Aviation Viewing Park at Manchester Airport

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Me and aircraft
The viewing park
Felicities
Cost
How to get there
Avoid the waffle and look at the piccies

Well, the old bug has bit me. Having not been near Manchester Airport (or any other for that matter) for a long long time, I took my Sister and family there to catch their holiday flight. You could have knocked me down with a feather when I felt the old buzz again. I subsequently went to the top level of the car park where there are limited spectator facilities to see them off.

Me and aircraft
OK, a quick bit of history first. Back in 1979 as a 13 year old, I wound up living in a house opposite the end of the runway of Manchester Airport (Manchester end). Now, I had been taken on holiday as a three-year-old (1970) travelling to Ibiza on a deHaviland Comet of BEA. As a result of this and many subsequent holiday flights I developed a healthy liking for Aircraft, so you can imagine I was fairly happy living there. I spent a pretty good 5 years there until the set of circumstances that took the family there, re-occurred.

The viewing park
Having sampled the spectator facilities on the top of the car park and thought them crap, and having heard of a viewing area at the south end of the runway, I took myself down to explore last Bank Holiday Monday (25/5/98).

Felicities
I found a very nicely maintained area with terrific views. Also on the site were a food cabin, a shop selling books and models and other aviation related things and most importantly some loos.

How much?
Costs to get in are £1.50 (weekday) or £2.50 (weekend and B/H) for 1 car + 1 adult with each additional adult being 50p. Kids under 16 ar free. Pedestrians and cyclists are 50p and £1.00 respectivly.

How do I get there
To get there take junction 6 of the M56. Follow the signs at the roundabout for Macclesfield/Wilmslow (right turn). Almost immediately after the roundabout turn left into Sunbank Lane - should be signed but wasn't when I went. Proceed for a couple of hundred yards then take a right turn and continue down to the end of the road.

The pictures
These pictures were taken on my Casio QV10a digital camera.
This picture shows the entrance hut where you pays yer money. The entrance runs right to left across the picture.
Here we have the two "mounds" closest to the terminal. The right hand one is more prominent and has a wider view of the apron. The second picture is a view across the apron to the terminal from the right hand mound.
This one shows the big mound with worse viewing, but next to the facilities. On the right is the Aviation Shop. Between that and the mound you can see the food cabin. Grub prices don't seem that bad - certainly better than in the terminal.
While I was there taking these pictures, one of the Red Arrows came in. When he took off he let one of his smoke cannistors off - just as something was coming in to land behind him!

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tony.walker@zetnet.co.uk