Liverpool Images 1960s to 1990s from John Issott.

[viscount]

SOME 'NEW' IMAGES AT LIVERPOOL AIRPORT

Mostly between early 1966 and 1973, with a few more recent from John Issott, now resident in New Zealand. Visits to Liverpool Airport were infrequent being brought up in Hoylake, so when he did get to Speke even 'common' aircraft were fair game for his camera.

These images have been scanned from an eclectic mix of black and white prints, colour transparencies and colour prints. Shots at Liverpool Air Shows in 1972 and 1981 are posted in the Liverpool Air Displays thread, while shots on aircraft carriers in the Mersey appear on that dedicated thread. Likewise, HSA Annual 'open' days at Hawarden and shots at Sealand appear on that section of 'Nostalgia' and a single shot of the Hoylake Spitfire is on the dedicated thread. A number of shots of Southport and Merseyside Aero Club, especially some nice air-to-air shots of Aircoupe G-AVIL on the thread of that title. I've linked those threads from the last post of new images on this one. Over a hundred fresh images of aircraft at Speke cleaned, sorted, captioned and arranged onto several posts. While nothing like the sharp clarity of today's digital images, the nostalgia evoked more than makes up for the image quality.

So on with aircraft at Liverpool Airport. Much of interest, with plenty of both visitors and regulars on the main apron, western apron and in Vernair's hangar No.5. The first batch are mostly from a schoolboy's very basic point and shoot, so focus is a little weak, while not perfect they are sixty or so years old. Arranged as near as possible in date taken sequence.

LIVERPOOL - SPEKE AIRPORT IN THE 'SIXTIES

While today we might throw this composition straight into the bin, a schoolboy error on a schoolboy camera by a 12-year-old of Cambrian Viscount 701 G-AMOP on the apron on 6th February 1966. It serves to remind us now, just how close 'to the action' we were on the terminal balcony. These early shots are square format, cropped to 5 x 8 proportions after digital scanning.



G-ACMA DH.85 Leopard Moth and Aero Commander G-ASYA on the west apron, 21st April 1966. Amazingly, G-ACMA is still around today.



EI-AOF Viscount 813 on the Aer Lingus Dublin schedule, 31st September 1966.



This, and the next few are chemist 35mm processed colour prints, the quality is still not great, so still from a rather 'basic' camera. PH-RRL/32 PA-22 Colt 108. Made two visits only to Speke, on 5th and 7th August 1966. The 'splodge' is beyond my capabilities to remove - while the family wandering on the apron (even if behind the kerb stones) with the Colt's propellor turning is far from today's interpretation of health and safety rules!



G-ATDR Viscount 739, British Eagle, also likely summer 1966.



EI-ANV Boeing 707-248 Aer Lingus on a transatlantic charter flight. Could be the first visit by type 5th July 1966, or of further visits by the aircraft on 2nd June 1967 or on Sunday 21st July 1968.



G-AOVN "Prospect" Bristol Britannia, British Eagle. Undated, sometime June 1964 to Summer/late 1966 as by then a Union Jack flag had been added beside the airline name.



A late evening shot of G-ATPJ "Stalwart" BAC-111-301 at Liverpool between London/Heathrow schedules, sometime June 1966 to November 1968



G-AOVB "Endeavour", Bristol Britannia of British Eagle on their London/Heathrow scheduled flights from Speke sometime after January 1964 to Summer/late 1966 as by then a Union Jack flag had been added beside the airline name. A print purchased from the MAS 'Flypast' magazine photo offer.



G-AMPY Douglas C-47B Dakota 4 in Irefly colours. A former Starways aircraft it was stored in No.2 hangar at Liverpool between November 1966 and June 1968, when it departed for Coventry. Possibly a purchased print.



A return to the square picture format camera, now using colour transparency film so a small step forward in image quality. Fordair's Gulfstream 1 G-ASXT on a management flight between Dagenham and Halewood, 9th April 1968 - with Vernair's Beech Queen Air G-AVNG beyond.



G-AOVF "Friendship" Bristol Britannia of British Eagle on 3rd June 1968



F-BGSL Douglas DC-6B of Aeromaritime on a charter flight into Speke, 14th August 1968.

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LIVERPOOL AIRPORT IN 1970.

These images are initially on Kodak 35mm transparency film - so where the date hasn't been written on the mount, I work it out from the records, using the processing date stamped onto the mount. During winter 1970/71 John returned to working with black & white film-stock.



PH-MAM Douglas DC-6 of Martinair Air Charter visited a fair number of times between January and August 1970 carrying in Ford motor components. The date of this shot is not recorded, but the aircraft did not visit on the dates known for John's traced visits during the year. This is scanned from a colour print, so likely acquired from another photographer.


XP822 DHC.2 Beaver AL.1, British Army, from & to Old Sarum on 4th April 1970. A little too far away for a fixed focal length camera.



EI-ASG Boeing 737-248, Aer Lingus also on 4th April 1970 - a little too close to the balcony for a fixed focal length camera.



Martinair's Fokker F.28 Fellowship PH-MAT also on 4th April 1970, probably with a charter inbound on Grand National Day, or maybe in connection with spares for a ship repair.



0-25805 Convair MC-131A Samaritan (although at the time known as a C-131A(M)) on a visit to Speke Thursday 18th June 1970



This time it is EI-ASD Boeing 737-248C that is too close to the balcony for a fixed focal length lens. Also 18.06.70.



G-AVOE BAC-111-400 Cambrian Airways, also 18.06.70.



G-AWSU, F-8L Falco on 18th June 1970 that was radio shepherd to a Piper Cub. Note the pilot resting in the summer warmth, lying flat out on the grass beyond his aircraft!



G-AXVV the Piper Cub that the Falco was radio shepherd for, flying from Leicester to Dublin.





PI-C827 Douglas DC-8-33 in Philippines Airlines colours operating a KLM charter (KL4062) bringing in the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra for the start of a British tour on Saturday 17th October 1970. The lower image has based G-ASMZ A.61 Terrier taxiing past to provide a sense of scale. Oh, for a return to times when a friendly ask of the marshallers could result in a stroll across the apron for a classic aircraft in front of the terminal shot.



G-AMAH AS.57 Ambassador 2, Dan Air - also on 17th October 1970

The following sequence all very likely taken on the same day, Monday 19th October 1970:







YR-AMP an Antonov An-24B of Tarom inbound with Dinamo Bucharest football team to play LFC and Anfield for a Fairs Cup match. The one and only visit by an An-24B to Liverpool, plenty of the An-26's since though.



Rather distant shot of Plessey's Navajo G-AVZT, a very regular sight at the time.







At the time visits by USAF Europe Convair C-131A(M)s were a weekly regular in connection with the U.S.Army base at Burtonwood. In rather stormy looking conditions with a fast passing through rain shower, 0-25806 taxis onto a central spot on the apron. Dated 19th October 1970.





Dan Air brought Nord 262 G-AYFT into service during July 1970 to replace it's Dakota on the 'City Link' services through Liverpool and did so through into 1972.





Another regular company aircraft at the time was G-ARYM DH.104 Dove 8 of B.I.C.C. The logs do record G-ARYM calling on 19th October.





Having watched Dan Air adopt a Nord 262 on short city-hopper domestic flights, Short Bros tried to persuade British Air Services (the BEA umbrella name for Northeast and Cambrian operations) to purchase SC-7 Skyliners - a passenger version of their cargo Skyvan aircraft. Shorts' demonstrator G-ASZJ stayed in BAS titles for quite some time, but was usually stopping for fuel and Customs between Belfast Sydenham and Amsterdam. On the 19th October 1970 Phil Butler's logs show G-ASZJ in BAS titles as having overshot Liverpool twice while on demonstration flights. Could these undated photos possibly show that the logs are in error and the aircraft did stop at Liverpool?



G-AMOH Viscount 701 of Cambrian Airways, with British Air Services smaller titles. Could also be 19th October 1970, certainly this Viscount was not retired by Cambrian until November 1971. The work to restore No.2 hangar could date the image, if only I knew when the work was undertaken!

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LIVERPOOL AIRPORT IN 1971.

The following sequence are all traced to Grand National Day, Saturday 3rd April 1971:



G-ATYC Beagle 206 of Airways Training London for the Grand National Meeting, f&t Gatwick and stopped from Friday through to Sunday.



A typical Western apron mix for the period: G-ARGY PA-22 Tri-Pacer 160, G-AVLT PA-28 Cherokee 140 and G-AXRL PA-28 Cherokee 160 - all three operated by, or associated with, Liverpool Aero Club.



A regular for a number of years, G-AYUL PA-23 Aztec 250 of Littlewoods Mail Order, operated by Northern Executive Aviation out of Ringway. Late every Friday night it would bring in completed Littlewood's Football Pool's coupons from Northern Ireland. Here positioning back to Manchester on Saturday morning.



EI-ARS Douglas C-54A Skymaster of Aer Turas parked-up having brought in race horses on the Thursday, waiting to take them home Saturday evening.



F-BLOY HPR-7 Dart Herald 210 of Europe Aero Services brought in day-return punters f&t Paris/Le Bourget for the Grand National.



N205M, Grumman 1159 Gulfstream 2 operated Heathrow-Dublin, arriving on Friday 2nd April 1971, departing on Sunday 4th. Brought in Mrs F.K.Mellon owner of 'The Vulture', competing in Grand National Race at Aintree.



G-AXYB PA-31 Navajo of CSE Aviation/OATS-Oxford Air Training School was a frequent visitor during 1971 and is likely on one of 4 dates during August, 12th, 18th, or maybe 26th or 27th (a Kodak slide, process dated August 71).

LIVERPOOL AIRPORT 1972.

Just the one visit recorded on prints, a notable date: 20th November 1972, the first visit to Liverpool by a Douglas DC-10, G-AZZC, newly delivered to Laker Airways. It visited to provide a demonstration to invited travel agents what a great aircraft the new wide-body was. The colour images are scanned from prints.



It was unusual at the time to go down to the 27 end to photograph incoming aircraft. I was down there on this occasion too. G-AXVG HS.748-2 of Dan Air, the HS.748s having taken over from the Nord 262 on the City-Link operation.



Viscount 806 of Northeast. At the time, during the winter season Northeast would operate Leeds-Liverpool-Belfast-Liverpool-Leeds, collecting Cambrian Belfast passengers en route during the quiet season.







G-AZZC Douglas DC-10-10 'Eastern Belle'. What strikes me about these images is how empty the north airfield site is. Indeed, you can see right across to the Dunlop factory buildings - the wartime Rootes aircraft factory buildings, adjacent to Speke Hall.



A print purchased from the monthly MAS 'Photo Offer'.

[viscount]

LIVERPOOL AIRPORT IN 1973.

Some of these are scanned from transparencies in plain white mounts with no maker's name. The colour quality is variable, unfortunately altering with time. No date noted on the slide mount for any of these, although some can be traced to being taken on one particular day in late March '73. Later in the year, clearly two cameras were in use, one with black & white film stock, the other loaded for transparencies. There is a difference in the quality of the b&w photos too, with those in mid-year rather grainy, those towards the end of the year a much more acceptable quality.



EI-AWG Douglas DC-7CF Aer Turas, arrived Thursday 29th March 1973, dep on evening Saturday 31st, f&t Dublin, brought and collected horses for the Aintree race meeting.



G-AZXH PA-34 Seneca 200-II on Grand National Day 31st March 1973 operated f&t Tollerton owned by CW Clowes Investments Ltd, of Derby.



G-AZHG Cessna 421B, Shipping & Airlines Ltd, f&t Northolt with passengers for Aintree



EI-AUF BN-2A Islander, Ireland West Airways, f&t Dublin Saturday 31st March 1973, with punters for Aintree.



G-ANNO DH.114 Heron 1B, Jersey Ferry Airlines, f&t Portsmouth with visitors for the Aintree. Had arrived on Friday, departing Saturday evening.



G-BAJX PA-23 Aztec 250E, Earl of Suffolk & Berkshire, operated f&t Charlton Park, another Grand National Day visitor, Saturday 31st March 1973.



G-BAKJ PA-30 Twin Comanche 160B, Cannon Aviation Ltd, f&t Bournemouth, Grand National Day, 31st March 1973.



G-AZRR Cessna 310Q, Ames Transport, a Liverpool resident aircraft. No date provided.



G-AZEU Beagle 121 Pup 150 wearing CATS's 'Cheshire Cat' logo. No date, but has to be in the period September 1972 to August 1973.



G-AZRD Cessna 401B of Finlanair Ltd, a Liverpool resident aircraft. No date provided.



G-AVIL Alon A.2 Aircoupe, a Liverpool resident with Dave Vernon, a Cambrian pilot and a leading member of the Southport & Merseyside Aero Club. No date for this photo.



G-ARMP Cessna 172B Southport & Merseyside Aero Club, between the rear of hangar 3 and Banks Road. No date provided.



G-APSZ Cessna 172A a Liverpool resident aircraft, very likely 25.04.73 from the print quality



Another resident, Finlanair's G-AZRD Cessna 401B, very likely on 25.04.73. Original b&w print badly scuffed.



G-AXHM Beagle 121 Pup, Wednesday 25th April 1973. Operated by the Beagle Pup Flying Club of Bishops Stortford, from Elstree to Leavesden. Called at Liverpool 4 times between March and May.



G-AVUN PA-30 Twin Comanche 160, Scot Bowyers of Wiltshire, quite likely 25.04.73 when it appeared twice both times f&t RAF Lyneham where it was based. A regular visitor at the time.



G-AZNY PA-23 Aztec 250, print captioned 25th April 1973, Bargain Bulk Buying Ltd of Middlesex, f&t Leavesden



G-ATOY/99 PA-24 Comanche 400 was a well-known aircraft as it had been used by Sheila Scott to compete in a London to Sydney solo flight. Although now in private hands with the Lodge Flying Group based at Elstree, it still bore race-number 99 and various inscriptions. Visited Liverpool just three times during the '70s: Sun 09.07.72 Tue 05.06.73 & Sun 28.10.73. From the print quality this is likely the June 1973 visit.



G-ATAI DH.104 Dove 8, Centrax Ltd of Newton Abbot, at Speke Saturday 30th September having arrived the day before. Routed from Birmingham-Liverpool overnight-Exeter. What an improvement in print quality.



G-ASHH PA-23 Aztec 250 (short nose) seen at Speke 30.09.73, Alstan Aviation titles, operated by J. Tullett of Lowestoft, had arrived on 27th from Edinburgh, dep for Cardiff on 29th according to the Airport Logs!



G-BATH Cessna FT337G at Speke 30.09.73. A resident having moved in during March '73.



G-BAUJ PA-23 Aztec 250E at Speke 30.09.73. A resident owned by the Graham Bourne Group, having moved in during April '73.





G-BBGX Cessna 182P at Speke 30.09.73, owned by T.Allen had arrived 24th September on delivery via Shannon and was up for onward sale.



G-AZOH Beech Queen Air operated by Fairey Surveys Ltd, on maintenance with Vernair 30.09.73, a major check that lasted from 31st August to 11th October 1973.



G-AWJY Zlin Z.526 Trener-Master in Vernon's hangar awaiting return of an engine away of overhaul, Speke 30.09.73. The aircraft was a Liverpool resident, having only been purchased by new owners and delivered here in June 1973.





EI-AUP MS.880B Rallye Club, Dundalk Flying Club, on Saturday 6th October. The aircraft called at Liverpool 5 times during the '70s, all during 1973. In the background of the colour image, is Queen Air G-AZOH, which features in an earlier photograph while on maintenance with Vernair, which was completed in early October '73.





EI-AYE PA-28 Cherokee Arrow 180, Terry Lennon, at Speke on Saturday 06.10.73. A long-term Liverpool resident, the aircraft had arrived on 19th September 1973 and became G-BDKV November 1975 while still based.



G-AYKD Jodel DR.1050 at Speke, Saturday 6th October. The aircraft was a resident right through 1973.



G-BAVO Boeing N2S Stearman, imported by Jim Keen from Israel in March 1973, it first flew in the UK, now in a smart dark blue KAS-Keenair Air Services scheme on 2nd August 1973 - so this shot is sometime shortly after then. Quite possibly on the same day as the photo of G-AYKD above, using a second camera.





ZK-DON Maule M.4 arrived in the UK mid-September 1973 and was based in a field adjacent to Hawarden Airfield and returned to New Zealand mid-1974. Although memory has it visiting frequently, it actually only visited 5 times in that period - Sat 13.10.73, Sat 09.02.74, Sat 02.03.74, Sat 04.05.74 and Mon 06.05.74. Which of those visits was caught by John's camera is not recorded.



G-AYLD V.952 Vanguard of Silver City only ever called at Liverpool twice, both times bringing in Ford Motor Co freight. Friday 5th October 1973 and two weeks later, Friday 19th for a weekend stop, departing Tuesday 23rd.



G-AYKD Jodel DR.1050 was a Speke resident right through 1973 - Vanguard G-AYLD in the background makes the date very likely Saturday 20th October 1973.



G-BADR Boeing 737-204, Britannia Airways, very likely on Saturday 20th October would have been on a weekly afternoon Ibiza, or on a Sunday 21st an afternoon Alicante I/T flight on behalf of Thomsons. Evidence for the dates being the Silver City Vanguard in the background.



G-AZLT Viscount of British Midland. With the tractor drawn snow-blower parked on the apron, this could well be the occasion of an Everton FC charter for an away game against Ipswich, to RAF Wattisham on 31st December 1973, returning 1st January 1974. This is well before BMA moved onto scheduled flights from Liverpool in October 1978.

[viscount]

FINALLY, A FEW MORE RECENT LIVERPOOL SHOTS:

F-BGTV Aerospacelines Super Guppy departing. This aircraft visited twice in November 1979, twice in August 1980 and 16 times in the period January to August 1982. Subsequent visits had a large number '1' on the tail.



G-BIBW Cessna F172N of Deltair on 17th August 1993. John & Brian (aka 'Viscount') before/after a flight over North Wales. Deltair's Cessna 172 G-BIBW being used as the Southport & Merseyside's aircraft was not available.



RA-82042 Antonov An-124. Either on 14-22.12.93 (the year the aircraft went 'tech' so we had two aircraft together) or on 16-17.12.94. Most probably 1994 as it has HeavyLift/VolgaDnepr titles on the nose.



RA-82045 Antonov An-124. This aircraft visited in December 1993, 1995, 1997 & 2000. Without Heavylist/VolgaDnepr titles on the nose, this is most likely the 16th December 1993 visit.



G-HBMW Robinson R.22 used by Talk Helicopters in Liverpool on multiple dates during summer 1995.


The two Runcorn bridges, taken from G-BEWR Cessna 172 on 05.07.97, returning from a visit to the PFA Rally at Cranfield. This must be one of my photos, as John would have been too busy flying at the time! A scene that has changed much in the past 27 years with the new Mersey crossing and the demolition of Fiddler's Ferry power station.





The delightful Boeing N2S-3 Stearman, G-BRUJ which did not carry it's registration externally. '205' arrived in a crate 27 April 1993 and first flew in the UK 23rd December 1994 and was resident at Liverpool for many years, moving with Keenair to the new hangar on the South Airfield in 2000 - these shots being taken after that move to the new GA apron.



John dressed to go flying. John's initial flying tuition was in the very late 60's thanks to an Air Cadets scholarship that took him within a few hours of a PPL. This he gained with C.A.T.S. at Liverpool, then for many years flew as a member of Southport and Merseyside Aero Club from Liverpool while resident on the Wirral. Moved to New Zealand 2008 and on recent retirement from the day job, is now the CFI for a local aero club, operating a pair of Tecnams.

My many thanks to cousin John for passing on these photos - I'm sure you will all agree much better shared here than stuck in a box in New Zealand. A thread I'm sure many will return to again and again to scroll through for the nostalgia of the balcony and delights of whatever was parked out on the Western Apron.

x x x x x x x x x x

As a cross reference, a post on each of these 'nostalgia' threads share John's images at other North-West locations:

Liverpool Air Shows (in 1972 and 1981): derbosoft.proboards.com/thread/130/liverpool-airport-airshows-images-restored (on page 3)

Hawarden Open Days (in 1970, 1971 & 1973): derbosoft.proboards.com/thread/41518/hawarden-open-days-1969-1977

Royal Navy Aircraft Carriers at the Pier Head: derbosoft.proboards.com/thread/1790/aircraft-carriers-mersey (on page 3)

Southport & Merseyside Aero Club History (with air-to-airs of G-AVIL): derbosoft.proboards.com/thread/3524/southport-merseyside-aero-club

Cheshire Air Training School History: derbosoft.proboards.com/thread/3731/cheshire-training-school-cats-history (on page 2)

R.A.F. Sealand - not yet posted.

Spitfire at Hoylake: derbosoft.proboards.com/thread/46351/hoylake-spitfires-rm694-108-auster (one image)

[vanguard]

Love this thread,covers all my early years working at Liverpool Speke Airport,what an experience, good work force, good mates.

[ronturner]

Yes, I will be coming back to this. A lot to take in. And yes, much better than lying in a box.
A big job. Great work.