‘Scene’ at Manchester International Airport (MIA) 3

When I first visited in the 1950’s, ‘MIA” as it is now it was simply Ringway airport where we lads sat on the grass writing down the registrations only a stones throw from the aircraft. 

 

Only the posh kids possessed cameras, I certainly didn’t. The ladies in the nearby cafe kept us going with cups of tea and bottles of pop.

 

There are still some old timers (other than me) ‘lurking’ in the background,

 

G-DMCA

A McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30

Originally built for ‘Zambia Airways’ (ZA) as N3016Z. It first flew on 11th. November 1980 but was only delivered to ‘ZA’ in July 1984.

It came to ‘Monarch Airlines’ in March 1996 being scrapped at Manchester in 2003 with the cockpit section being preserved there.

G-GDFY

 

A Boeing 737-86Q which first flew in October 2001 as N289CD for ‘Boullioun Air Services’ who are I believe a leasing company.

In November 2001 it was leased to ‘Travel Services’ in the Czech Republic as OK-TVC. Whilst with them, it was leased further to ‘Oman Air’ in 2002 and ‘Malaysia Airlines’ in 2005 before going to ‘Travel Service Hungary’ as HA-LKE in 2010.

 

It came to ‘Jet2’ in April 2014.

 

 

G-ZBAM

An Airbus A 321-231 of ‘Monarch Airlines’ (MA) which first flew on 25th. March 2014 with the German test registration of

D-AVZT. Delivered new to ‘MA’ on 10 April 2014.

 

D-AGWO

An Airbus A319-132 of ‘germanwings’. First flying on 13th. of January 2010 with the test registration of D-AVWH.

 

It was delivered new to the operator on the 22nd of January 2010.

 

G-JEDP

Originally a De Havilland Canada design called the Dash-8. Today it is marketed by Bombardier. It first flew in 2003 and was delivered new to ‘flybe’ in January 2004

 

D-ACNQ

Another Canadian built aircraft. This time a Canadair Regional Jet CRJ 900 of ‘Eurowings’. It first flew on the 7th. of January 2011 and was delivered new to the operator on the 21st.

 

‘Eurowings’ (EW) was formed in 1993 following the merger of two airlines. NFD based in Nurnberg and RFG in Dortmund. Growing to a size where they were able to operate aircraft up to the size of the Airbus A310. ‘EW’ were taken over by ‘Lufthansa’ and now operates as part of ‘Lufthansa Regional’. In July 2014 ‘Lufthansa’ announced that the CRJ fleet will be withdrawn and be replaced by Airbus A320’s.

 

PH-BXA

A Boeing 737-8K2 of KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. It first flew in January 1999 with the American test registration N1786B. It was then delivered to KLM 0n the 25th. of February 1999. 

 

Since 2008 it has been painted in this ‘retro’ livery that was in use by the airline in the 1950’s. It was done so to celebrate 90 years of KLM.

 

LY-FLH

A Boeing 737-382 of ‘Small Planet Airlines’ (SPA) who are based in Lithuania. It first flew on 11/02/1992 and was leased on 25/02/1992 to ‘TAP Air Portugal’ by the ‘International Lease Finance Corporation’ (ILFC) as  CS-TIK.

In 1999 on the 30th. of April ‘ILFC’ leased it to ‘Air Malta’ as 9H-ADN.

On 24/05/2004 it went to ‘Air Sahara’ as VT-SAY (an Indian registration). While still carrying this registration, it had a spell with ‘Jetlite’ before coming to ‘SPA’ in July 2007.

 

G-TAWD

A Boeing 737-8K5 which first flew on the 8th. of February 2012 and was delivered new to the airline on the 23rd. of February 2012.

Note the complex arrangement of wingtip ‘hardware’ all of which are to improve fuel burn and performance.

 

EI-DEA

 

An Airbus A320-214 of Irish operator ‘Aer Lingus’.

It first flew with the French test registration F-WWBX in March 2004 being delivered to the airline on the 5th. of April 2004.

 

SU-GDY

A Boeing 737-866 of ‘Egyptair’. It first flew on the 14th. of October 2010 being delivered on the 22nd.

 

D-CGEO

A Learjet 60 operated by MHS Aviation Gmbh out of their Munich base. It was new to ‘Silver Bird’ in 1999. Then moving to ‘Cirrus Aviation’ in 2006 before coming to MHS.

 

There was a time when ‘British Airways’ (BA) provided a variety of aircraft types going to many destinations. During this visit, ‘BA’s only representatives were a couple of A 320‘s and this A319. 

 

G-EUPL

An Airbus A 319-131 of ‘British Airways’. It first flew on 24th. of May 2000 with the German test registration of D-AVYP and was delivered on the 8th. of June 2000.

 

G-OXLS

A Cessna 560XL Citation 2 operated by a company called ‘Hanger8’.

Farewell to the Douglas DC-10

Bangladesh-Biman Airlines has recently flown a series of ‘final flights’ using their last DC-10. This was the last passenger carrying aircraft of its type in regular service in the World.

 

These were operated from Birmingham airport and by all accounts were extremely popular with the aviation enthusiast fraternity.

 

After the flights, the aircraft registered S2-ACR was to be returned to Asia to be cut up.

 

So then, time for me to dig out something for the occasion as my tribute to the last of the ‘Douglas Commercial’ line which goes back to the 1930’s.

 

Subsequent airliners were marketed as McDonald Douglas (MD-11, MD-90 etc.) Or even as Boeings (717).

Thanks go to Mr. John Beastall for some additional details.

 

G-BHDJ

A DC-10-30 which first flew on 01/08/1980. Built for ‘British Caledonian Air Lines’ (BCAL). It became part of British Airways fleet when the 2 airlines merged in 1988. 

 

It was sold in America as N612GC to Gemini Air Cargo in 1999 and converted to a freighter. It was reported in 2012 to be still working in Venezuela with ‘Solar Cargo’ as YV-524T.

 

G-BHDH

A DC-10-30 which first flew on 30/04/1980 Built for ‘BCAL’. It became part of British Airways fleet when the 2 airlines merged in 1988. It is seen operating with ‘Caledonian Airways’ at Manchester sometime in 1993. 

 

Sold in America as N78416 and converted to a freighter, it served a number of American companies until it was scrapped at Orlando-Sanford Airport in Miami in 2012.

 

N917JW

A DC-10-10 a member of the ‘Arrow Air’ fleet seen on finals into Gatwick. At the time this was taken one of the best ‘spotting’ spots which was on the top of the car park.

 

Over the years it did the rounds of operators which at one time included a stint with 

‘Laker Airways’ as G-BBSZ.

 

However, technology then had not advanced to auto focus cameras (at least not for me) and an aircraft coming downhill at 100 m.p.h. plus meant that manual focusing was to say the least tricky.

 

An unknown member of the ‘Nigeria Airways’ fleet taking off from Heathrow. Again taken from the top of one of many car parks.

 

G-BJZE

A DC-10-10 built for Laker Airways as G-GSKY which first flew on 21/03/1979. 

 

It went to ‘BCAL as G-BJZE in February 1982 and on to ‘Cal Air International’ (CAI) in October 1985. 

 

Despite its American sounding name ‘CAI’ would seem to be a ‘BCAL’ operation. (Have a look at the tail marking).

 

It was converted to a freighter in late1992 and served with World Airways as N591LF  eventually joining the fleet of ‘Federal Express’ as N40061 in 1994.

 

9G-ANA

A DC-10-30 Delivered to Ghana Airways 25/03/1982. It was eventually impounded at London Heathrow in May 2002 following the liquidation of the airline.

 

Although it carries BCAL Charter livery, I have no record of what its registration was. If memory serves me well, it was another image taken at Gatwick.

N13066

A DC-10-30. It first flew in May 1979 and was delivered to ‘BCAL’ in August of that year.

It went to ‘Continental Airlines’ in June 1987 and was scrapped at Opa Locka airfield in Miami in August 2003.

 

The image was captured at Gatwick.