Historical photos from Essendon.

[red750]

Rather than create further thread drift on Guess This Aircraft thread, I have moved the drift here, if anyone is interested..

 

When I got my first car over 50 years ago (a Morris Isis), I lived at Pascoe Vale, about 2 miles, or just over 3 km, from the end of Rwy 09. I used to drive over to Essendon and park in the carpark just north of what was the Ansett-ANA finger, now GA parking. I took quite a few photos there (lost a lot of them). I used to save my money so I could afford to ride the helicopter shuttle service to the city and back. Here are a few of the photos I still have.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[red750]

Here is a shot of the helicopter at the old heliport on the Yarra where I had many flights.

 

 

 

[Bernie]

My elderly (80) neighbour was a stewardess with Ansett and she still fit into her uniform .

 

Bernie .

 

 

[red750]

The DC6B VH-INA in photo No 4 had an interesting history. For the younger members who may not have heard the story, on April 14, 1964, this aircraft took off from Essendon on a flight to Adelaide. Shortly after takeoff, a propeller blade from engine No 3 became dislodged, and the resultant out of balance situation partly tore the engine from its mount and left it dangling. Landing the aircraft in that condition was highly dangerous, so the pilot, Capt. Keith Hants, flew over Port Phillip Bay, where he jettisoned most of the fuel, then performed a series of descents and pull-ups, till the damaged engine broke free. The plane landed safely back at Essendon. A series of photos can be found here.

 

 

[GraemeK]

Great shots Peter!

 

I also grew up in Pascoe Vale, and have great memories of Viscounts, Electras and then the 727's and DC-9's tracking overhead on their approach to 26.

 

Later on, I lived for a while directly opposite the airport in Strathmore and well remember the Brain & Brown Argosy's and DC-3's doing their runups prior to departing on 26 not far from our bedroom window.

 

 

[red750]

GraemeK said: I also grew up in Pascoe Vale,

 

Hi Graeme, I lived on Gaffney St, at the milk bar two doors from the corner of Derby St. Later it became a computer shop, then a fish and chip shop. The planes shooting ILS approaches to 26 would throttle up over our place. I think the noisiest were the screaming props of the Viscounts and Friendships. My brother and I shared a bungalow behind the shop, louvre windows, no soundproofing. That's where I got the bug.

 

 

[GraemeK]

Not far from me, I lived on Landells Road, a few streets west of Derby Street. I remember that milk bar!

 

 

[Guest Guest]

The DC6B VH-INA in photo No 4 had an interesting history. For the younger members who may not have heard the story' date=' on April 14, 1964, this aircraft took off from Essendon on a flight to Adelaide. Shortly after takeoff, a propeller blade from engine No 3 became dislodged, and the resultant out of balance situation partly tore the engine from its mount and left it dangling. Landing the aircraft in that condition was highly dangerous, so the pilot, Capt. Keith Hants, flew over Port Phillip Bay, where he jettisoned most of the fuel, then performed a series of descents and pull-ups, till the damaged engine broke free. The plane landed safely back at Essendon. A series of photos can be found here.

The amount of times poor old Keith told that story he must have had nightmares reliving it daily! He said it was nearly uncontrollable, his leg holding the rudder in was shaking! Great bloke, could talk the leg off a rocking chair. Keith would reach in to the the old AT34 Sim he operated at the end of one finger way with a cup of coffee whilst I was turning inbound on an NDB App!!-:) ....that seems so long ago now.

 

 

[red750]

A couple more from the archives, all these scanned from colour slides.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Phil Perry]

My elderly (80) neighbour was a stewardess with Ansett and she still fit into her uniform .Bernie .

Has she still go terrific legs Bernie ? ( asking for a friend )

 

 

[Bernie]

No comment Phil (from a friend) I cant check presently a cuppla thousand Ks away in Tasmania .

 

Bernie .

 

 

[Phil Perry]

No comment Phil (from a friend) I cant check presently a cuppla thousand Ks away in Tasmania .Bernie .

Memory fading ? yes,. . .mine is too. . . .I'm 68 on June 2nd this year. . . .

On the subject of good looking 'Millennial' Ladies,. . . .my local roadside Butty Bar is now run by an unmarried lass named Trina . .she is a lovely person, a great sense of humour, terrific cordon Bleu trained cook and very popular with the truck drivers who frequent the place. She looks about early thirties maybe. . . but she let it drop last week that she was born in 1961 FCS. . . .I was gobsmacked. . . Must be all that good bacon and going to the gym 4 days a week I guess. . . . . . shocked I tells ya. . . . . .

 

 

[turboplanner]

That reminds me of Bill Bryson's story:

 

"The barmaid was friendly. She wore butterfly glasses and a beehive hairdo. You could see in an instant that she had been the local good-time girl since about 1931 She had "Ready for Sex" written all over her face, but "Better Bring a Paper Bag" written all over her body.

 

 

[Phil Perry]

Here is a shot of the helicopter at the old heliport on the Yarra where I had many flights.[ATTACH=full]54469[/ATTACH]

Terrific set of pictures Peter. I am sorry that you have lost a lot of them, that must be awful. All this stuff preceded my 13 year 'visit to Australia by uite a while obvs. but it's great to see what was going on there back then.

 

 

[biggles]

Memory fading ? yes,. . .mine is too. . . .I'm 68 on June 2nd this year. . . .On the subject of good looking 'Millennial' Ladies,. . . .my local roadside Butty Bar is now run by an unmarried lass named Trina . .she is a lovely person, a great sense of humour, terrific cordon Bleu trained cook and very popular with the truck drivers who frequent the place. She looks about early thirties maybe. . . but she let it drop last week that she was born in 1961 FCS. . . .I was gobsmacked. . . Must be all that good bacon and going to the gym 4 days a week I guess. . . . . . shocked I tells ya. . . . . .

Sounds like you've got the 'hots' for Trina Phil. When you say " she looks about early thirties maybe " I assume you don't mean that's when she was 'born'. I don't think you've sunk to those depths yet, but then again,one could say that you've let yourself go somewhat lately. Anyway, giving you the benefit of the doubt, you are only about ten years her senior. Go for it young fella and good luck, you just might bring home the bacon !....... Bob

 

 

[Bryon]

I used to be an aviation radio apprentice with AWA at Essendon in the mid sixties. I would hitch a ride in the jump seat of a Brain and Brown DC3 across to Launceston on a Friday night and catch the POT back on Sunday night

 

It cost me a slab of beer for the ride in the jump seat but I got to fly the plane once we were out over the water

 

Good times.....

 

 

[johnm]

I confess I cautioned Bernie - Gravity

 

Why does a caution give some posters angst ? ................. it at least acknowledges a post. Some subjects here life critical - most are not serious by nature

 

It is also the most contentious 'like' to use - that's why I like using it. Where danger, anger, litigation, bigotry, gay abandon (you name it) is used - then that's a good time to use it too

 

A caution can be given in a humorous vane (its not a traffic ticket from Mr plod) ................

 

take Bernie for instance (if this is the correct thread) - I assume he is a married man, yet he is aware his 80 year old next door neighbour ? dress's in an air hostess's uniform ............ this is an area of extreme caution for Bernie

 

 

[Pilot Pete]

Yes be very cautious Bernie!!

 

But just between you and me, how did you know she still fit her uniform.........

 

 

[Bernie]

My wife told me .

 

Bernie .

 

 

[Guest Guest]

60's at YMEN

 

 

 

[facthunter]

There's a funny story about that Skyvan's first scheduled flight .( Abbreviated) the tower says" What plane is that? The proud type specialist says "It's a Short Skyvan". To which the Tower somewhat ungraciously replies. "haven't you unpacked it yet?"

 

Good pictures Red. The houses were right up to the edge of Essendon on 3 sides. I often pitied the residents of Strathmore as we ran up four R-2000s at 2230 near the Eastern end of the East west Runway every night before we climbed away low over the peoples rooves aided by the curvature of the earth mainly , at the other end,. in the mid 60's. Nev.

 

 

[red750]

Although not at YMEN, this photo I took at YMMB of TAA Helicab VH-THG, at an open day in Jan 1963, appears in a TAA Museum publication.

 

 

And this is the ignominious end to one of Ansett's Bell 47J-2's, after years at a children's fun park, now sitting the the front of a farm on the Frankston - Dandenong Road. I flew as passenger in this chopper a number of times.

 

 

 

[red750]

I had one of a Commuter Airlines Piaggio P-166 taken the same day as the Skyvan (you can just see parts of two of them behind the Skyvan) but the digital image was corrupted, and I have no idea where the original slide is, probably somewhere in the back of a cupboard.

 

 

[red750]

Another from the 70's, colour corrected a bit, this RAAF Dassault Falcon 20. The image I worked from had a strong magenta caste.

 

 

 

[red750]

This image, scanned from a black and white print, shows Australia's first ever executive jet, a Falcon 20 operated by Bizjets Pty Ltd. Taken some time in the early 60's.