the foam runway must of been 77/78 . This was on test flight from Southend the pilot was either ex AirFerry or Invicta

5N-ARC (42941) on 28th February 1979.

[good spark]

arax dc4 yep i was there it was just about dusk when it came back from the test flt i should remember the captain? anyway we (in the hangar) heard there was a prob so everyone went out and he came in over ramsgate with 1 & 4 shutdown then it went quite wen he shutdow n the other two then a strange swishing sound as the aeroplane was in the foam!, vic surridge was flying it, the monkey on the stick had got on the wrong side of the hook all the linkage was worn and mankey!the raf wanted the runway back in something like 30 mins which was not pos so they came out with two iron fairys and put steel cables around the wings in between the engines and lifted!!! the cables cut through the leading edge and the flaps and falsework to the spar caps then dumped the thing on a bomb trolly very sad as the landing damage was very slight happy days at invictas we had the arax dc3 there as well then later i worked for them with the dc8 till they lost it in cairo



gs

[lotus1]

Any idea when the Arax Dc4 left .I am sure I saw it still at Manston in August 79 On jacks .

[treadigraph]

Pic of her here on the trolley (http://www.airliners.net/photo/Untitled-Arax-Airlines/Douglas-DC-4-1009/2008094).

[good spark]

treadi, many thanks for that! shame it dosent show the cable damage which took a team from atel several months to repair, i seem to remember all four spar caps where damaged


gs

[treadigraph]

4433

View of the runway taken sometime in the 1990s - I'd guess we had been involved in resurfacing or repairing it, too long ago for me to recall now!

[good spark]

i think that pic is much older, there is no flying club which would appear bottom right and the prospect area seems to still have the isolation hospital i`m pretty sure that was knocked down early eighties just after i moved here! a lifetime ago!


gs

[treadigraph]

You could very well be right. I was given the pic to accompany a tender around 1994 or 5 I think. The work could well have predated that by 10 years or more I suppose. Never had a project data sheet for the airfield; we certainly did some work for the RAF fire school.

When I landed there, I recall going into the flying club for a coffee and a pee; must have been 1989. It wasn't far from the runway, that I do know!

[lotus1]

It was 84 the runway was resurfessed .Could have been Laings who done this .Watched the Saturday BAF Jersey flight have to use part of runway not being worked on and the taxi way to Depart.

[tcinbg]

As I have not made 10 postings I'm not allowed to post a URL link, however, searching G for "G-ANCG EMERGENCY LANDING MANSTON APRIL 20th 1967" should find a video of the British Eagle Britannia landing on the foam carpet. I worked in ATC at Manston from November 66 to August 67, posted on promotion.

[CloudHound]

Foam carpets aren't used in the UK anymore. Wonder why?:hmm:

[treadigraph]

tcinbg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSjip32nehY

lotus1, that would probably be right; the PSA Airfields Branch would have been the design authority, Laings could well have been the contractor. I joined PSA in '85.

[chevvron]

Foam carpets aren't used in the UK anymore. Wonder why?:hmm:

Got the Tshirt said the charge was 4 grand and that must have been at least 20 years ago.

[GotTheTshirt]

Hi Chevrron,
It was late 70's ??
Trying to find log books in the loft !!!
There was a paint shop at Little Staughton and I was ferrying it back to Biggin Hill after respray !

[chevvron]

Hi Chevrron,
It was late 70's ??
Trying to find log books in the loft !!!
There was a paint shop at Little Staughton and I was ferrying it back to Biggin Hill after respray !

I think they stopped doing it about 1990 and presumably the cost went up with inflation.

[tcinbg]

treadigraph, thanks.