Gone are the days!

I have fond memories of being invited to visit, [behind the scenes], both Glasgow and Prestwick airports.

Along with invited guests [under the pseudonym, Strathclyde Police Aeronautical Club] we were afforded unprecedented access to control towers, radar rooms, runways and even riding on fire engines and operating foam hoses, brilliant fun……

At Glasgow Paul Reid, Air Traffic Controller, who is now Managing Director of NATS Services, couldn’t have been more helpful; he afforded us access to approach radar, let us climb out a window for photos, and took us out on the runway in a land rover to get pics of landing aircraft.

At Prestwick we were taken to NATS HQ and allowed access into both Scottish and Shanwick radar rooms…..Something to be seen.   

We were so interested in aircraft in those days that we attended any air shows locally, which usually meant Leuchars and at that time Prestwick. We even travelled to Mildenhall and Farnborough, purchasing any charts that we could get our hands on.

I also remember being invited to the flight deck of a Wardair 747 I was on, heading for Toronto, and being given the 3^rd copy [yellow] of the actual flight plan that Captain Strickland was flying that day.

Someday soon I am going to have enough courage to make enquires and see if it’s possible to visit again, but due to today’s security restrictions I don’t hold out much hope, but you never know, I might still be able to pull a few strings……….

Gone are the days!