Lived at 63rd & Keating for 49 years. Spent HOURS just watching them land and takeoff by the old terminal. This brings back many memories. Thank you soo much.
I love it! I don't know squat about Chicago except that I was born there in '59 and we moved soon after. I have learned so much about this airport since posting it -- thank you for sharing!
The first shot is that of a U.S. Navy, Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer (the light blue car appears to be a 1955 or '56 Ford) followed by a number of Navy F9F-8, Grumman Cougars. They were filmed along Willow Rd. as the Privateer and jet fighters are landing to the south at Glenview Naval Air Station at Glenview, IL. The airliner coming into Midway Airport at :56 is a Northwest Airlines, Douglas DC-7C. The aircraft at 1:05 is a United Airlines, Douglas DC-6B. NWA DC-7C taking off at 2:08. Capital Airlines, turboprop Vickers Viscount at 2:24. TWA, Lockheed 1049 Super Constellation taking off at 3:46. Delta Air Lines DC-6 at the end. Wonderful period shots of when Midway was the world's busiest airport. Thanks for sharing!
I am so glad you shared this information. I had a nagging feeling that the front part of the video might not actually be Midway :) I also like knowing what each of the planes are and glad someone has the knowledge to figure it out because I sure don't!
And appreciation thirded! 🤩 Dad was a USN pilot for beginning of his career but an eye problem developed and ended military flying so he became Surface Warfare. Did fly private for a while after. His dad, my grandfather, was a private pilot for years and years. Aviation of the 1960s and 70s is still very much a personal interest. Dad subscribed to several aviation magazines of the era and would give them to me and my brother when he was done with them. Though no longer having them I would swear on a stack of Chicago Manual of Style books that in that era they commonly used an o in propellor instead of an e in the spelling propeller which is most common now.
😸 Oh, as a point of maybe or maybe not connected trivia, my now 15 years old orange tabby fellow who was rescued injured from the roadside is named Grumman because he too turned out to be one tough bird who kept on flying.
It was only last year that I learned Viscount in Vickers Viscount is properly pronounced without that s. 😯 I'd been saying it wrong for half a century because I had only encountered it in print! 🤣
I lived at 60th & Kostner Ave. and frequently walked to the airport to see the planes. The observation deck at the time was on the roof of the terminal and cost about 25 cents from memory. It was all open air and during my teens we'd just jump over the turnstyle to get to the deck. Back then our parents all had rooftop antennas for the tv and there were many times when the planes would mess with the reception. Prior to takeoff the pilots had to run up the engines to check the magnetos and that was loud. We were so used to the noise that we didn't hear it at night when we went to sleep. Great memories.
What a enjoyable video! And of all the airlines I saw, only United is still around!
Lived at 63rd & Keating for 49 years. Spent HOURS just watching them land and takeoff by the old terminal. This brings back many memories. Thank you soo much.
I love it! I don't know squat about Chicago except that I was born there in '59 and we moved soon after. I have learned so much about this airport since posting it -- thank you for sharing!
The first shot is that of a U.S. Navy, Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer (the light blue car appears to be a 1955 or '56 Ford) followed by a number of Navy F9F-8, Grumman Cougars. They were filmed along Willow Rd. as the Privateer and jet fighters are landing to the south at Glenview Naval Air Station at Glenview, IL. The airliner coming into Midway Airport at :56 is a Northwest Airlines, Douglas DC-7C. The aircraft at 1:05 is a United Airlines, Douglas DC-6B. NWA DC-7C taking off at 2:08. Capital Airlines, turboprop Vickers Viscount at 2:24. TWA, Lockheed 1049 Super Constellation taking off at 3:46. Delta Air Lines DC-6 at the end. Wonderful period shots of when Midway was the world's busiest airport. Thanks for sharing!
I am so glad you shared this information. I had a nagging feeling that the front part of the video might not actually be Midway :) I also like knowing what each of the planes are and glad someone has the knowledge to figure it out because I sure don't!
Appreciation seconded for all the info.
And appreciation thirded! 🤩 Dad was a USN pilot for beginning of his career but an eye problem developed and ended military flying so he became Surface Warfare. Did fly private for a while after. His dad, my grandfather, was a private pilot for years and years. Aviation of the 1960s and 70s is still very much a personal interest. Dad subscribed to several aviation magazines of the era and would give them to me and my brother when he was done with them. Though no longer having them I would swear on a stack of Chicago Manual of Style books that in that era they commonly used an o in propellor instead of an e in the spelling propeller which is most common now.
😸 Oh, as a point of maybe or maybe not connected trivia, my now 15 years old orange tabby fellow who was rescued injured from the roadside is named Grumman because he too turned out to be one tough bird who kept on flying.
It was only last year that I learned Viscount in Vickers Viscount is properly pronounced without that s. 😯 I'd been saying it wrong for half a century because I had only encountered it in print! 🤣
I lived at 60th & Kostner Ave. and frequently walked to the airport to see the planes. The observation deck at the time was on the roof of the terminal and cost about 25 cents from memory. It was all open air and during my teens we'd just jump over the turnstyle to get to the deck. Back then our parents all had rooftop antennas for the tv and there were many times when the planes would mess with the reception. Prior to takeoff the pilots had to run up the engines to check the magnetos and that was loud. We were so used to the noise that we didn't hear it at night when we went to sleep. Great memories.
Nice memories! Thanks for sharing! I don't know much about the area since we moved when I was a baby but I like learning about it.