THIS IS CONFIDENTIAL'S favourite eccentric celebration of the month.
One trader specialises in airsickness bag – with some (unused) sick bags of airlines from years-gone-by, such as Laker Airways and Pan Am now considered collectors’ items, valued at anything from £5 to £10 each. Yes, that much.
Thounsands of visitors are expected at Manchester Airport’s Runway Visitor Park this weekend to witness a gathering of planes, trains and automobiles, as the hangar that houses the retired Concorde is transformed into a giant transport memorabilia and exhibition centre.
Now in its fourth year, the Manchester Airport Aviation and Transport Fair attracts visitors from across the UK and as far afield as Holland, Switzerland, Germany and Dubai.
Aviation and transport enthusiasts, societies and traders will be selling all sorts of vintage memorabilia and collectibles – including model aircraft, old posters, timetables, advertisements and steam engines – in the hangar under the wings of Concorde
One trader specialises in airsickness bag – with some (unused) sick bags of airlines from years-gone-by, such as Laker Airways and Pan Am now considered collectors’ items, valued at anything from £5 to £10 each. Yes, that much.
Other examples include a first class cutlery set from Pan American Airlines valued at upwards of £50; a 1950s BOAC Cigar box worth £25; a Laker Airways Captain’s hat valued at £10 and oil paintings of Concorde’s last landing at Manchester signed by the captain trading for around £150.
One of the largest – and most expensive – items on offer is a ‘spare’ Olympus engine from a Concorde – with offers over £1 million likely to be considered from any willing buyers. Yes, that much.
Exhibits on display inside the hangar will include six full-scale model railways depicting actual stations and villages in North West of England, alongside a giant Scalextric track, which will be available for visitors to race; and demonstrations of Air Navigation Radar equipment.
Outside the hangar, over 200 classic cars dating back to 1914 will be on display around the Runway Visitor Park, alongside special novelty shaped hot air balloons, a diesel train engine, vintage fire engines, busses and military vehicles which served in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Members of the UK Cockpit Club will also be exhibiting their aircraft flight decks which range from an RAF Tornado to an HS 748 aircraft built at Woodford Aerodrome. The former BAe Chief Test Pilot, Mr Robbie Robinson, will be reunited at the Fair with the aircraft he first flew on delivery to Trinidad and Tobago Airlines over 30 years ago.
All of the Runway Visitor Park’s permanent exhibits - including the supersonic airliner Concorde, a retired RAF Nimrod, an Avro RJX; a DC-10; and a retro Trident airliner – will also be open to the public for viewing.
Visitors will also be able to watch aircraft landing and taking-off on Manchester Airport’s busy runways, with a live, yes live, loud-speaker commentary provided by one of Manchester’s Air Traffic Controllers.
Entry to the Concorde Hangar and Memorabilia Fair is £2, with free entry for children-under-14. Throughout the weekend money will be raised for local and national charities including: Help for Heroes, Child Flight and St Ann's Hospice.
The Runway Visitor Park is located next to Manchester Airport’s runways, off Sunbank Lane in Altrincham, Greater Manchester, close to Junction 6 of the M56 motorway. The Manchester Airport Aviation and Transport Fair takes place this Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 July 2012 at the Runway Visitor Park, Greater Manchester, with the Park open from 8am-8.30pm.
