History of Atlanta Airport

Here's my story. It was Thanksgiving, 1978. My wife and I got one of the last parking spots at IAH to fly to Atlanta. When we got to the terminal, we got the bad news. No flights in or out for hours because the radar system was down. Eventually we got to Atlanta at around 2:00 am. My dad picked us up, but as we were driving out of the parking garage, we came to a dead halt. It seems one idiot had figured out how to drive up the down ramp. What made it even more entertaining was many, many idiots followed him. We had a Mexican standoff. Cars were stacked up the wrong way and the right way on the down ramp. I've blocked out the memory of how this worked out (remember this was back before cell phones), but I think we made it out by day break.

And, yes, I REMEMBER Eastern.

 

I remember watching the activity from the old observation deck around 1975. The 1961 terminal was already overcrowded enough that some airplanes were being double parked, requiring passengers to walk out on the ramp and go up stairs the old-fashioned way.

If I can find it, somewhere I took a photo showing Piedmont YS-11, FH-227 and 4-0-4 all in the same photo.

 

I forgot about the Japanese YS-11... twin turboprop. I think Piedmont was the only US carrier that used it.

 

I'm pretty certain that you are correct.

 

Did some research... American Eagle, Continental Express, Hawaiian Airlines also used them.

 

This photo, from 1961, is my favorite of the lot. Looking due west, it shows three generations of ATL terminals!
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"A" and "B" are the original terminals that were in use from 1931 to 1948. "C" is the "temporary" quonset-hut terminal that was in use from 1948 to 1961. The two long black concourses were added during the '50s. "D" is the new "Jet Age" terminal that had just opened and would be in use until 1981, when the current midfield terminal (which would be well out of sight to the left) would open, and the tower of the 1961 terminal was imploded in 1984. Concourse A at the new terminal had yet to be built, because it required the south concourse from the 1948 terminal to be demolished first.

"E" are the hangars where the Delta museum is today; "F" was a noted hotel, and "G" are the ramps that would eventually connect the terminal to the yet-to-be-build I-85.

Concourses A & B, which were on the far side of the 1961 terminal, were used by Eastern; concourses E & F, on the near side, were used by Delta; concourses C & D, in the middle, were used by everyone else. Eventually Delta would add rotundas at the ends of E & F to increase their gate count, but even by the mid-70s the 1961 terminal was getting seriously overcrowded.

 

If anyone is familiar with the Renaissance Hotel that is on the north side of today's ATL, it is NOT located where the 1961 terminal was; when they added runway 08L-26R in 1984, it was determined that the old terminal was too close and had to be demolished. The hotel is approximately where the lighter part of the large parking lot is shown in the above photo.

Incidentally, the quonset hut terminal building from 1948 survived a while longer; it was moved some distance to the west and became part of a general-aviation complex, but it, too, had to be demolished when 08L-26R was built.

 

Love this thread! Very cool. I had the pleasure of meeting Asa Candler VI not too long ago and learned of his colorful history. Very nice gentleman. He has a development office in Atlanta and wears suspenders. He said his belly was caused by the corn syrup in Coca-Cola. There is the Candler Field Museum and replica Candler Field which may have already been mentioned in this thread. The website link is below with some more interesting photos.

http://www.peachstateaero.com/museum/

Thanks for posting JLF.

 

Thanks for posting. I couldn't help but look at EVERY page. Brings back lots of memories:

* Couldn't help but notice the huge FLY DELTA JETS sign at night,
* Especially recall the various inclined walkways to other concourses in the terminal,
* Will always remember the Delta rotundas. Remember one time flying standby on a Sunday trying to get to New Orleans and there major medical convention starting there that week.
Would shuttle back and forth between Delta and Eastern when a ticket was good on any airline. One airline would arrive on even hours and depart on odd hours while the other was
exactly the opposite. Seems like it took about 12 hours to get an opening.
* Remember once flying into Atlanta, when our airplane got too close to the one in front and we had to abort and fly around, resulting in the ultimate aerial tour of the airport.
* First time into the new mid-field airport was disappointing. Just like Dulles. I miss the rotundas!