VIEIRA DA SILVA - TAP PORTUGAL Airbus A319-111 , registration CS-TTA, photographed at the Lisbon airport on 11th March 2006.
Copyright photograph by Luís Miguel Correia.

AIRLINERS ENTHUSIAST AND SPOTTER

I have always enjoyed passenger carrying aircrafts as far as I can remember.

My first flight was in 1958, with the British Aquila Airways, from Lisbon (Cabo Ruivo) to Funchal, Madeira Island, as a 18 months old intrepid passenger... No memories from that trip, sorry.

Airliners were omnipresent early on in my life. On their way to the Lisbon airport, most would fly past our home and if not observed from the terrace, their roaring presence could never be ignored.

By then the Lisbon airports were favourite in my list of weekend trips with Dad. I still have fond memories of travelling upstairs in the double-decker "AEC" Carris buses. The route 22 leading to Portela de Sacavém, across Lisbon through the Avenidas Novas; the route 28 up to the Olivais Dock, along the Tagus waterfront, its berths full of ships – another serious interest.

At Portela there was the terrace in the airport’s original building and the airliners, parked just in front. The scene at Cabo Ruivo never changed: the three Aquila Airways flying-boats abandoned to rot in slow decay since the demise of the company late in 1958.

Back in1966 I started flying with TAP in their luxurious Super-Constellations. Since then, to fly away has been a lifelong pleasure. And I still enjoy aviation spotting and photography.

Through this blog, I intend to share fond memories as well as photographic images with fellow enthusiasts...

Luís Miguel Correia