A few might be familiar with this post in previous forums but for those who are new, here goes.
Where did my love of aviation come from?
The novelty of flying on an aircraft was something I was later to, I was probably 10-11 before I took my first flight, then maybe 2 years later i started collecting model aircraft, my very first being an Air Europa 737-300, which I still have to this day, in amongst the 500+ models I have. Being on the flightpath for runway 23 just increased my love. I still remember standing out the back door looking for an Air 2000 757 from Reus before heading to high school. In 4th year, i partook in work experience, with British Airways Engineering, working on a 737 for about 2-3 days, before transferring to the ramp. I remember a US Air diverting in from possibly Frankfurt due to a medical emergency.
Every weekend that I wasn't at my mums (divorced parent child) I was down Farm Road with my dad watching the movements. This would be 1998/1999, which saw Loganair arriving on the now disused runway. Back then as you will be aware, there was a plethora of airlines, Flying Colours, Air 2000, Britannia, Caledonian and an A300 of Air Scandic that Caledonian had leased. One Saturday, saw the A300 sit longer on the runway than it should have, causing an Air 2000 757 to bank and go-around. I want to say we had Airworld to but i feel they were more Manchester.
2001, September 11th - we all know where we were when the events unfolded in the US, I was lying on the living room floor, watching the BBC afternoon comedy episode of Birds of a Feather, when the screen faded and the live footage of New York was broadcast.
2002 - June, Dad was nagging me about not finding a job, so I ended up at the airport, and on the spot was offered a spot with Aviance as a baggage handler for the summer season. During this time, i mainly worked on Air 2000 (we had a 757 and A320) based the first half of the week. I was on the inaugural return of the Banjul flight, retrieving the bags for the crew. We also worked on BMI British Midland (including the charter flights to Greece operated for Kosmar), Futura, Air Europa, Iberworld, British European (where I was the wingman), British Airways and Bmibaby. The inaugural East Midlands flight was cancelled. One Saturday, I just had my toes in the door and I was whipped back out to load 2 BMI British Midland to Heathrow, once these were down, back to the billet for 5 minutes to come back out to offload another BMI from Heraklion and load for Heathrow, back round to the billet. This time i didn't get my backside out the lorry as I was told to stay put to go to one of the two Iberworld from Palma. Once finished it was now 09.30, i started at 05.15. My next flight was Air Europa from Las Palmas, 2 hours later, so got to read my book. One Tuesday, we offloaded an Air 2000 from Dalaman, and loaded for Heraklion, went up the stairs at the side of the airbridge to collect the buggies, to be told, the aircraft might not be departing, due to a dent caused by air stairs in Dalaman. 4 hours later, we were still on the flight, eating the meals. Once the aircraft was cleared to fly, we were finished our shift. We also had a midnight Iberworld flight to Ibiza, which saw the passengers staring wondering what we were doiung. I felt like mouthing "I'm putting your effing bags on or you have nothing to wear!" By the end of October, my contract was up, but November saw me using Bmibaby down to East Midlands, my flight down was a Fokker 100, and came back up on Baby ET (737).
Over the years, I have flown on a variety of Airlines, Air Transat, Nouvelair Tunisie, Onur Air, Airtours, Air 2000, Flying Colours, First Choice Airways, Karthago Airlines, Air Europa to list a few.
As Bearsden had mentioned, the amount of Spanish Airlines we used to have in Glasgow operating charters was outstanding, most no longer operating or others changed their business model, such as Air Europa. We also saw Pegasus and Onur Air on turkish flights, apart from Sunways (which collapsed a few days before I was due to travel with them), there were no other Turkish airlines to my knowledge
Here's a test for you, you can either comment or pvt msg me your answer
Where did these two operate to?
KTHY
Sata Air Acores
Anyway I've ranted and reminisced long enough
So that is where my love for aviation and Glasgow Airport came from, onwards to the next step, some of you already know
I might have the old boarding pass up in the loft somewhere but I remember it well. It was a Boeing 737-300 or 400 which looked tiny out on the west pier in a sea of 757s and it was an S4 flight number. This would have been around summer '97 or '98, possibly as late as '01 or '02.