Washington National old terminal A

[graham]

A bit of nostagia here for Keith H, Dave Allum and myself, was rummaging around on the web and found this photo of the old terminal A at Washington National as it appears today. The mezzanine floor where we sat every day in those huge comfy chairs appears to have been blocked off, with no visibility through the huge windows across the apron although it looks like the glass and steel railings are still in place. Beneath where we sat, there used to be the check in desks but they are all disused now

Terminal A National by Graham Brown, on Flickr

[keefyboy]

It always amazes me how the jets weave their way through downtown DC only just avoiding the White House and the Pentagon. I'm surprised they built an airport there in the first place given it's close proximity to the White House - which was there first - but there would have been no aerial threat then. I spent a month in DC back in 2011 with an ex girlfriend who worked in the Washington Navy Yard on the Potomac. The Navy Yard had a museum - which included a couple of WW2 aircraft suspended from the ceiling - one I think was a Corsair but log books are in the loft. Anyhow the highlight of my visit was to touch the submersible Trieste which went to the bottom of the Mariana Trench in 1960. I only used my UK driving license to gain access though I did have an RAF civilian ID card as backup. A year later - some bloke went nuts in the Navy Yard and killed several people (though I think he worked there). I bet that put the kybosh on future access to the museum! I stayed in Alexandria so when aircraft were approaching from the east they would go right over the bar I was sitting at on the Potomac. Happy days.
Cheers
Keith

[davebasing]

Thanks Graham, memories of several happy hours spent sitting by these windows on a number of visits to Washington over the years pre 9/11. Great for photos (the one below from 1990) as well as being able to monitor all movements. Was never troubled there by anyone. My other favorite place at National was at the end of the runway parked up by the boat launching dock after a quick drive down to the usually busy biz jet area at the other end.

90-qc by dave tompkins, on Flickr

[graham]

Cheers boys, yes, some wonderful memories for sure. Where we sat on that mezzanine floor was adjacent to the door to the tower, every once in a while someone would enter or leave and we eventually asked if we could go and have a look which was granted. We didn't get right up to the tower but were shown the radar room which was very impressive. The guys who showed us around were very friendly and pleased that we were interested in what they did.

On that same trip we bused it down to Baltimore Friendship and spent an hour or so logging all the tin in the GA section, no one challenged us at all and as with the guys at National, were ultra friendly

[keithh]

In fact Graham, if you remember we didn’t even ask. One of the people leaving asked us what we were doing and told us to knock the door and we were invited in. I still have the leaflet on the airport that we were given somewhere. The friendliness of Americans has stayed with me ever since.

[graham]

Thanks for the memory jog Keith, it is almost fifty years ago which seems impossible, we were all kids really but what an amazing experience. I did return to Washington a couple of years after our trip, part sightseeing and part spotting but it wasn't the same there without you guys especially when the PA system at National announced the "EAS-TUUUUURRNNN" flights....;0)

[keithh]

It’s a shame Eastern are long gone now. I did fly with them once on an A300 from Miami to Freeport Bahamas in 1980.

[davidallum]

Only flew with them the once,on a B727 N8165G from Baltimore-Washington National,all of 73 miles I believe.