SecretLeeds - History, culture and architecture in Leeds

Hello All, Hope someone can help....This may sound strange but here goes.... One of my earliest childhood memories is of a Boeing 747 flying over Leeds at a ridiculously low altitude. I know it sounds daft but as a kid I thought I could reach up and touch it. Anyway It' pecked at my head for a while that this was actually just my imagination but my dad assures me that it did happen. (not the most reliable source) So here are the details that I rememberI lived in Middleton at the time so the fly over might have only occured / been best seen in South Leeds. It would have been in either 1983 or 1984 as I can remember been in nursery school at the time. I'm also pretty sure that it was on a Sunday at about 11.00am.So what does anyone think? Early on set of mental illness or did this actually happen?Also on a side issue - Did they ever land 747s at Leeds/Bradford. I'm sure they did (on a monday?) Hope you guys can helpThanks in Advance

Possibily this is the event which you partly witnessed:"The completion of the runway extension was marked on 4th November 1984 with two pleasure flights organised by The Yorkshire Post, who chartered a British Airways Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet for the day, calling it "The Spirit of Yorkshire". Wardair also marked the day by operating the airport's first transatlantic flight to Toronto."

Thank You for the speedy response! I think the event you described is what I remember. So nice to know I wasn't imagining thingsWould be interested to know if anyopne else remembers just how low it flew on the day - or even anyone on board?!Thanks Again

I remember Concord coming in around that time - when was that?

As Terry says, the scheduled flights to Canada were usually a 747.I can only assume back then that "low flying" was a lot less tied up in red tape as I can remember around that time several planes flying at a much lower altitude than normal over my parents house, presumable en route to Leeds Bradford, despite us not being on a normal flight path.

raveydavey wrote: As Terry says, the scheduled flights to Canada were usually a 747. I'm pretty sure that, although the Wardair flights did indeed go from LBA to Canada, they had to call at Birmingham International Airport on the way in order to top up with the maximum amount of fuel, certainly if fully loaded with passengers and luggage etc.As far as low flying is concerned, I lived at that time in Grayson Heights (multi storey 9th floor) and we got a splendid view of the 747s and Concorde as they would be only about two miles from the runway on approach.

i remember this vividly. we were setting up our bonfire in the back garden when it swooped over the house tops nearly taking the chimneys off.I know this may sound far fetched but i can actually remember seeing faces in the windows looking out lol.    

Not747 related but-Concord flying low near Jimmy's,was in between the Shakespearemulti storey blocks and the noise was horrendous.When working in the Knottingley area in the 70's Vulcan bombrs used to fly over very low - what a racket.

I remember this event too, I was playing football on the pitch at Glen Road, Morley when the 747 flew past in the direction of Middleton, even the referee stopped the game as he thought the plane was in trouble as indeed it did seem to be only a few hundred feet up.    

This sort of rings a bell with me too. Rothwell is on one of the flight paths for LBA albeit not at a particularly low level. Concorde came over once a week or so in those days but I do have an image in my head of a 747 looking like it was going to land over Miggy way. Thought it was no more than a vivid image from a dream.