Flights Between BHX and London LHR or LGW
I remember flying a few times BHX to LHR on British midland, they seemed to always use the cross runway & with great low level sight seeing thrown in, looking thru the massive windows on VC8 & F27,happy times. I seem to remember the Sunday afternoon flight was usually on a DC9 21
I remember discussing with my neighbour who had flown LGW to BHX on a Brymon Twotter… he said never again !
I remember discussing with my neighbour who had flown LGW to BHX on a Brymon Twotter… he said never again !
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In the BEA era, i seem to remember that once the runway had been lengthened the regular Viscount was occasionally substituted by a Vanguard, particularly first flight in the morning after night stop. I also think there was at least once a Trident used to attempt a record time between HRW and BHX?
In the BEA era, i seem to remember that once the runway had been lengthened the regular Viscount was occasionally substituted by a Vanguard, particularly first flight in the morning after night stop. I also think there was at least once a Trident used to attempt a record time between HRW and BHX?
be67d-02.jpg (2225×1254) (timetableimages.com)
I remember flying a few times BHX to LHR on British midland, they seemed to always use the cross runway & with great low level sight seeing thrown in, looking thru the massive windows on VC8 & F27,happy times. I seem to remember the Sunday afternoon flight was usually on a DC9 21
I remember discussing with my neighbour who had flown LGW to BHX on a Brymon Twotter… he said never again !
I remember discussing with my neighbour who had flown LGW to BHX on a Brymon Twotter… he said never again !
The LHR-BHX started off with a 4 then up to 5 times daily Viscount flight - loads were good and increased over time with interline traffic joining onward or arriving from long haul flights at LHR.
Moving on during the subsequent years, the 'Sheds' arrived - SH330 and a SH360, then F27's (nasty things)
Hot breakfast was served on the first flight down to LHR but not at the beginning.
But for some years the Viscount was king at LHR on most BMA flights, in-fact on all LHR flights at weekends when all the DC-9's went off to Jersey en-masse.
The DC-9 was sometimes seen on the last flight up to BHX and also to EMA on a Friday and coming back to LHR on a Sunday.
We never got DC9-21's although that came close when BMA joined up with SAS after my time.
We had 6 DC9-15's and 2 larger dash -32's in my time at LHR.
Re the LGW-BHX route - By 1983 British Midland operated five daily services to Heathrow and Brymon Airways three times daily to Gatwick.
British Midland continued to operate the Heathrow route until November 1993 at which time it was withdrawn in order to provide slots for expanding their European network at Heathrow. The Gatwick service ceased in 1991 at which point it was being operated by Air Europe Express following the replacement of the Air Europe Express Shorts 360 turboprops with Air Europe's larger and faster Fokker 100 jets on the Gatwick—Düsseldorf route, Air Europe Express launched a new thrice-daily Gatwick—Birmingham schedule with its Shorts 360s.
A further Gatwick service did briefly operate in 1995-96 but was withdrawn due to lack of demand. - who flew this?
rog747
I believe that at one stage the Brymon BHX-LGW was run as a triangle operation EMA-BHX-LGW-EMA; or is my memory playing tricks?
The British Midlands BHX-LHR operation really came into its own with major international exhibitions at the recently opened National Exhibition Centre since at that time direct connects between BHX and the principal European business centres, let alone worldwide were very limited. Many of the services especially at the beginning and towards the end of shows were extremely well patronised. How much revenue they earned for the airline may well have been another matter.
Re the LGW-BHX route - By 1983 British Midland operated five daily services to Heathrow and Brymon Airways three times daily to Gatwick.
The British Midlands BHX-LHR operation really came into its own with major international exhibitions at the recently opened National Exhibition Centre since at that time direct connects between BHX and the principal European business centres, let alone worldwide were very limited. Many of the services especially at the beginning and towards the end of shows were extremely well patronised. How much revenue they earned for the airline may well have been another matter.
Yes they did fly to ema as part of the triangle & even sold tickets for BHX to EMA , I remember thinking who would ever buy them other than for aviation pleasure flights.
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Potentially a bit of thread drift! When these services strated it was of course Birmingham Elmdon Airport, not Birmingham International. Was the airport code back then still BHX?
As a plane mad youngster, the first airport I ever went to was Elmdon (not to fly unfortunately) so will always be special to me.
As a plane mad youngster, the first airport I ever went to was Elmdon (not to fly unfortunately) so will always be special to me.
Potentially a bit of thread drift! When these services strated it was of course Birmingham Elmdon Airport, not Birmingham International. Was the airport code back then still BHX?
As a plane mad youngster, the first airport I ever went to was Elmdon (not to fly unfortunately) so will always be special to me.
As a plane mad youngster, the first airport I ever went to was Elmdon (not to fly unfortunately) so will always be special to me.
rog747
I believe that at one stage the Brymon BHX-LGW was run as a triangle operation EMA-BHX-LGW-EMA; or is my memory playing tricks?
The British Midlands BHX-LHR operation really came into its own with major international exhibitions at the recently opened National Exhibition Centre since at that time direct connects between BHX and the principal European business centres, let alone worldwide were very limited. Many of the services especially at the beginning and towards the end of shows were extremely well patronised. How much revenue they earned for the airline may well have been another matter.
I believe that at one stage the Brymon BHX-LGW was run as a triangle operation EMA-BHX-LGW-EMA; or is my memory playing tricks?
The British Midlands BHX-LHR operation really came into its own with major international exhibitions at the recently opened National Exhibition Centre since at that time direct connects between BHX and the principal European business centres, let alone worldwide were very limited. Many of the services especially at the beginning and towards the end of shows were extremely well patronised. How much revenue they earned for the airline may well have been another matter.
Yes the NEC was formative in the ''new BHX'' gaining strength and our huge BMA Xmas parties were held in a big hotel in or near the NEC. We all flew up to BHX for the party and the Company put us up for the night too. Now there's a story :P
BHX was always BHX - It was EMA that was once CDD aka Castle Don...
I remember back in 1972 when BHX got loads of diverts due fog at LHR, BEA decided to put a BOAC 707 on the LHR route instead of the standard Viscount. It apparently made headline news. Not sure what was served on that particular flight.
British Midland also used their DC-9 on the route along with Viscounts and ATP's (flying Skodas)
British Midland also used their DC-9 on the route along with Viscounts and ATP's (flying Skodas)
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Forgive thread drift but I flew ORK-BHX in 1973 in a DH121 and had my first (and only) in-flight reverse thrust experience coming down fast in a snow storm. VV8 to Turnhouse thereafter, with hot dinner and unlimited brandy!. Grateful for those random experiences!
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I controlled at BHX in the 80`s , great days .
The brymon twin otter , single pilot , was flown by very good airmen . It was often number 3 in the sequence to land but was almost always first on the apron at the old terminal by landing on rwy 24 instead off 33 .
A colleague did a flight deck familiarisation flight down to heathrow and back and was expecting the BMA shorts 360 .
Fortunately it was substituted by the DC9-30 that day , and on the way back it took 13 minutes from take off at heathrow to touchdown on 33 !
Happy days
The brymon twin otter , single pilot , was flown by very good airmen . It was often number 3 in the sequence to land but was almost always first on the apron at the old terminal by landing on rwy 24 instead off 33 .
A colleague did a flight deck familiarisation flight down to heathrow and back and was expecting the BMA shorts 360 .
Fortunately it was substituted by the DC9-30 that day , and on the way back it took 13 minutes from take off at heathrow to touchdown on 33 !
Happy days
Generally, I get the feeling that big trade shows of the type the NEC used to dominate in have had their day. The Excel, close to London City, pulled a lot of the more Euro-centric exhibitions back to London, but commercially we just don't seem to go to such events any more, and it's been quite a few years since we had an exhibition stand at one. Time was when everyone in the commercial world knew where the NEC was, nowadays I suspect you would have to explain to many where it is. Proximity to BHX was one of the reasons for it being situated where it is.
I recall that, prior to regulation changes, the Twotter was single crew, hence a punter could sit in the right hand seat at the pointy end. I wonder if a PPL student could put that in their log book?
Last edited by Midland 331; 10th Aug 2021 at 12:14.
