Post by Deleted on Mar 24, 2018 20:09:24 GMT 1
While some of my fellow enthusiasts chose to go to LAP (as we used to call Heathrow) whenever the chance arose, I would always prefer a trip to Prestwick. In those days, driving there wasn't easy because there was very little M6 and the A74 was single carriageway and full of lorries. Even today the AA says the journey can take more than four hours from Liverpool. However, some of us were not to be deterred. In those days you never knew what you would find there and that was part of the fun. So we would pack up a car, head due north and rent a caravan for a few days, tune the Shorrock radio into Prestwick approach and sit back and wait!
The thread is in two parts, one black and white and the other in colour. Here are the b&w images with descriptions:
One of the first sights that would greet you would be a huge line-up of F-86 tails. These were ex Canadian Air Force and had been flown over to Scottish Aviation to be scrapped. Quite why they could not have been scrapped in Canada was never discovered, but at the time we weren't complaining!
It wasn't just F-86s either. The CF-100s which had reached the end of their lives also crossed the Atlantic, although there were far less of them.
In those days, a polite request on MSAE letterhead would usually secure a tour around Scottish Aviation's facilities - though not the area were they were producing the Pioneers and Twin Pioneers. I think the shock of seeing an RCAF Dak in the hangar was what brought about the camera shake!
The USAF had a large base at Prestwick in those days, primarily as a transit point between their bases in Europe and the US. Although the aircraft often arrived at night, they would usually be there the following morning because they were only flown by one crew, so if we heard something on the Shorrock in the middle of the night, we'd make a note of the reg and check it out the next day. It was rare for the aircraft not to be there.
Weather forecasting could be vary inaccurate in those days and often aircraft encountered unexpected storms and crashed into the Atlantic as a result. The base had several C-54s on permanent standby to perform search and rescue duties if required. There were always two or three of them around, but we believe they were on detachment because each time we went, the serial numbers would be different.
The SA-16s were permanently based at Prestwick and were attached to the rescue unit, though quite whether they would be able to land in the Atlantic waters off Scotland was open to debate! Note the additional fuel tanks and the fact that it is tethered. It could be very windy at Prestwick at times! In some cases they would put the props in the 'feathered' position in order to minimise the possibility of the aircraft moving during strong winds.
As I mentioned in the intro, you never knew what you'd find and Prestwick certainly had more than its fair share of exotic visitors in those days. Here RCAF Comet 1XB 5301 calls in for fuel. This aircraft was wfu in early 1964, which probably dates this and the other photos at 1963.
For all the might of the US Air Force, they didn't have the capability to lift the number of troops and equipment that were stationed in Europe, so they sub - chartered to civilian carriers such as Flying Tigers. Here one of their Super H Constellations N6919C begins its long journey across the Atlantic.
These images are of course 55 years old and are in surprisingly good condition in many cases. I apologise for not having tidied them up a bit, but time is a bit tight at the moment. The colour slides, although just as old, have stood the test of time better. Anyway, I hope it at least gives a flavour of how things were in those days.
The thread is in two parts, one black and white and the other in colour. Here are the b&w images with descriptions:
One of the first sights that would greet you would be a huge line-up of F-86 tails. These were ex Canadian Air Force and had been flown over to Scottish Aviation to be scrapped. Quite why they could not have been scrapped in Canada was never discovered, but at the time we weren't complaining!
It wasn't just F-86s either. The CF-100s which had reached the end of their lives also crossed the Atlantic, although there were far less of them.
In those days, a polite request on MSAE letterhead would usually secure a tour around Scottish Aviation's facilities - though not the area were they were producing the Pioneers and Twin Pioneers. I think the shock of seeing an RCAF Dak in the hangar was what brought about the camera shake!
The USAF had a large base at Prestwick in those days, primarily as a transit point between their bases in Europe and the US. Although the aircraft often arrived at night, they would usually be there the following morning because they were only flown by one crew, so if we heard something on the Shorrock in the middle of the night, we'd make a note of the reg and check it out the next day. It was rare for the aircraft not to be there.
Weather forecasting could be vary inaccurate in those days and often aircraft encountered unexpected storms and crashed into the Atlantic as a result. The base had several C-54s on permanent standby to perform search and rescue duties if required. There were always two or three of them around, but we believe they were on detachment because each time we went, the serial numbers would be different.
The SA-16s were permanently based at Prestwick and were attached to the rescue unit, though quite whether they would be able to land in the Atlantic waters off Scotland was open to debate! Note the additional fuel tanks and the fact that it is tethered. It could be very windy at Prestwick at times! In some cases they would put the props in the 'feathered' position in order to minimise the possibility of the aircraft moving during strong winds.
As I mentioned in the intro, you never knew what you'd find and Prestwick certainly had more than its fair share of exotic visitors in those days. Here RCAF Comet 1XB 5301 calls in for fuel. This aircraft was wfu in early 1964, which probably dates this and the other photos at 1963.
For all the might of the US Air Force, they didn't have the capability to lift the number of troops and equipment that were stationed in Europe, so they sub - chartered to civilian carriers such as Flying Tigers. Here one of their Super H Constellations N6919C begins its long journey across the Atlantic.
These images are of course 55 years old and are in surprisingly good condition in many cases. I apologise for not having tidied them up a bit, but time is a bit tight at the moment. The colour slides, although just as old, have stood the test of time better. Anyway, I hope it at least gives a flavour of how things were in those days.