View Full Version : Happy Birthday "Tullamarine Airport"
Checklist Charlie
1st Jul 2020, 07:23
Fifty years ago today I stood with a number of fellow QANTAS and other airport staff watching as the them Prime Minister Sir John Gorton formally opened Melbourne Airport, Tullamarine.
Happy Birthday Tulla
CC
Angle of Attack
1st Jul 2020, 09:21
Pity it has hardly changed...
PoppaJo
1st Jul 2020, 09:34
One of the worst pieces of infrastructure that exists in this country.
Kerbside...Airside...Runway side, Airspace, it’s all just a giant ballsup.
A true embarrassment to International standards. I remember the one time a group of yanks asked me where the train station was. 😂
I remember the one time a group of yanks asked me where the train station was. 😂
Isn't it a secret; hidden deep under the terminal in case someone wants to use it!
Buster Hyman
1st Jul 2020, 09:56
IF it's an embarrassment, then it's because private interests have tried to turn it into a shopping centre rather than a modern transport hub.
In its day, it was a great place. All Terminals connected, beautiful gardens you would walk through on your way to the INTL Check in, decent restaurants, Cinema, etc, etc. I do lament what it was compared to what it is now, especially the glorified shed that passes as a Terminal.
Slezy9
1st Jul 2020, 10:09
There’s a lot to dislike about Tullamarine for sure. But... compared to other major Australia airports is very nice to be able to walk from international to domestic (or vice versa) in 3 minutes. The goat rope of transferring in Sydney (if not on Q) is such a pain.
Chronic Snoozer
1st Jul 2020, 11:15
There’s a lot to dislike about Tullamarine for sure. But... compared to other major Australia airports is very nice to be able to walk from international to domestic (or vice versa) in 3 minutes. The goat rope of transferring in Sydney (if not on Q) is such a pain.
Yes, it is the cleanest third world airport in the world.
Turnleft080
1st Jul 2020, 12:12
Fifty years ago today I stood with a number of fellow QANTAS and other airport staff watching as the them Prime Minister Sir John Gorton formally opened Melbourne Airport, Tullamarine.
Happy Birthday Tulla
CC
I missed the opening as I was a 6 year old though I didn't miss the NASA C-141, BOAC VC-10s, Pan Am B707s, Alitalia DC-8s, ANZ L188s/DC-8s/DC-10s, JAT B707s/DC-10s, RAAF BAC-111s, Qantas HS-125s/707s/747s
Cargolux DC-8s, IAS Cargo DC-8s, Emery DC-8, FlyingTigers DC-8/747s, Transamerica DC-8s, Garuda DC-8s, Thai DC-8s, MSA/SIA/MAS B707s that will do like a kid in a lolly shop the observation decks was like home.
During pushback and engine starts you get that beautiful sweet fragrance of kero.
I wouldn’t really characterise it as an airport, it’s more of an overpriced shopping centre with overpriced parking that has a few aero bridges and a runway.
Buster Hyman
1st Jul 2020, 14:48
Ugh, DC-8's. My ears still hurt from the TE DC-8's! :uhoh:
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/863x641/dc8_9936533bb2c93e74fd3cedf3ec7fa4b877b10afa.jpg
capricorn23
1st Jul 2020, 20:22
Cheers Tullamarine...I'll celebrate also my "wings" on 1st july...1970... somewhere 10k miles away...:ok:
machtuk
1st Jul 2020, 23:41
That place was a stuff up from day one! Now an almost unworkable expensive mess!
Scooter Rassmussin
1st Jul 2020, 23:52
Its a discrace and the fact the govenment sold it even more so .
brokenagain
2nd Jul 2020, 00:22
The worst taxiways of any major airport in Australia, especially down towards runway 34. Some of the joints between the concrete taxiway sections are like ski ramps.
Happy Birthday Tulla, I hope you had a great day and managed to change the ATIS 50 times by midday. Thanks for all the runway changes, hoss
🥳
Redpanda
2nd Jul 2020, 04:12
The worst taxiways of any major airport in Australia, especially down towards runway 34. Some of the joints between the concrete taxiway sections are like ski ramps.
Perfect for snapping shear pins on tow bars.....
boaccomet4
2nd Jul 2020, 04:39
Interesting posts here and especially from Buster Hyman and Checklist Charlie. As a boy in the 1960's flew into Melbourne Airport a number of times as it was known prior to the construction of Tulla. The runways were too short for fully laden B707 and DC8 type aircraft operating international flights so one had to fly to Sydney to fly overseas with the exception of Qantas and Teal Electras etc. The exception being the BOAC Comet 4's with the howling Rolls Royce Avon engines. AT least Tulla opened up international travel from Melbourne using long range jet aircraft. As a boy the observation decks/areas (Syd and Mel) were a favourite haunt of mine and the sound of the early turboprop and jet powered aircraft starting up was exciting and especially so the Viscounts, Comet 4's and DC8's (with the high/low starts). The one good thing about Tulla was being able to get from the Domestic to International areas without having to transfer to the other side of the of the airport like Sydney. Years later as a Captain I operated in and out of both Melbourne airports and must agree that the frequent changes of ATIS at Tulla during marginal weather conditions early morning/hours of darkness lead to near fuel emergencies despite the Metar/Speci reports prior to departure. At least one could divert to EN and usually get in on the ILS or Twin Locator Approach!!
Buster Hyman
2nd Jul 2020, 05:23
There was a belief, for a short time, that there was no call for 747's to operate out of Tulla. Even on QF, one had to travel to SYD on a 707 to connect to the 747 operating the Kangaroo Route.
Spent a lot of time talking to Vic back in the day when he was allocating INTL gates. Worth a read... https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/fifty-years-on-tulla-staffer-recalls-an-exciting-futuristic-place-20200630-p557ns.html
machtuk
2nd Jul 2020, 23:44
Tulla's design was behind the times from the get-go. The only good thing about the joint is its not curfewed, yet!
Good old JAT
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/750x470/4ab7f5ad_1b99_400a_b89b_ed269cd7aa7a_02dedb9ad6b83ece23911a9 2daf37bb2d8bda1fc.jpeg
Flava Saver
3rd Jul 2020, 11:45
The worst taxiways of any major airport in Australia, especially down towards runway 34. Some of the joints between the concrete taxiway sections are like ski ramps.
Far k’noath! I almost need to wear a bro or manssiere if I let it get above 5 kts.
You’d think for its 50th birthday (and the fact there’s bugger all movements for the last few months) they could go to bunnings and get some leveling compound out there ant tart the joint up a bit... ;)
RAC/OPS
10th Jul 2020, 11:45
Happy Birthday Tulla, I hope you had a great day and managed to change the ATIS 50 times by midday. Thanks for all the runway changes, hoss
🥳
Hahaha, almost as many times as we have to explain In this forum why the ATIS and runways change so often. Much as we’d like to ignore the 5kt tailwind (any tailwind when runway not dry), and the 20kt crosswind rule, we can’t. Simply because if we do, and you stuff up, you, your company and its lawyers will be looking for any excuse to blame ATC. And that 6kt tailwind 5 minutes before your whoopsy will be enough to hang us out to dry.