CovSoc member Barry Greener is a keen aviation enthusiast and recalls his interests and experiences of flying and Coventry Airport. Barry writes….
I suppose it was inevitable that being born in Coventry in 1942 I should become an aviation enthusiast. This came from an increasing knowledge of the history and industry of the city and how that plus Coventry Airport put the city on the international map.
Then there was jet pioneer Frank Whittle, the pre-war RAF bomber named after Armstrong ‘s Whitley factory, the part played by Baginton during the war, the part in the war effort by changing from car production to planes and their components. This included Roots, Standard, Daimler, Armstrong Siddeley, Alvis and Jaguar (some with shadow factories) in addition to the Armstrong Whitworth aircraft factory at Baginton.
Some of those aircraft I saw as a young boy— the first generation of jets, the Vampire, Meteor and Canberra. Experimental planes I also saw were the Bristol Brabazon flying over the Mersey and the AWA flying wing over Coventry.
In those early years the control tower and terminal building were on the west site, where I and others would plane spot. As well as the popular Jersey flights were incoming charter flights e.g. for Grand Prix at Silverstone and racing at Cheltenham. Most of the Jersey flights were by Viscount or Herald aircraft which took over from propeller planes. Some at the end had themselves changed to DC 9 jet aircraft.
Every winter when Birmingham was closed because of snow, Coventry with exceptional efforts remained open to receive diversions. During Birmingham runway extension 1980/81 overnight flights were diverted to Coventry. That increased the number of spotters, listening to their air band radios to the control tower talking down the pilots. I recall vividly a Boeing 727 being talked down over several miles with Aston Villa returning from Iceland after a football match the year they won the European Cup.
Coventry Airport was promoted by the city council and I recall the exciting air shows which included French, American and other foreign planes plus the Kings Cup Air Races. In following years many different destinations were added to flights from Coventry including the popular Jersey flights and I became an avid supporter of the council’s efforts. After RAF Gaydon closed, the annual air shows came to Coventry. The most exciting and final development was when TUI used Coventry to introduce its Thomsonfly airline during the first decade of this millennium with a record number of destinations from Coventry. These ceased when permission for a new terminal was not granted.
In the 60’s I started supporting reasonable development of the airport against opposition in the press from Warwickshire and Coventry ratepayers. This led to Councillor Dennis Berry inviting me to meet him at the Council House. Also, every manager welcomed me to the airport and I had a pass. Councillor Berry as chairman of the airport committee asked me to draft his speech for the dinner to mark the 50th anniversary of the airport. One manager Mr D J Phillips asked me to accompany him to a meeting with the Chamber of Commerce
After the Council stopped running the airport, I continued to support other operators, including Peter Rigby, current operator when he reopened the airport after a period of closure. However, support changed to criticism when he began running down the airport. So, for the first time I did not join critics of the airport over the giga factory issue. Better to have something that creates jobs than a deliberately run down airport.
Although employed by the city council from 1960 till 1993 I was never employed by the Airport, but was involved whilst in Civic Affairs. I recall one head of state visiting Coventry because a town in his country was twinned with Coventry, after his visit he flew from Coventry to Scotland where there was another twin town, I also had to welcome a group from twin town Arnhem who had flown in from Eindhoven. A group from Graz spent a day in Coventry and Warwickshire including a visit to a place of work. This was when there was a national strike. The only place I could find that was not closed was Executive Air Engineering at the Airport.
Apart from scheduled passenger flights the airport was used by private users including many members of the Royal Family visiting Coventry and the Royal Show Stoneleigh. The photo attached shows the Queen at the airport after a British Legion service at the Cathedral, the other two are of Concord and the Red Arrows at one of the 1980’s RAFA air shows which took place at Coventry when Gaydon closed.
Perhaps the largest event at the Airport was the visit of Pope John Paul II in 1982. More than 300,000 people gave the Pope a rapturous welcome as his helicopter arrived at the airport.
I was an early member of the Midland Air Preservation Society which became the Midland Air Museum. Later I joined Classic Air Force, because they actually flew veteran aircraft. Sadly, they no longer exist.
May I finally share with you some memories of classic planes I have flown in.
My first was a pleasure flight in 1960 at a Shackleton Aviation weekend at Baginton. Fittingly it was in the oldest plane I have ever flown in, a De Havilland Dragon Rapide bi plane (photo at start of article). Another iconic plane was a DC 3 in North American livery, again a pleasure flight from Baginton.
Following these all further flights were to scheduled destinations as a tourist/ holiday maker. During the 60’s to 80’s these were often to travel on the last steam trains in Europe, Iberia, Turkey and Norway. Another reason for flying was as a Civic and International Affairs Officer with the city council, once to America, Russia, Ireland and several times to France to twin towns.
Firstly, after pleasure flights were flights in the 1960’s in Vickers Viscounts from Coventry to Jersey and Rotterdam and Gatwick to Le Touquet. My first jet flight was in an Iberia DC 9 in 1968 from Heathrow to Barcelona, but I was as equally excited to return on a remaining Vickers Vanguard. In 1975 I flew from Luton in a Boeing 707 of Monarch to Rimini. Also in the 70’s was a BAC 111 from Birmingham to Copenhagen via Manchester (at the time Ryanair were flying these from Coventry to Knock in Ireland).
During the 1980’s I flew in my first Boeing 747 (TWA To Boston in 1984) and at the opposite end of the scale a Short’s Sky Van 330 from Dublin to Cork in 1987 (These were used by British Caledonian between Coventry and Liverpool/ Gatwick). The airport I flew to/ from most was Lyon from Heathrow en route to twin city St. Etienne in Fokker F27 and 28s.
My furthest flight was in 2000 to Tel Aviv for a visit to the Holy Land with the Coventry Diocese, not surprisingly in a 747. Two years later for my 60th birthday I flew to Newark/ New York in a Continental 767, returning in a Virgin 4 engine Airbus. The last plane I shall recall is the ubiquitous 737 in which I flew from Coventry to Nice.
The iconic planes I regret never having flown in are the Comet, VC10 and Concord!