Eastleigh to become RJ Mitchell Airport

Can’t be too much longer before the Geordie masses demand that everything in Newcastle is named after Kevin Keegan…:rolleyes:
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:p

Why is it – as far as I am aware – that the “name it after someone famous” syndrome only seems to afflict airports? Have any railway or bus stations or harbours received this treatment? If it’s such a good idea for airports, maybe someone should suggest to the powers that be that they could apply their ingenuity to other transport embarkation locations. Maybe New Street could be renamed Birmingham Ozzie Osbourne Station? Or perhaps Victoria bus station might become the Noel Coward International Coachport ? Does anyone famous have any connections with Dover so that they can attach his or her name to the ferry port? There may be some justification for naming when a city has more than one airport (or other transport embarkation location) but, even then, is it not better to adopt a geographically specific name – such as London Gatwick – so that passengers have some idea of where they will end up without having to consult a map!

I can just about take John Lennon as a title as named airfields aren’t all after aviation personalities (JFK, for example) and Lennon is internationally identified with Liverpool.

The strapline “Above us only sky” from Lennons song ‘Imagine’ also fits quite well with the airport name.

Interesting that another (once) popular beat combo took their name from JFK Internationals’ former identity.

Why is it – as far as I am aware – that the “name it after someone famous” syndrome only seems to afflict airports? Have any railway or bus stations or harbours received this treatment? If it’s such a good idea for airports, maybe someone should suggest to the powers that be that they could apply their ingenuity to other transport embarkation locations. Maybe New Street could be renamed Birmingham Ozzie Osbourne Station? Or perhaps Victoria bus station might become the Noel Coward International Coachport ? Does anyone famous have any connections with Dover so that they can attach his or her name to the ferry port? There may be some justification for naming when a city has more than one airport (or other transport embarkation location) but, even then, is it not better to adopt a geographically specific name – such as London Gatwick – so that passengers have some idea of where they will end up without having to consult a map!

LOL. I’m told two Sea Vixens were found in one of those hangars, apparently having been forgotten about. By some co-incidence, it’s the one on display in Solent Sky.

I’ll have to keep an eye out for the Uni-Link bus Toby.
Thankfully the Spitfire replica has not been vandalised once since it was erected, which is a bit surprising to be honest.

Sorry to bring up this old post again, but i saw this bit about the sea vixen and it rekindled a old memory, there were indeed 2 sea vixens in the hangar, i remeber when me and my mate were kids and the airport was our second home, one day we were exploring around the hangars and saw one of the hangar doors partly open, took a peek in and saw the sea vixens, now this shows how long ago it was, if it were today we probaly would have been shot! but back then, someone saw us and let us in the hangar for a closer look, and even let us sit in one of the sea vixens!

What a sensible compromise. It is not very often when you hear a council come up with something this sensible. I have always thought a geography-based name makes a lot more sense!

Good for them!

That will be a good name for SOU.Flow from there four times great little airport.

James

Local councillors backed the move at a meeting yesterday, just as BAA released this statement to the local rag…

“We understand the desire to celebrate R J Mitchell’s achievements and we do this in a number of ways here at Southampton Airport.
These include the Spitfire Loop and Mitchell Way roads at the Airport, and a replica of the prototype Spitfire on public display in the airport terminal.

“We recently hosted the re-enactment of the first flight of the Spitfire on March 5th, which included a flypast of parts of Eastleigh and Southampton.

“We are currently sponsoring a Spitfire Exhibition at Eastleigh Museum, which opened this week and will run until May 27th.

[B]”However, we will not be renaming the Airport, as we believe the traditional, geography-based name helps passengers to easily understand out location, especially our international visitors.”[/B]

🙁

There were probably a few saddened aviation enthusiasts when the Supermarine hangars (modified Belfast type) were pulled down in late 1988,

LOL. I’m told two Sea Vixens were found in one of those hangars, apparently having been forgotten about. By some co-incidence, it’s the one on display in Solent Sky.

I’ll have to keep an eye out for the Uni-Link bus Toby.
Thankfully the Spitfire replica has not been vandalised once since it was erected, which is a bit surprising to be honest.

I take your point Webpilot, the new name for Finningley is undoubtedly intended to appeal to Americans as most of them will have heard of “Rah-bin Hood” 😀 Answering exactly who Robin Hood (Robyn Hod?) was is somewhat trickier, but for ease of searching for it on multimap or other map/atlas systems, “Finningely” will get you there quicker!

I’d agree with the original poster, “Robin Hood Airport”? “John Lennon Airport”? Hardly known for their contributions to aviation, but nice to see that local heritage isnt lost on those at BAA or the council near where I used to live.

I can just about take John Lennon as a title as named airfields aren’t all after aviation personalities (JFK, for example) and Lennon is internationally identified with Liverpool. But George Best et al, are just really a case of the marketing people trying to be “modern”, usually with very sketchy cases for their “branding”. The one that really takes the biscuit has to be the idea of renaming St Mawgan as Jo Wiley International or whatever it was. A second rate DJ , barely known to many in this country, hardly by anyone in places forn I’d imagine, and the justification, in a nutshell – “she’s been here a few times and thinks it’s nice”. Gahh.

I’d agree with the original poster, “Robin Hood Airport”? “John Lennon Airport”? Hardly known for their contributions to aviation, but nice to see that local heritage isnt lost on those at BAA or the council near where I used to live.

There were probably a few saddened aviation enthusiasts when the Supermarine hangars (modified Belfast type) were pulled down in late 1988, first making way for a car park, and later redevelopment, but since then, the main road into the airport has been named in honour of Mitchell, a replica of the prototype Spitfire has been erected on the roundabout at the entrance and there are various other recognitions of him around the city, including:

A double decker bus operated by Uni-Link (University’s bus service)

A bust of him in the foyer of the University’s Aerospace engineering department – who has also named its largest wind tunnel after him!

A plaque near the east end of the Itchen toll bridge – close to where the old Supermarine works would have been, with the slipways into the water

Numerous references to both him and the Spitfire and its developments at “Solent Sky” (formerly the Southampton Hall of Aviation).

As regards previous names, I dont believe it has ever officially been “Eastleigh Airport”. When I was growing up, I think it was colloquially referred to as such and had been for sometime (whilst the official title was “Southampton Eastleigh”) until it was changed to Southampton International with the opening of the new terminal in 1994. Prior to that it had been “Southampton Munical Airport”, “HMS Raven” and for a long time prior to that “Atlantic Park”.

Silly comment, they don’t do posthumous Knighthoods

Don’t they? Well, they should. Nevermind.

While it’s not a knighthood, it’s a good start! 🙂

Silly comment, they don’t do posthumous Knighthoods, after all it would be a bit hard for the Queen to tap him on the shoulders with a sword he’s been dead the best part of 70 years.

Despite this it’s a good move on behalf of Eastleigh Borough Council. Not a Looney Left majority then. It will probably be thrown out, so as not to upset the Germans !!!!!

Whilst I am not generally in favour of renaming airports, especially after some unknown DJ or alcoholic footballer, in this instance I fully approve and fully endorse it!

Mostly I think it’s a fad and an affectation and not a very clever one at that – why are places such as airfields usually named after a place? Not really very hard. While we all know that Heathrow is London Airport and JFK is in New York, would someone from Italy, for example, really know where “Unknown DJ International” is.

Pah.

However this is a most deserving exception.

Whilst I am not generally in favour of renaming airports, especially after some unknown DJ or alcoholic footballer, in this instance I fully approve and fully endorse it!

Well said Stringbag – the only reason people call it Southampton is that nobody has heard of Eastleigh.

It’s already the wrong name. It’s Eastleigh Airport BAA 🙂

Thanks for the HU Webpilot.

I caught this on Ceefax earlier. Good news if it is approved. 🙂

Now all we need is for Alex Henshaw to be knighted. :rolleyes:

Cheers

Paul

Fandabidozi – excellent news!!!

While it’s not a knighthood, it’s a good start! 🙂