Old JFK and LAX, can't get enough of the history!

[mirrodie]

I would have loved to have been a spotter in these days!!

http://www.nycaviation.com/hosting/JFK.jpg

http://www.nycaviation.com/hosting/JFKoverview.jpg




And here is a local photo for Midnight Mike!

http://www.nycaviation.com/hosting/lax.jpg

[Idlewild]

Being a spotter at JFK in the late '70's/early 80's and using the Pan Am rooftop as my primary location, I can say without hesitation that it was pretty cool. JFK still had the three houses (I believe the Protestant church had all the hanging airplane models) in the park and it was unbelievably easy to gain access to the mechanics lunchroom on the bottom (where the nose gear/s would be right in your face) and cockpits of most airlines through out Kennedy. It all changed when chicken wire was installed on the rooftop around '84.

I wish I was there when it was decked out with the fountains as well.

[Jonesbeach]

I found this page with lots of old pics of JFK.

http://members.tripod.com/~psa188/index.html

Here's another cool shot, but I don't know where I got it from:

http://www.rankel.net/stephenlauren/planes/JFK_fountains-old.jpg

[/url]

[727C47]

i started spotting jfk when i was a kid in s.ozone pk, the golden age,60s-70s, last of the big props,early jets,747s,vc10s, il-62s,cl44s,widebodies,concorde, it was beautiful, but its still pretty cool right now,777s, 747-400s,a340s,and the occasional itinerant 727. still my favorite aerodrome.

[mirrodie]

i started spotting jfk when i was a kid in s.ozone pk, the golden age,60s-70s, last of the big props,early jets,747s,vc10s, il-62s,cl44s,widebodies,concorde, it was beautiful, but its still pretty cool right now,777s, 747-400s,a340s,and the occasional itinerant 727. still my favorite aerodrome.


We have the same beginnings, I was on Rockaway Blvd and 24th street. That was the cradle of spotting at JFK :) And we never had to leave the house.

[Nonstop2AUH]

Excellent to see this and the old LGA pics today, reminds me of how much more fun it used to be to go to the airport. I find it kind of amazing how long some of these structures lasted given the changes over the years, e.g. IAB made it to the end of the 20th century, Pan Am Worldport is still in use over 40 years later, etc. And so I don't leave out LAX, the Encounter restaurant now in the old Theme Building is pretty cool, does anyone know who that guy is?

[727C47]

i remember when the canarsie approach would be active sunrise to midnight (late 60's),a 707 overhead every 90 seconds, and pan am would do 3am full power maintenance run-ups of their 707s(no kidding), and rockaway playland was a great place to spot,all those alitalia 747s,and other heavies moaning overhead,and outbound eastward, great,great stuff, i was in heaven,my family thought i was nuts.

[Nycfly75]

Im still in dreamland watching 13L arrivals here in Howard Beach, how so much has changed flying overhead over the years. I have to thank my Dad for all those Saturday afternoons on the observation deck of the IAB as a kid for igniting my love of airplanes.

[Nonstop2AUH]

A little off topic but the photos got me thinking about this. My mother, who has firsthand experience of the era, says that when celebrities would arrive or depart Idlewild they would often pose for pictures at the top of the stairs by the aircraft door. This implies the media and the public could get pretty close to the plane. Does anyone know if there was any sort of pass required, or was it all on the honor system in those days?

[RDU-JFK]

Man, those are some great pictures! Any more oldies of JFK or LGA?

[mirrodie]

http://www.nycaviation.com/hosting/jfk.jpg

http://www.nycaviation.com/hosting/panam.jpg

http://www.nycaviation.com/hosting/twa.jpg



As you can see, these are from the book, which I plan on returning.

In the first one, wasn't that external facade still around in the 80s? Looks like I remember seeing it.


As for the PanAm overview model, I love the Pan Am Concorde they anticipated :)


enjoy!

[727C47]

i love the paa space shuttle in 2001 space oddysey

[RDU-JFK]

I WANT THAT MODEL OF THE WORLDPORT!!!!!!


::kicks and screams::

[Tom_Turner]

A little off topic but the photos got me thinking about this. My mother, who has firsthand experience of the era, says that when celebrities would arrive or depart Idlewild they would often pose for pictures at the top of the stairs by the aircraft door. This implies the media and the public could get pretty close to the plane. Does anyone know if there was any sort of pass required, or was it all on the honor system in those days?

I believe at IAB in the 50s, (and what I can remember of the late 60s) the public had access to much of the roof extending into the piers. I am thinking it remained open to the general public when the Beatles arrived and all that. The aircraft wre often fairly close to the deck...

[Nonstop2AUH]

I still don't know how to insert the quote like Tom did, but thanks for the info Tom. Now, at LGA wasn't there a similar public area at ground level? Like, in old pics it looks like the "gate" was just that, an opening in the railing that passengers would present their ticket and walk through and up to the plane but there was nothing to stop visitors from coming right up to the "gate".

[Speedbird1]

I went every weekend with my friend to the Pan Am Roof in the late 70's and early 80's and it was great. You could see the Air France Concorde start-up her engines and view the retractible nose in action. As a bonus,we got the international 747s at the IAB. We also went to the BA Terminal and saw the British Concorde taxy in then later depart. Everything changed after PA 103 was destroyed. Wire fences were placed on the Pan Am Roof and ruined the view and it was even closed later for security reasons. At LAX, you were allowed to take an elevator to the observation deck at the Theme Building. I read that this has been closed since 9-11.These were the golden days, never again to return.

[Nonstop2AUH]

Speedbird, nice to be reminded of the good old days. I think Eastern had some sort of observation area as well, somewhere near the Ionosphere Club IIRC.

At LAX, The Encounter restaurant in the Theme Building still has a decent view, although I imagine not as good as when the outdoor observation was open.

[Speedbird1]

Yes, I also recall a nice view from Eastern Airlines. You are correct; they had a small observation deck but it only had a limited view, so I rarely went. there.

[Nycfly75]

My Dad used to take me many Saturdays to the IAB observation deck when it was opened. It was an amzing view.

[Speedbird1]

Do you mean the deck at the old IAB ? It had a turnstile and cost a dime. I never cared for the view from there as the northern side of the airport was covered by the building itself. I recall great views of only Lufthansa and Alitalia from there as it was on the east side of the terminal. The Pan Am roof had a much better view and it was free!

[727C47]

my family's backyard on 124th st. had the most awesome view of all Canarsie 13L arrivals at 500agl, and 31L departures down the end of the block by the Conduit.

[Nycfly75]

Do you mean the deck at the old IAB ? It had a turnstile and cost a dime. I never cared for the view from there as the northern side of the airport was covered by the building itself. I recall great views of only Lufthansa and Alitalia from there as it was on the east side of the terminal. The Pan Am roof had a much better view and it was free!

Yes that was the one :) I was very young so any airplane that I saw was fine by me, but as my avatar shows I would never mind just seeing AZ :-D .

I also have a great view of 13/31 L/R traffic from my house:
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f249/nycfly75/c8147782.jpg
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f249/nycfly75/fcf909d7.jpg
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f249/nycfly75/july2006092.jpg

[JetBlueAirwaysFan]

I will comment about the old Pan Am Terminal...It is not the same since Delta took control. They have paid more attention to Terminal Two, as Terminal 3 seemed like a dark hallway when I was at JFK in 2005.

[nwafan20]

Do you mean the deck at the old IAB ? It had a turnstile and cost a dime. I never cared for the view from there as the northern side of the airport was covered by the building itself. I recall great views of only Lufthansa and Alitalia from there as it was on the east side of the terminal. The Pan Am roof had a much better view and it was free!

Yes that was the one :) I was very young so any airplane that I saw was fine by me, but as my avatar shows I would never mind just seeing AZ :-D .

I also have a great view of 13/31 L/R traffic from my house:
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f249/nycfly75/c8147782.jpg
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f249/nycfly75/fcf909d7.jpg
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f249/nycfly75/july2006092.jpg


Your very lucky, I have to travel an hour and a half to get to a commercial airport, and you can spot from your backyard! I'm moving in!!! :D

[727C47]

I remember Avianca 707s in the late 70s early 80s at the old IAB portal,does anybody remember the Modern Air Cv990s that were JFK based in the mid 70s? I never tried the top of the Worldport, the spotting from the old neighborhood was sublime.

[Nycfly75]

Your very lucky, I have to travel an hour and a half to get to a commercial airport, and you can spot from your backyard! I'm moving in!!! :D

I dont mind if someone wants to snap pictures from my backyard, especially in the summer.