Airlift to Rome May 1977 European cup final

[billymc]

can anybody supply a list of charters that departed from liverpool for our first european cup final,
due to school i could not go to the match or even the airport for the day,
i seem to recall a pan am b707 amongst others that went to rome,
sorry if this info has been requested before.

[bluefox]

Hi Billymc

This is what I logged while I was at Speke:

25 May 77

G-BCYF Falcon 20
PH-TVA B707 Transavia
EI-ANO B707 Aer Lingus
OY-SAM Caravelle Sterling
G-BBAG L101 British Airways

26 May 77

PH-TVA, OY-SAM,
G-AWZD Trident 3
G-AWSY B737 Britannia
G-BAZH " "
XW788 HS 125 RAF
G-AZNX B720 Monarch
G-BCBA " "

Light stuff not listed.
All subject to confirmation please.

[viscount]

From TonySpeke's transcriptions of the ATC logs at the time, the full list of aircraft involved in the Rome airlift of May 1977. At that time no record of times of arrival and departure were noted, however arrivals were noted in sequence during each day.

Monday, 23rd May 1977 
G-BCBA Boeing 720  OM770       Luton-Rome
G-AXNC Boeing 737  BY693T      Glasgow-Rome
G-AVBY BAC.111-320 GK3305      Gatwick-Rome

Tuesday, 24th May 1977 
G-AVYZ BAC.111-320 GK2303      Manchester-Rome & later in day f&t Rome GK3313
G-AXNB Boeing 737  BY624W      Birmingham-Rome
G-AWZC Trident 3c  BE9262C/3C  Heathrow-Fiumicino
G-AZKM Boeing 720  OM768       Gatwick-Rome
G-AVBY BAC.111-320 GK3304/3315 f&t Rome
G-BECG Boeing 737  BY691T      Gatwick-Rome
G-AXNA Boeing 737  BY628W      Gatwick-Rome
G-AXNC Boeing 737  BY626W      Glasgow-Rome
G-AWSY Boeing 737  BY660W      Gatwick-Rome

Wednesday, 25th May 1977
G-AZNZ Boeing 737  BY695T       Manchester-Rome
G-BECG Boeing 737  BY961U/664W  f&t Rome
PH-TVO Boeing 737  HV3963       Amsterdam-Rome
PH-TVE Boeing 737  HV3959       Amsterdam-Rome
PH-TVN Boeing 737  HV3961       Amsterdam-Rome
N887PA Boeing 707  PA regn      Heathrow-Rome
PH-TVA Boeing 707  HV3965       Amsterdam-Fiumicino
G-AXMG BAC.111-500 OM752        Gatwick-Rome
EI-ANO Boeing 707  EI7180/7960  Dublin-Fiumicino
OY-SAM Caravelle   NB2573E/2615 East Midlands-Rome
G-BBAG L.1011 Tristar BE9264C   Heathrow-Fiumicino

After the match the returning aircraft were mostly the same, although G-AXMG was replaced by G-BCXR; G-AZKM by G-AZNX; and the Trident was G-AWZD. First to return in the early hours of Thursday were the 3 Transavia Boeing 737s and a Laker '1-11, followed by the Tristar, Aer Lingus Boeing 707, Pan Am '707. The flow of returning aircraft continued through Thursday, until a Britannia Boeing 737 in the early hours of Friday, and finally a Laker BAC.1-11 early Saturday morning!

Airline decode:
BE British Airways, European Division
BY Britannia Airways
EI Aer Lingus
GK Laker Airways
HV Transavia of Holland
NB Stering Airways of Denmark
OM Monarch Airlines
PA Pan American

Majority of flights to Rome/Ciampino (LIRA), just a few to Rome/Fiumicino (LIRF).
At that time all Boeing 737s were -200 series.

No biz-jets or GA twins noted in the logs as being involved. The Falcon 20 noted by 'Bluefox' operated f&t Cologne, the RAF HS.125 Aldergrove to Northolt.

I do have some colour slides, however they are currently inaccessible. Hopefully I'll get access in a week or two for copying.

[billymc]

thanks for the info,
it is appreciated ,
i would have loved to have seen the pan am on the ground at lpl,
another airline consigned to history,
1977 really does seem a long time ago ..

thanks again.

[vinnym]

Would have loved to have flown, but couldn't afford it, so travelled by train/ferry/train, didn't get back into Lime Street until Friday evening at 18.30, absolutely shattered

[buspilot]

A friend of mine, who passsed away several years ago, had a montage framed and hanging on his lounge wall of a photo of him (and others), boarding the PanAm 707 at Speke, his match ticket and a copy of the match program front and back covers.

Will try to remember when I see his widow later this year as to what happened to it.

[viscount]

In searching around for photos to illustrate the thread on LFC and EFC in Europe 1962-1985, discovered a cache of professional prints relating to the 1977 finals. They were produced by the Liverpool City Engineers Dept Photographic Unit at the request of Liverpool Airport management. Only had space to use a couple on the European football big thread, so feel it time to awaken this old thread as by far the best place for all these 1977 images. The photographer clearly had 'access all areas' remit and a 'minder' that could open usually locked doors. The photographer clearly had a good eye for composition, the aircraft being part of the picture, rather than the whole picture.

The first sequence is around midday on the Wednesday of the Final, with the photographer out to watch one of the last of airlift aircraft and the largest, the BA Tristar land, chase it from the south onto the north airfield, then while loading and on taxi out with fans for Rome.

















The following day he was back, mid afternoon to watch a number of charter flights arrive home, including that with the team. He was able to use viewpoints on the ATC tower and upper level balcony, usually impossible to access, for some different angles on the proceedings.










I too was around with a camera on departure Wednesday. My best shots of the Tristar have gone 'walkabout' unfortunately.







A number of Transavia aircraft featured in the fans' airlift



Nothing to do with the airlift to Rome, but as it was mentioned in the OP of the thread, Falcon 20 G-BCYF.







My shots are quite clearly inferior, but (just about) worth an airing now digitised! Some of those professional shots really do awake memories of the excitement and buzz of the crowded balcony that afternoon. A day not easily forgotten by those present.

[radiostationx]

In the last frame of the City Engineers Dept photos, I take it that this is post match ?
Whats all the activity on the roof of the hangar ? Is it people ?
Press perhaps ? In the centre of the hangar roof it looks like someone is sitting on the top with their legs dangling over the edge.
If it is people and not equipment. A bit of a 50ft drop Elf and Safety issue going on there, high viz grass green, Nice.
Is that a crawling board up there ? The flag is fluttering nicely so the board (if it is a board) with a following wind or jet blast could take out half of that crowd stranding on the flat roof next to the side of the hangar.

In all the shots taken from the twr, the top deck of the balcony looks practically empty but looks the best place so see everything from.
There are a set of stairs up to it and some in the foreground leading down to it. Was there a restriction to this area like staff only or something ?

Noted the vintage 16mm film outside broardcast crew with their camera probably an Arriflex or Panavision. Only a year OR 2 later the Sony Betacam came along which remained standard news OB kit & remained largely unchanged for nearly 2 decades.
Smashing shots though Viscount,very interesting thanks for posting.

[viscount]

Yes the picture from the ATC Tower of the Trident unloading was post match. The passengers were the victorious Liverpool F.C. team and staff. You can spot the open-top buses ready to take the team on parade through the City to Anfield.

The people on the roof were 'fans', who had gained access by forcing the safety chain on the vertical roof access ladder. They had found the perfect position to view their arriving idols, in no different (but certainly even less safe) way than fans along the victory tour bus route who climbed trees, railings, walls, lamp posts - anything for a clear vantage point. The fans literally were indeed taking their life into their own hands. Their presence there must have posed an issue for the already stretched Airport Police, but what, if any action was taken I have no idea. The green felt pen marks are an attempt to remove them from the image - not provide them with hi-viz clothing! I wonder if on a photo prepared for the press the green 'censoring' acts like the blue screen in the filming of Hollywood action films?

The top, upper decks of the terminal building were always firmly gated, with a very tall gate that fitted the space. The only occasion I can ever remember it being open was for the return of the Beatles from a tour (circa 1965?). I think (but am not certain) that the external section of the ATC fire-escape ended on that roof - it could be that the couple of people on the top roof had gained access semi-officially via the ATC fire escape crash-doors, rather than through the large iron gate off the main balcony ie likely were Airport employees rather than fans gaining a vantage point, the lack of scarfs and banners backs up that thought, although there are a few red shirts evident - but red was the colour of day!

While the horizontal railings around all the levels of balcony were considered quite satisfactory for the job 1933-1986, when the building became a hotel around 2000 they were deemed to be too wide apart and too low under the then current Building/Health & Safety Regulations and access today is very limited - indeed access upto the ATC VCR level is deemed impossible other than for maintenance reasons with safety gear worn. There were no railings on the roof of No.2 hangar - but neither was there public access to the roof, indeed I recall signs stating that the roof was weak and crawl boards should be used.

As for jet blast, I can never recall it being a safety issue, even on the lower balconies. True your clothing did get blown about a bit and there was a risk of grit in the eyes. Probably in the longer term, noise would be considered the more significant H&S risk. Mind you, if it was that much of a serious risk, I'd now be yelling "What, I can't hear you!" all the time (although my wife would probably let me down saying that I do!). But then the scream of a Dart on start-up, the buffet of the jet back-draft from a Britannia or One-Eleven, the smell of kerosene, the fog of poorly combusted oil-rich petrol on start up of an Ambassador was half the fun of aircraft spotting - a close-up thrill that the younger generations of today miss out on. Now how's that for a nostalgia laden sentence in the nostalgia section of the forum?