Hi – another newcomer to this forum.
I thought I’d add some of my early aviation memories.
I was born and bred in Dublin and grew up in the 60s and 70s so my early memories consist to a large extent of Aer Lingus and BEA aircraft droning across my back garden. I lived in the village of Baldoyle on the east coast about six miles from Dublin Airport so there was (and still is, of course) constant traffic in and out of the airport over my old family house. When I was very young, (mid 60s) I have vague recollections of Aer Lingus Viscounts being the normal fare as they whined there way backwards and forwards to the Uk and Europe. As the 60s drew to a close and I became more familiar with the various types and airlines, I soon became able to recognise whose Viscounts were whose. Apart from Aer Lingus, BEA, Cambrian and BKS/Northeast were very common.
Even though it was only six miles away, trips to the airport were rare. we had no car and we never took foreign holidays. I distinctly remember a vist to the airport with my uncle (who worked for Aer Lingus) in 1968 and I was even taken into the cockpit of an Aer Lingus 707. That was a real thrill for a ten year old. There was at least one Aer Lingus 720 present that day and it was also the first time I saw the DH84 Dragon “EI-ABI” which in those days was suspended from the beams of one of the hangars.
The following year the same uncle took us to the airport again and this time I remember viewing from the low level balcony on the old terminal. Present that day was a BUA Herald and a BEA Super One Eleven (with the all-blue tail – no red arrow markings)..
I started making my own way to the airport in the early 70s – initilally by public transport and then by bicycle and from then, of course, I was there as regularly as I could make it (school nothwitstanding). By the mid 70s I was a fully fledged spotter. I still have all my records from that time so I know exactly what was the norm for those days.
By then, of course, Aer Lingus had disposed of their Viscounts but the newly formed British Airways was now flying the ex-Cambrian, BEA, Notheast Viscounts in a variety of hybrid schemes. Aer Lingus was now a mainly 737-200 operator although they had their four BAC1-11s and their two (a third was subsequently added) Boeing 747s and a slowly diminishing fleet of 707s.
Pan Am and TWA 707s were still occasional visitors. Court Line 1-11s were flying charters to the developing resorts in Spain. Monarch even flew some charters with their Britannias. Another Britannia operator was Aer Turas who flew a number of these quiet beasts. They also kept their DC-4 (EI-ARS) going until 1976 and had operated a Bristol 170 (EI-APC) until 1972. Charters were also flown by Aviaco and Sterling with their Caravelles.
Military aircraft were quite rare. The odd miltary movement was supplied by the Irish Army Air Corps – usually in the form of a Piston Provost or a Vampire T55 doing GCI approach exercises to Runway 24. There was no GCI facility at their Baldonnel base.
More exotic militaria sometimes arrived in the form of visiting government VIPS. USAF VC-135s and 137s were seen now and then and on one ocassion a US Marines C-118 turned up. It was immaculate with a highly polished lower fuselage – you could read the Stand Numbers in the reflection! Ireland hosted the EEC Presidency for the first time in 1975 and in March that year there was a Heads of State government which saw a good collection of air force biz-jets turn up. The most interesting was an RAF Comet C4 of 216 Sqdn. Shortly after that, 216 Sqdn was disbanded, most of their Comets going to Dan Air (who else?).
I won’t bore you with any more tedious remeniscences but I hope it gives you a flavour of what aircraft activity at Dublin was like up to about 1976.
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