A VIP Weekend Away: Adventure on Concorde at Manchester Airport’s Runway Visitor Park
Hi I’m Haydn, a 12-year-old aviation enthusiast who fell in love with flying a few years ago through a Flight Simulator game on my Xbox. Living just a 15-minute drive from Newcastle airport, I often enjoys plane spotting with my parents.
This summer, my aviation adventure reached new heights when my parents took me to Manchester for a different plane spotting experience. Staying at the Holiday Inn IHG at Manchester airport, I had a room with a view of planes taking off.
Before checking in, I stopped at the Tatton Arms pub, where planes passed overhead just before landing. The excitement continued at The Airport Pub’s garden, offering a close-up view of planes and even the ability to see pilots and passengers.
I spent five thrilling hours watching planes take off and land. The proximity was so intense that I felt the ground shake and caught the smell of jet fuel during takeoff. Climbing onto a plane-shaped climbing frame provided an even better vantage point.
The next day, my parents took me to The Visitor Centre for more plane spotting. My parents also booked a platinum tour of the iconic Concorde, which lasted 1 hour and 30 minutes.
The tour included a 15-minute talk about Concorde’s history before stepping onto the plane. I sat in the front section, hearing about Concorde’s ability to fly at high speeds and its exclusive clientele, including businesspeople, the royal family, and celebrities like Joan Collins.
Details about Queen Elizabeth’s and Prince Philip’s preferred seats, the unique British Airways swish armrests, and Princess Margaret’s luggage arrangements provided fascinating insights. Inside the cramped cockpit, I had the chance to sit in the captain’s seat and learn about the aircraft’s controls.
Concorde’s advanced technology, including LCD screens in row 1 displaying its speed, impressed me, despite the limited headroom and space in the cabin. The tour concluded with the nose lowering twice—a procedure done during poor visibility landings.
The Manchester Concorde, once used by Queen Elizabeth, is now a popular attraction for public tours and even hosts weddings at its rear section. Despite its historic charm, Haydn learned that Concorde’s outdated technology makes it impractical for today’s travel needs.
My favorite plane is the A350, and I aspires to fly on one someday. While he acknowledges the challenges of becoming a commercial pilot, my passion for aviation fuels my dreams. Here’s to an exciting journey in the world of aviation!
You can read about my full experience in our first copy of the Final Approach Magazine.
Haydn Atkinson
North East Reporter for Final Approach. You usually find Haydn at Newcastle Airport.
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