How do you remember Phoenix? Stories from long time residents... (Tucson: trendy, estimates)

[SluggoF16]

Originally Posted by Magnum Mike

Sky Harbor Airport back in the 1940s (???) with a TWA Douglas DC-3 on the tarmac. I was a little kid in the early 1960s when Sky Harbor entered the jet age and the Boeing 707 started flying in and out of the airport. I can't remember if they had to expand the runways to accomodate the larger Boeing 747 when it entered commercial service in 1970.

Terminal 1 was torn down a few years ago and it's now a parking lot.

If they made them longer, it was in the 60s when the jets (Boeing 707, Convair 880) came on line. I can't find any old aero charts showing when it happened. However, old overhead imagery shows that there was a significant extension to both runways between 1957 and 1970.

In 1978 they lengthened the north runway (then 8L/26R, before the third was added). It was interesting to land on something so wide and yet so short; they'd allowed the western 3000' for light aircraft as they worked on the eastern section. Oh, for the days when a C-152 was $15 an hour and aviation fuel was less than a buck a gallon.

[roosevelt]

Originally Posted by Magnum Mike

Sky Harbor Airport back in the 1940s (???) with a TWA Douglas DC-3 on the tarmac. I was a little kid in the early 1960s when Sky Harbor entered the jet age and the Boeing 707 started flying in and out of the airport. I can't remember if they had to expand the runways to accomodate the larger Boeing 747 when it entered commercial service in 1970.

Terminal 1 was torn down a few years ago and it's now a parking lot.

I have an older 30's photo showing a Lindbergh Line plane, like your photo, and cars parked on the runway! Also an aerial from the 20's, you can't even find the terminal it was so small.

The "Taco Bell" in the background was a wedding chapel; people flew into Phoenix, got married fast, and flew out. Mile High Club honeymoons!

[SluggoF16]

Originally Posted by roosevelt

During the 40's and 50's we bought everything except Levi's (Penney's) and shoes (Thom McAn) from Sears. What a disaster for them.

The Sears at 24th and Camelback seemed bigger than the others, maybe just a matter of perspective inside. Used to enjoy the catalogs, especially the Wish Book. I still have a Kenmore washer I bought in 1987, works as well as Day 1.

[SluggoF16]

Originally Posted by roosevelt

I have an older 30's photo showing a Lindbergh Line plane and cars parked on the runway! Also an aerial from the 20's, you can't even find the terminal it was so small.

The "Taco Bell" in the background was a wedding chapel; people flew into Phoenix, got married fast, and flew out. Mile High Club honeymoons!

According to the Sky Harbor history site PHX was the busiest US airport in 1948. The wedding chapel is included in the articles. Interesting reading.

[roosevelt]

Originally Posted by Chrisxxx

A&W Restaurants is owned by fast food holding company giant Yum! Brands (NYSE: YUM - News) which has had the firm for sale since January. There have been no buyers. The chain was founded in 1919.
brands-disappear-2012-247: Personal Finance News from Yahoo! Finance

A&W Root Beer was a family favorite when I was growing up especially the "floats." We ate at the drive-ins as a special treat. It's sad to see them go but their competition is too overwhelming these days.

A&W always had frosted mugs and the old style root beer before it was outlawed because the government said it caused cancer. The last good root beer was about 1960 as I remember, later it tasted, well, like it does now.

[roosevelt]

Originally Posted by SluggoF16

The Sears at 24th and Camelback seemed bigger than the others, maybe just a matter of perspective inside. Used to enjoy the catalogs, especially the Wish Book. I still have a Kenmore washer I bought in 1987, works as well as Day 1.

My Kenmore washer and dryer from 1972 still going strong too.

[Magnum Mike]

Originally Posted by SluggoF16

If they made them longer, it was in the 60s when the jets (Boeing 707, Convair 880) came on line. I can't find any old aero charts showing when it happened. However, old overhead imagery shows that there was a significant extension to both runways between 1957 and 1970.

In 1978 they lengthened the north runway (then 8L/26R, before the third was added). It was interesting to land on something so wide and yet so short; they'd allowed the western 3000' for light aircraft as they worked on the eastern section. Oh, for the days when a C-152 was $15 an hour and aviation fuel was less than a buck a gallon.

United Airlines also used the DC-8, Douglas' first jet aircraft, then when the Boeing 727 entered service in the early 1960s, Sky Harbor was a very busy hub for short to medium flights. To this day, it still is a hub for airlines that use medium range aircraft like the Boeing 737, and The Airbus A319, and A320.

The north runways are still 8 and 26, without the R and L designations. I can't remember exactly when they added runways 25 Right and Left, and 7 Right and Left on the south side of the airport.

Who knows maybe someday Sky Harbor will be modified to accomodate the Airbus A380.

There are many advantages to having Sky Harbor close to downtown Phoenix, and Tempe, and that's for business travellers, however, the FAA has had restrictions on the height of buildings in downtown Phoenix, that's why we don't see any buildings that are higher than 500 feet. It doesn't make any sense because San Diego's Lindbergh Field is very close to the downtown area, and on the final approach, you can see buildings that are in some cases standing taller than your altitude.

Here's another image of Sky Harbor from the 1930s.

[roosevelt]

1946 photo of Sky Harbor staff, note the 'bell' chapel and terminal that was built in the adobe style.

[SluggoF16]

Originally Posted by Magnum Mike

United Airlines also used the DC-8, Douglas' first jet aircraft, then when the Boeing 727 entered service in the early 1960s, Sky Harbor was a very busy hub for short to medium flights. To this day, it still is a hub for airlines that use medium range aircraft like the Boeing 737, and The Airbus A319, and A320.

The north runways are still 8 and 26, without the R and L designations. I can't remember exactly when they added runways 25 Right and Left, and 7 Right and Left on the south side of the airport.

Who knows maybe someday Sky Harbor will be modified to accomodate the Airbus A380.

There are many advantages to having Sky Harbor close to downtown Phoenix, and Tempe, and that's for business travellers, however, the FAA has had restrictions on the height of buildings in downtown Phoenix, that's why we don't see any buildings that are higher than 500 feet. It doesn't make any sense because San Diego's Lindbergh Field is very close to the downtown area, and on the final approach, you can see buildings that are in some cases standing taller than your altitude.

Here's another image of Sky Harbor from the 1930s.

Back in the day, when flying was affordable, Sky Harbor had two runways. Later the cross runway was replaced with two parallel runways, and flying was still affordable. One was north of the terminals (8L/26R) and one was south (8R/26L). When I flew in there in Cessna 150s, 152s and 172s in the late 70s, that was the runway numbering. There was an instrument landing system to the south runway, landing to the east (8R). When they added the south runway they eventually changed everything. I'm not sure when they adopted the current numbering and didn't use a left-center-right scheme such as at DFW, since all three are within 0.1 degrees of the same heading, but now the south two are left/right, and the north runway, formerly 8L/26R is, as Magnum mentioned, now a standalone 8/26. As the magnetic north pole shifts, maybe some day they'll renumber again. The same thing happened to Tucson International in the late 80s.

[SluggoF16]

Originally Posted by roosevelt

1946 photo of Sky Harbor staff, note the 'bell' chapel and terminal that was built in the adobe style.
Attachment 81478

Nice Luscombe (the airplane) in the near background. And not a sign of TSA anywhere.