LAX: FROM PROPS TO JETS - The Jet Age comes to Los Angeles
Vložit
- čas přidán 21. 08. 2020
- A nostalgic look at LAX during its transition from propliners to the new jets in 1961. A spotters delight!
Want exciting never-before-seen aviation images emailed to you twice a month? Then sign-up for our VIP Newsletter! You'll also be the first to know when new and exclusive paid premium content becomes available: www.celebratingaviation.com/vip
What a great series of videos Mike! I'm a new subscriber! In 1959 or thereabouts my airplane buff buddy and I were driving south on Airport Blvd near Century and saw what obviously was a jetliner tail sticking up behind the main terminal. I was 16 and an airplane nut having recently soloed an Aeronca Champ at Santa Monica Flyers in late 58. We parked, rushed in and went up on the observation deck near Mike Lyman's Flight Deck and it turned out to be an American B-707 just like this v log! My first view of a jetliner in real life! We were informed that its departure was imminent. We waited for it to spool up and taxi out to rwy 25 and take off. Traffic stopped on Aviation blvd which runs along the end of the runway and there were no blast fences yet! The jet blast was astounding, mixed with water injection smoke, and flying roadside trash as the jet accelerated, rotated and began an astounding climb out over Playa del rey. Our eyes bugged out in amazement as it circled back eastbound and flew right back over the airport at at least 10,000 feet! Now, at 78 years old, I look back with gratitude at the multitude of experiences like this that I was blessed with! A great era to have experienced!
Great comment Walt, thanks! Almost like a mirror-image of my early jet memories at Idlewild/JFK. and it's highly conceivable that i saw tha same jet land at IDL since my house on Long Island was directly under the downwind-to-base leg turn for Runway 22 Left. 1959 was their first year of domestic service, and the scene you described on Aviation Blvd. was identical to that on Rockaway Blvd. in Queens. Neat story!
Great video! I grew up a mile and a half from LAX (127th and Isis) My dad worked for LA Airways as and A&E. Then 20 yrs later when I got my A&P I worked for Continental.
I miss working at LAX. Amazing place when Continental, Western, and Tigers all had maintenance bases there. And the American Super Bay, TWA hanger, and the United low bay.
A big jet maintenance wonderland!
Thank you a great video
Wonderful comment and memories, thanks!
Great video. I worked at LAX, on and off, from 1968, to 1989, and it was nice to see the changes through the years. The 1984 LA Olympics brought alot of rebuilding to it, namely adding a second deck for traffic. That increased ground traffic flow immensely.
I remember going to the opening day festivities for the new airport, in 1961. Everyone was astounded by the modern architecture; especially the "Theme" building in the middle. It still looks futuristic today, like a flying saucer.
Mike, would like to see you do a series on the history of major airports…you have the gift of history story telling!
ArizonaPoet/ Mike great post as I also rode my bike to the same railroad junction box (Aviation Blvd) as a kid! I also rode my bike out to LAX as it was under construction, and was able to wonder around without being chased out!? Living in Inglewood between the 405 freeway being built and riding my bike all the way to Long Beach. (before cars being able to drive on the fwy) Having LAX nearby it was pure kid heaven! I was always riding down to LAX and spending the day just walking around the terminals. It was like my second home, and during these adventures I met a couple nice United ticket agents. I would follow them around, and now and then they would get me on a airplane. My favorite was the United DC 8 that arrived from Honolulu. The galleries usually had some good leftover treats, so we snacked! My best friends mom worked at Western Airlines as a executive secretary. She also knew the head FAA person at LAX. She arranged for him to take us on a grand tour of LAX including the tower, driving all over the airport, getting on an Western Electra etc. Boy did we feel like big shots! One last story, the best jets to be behind the blast fence and railroad box were SAS DC- 8, and Boeing 707 before the fan engines arrived. Boy they world just sit there, throttle up and kick in the water, seemed like an eternity and release the brakes. Needless to say we had to hide behind the railroad box for self preservation, but damn that was fun!!!!! Thanks for all the memories and posts. Great to be a kid at LAX during the early 60's :)
Mike I also worked at McDonald Douglas 78-79 on the flight ramp, and also my last position was a Flight Test Lead Mechanic on the MD-11 in 87-90. I worked the first three ships during build-up, then went out to Yuma for flight testing. Also did some MD-80 flight testing also. As a A&P mechanic working at Douglas was one of my best jobs and best memories.
I remember as a little kid, my parents would take me out to LAX at Aviation Blvd. to watch inbound & outbound flights land & take off at the airport. Airlines had just gotten switched over to jets a few years prior, and, to a 4 or 5 year old kid, they were LOUD!
I flew in and out of that airport many times when I lived in L.A. area, between military leave, long distance vacations, and flights in & out of town to pay respects to friends and relatives who aren't with us anymore.
That memory of seeing the first jet airliners way back when has always stuck in my head over the decades, am 63 now......
Mike, you make insomnia a treat! I really appreciate the illustrations of air culture in the '60s. So elegant. Wish I could have been there. My first flight was on a Piedmont Airlines Martin 404, in 1967. But even so, all onboard were dressed in their best, and enjoyed such elegance as there was. Miss those days.....
Wonderful history lesson of my favorite airport! Going back in time is always a joy!
Hello Paul! Appreciate the comment and thanks for watching.
I well remember several summer trips beginning at age sixteen between KJAN and KLAX. The trip would begin in a Delta Gold Crown DC-7C to KDAL. Then on to KLAX on an American B-707 AstroJet. Passengers still “dressed-up” to ride these great airliners of the day and real meals were served! First flying lessons at Santa Monica Flyers, KSMO in 1961. Several stops at Garrett Aviation KLAX as corporate pilot years later. Thanks for a great presentation....and for the memories.
Impressive story and wonderful, comment, thanks!
As you may know, LAX is going through a major modernization. The last of the satellite terminals, Terminal 3, will be torn down soon, although it is still serving Delta and its connection regional for the time being. I was recently able to take some photos of the interior of the gate areas with no one there, complete with the star-like ceiling spot lights. Some of the dormant light boxes adjacent to the jetways still say "707" and "1011". It tells me that terminal was once used by TWA? Once Terminal 3 is gone, it will effectively close that chapter in the airport's history.
Speaking of jet blast, some of the alleyways at LAX are still too narrow for airplanes to pass in opposite directions. This in itself creates congestion problems, but more so because large aircraft are "tow-in" only due to the proximity of personnel and ground equipment. It can be a slow process getting parked. Smaller jets are allowed to taxi into the gates in the narrow alleys if they don't stop in mid turn, as this would require they add power again to get moving while their tails are pointed at things. One day I watched a 727 do just that, with its three central engines concentrating their thrust. It blew baggage equipment around and people were trying to get out of the way quickly.
Finally, on the lighter side, that future flight attendant may have become a future pilot or part of management...😏
Great piece as usual.
Thanks for the great comment and yes, TWA operated from Terminal 3 - took my very first flight in a 747 (LAX-JFK) from that terminal in 1970.
Flew in a connie around 1957ish and since then 707,727,737,757 and air buses. In 1966 my dad after returning from his fathers funeral took us to eat pie in that themed restaurant. Sadly my dad passed away 6month later. LAX sure has changed. And so has the way people dress to fly. As a child we wore sundays best...nowadays its sweat pants , T shirts and hoodies .
Appreciate the comment and memories, Thanks Rodger. Happiest memories of my own Dad were at the restaurants at Idlewild (JFK) in New York.
Thanks Mike, well done! Fascinating to see these snippets of aviation history.
Appreciate the comment, thanks!
Beautifully done!
The airport was originally known as Mines Field, named for WW Mines, a noted early real estate developer. The Hangar One that you mentioned that is now a nat’l historic landmark, is dedicated to him. He was my grandfather.
Again, thanks for a great piece of aviation history.
Eric Mines Thorson
Thanks for the info!
Thanks for the memories Mike! I can’t tell you how many times (countless) I’d fly between LAX/ORD aboard American Airlines 707 Astrojets, United DC-8 Jet Mainliners and Continental Airlines 707 Golden Jets … and blessed enough to always fly First Class. 😉. Oh the inflight service was really impressive and Cabin Crew actually liked their jobs 👍🏻😉
Glad you enjoyed the video, and neat that you got to experience that wonderful era of commercial aviation!
I want to build tiny house to that Stratocruiser design. It's perfect. Stairs to a private sleeping loft. Mini-kitchen/bar and lounge area with a big screen and a real couch and bathroom behind the door next to bar.
In ‘65, I recall running across the tarmac to catch a 707 home from LAX. Each of the 5 family members were lugging a suitcase which we also dragged up the ramp into the jet where daddy paid the stew cash for the tickets. Our bags were stowed onboard and off we were to Texas. I think back to a much easier time when rules were relaxed and it was stress free flying.
Neat story, thanks!
One thing I remember distinctly from my youth was being disappointed that they had just closed runway 16-34 at LAX. To be fair, I don't think I ever saw it used!
Much like Runway 25 at JFK - closest to the terminals of any runway there, but closed when the jets arrived. Now it's 22/04 Left and Right.
Your videos are great. Your knowledge of aviation history is impressive. My father was an AA captain having flown from props to jets with AA and was based at LAX the majority of his commercial flying career and we had a home in El Segundo. I remember running around LAX as a child, my mom taking me to see my dad off or to greet him as he came home. LAX, and aviation for that matter, at that time was still romantic. Thank you for putting continuing to produce videos that help educate those who didn't live in those era's to appreciate the history.
I spent plenty of time on Mike Lyman's flight deck as a kid. Thanks for sharing this.
I was the 11 year old boy standing on top of the railroad junction box just on the other side of he blast fence at the beginning of runway 25 watching the DC8's, 707's, 880's & a few TWA Connie freighters in 1960. Thanks for the very accurate video. I walked from Hawthorne by myself there and although I knew of the observation deck at the old terminal, was too shy to
attempt to go there by myself. Like all other kids at the time was afraid of contact with adults.
At the time was common to see F86 junkers on the other side of chain link fences just south of the airport.
Great comment and wonderful memories, thanks! Mine was a very similar story at that same time period at New York Idlewild, now JFK.
ArizonaPoet great post as I also rode my bike to the same railroad junction box (Aviation Blvd) as a kid! I also rode my bike out to LAX as it was under construction, and was able to wonder around without being chased out!? Living in Inglewood between the 405 freeway being built and riding my bike all the way to Long Beach. (before cars being able to drive on the fwy) Having LAX nearby it was pure kid heaven! I was always riding down to LAX and spending the day just walking around the terminals. It was like my second home, and during these adventures I met a couple nice United ticket agents. I would follow them around, and now and then they would get me on a airplane. My favorite was the United DC 8 that arrived from Honolulu. The galleries usually had some good leftover treats, so we snacked! My best friends mom worked at Western Airlines as a executive secretary. She also knew the head FAA person at LAX. She arranged for him to take us on a grand tour of LAX including the tower, driving all over the airport, getting on an Western Electra etc. Boy did we feel like big shots! One last story, the best jets to be behind the blast fence and railroad box were SAS DC- 8, and Boeing 707 before the fan engines arrived. Boy they world just sit there, throttle up and kick in the water, seemed like an eternity and release the brakes. Needless to say we had to hide behind the railroad box for self preservation, but damn that was fun!!!!! Thanks for all the memories and posts. Great to be a kid at LAX during the early 60's :)
Since I live in Burbank (home to Lockheed), I’ve flown in/out of LAX many times. It’s a shame the futuristic Theme bldg is vacant. Since a child, I’ve always wanted to eat at the upper floor restaurant there, but sadly it’s no more.
I was wondering what was in it, shame hear that's being lost!
Mike you mentioned in the 60s they started showing movies on planes. My first jet trip was out of LAX aboard an American Airlines 707 “Astro jet”. I was 13 at the time. I loved all the aspects of the flight. One thing that struck me was as the movie played on little screens hanging from the luggage rack above our heads I could see a delay from screen to screen bringing me to the conclusion that the actual celluloid film was moving down the length of the passenger compartment hidden above and being projected every ~10 feet or so on the small screens and evidently the sound track was also being read every ~10 ft and fed to the stethoscope like earphones used in those days. This feat of ingenuity just tickled the heck out of me. I had the beef Wellington and the salad had the tiniest shrimp on it I’d ever seen!
Wonderful story, thanks!
Thanks, Mike, I enjoyed your work.
I had my first airplane ride from El Paso to Denver at age 5 in 1945. got airsick and that was the last time. Started flying in 1951 at 11 and in the Civil Air Patrol.
After Navy and college, I was flying out of Orange County in the early 60s. I used to fly from Orange County to Santa Barbara to get a haircut, OThe typical $50.00 hamburger flight. I would fly right over LAX at 1,500' and never had to even tell them I was there, but I did just to be able to talk to them. Or I would fly along the beach just offshore at 800' and would talk to them. Great memories. Long before the TCA.
There was a housing tract just off the 25 L & Right runways that were taken because of the noise. All the houses were moved but the streets and lawns were still there. You could not access the roads but would love to know when it was done.
Now just an old man, still flying but only in my dreams. With 25,000 hours and 13 type ratings all over the world happy to stay home and relax.
Wonderful comment Charlie, thanks! I believe the houses on the bluffs at Playa del Rey (and north and west of the 24 Runways across Lincoln Blvd. as well) were eliminated when the new LAX 'Jetport' was built in 1960. When that of of Pershing Drive was still open in the 1970s, we used to go to the top of the hill and take photos of the jets departing 24 Left. All closed now. Best to you!
What a great memories, only if I could fly one.
At 10:45-11:00, the old Douglas hangar is now FedEx. (Airbus 300 Captain here).
Your tour of LAX was so nice to see. What an age of development we have lived through. My dad took the train out from Minnesota to work for Lockeed towards the end of WW2. He started with the Connie, and stayed through the Atlas rocket as a design engineer. Your videos bring back fond memories growing up in the LA region. Please give 5 stars to the producer, director, scriptwriter, and editor. Each of your vignettes have a sense of story arc through development and history.
Thanks for the great comment Kent, and these are fun projects for me. I do all the production actually - 'used to make presentations like this at Douglas.
@@celebratingaviationwithmik9782 I admire your professional delivery and knowledge. this content is important. thank you for the lessons
Great video Mike! Great memories of my past workplace! The aircraft were much more glamorous back in the day, like the models and toys we had.
Thanks Alan, and agreed on the models and toys!
Enjoyed this immensely Mike. The paint schemes, and names ("Starstream 707", "Jet Mainliner", "990 Astrojet" just to name a few), on those 50s propliners and 60s jets were the best ever. Thanks for putting it all together.
Thanks Glenn - another favorite was the name for TWA Starstream 707 engines - "DynaFan!"
Great vlog as always! One of the first, if not the first int/intercont. users was SAS/SK. They revolutionized air travel, over the North Pole and cut travel time from LAX to Europa by many hours, first with the DC-6B, then with the DC-7C. It became known as the Hollywood Star route or something like that because it was the fastest way from the west coast of the US to Europe. Keep up the good work. Looking forward to the next. Be safe!
Thanks Marsh. Your stuff still delights us.
Great video. Only been there once. Flew out of Long Beach for a while.
Ironic that JetBlue is leaving KLGB for KLAX - might even see you there someday!
@@celebratingaviationwithmik9782 could happen, would be nice
Love it! Interesting side note, Jimmy Stewart learned to fly at Mines Field. Had to sneak over there to do it. Would be cool to see some sort of video on the old fields of LA like Grand Central, the old NAA facility in Downey or transition of places like Oxnard AFB. Amazing how cities have incorporated their old taxi ways and runways in to the configuration of the city post airport. Always throughly enjoy your content.
The 1965 James Coburn movie, "Dead Heat on a Merry-go-round", prominently features the Theme Building in it. Coburn robs a bank that is supposedly in the base of the building.
The building was closed for a while, after the 1994 Northridge earthquake.
The movie is available on CZcams for rent.
at 11:48, the F-100 #548 in the foreground, great pic. That F-100 is not even in the Super Sabre registry. This would be a perfect picture to get it in there.
Enjoyable presentation, Mike. Airlines are designed and built better today, but they lack the character of the oldies.
Great video. My father-in-law took 8mm movies of the family trip Michigan to LA (he drove out) and then from LA back to their home in Michigan in August 1958 (by air). Having seen your video the movie makes more sense. Boarding the plane looked more like boarding a train. Large sandwich signs with the airline logo and flight designations were key to getting on the correct plane. They flew American Airlines, a Royal Coachman DC-7 Service which was a direct flight to Chicago and a connecting flight to Detroit. They allegedly left at 8:455 AM and arrived (allegedly) at 6:40PM.
Very interesting video. Nice job.
Very well done.
Gotta love all this stuff ! It’s the best ! Maybe one day you will feature the story of Van Nuys airport.
Many thanks, and yes, Van Nuys would offer some interesting stories for sure.
Or just an interview w Clay Lacy! My parents kept their airplane in the Angels Aviation hangar from 1963-66. Every visit to the VNY airport pretty much left me bug eyed. Mustangs, C-97s (Guard), Pregnant Guppies, A-26s, T-6s, U-2s, Bearcats, and other Reno competitors all were routinely operating from VNY in those days.
@@towcub That must have been an amazing time to hang out at Van Nuys. Great story, thanks!
This the THIRD major redo of LAX in my lifetime. Some people who lived here long enough ago will speak of the 'old' and 'new' airport. That is because Sepulveda Blvd. used to be the western border on the airport. Everything west of Sepulveda opened up approximately 1960. I remember going down with my family to see it. I remember they had a jetliner (probably a 707 or DC-8) that we could walk through. The next major change was the construction dealing with the arrival of the 1984 Olympics. That's when all the parking structures you see today were built. That is also when LAX became double-decked. The major car rental agencies that used to operate there had to move off airport. That was a minor setback for their customers- prior to then, if you had a reservation for a car, you picked up your bags, went over the Avis/Hertz/National courtesy desk, and they would hand you the keys and there was your car waiting for you in lot across the street.
Great comment, thanks! Very similar to Idlewild/JFK in New York, and Midway/O'Hare in Chicago. The next iteration of LAX involves a massive elevated people-mover train from a new passenger processing center near Aviation Blvd., plus three new terminals - one west of the Bradley, and two on either side of Sepulveda.
And another interesting and informative video. Keep up the great work.
Mike, really been enjoying your channel having just discovered it a couple weeks ago. Your history with aviation and being an aviation artists brings quite a unique look and love of aviation that's fantastic. I grew up in Orange County, but my Dad lived in Burbank. I now live in the Bay Area, but appreciate the Southern California themed videos as I know the area well. I'm a student pilot now (aged 51), had to slow down due to Covid, but hopefully will resume soon.
Appreciate the comment, thanks, and best of luck to you with your flying!
Outstanding! But, no mention of the In-N-Out on Sepulveda and the approach to 24R! Ha ha
Good point, but the In'N'Out wasn't there back during the Golden Age. Thanks for watching!
@@celebratingaviationwithmik9782 I really enjoy your videos!
I'm from Minnesota. But, when I get out to LA, that In - N - Out is always my first stop! Ha ha
The old jets turned communities like Lennox under the flight path into slums. Loud engines that were kept revved higher than piston engines was the reason. The early jet engines also spewed a lot of unburned fuel during landing. The parking lot of Garret AirReseach was full of employee cars with paint jobs damaged by aerosolized jet fuel.
Yes, I'd heard that, thanks, and similar stories near JFK and O'Hare.
All of the houses west of the airport had to be torn down after the airport expansion. Up to the late 60s, we could drive around the empty streets that formerly had luxurious ocean side homes. The roar of the jets taking off, every 3-5 minutes, was intense.
My father was a teacher at a school in Lennox in the late 60s. He would have to stop talking to his class every time a jet came in for a landing. That was every 5 minutes.
maybe you can add where Hangar 1 is at 9:38, that also is instructive. This is just wonderful, seeing LAX history like this.
"Strat" stands for stratocruiser.
Hello first time I noticed you utilize the term America to describe the United States of America 🇺🇸. Note America is a Continent. Nice video thanks saludos
North America and South America are continents. There is no continent called America. How do you refer to citizens of the United States of America? United Statesmen? No, they are called Americans. Everyone knows America is the shortened form of the United States of America.
@@timnell207 hello , really hahaha jajaja to funny, you are completely conditioned by the English. CONTINENT is a Hellenic terminus it mean continuous content of land or geography. AMERICA is a continent by the Hellenic definition , the Original definition. You said it you self, Citizens of the United States of America are named just that “ UNITED STATES OF AMERICA CITIZENS “ OR NATIONALS. Saludos prove me erroneous if you can to funny THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND THE AMERICAN CONTINENT IS INDIVISIBLE